Friday, April 29, 2016

Showcase - Review The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig

It's amazing what happens when three of your favorite authors decide (over perhaps a glass of wine) to coauthor a historical anthology, it becomes an amazing melding of talents that I immediately fell under the spell of and resulted in a wonderful, unforgettable keeper shelf novel.
For those interested in learning more about the background here is an earlier interview with the authors from Happy Ever After.
I hope you enjoy my showcase/review!




















ISBN-13: 9780451474629
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Release Date: 01/19/2016
Length: 384pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound/Audible


Overview

New York Times bestselling authors Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig present a masterful collaboration—a rich, multigenerational novel of love and loss that spans half a century....
 
1945: When critically wounded Captain Cooper Ravenel is brought to a private hospital on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, young Dr. Kate Schuyler is drawn into a complex mystery that connects three generations of women in her family to a single extraordinary room in a Gilded Age mansion.
 
Who is the woman in Captain Ravenel’s miniature portrait who looks so much like Kate? And why is she wearing the ruby pendant handed down to Kate by her mother? In their pursuit of answers, they find themselves drawn into the turbulent stories of Olive Van Alan, driven in the Gilded Age from riches to rags, who hired out as a servant in the very house her father designed, and Lucy Young, who in the Jazz Age came from Brooklyn to Manhattan seeking the father she had never known. But are Kate and Cooper ready for the secrets that will be revealed in the Forgotten Room?
 

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Showcase - Review The Warrior's Prize by Claire Delacroix aka Deborah Cooke

Those who know me well know that you can't put a Delacroix/Cooke novel in front of me that I don't immediately fall into the story. The Warrior's Prize is no different, it's in fact the one story that I couldn't wait to read because she let her readers see Elizabeth Lammegeir grow up right in front of our eyes. 
I'm reviewing the audible edition narrated by the wonderful Saskia Maarleveld.
Sit back and enjoy a fabulous trip into the past!






















ISBN-13: 9781927477601
Publisher: Ever After Romance
Release Date: 06/08/2015
Length: 356pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound/Audible


Overview

The maiden was just another treasure to be won-until she stole his heart and changed his life forever.
Outraged that her beloved brother's soul is to be the Fae tithe to Hell, Elizabeth knows that she must save him. She is the only one in her family who can see the Fae, after all, and is already cursed by their king herself. Malcolm may have offered to replace his comrade out of honor, but Elizabeth knows who better deserves to live-and it is not the handsome rogue, Rafael, who is concerned with his own welfare alone. It should be easy to make a wager with a mercenary, especially as Elizabeth does not care about the cost to herself. To her surprise, though, Rafael proves to be the man who not only takes her dare, but banishes the Fae king's curse with kisses that turn her blood to fire. Could this hardened warrior, who appears to have no heart, be the destined love she has awaited?
At first glimpse, Rafael believes Elizabeth to be an angel sent to judge him-and he knows what her verdict will be. He has made choices in order to survive, and is not proud of them. But Elizabeth dares him to change, with an audacity that awakens a nobility of purpose that Rafael has forgotten he possessed. Can this bold maiden heal the wounds of his past? Can Rafael earn the right to grant her the life she deserves-and do so before the Fae king springs his trap, making Elizabeth his captive forever?

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Interview with Jodi Thomas Lone Heart Pass

I'm so honored to be bringing to you today my interview with NYT bestselling author Jodi Thomas. She's here to chat about her newest Ransom Canyon novel Lone Heart Pass but I think along the way you'll also learn a few very interesting things about the fabulous author as well.
Enjoy!























ISBN-13: 9780373789214
Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: 04/26/2016
Length: 352pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound


Overview

Where family bonds are made and broken, and where young love sparks as old flames grow dim, Ransom Canyon is ready to welcome—and shelter—those who need it
With a career and a relationship in ruins, Jubilee Hamilton is left reeling from a fast fall to the bottom. The run-down Texas farm she's inherited is a far cry from the second chance she hoped for, but it and the abrasive foreman she's forced to hire are all she's got.
Every time Charley Collins has let a woman get close, he's been burned. So Lone Heart ranch and the contrary woman who owns it are merely a means to an end, until Jubilee tempts him to take another risk—to stop resisting the attraction drawing them together despite all his hard-learned logic.
Desperation is all young Thatcher Jones knows. And when he finds himself mixed up in a murder investigation, his only protection is the shelter of a man and woman who—just like him—need someone to trust.

Friday, April 22, 2016

**GIVEAWAY** Interview with J T Ellison plus review of No One Knows

Today I'm so excited to be bringing one of my all time favorite authors back to the blog, I've read everything she's ever written and even had the great pleasure of meeting her in person a few years ago. She's never disappointed me but I don't think she's ever surprised me as much as she did with No One Knows. So without further ado I bring you JT Ellison!
JT's publisher Gallery Books is also sponsoring a giveaway so be sure to enter to win a copy too! Giveaway details below.





















ISBN-13: 9781501118470
Publisher: Gallery Books-Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 03/22/2016
Length: 368pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound/Audible



Overview

With the same page-turning suspense as The Girl on the Train and The Husband’s SecretNew York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison’s No One Knows is a “riveting…skillfully plotted” (Publishers Weekly) thriller that questions if the narrator’s husband really has returned from the dead—or if she’s merely losing her mind.
Aubrey Hamilton has been mourning her missing husband for five years, despite being even while she was considered the prime suspect in his murder. But when he is officially declared dead, there are still more questions than answers: Why didn’t Josh show up at his friend’s bachelor party? Was he murdered, or did he run away? And who is the new, mysterious and strangely familiar figureman suddenly appearing in Aubrey’s life? And has she finally lost her mind after years of loneliness and confusion?
No One Knows is an evocative mystery that explores the complex darkness within all of us, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Liane Moriarty, and Paula Hawkins.

The Giveaway is for one print copy of
No One Knows US ONLY
Please use Rafflecopter form below to enter
Thanks Gallery Books
Good Luck!

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

**GIVEAWAY** Interview with James McManus - Midnight in Berlin

I'm so excited to be bringing this interview with author James McManus about his new release Midnight in Berlin. It seems like there are WWII stories popping out all over now and I have to admit that they are always on the top of my wish list.
Enjoy the interview with James then enter to win a copy of the book sponsored by Jame's US Publisher, St. Martin's Press, Giveaway details below.





















ISBN-13: 9781250079404
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: 04/19/2016
Length: 416pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound/Audible



Overview

Berlin in the spring of 1939. Hitler is preparing for war. Colonel Noel Macrae, a British diplomat, plans the ultimate sacrifice to stop him. The West’s appeasement policies have failed. There is only one alternative: assassination. The Gestapo, aware of Macrae’s hostility, seeks to compromise him in their infamous brothel. There Macrae meets and falls in love with Sara, a Jewish woman blackmailed into becoming a Nazi courtesan.
Macrae finds himself trapped between the blind policies of his government and the dark world of betrayal and deception in Berlin. As he seeks to save the woman he loves from the brutality of the Gestapo, he defies his government and plans direct action to avert what he knows will be a global war.
Inspired by true events and characters, James MacManus’s Midnight in Berlin is a passionate story that will leave you in awe of the human capacity for courage, sacrifice, and love set against a world on the brink of war.

The Giveaway is for one print copy of
Midnight in Berlin by James McManus
US ONLY
Please use Rafflecopter form below to enter
Thanks St. Martin's Press
Good Luck!

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Showcase - Notorious by Carey Baldwin Hosted by Partners in Crime blog tours

Notorious

by Carey Baldwin

on Tour April 5 - May 13, 2016

Notorious by Carey BaldwinThe woman everyone loves to hate is dead.
Dallas socialite Cynthia Langhorne is infamous for her beauty, her philanthropy, and her home wrecking--until she's found shot through the heart and posed nude at a fundraising ball. The case is high profile, and there's a bigger problem: Cindy is the wife of a decorated FBI special agent--the prime suspect in her murder.
When the Bureau sends FBI profiler Atticus Spenser and forensic psychiatrist Dr. Caitlin Cassidy to Texas on behalf of Dutch Langhorne, the special agent-turned-suspect, they're suspicious of the very man whose interests they're supposed to protect. But with a psycho hitman on their heels and a trail of evidence leading up the food chain, it quickly becomes clear this is no ordinary case. The truth points to someone--or something--larger than Spenser and Cassidy ever thought possible. Solving this case is no longer a matter of clearing Dutch's name--it's a matter of national security.

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thriller Published by: Witness Impulse Publication Date: Feb 2, 2016 Number of Pages: 336 ISBN: 006238709X (ISBN13: 9780062387097) Series: Cassidy & Spenser #3 Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble Goodreads

Monday, April 18, 2016

Showcase - One Night Charmer by Maisey Yates + Author interview

I'm so happy to welcome back to the blog NYT bestseller Maisey Yates. She's here today talking about her latest Copper Ridge release by that publisher that makes my world go round Harlequin.
So sit back, kick your cowboy boots off and enjoy the showcase!
























ISBN-13: 9780373789658
Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: 04/19/2016
Length: 480 pp (Includes bonus Novella-Hometown Heartbreaker)
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound/Audible



Overview

Copper Ridge, Oregon's favorite bachelor is about to meet his match
If the devil wore flannel, he'd look like Ace Thompson. He's gruff. Opinionated. Infernally hot. The last person that Sierra West wants to ask for a bartending job—not that she has a choice. Ever since discovering that her "perfect" family is built on a lie, Sierra has been determined to make it on her own. Resisting her new boss should be easy when they're always bickering. Until one night, the squabbling stops…and something far more dangerous takes over.
Ace has a personal policy against messing around with staff—or with spoiled rich girls. But there's a steel backbone beneath Sierra's silver-spoon upbringing. She's tougher than he thought, and so much more tempting. Enough to make him want to break all his rules, even if it means risking his heart…

Friday, April 15, 2016

**GIVEAWAY** Spring Fling Giveaway Hop Hosted by Herding Cats and Burning Soup

Spring has sprung and love is in the air! We’re sharing our favorite romantic reads! There’s a giveaway at every blog so visit them all and see what reads have us all in a swoon this month.

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Review - Showcase The Return of the Witch by Paula Brackston

People who know me know I love Paula Brackston and all her witchy tales and more recently her Gretel from Hanz and Gretel stories. Now I'm happy to bring you a showcase and my review of The Return of the Witch, the sequel to her debut novel, The Witch's Daughter.
Here's the promo:
Paula Brackston's debut novel, The Witch's Daughter, was the little book that could--with a captivating story, remarkable heroine, and eye-catching package, it has now netted over 200,000 copies in all formats. Now Paula returns with its sequel The Return of the Witch, another bewitching tale of love and magic, featuring her signature blend of gorgeous writing, a fabulous and intriguing historical backdrop, and a headstrong and relatable heroine readers will cheer for.





















ISBN-13:  9781250028815
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: 03/08/2016
Length: 336pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound/Audible



Overview

After five years in the Summerlands, Gideon has gained his freedom. Elizabeth knows he will go straight for Tegan, and that she must protect the girl she had come to regard as her own daughter. In the time since she the dramatic night in Batchcombe woods, Tegan has traveled the world learning from all manner of witches, and she is no longer the awkward teenager and novice spellcaster she once was. However, her skills are no match for Gideon's dark, vengeful power, and he succeeds in capturing her. Will Elizabeth be able to find her? Will they be able to defeat their nemesis once and for all?
In a breathless journey that takes them through history to the 17th and 19th centuries, witch pursues warlock. Three people steeped in magic weave a new story, but not all will survive until the end.

Read an excerpt courtesy of St. Martin's Press:

1
MATRAVERS, FEBRUARY 2014
Willow Cottage appeared pleasingly unchanged, looking so very much as it had the day I made it my home nearly six years before. February winds had brought abundant snow, so that the entire village was thickly coated. The storm had moved on; the air was clear and the sky free of clouds. Morning sun glinted off the white ground. Standing at the gate that marked the boundary of the garden, I noticed the holly plants I had used to fill gaps in the hedge had grown well, adding their prickly strength to the protective border around the front of the house. Beneath the layer of snow I could discern the familiar shapes of sturdy shrubs and winter plants, and to the side the willows themselves were still graceful, even in their unclothed, brumal state. On the roof bare patches of slate gleamed wetly where the heat from the chimney had melted the snow, and a steady plume of pale smoke suggested seasoned wood was being burned on the Aga in the kitchen. My heart tightened. I could so clearly picture the cozy stove, the worn furniture mellowed by age, rows of jars and bottles on the aged oak dresser, the low window over the sink looking out to the vegetable patch at the rear of the house.
But I was remembering the way things were when I lived there. When Willow Cottage was mine. Now it belonged to Tegan. Would she have altered the interior? I wondered. Would I find things displaced, new furnishings, a different mood to the place, perhaps? Of course, Tegan had every right to do as she pleased with her own home. I had given it to her completely, without condition, precisely so that she might find a sense of belonging that seemed to have always eluded her during her somewhat rootless childhood. And how would she receive me? There had been times when I had longed for this moment to come, but now I found myself reluctant to open the gate, walk up the narrow garden path, and knock upon the front door. I had visited her in her dreams on several occasions during the past five years. I had sought to give comfort and encouragement when I could. And I had tried to warn her. I was satisfied that she had heard me, and I believed I understood her well enough to know that she did gain solace and reassurance from that tenuous contact. To stand before her again, however, solid, earthbound, returned as if from the dead, well, that was another matter entirely. She would be shocked. She might well be frightened. Would she be angry with me for leaving her? Had she forgiven me? Would she comprehend the reason for my coming back, uninvited, into her life?
A low sound from beyond the house caught my attention. Muffled by the snow, the noise was rhythmic, workmanlike, coming from the kitchen garden. Sweeping, I decided. Tegan. I pushed open the gate and followed the path around the side of the house, happier that our reunion was to be outside, beneath the cheerful sun and the soft blue of the sky. At shoulder height, a blackbird flew as my escort, its song alerting everyone to my arrival. As I rounded the building the noise of sweeping ceased, and there she stood, leaning on a handmade besom, head turned to see who it was who called upon her. I stopped in my snowy tracks. Willow Cottage might have altered little, but Tegan was transformed. The slight, awkward girl I had left behind had grown into a strong, beautiful, young woman. She was warmly clothed against the winter’s cold, with a woolen hat and gloves and a bulky padded coat. Her Wellington boots looked a size too big, and her legs were still slender, but she had an adult shape to her now. I studied her face, trying to read her expression, eager to gauge the impact seeing me would have upon her. She gasped. For what seemed an age, she neither spoke nor moved. My heart lurched beneath my breast. I could only imagine what turmoil her own must be in. Would she trust the evidence of her eyes? I am not sure that I would have done so, had our roles been reversed. I forced myself to speak, to say something, anything, to break the unbearable tension of that moment.
“You should not leave your sweeping unfinished,” I told her, pointing at the flat stones of the pathway about her feet, which were still smeared with snow. “Come evening that will freeze. An old woman could slip and break her bones.”
Tegan straightened, her grip on the broom handle tightening minutely.
“I see no old women here,” she replied, her face still inscrutable.
And then she screamed. It was a cry of pure delight. Throwing the broom down, she ran to me and flung her arms around me, pulling me to her so tightly she fair knocked the breath from my body.
“It’s you! It’s really you!” she cried, pulling back to look at me before hugging me again. “I can’t believe it! Well, I can believe it. I mean, I must! Because here you are. But how can you be? Well, why not? Why wouldn’t you be able to?… And I know I’m gabbling, but what did you expect? I mean, turning up, just like this. And looking, well, just like you!” She was laughing and crying now, and I was aware of my own tears mingling with hers as she kissed my face excitedly. “And you’re exactly as you always were. Look at you. Oh, Elizabeth, I knew you’d come back! I just knew it. Even though it doesn’t make any sense.” She paused to sniff and wipe her eyes with her gloved hand. “Here you are.”
I nodded, smiling as I stepped back to look at her once more, taking her gloved hands in mine. “Here I am, but where is the skinny child I remember? Who is this woman, all grown up and sensibly dressed, for once?” Now I noticed that it was not merely her physical exuberance that I had felt. There was something else. A different manner of strength.
“Am I so different, really?”
“You still chatter as much as you ever did, which is to say a great deal!”
She beamed. “How you must have missed that.”
“Almost as much as I missed your cooking.”
“Ha! Now I know you are confusing me with someone else.” She laughed.
We fell silent and simply stood, looking at each other. The morning air around us seemed to thicken, the day itself began to grow heavy with questions, with unspoken thoughts, with hurt.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” I asked.
She shrugged, a little uncertain. “It’s your house,” she said.
“No, Tegan. It’s yours.”
She jammed her hands in her pockets, grinning. “The kettle’s on,” she said as she led the way to the back door.
Once inside she stepped out of her boots and I did the same, leaving them to dry on the mat. I confess I was touched to find the kitchen unchanged. The Aga sat as it always had against the far wall with the same kettle whistling softly on one of the hot plates. The cream enamel of the old stove was a little more blackened and worn in places, but it gave out a welcoming heat. The ramshackle collection of chairs, tables, and rugs remained, as did the dresser. I could not resist inspecting the bottles on the shelves. Jars of preserved fruit and pickles from the garden. Dried herbs. Flower oils and infusions, all neatly labeled.
“Oh! You continue to make these?” I picked up a dark blue bottle of lavender oil, removing the stopper to inhale the uplifting fumes. “This is very good. Very good indeed.”
“Should be,” said Tegan, fetching mugs for tea. “I used your recipe. And your plants from the garden.”
“But you made it. It is your creation, not mine.”
She clattered on with mugs and spoons, taking milk from the fridge and generally busying herself. After her initial excitement at seeing me, she now seemed subdued in my presence. It was as if in those first few moments her guard was down, and her genuine delight at my return was revealed. Now, however, she had reined in her emotions. The barriers were back up, and she would not let me so close again. Not yet, at least. I reminded myself how much she had been alone in her life. I ought not to expect instant forgiveness or an immediate connection. I had left her. I would have to earn her trust once more. What worried me was that we did not have the luxury of time in which to reforge our friendship. The danger was very near and very real, and I must prepare her for it.
Tegan took off her coat and hung it on the back of a chair. As she did so, there was a movement in the top pocket and, to my astonishment, a small white mouse wriggled out. He looked at me, whiskers twitching, bright ruby eyes holding me with a firm stare.
“Is that … is that the mouse I gave you?” I asked.
Tegan casually reached out a hand and the tiny creature hopped onto it, ran up her arm, and settled on her shoulder where it evidently felt most at home. “Yup, same one,” she said, pausing to give it a quick scratch behind its ear. “Still going strong, aren’t you Aloysius?”
“But, that would make him, what … nearly eight years old? Rather an ancient age for a mouse.”
Tegan stopped what she was doing and leaned back against the Aga. She folded her arms and stared at me.
“When I met you, you were three hundred and eighty-four years old. You showed no signs of aging or dying the whole time we were together. You disappeared off in a puff of bloody smoke to what you told me was some sort of witchy heaven, and now you pop up here again, calm as ever, telling me how to sweep snow off the path, as if you’ve just been down to the shops for five minutes, and you have a problem with a mouse with an above-average lifespan?”
“Not a problem, no…”
“You’re not the only one around here with any magic in you, you know. Aloysius was with me that night in Batchcombe Woods. The night it all kicked off. He was in the thick of that chaos, with spells and curses and fire … Something kept him alive then.” She turned to kiss the mouse. “It’s kept him alive ever since, I guess.”
“I’m glad,” I told her. “I’m glad he’s been with you.”
She put the tea things on the table and we sat down. As soon as she opened the biscuit tin Aloysius positioned himself next to her mug and neatly took crumbs of shortbread from her. I wanted to reach across the table and take her hand. Wanted to tell her how wonderful it was to be with her again. How much I’d missed her. How much I loved her. Perhaps I myself had spent too many long lonely years guarding my feelings, keeping myself shut away, turning from people instead of toward them. Or perhaps I simply knew Tegan was not yet ready to forgive me. Not yet ready to risk being hurt again. I warmed my hands around the mug of tea and took a piece of shortbread. It tasted wonderfully homemade and for a moment I was utterly taken up with the novel sensation of eating again. I had learned many things during my five years in the Summerlands. Things about the craft and about myself, not the least of which was how much I cared for being in the physical world, and how much I missed simple pleasures such as eating a biscuit.
“Now you have really surprised me, Tegan. This is delicious!”
She did not smile at my allusion to her youthful cooking failures this time. Instead she frowned.
“OK, snowy paths, lavender oil, now shortbread. Let’s stop dancing around the elephant in the room, shall we? No one is supposed to leave the Summerlands. You and I both know you didn’t come back to see if I’d learned to keep house.”
“No, you’re right about that.”
“So, let’s have it. I’m not a child anymore, you can’t hide things from me because you think I won’t like them. Why, Elizabeth? Why now, after all this time? Why are you here?”
“I needed to speak with you.”
“Ha! Do you know how many times I’ve needed to speak with you the past five years? No, course you don’t; how could you? You weren’t here. You left me.”
“Tegan, I’m sorry, I had no choice.”
“We always have a choice!” she snapped before regaining control of her temper. Aloysius, clearly sensitive to the abrupt change of mood in the room, scuttled into the pocket of her sweater. “Look, I’ve learned a lot since … since you went. I’ve traveled. I’ve studied the craft all over the world. I’ve sat at the feet of witches and shamans and I’ve listened. The things they taught me…” She looked at me levelly now. “I’m not the same person I was.”
“I can see that. I’m so proud of you.”
“And you know the biggest thing I learned? After all that wisdom, with all that studying, the single most important thing I got was this: The buck stops here,” she said, jabbing a finger at her chest. “We have to take responsibility for our own lives. Our own choices.”
She looked away again, but not before I had glimpsed the tears in her eyes.
“Tegan, I was always with you, as much as I could be … And I’m here now because I don’t want you to be on your own. We will face this together.”
Her body tensed. I let my words sink in. Let her make the connection. Let her reach the only logical conclusion there was to be reached. Without looking up, she asked, “How did he do it? How did he get away?”
I had thought so carefully about how I would tell her, and yet still I faltered, and my words seemed inadequate.
“It could not have been anticipated,” I told her. “When I took Gideon to the Summerlands it required the combined magic strength of myself and several of my sister witches, but the transfer was successful. He was captured and kept secure. Or at least, we believed so.”
“What?”
“No one has ever been able to break free of their bonds and leave the Summerlands before. It is simply without precedent.”
“But Gideon managed to do it.”
“He cannot have acted alone. He must have had assistance from someone.”
“Who? Did one of the other witches help him?”
“No! No witch would do such a thing.”
“So who, then?”
“I don’t know. None of us does. It is not the most important thing. What matters is that he was able to leave, to return to this time. To this place.”
“To this village?”
“To Batchcombe Woods.”
“Oh, well, that’s at least, what … ten miles away? We’re all right here then, aren’t we!” She was blustering to hide her own fear. I wanted to reassure her, to tell her that there was nothing to be afraid of, but she was right; she was no longer a child, and she deserved to know the truth.
“He would have to return to the point from where he was taken. That much we do know.”
“So where is he now?”
“We don’t know. Not exactly. My sister witches and I, we have searched as best we are able, but he has cloaked his whereabouts.”
Tegan gave a dry laugh. “Well, I think I can help you out with that. Just hang around here long enough and he’s bound to show up.” She shook her head slowly. “Which is why you are here. You know he’ll come after me. You expect him to. So, have you come to save me, or to catch him? Which is it?”
“They are one and the same thing. Except that, to be perfectly honest with you, catching him is not an option. Not this time. This time we must not leave him with the opportunity to return and do more harm. This time we must finish him.”
“I seem to remember that was what we failed to do the first time we faced him.”
“Things are different now. You are different now, Tegan. Your own gift, you’ve worked so hard. Together…”
Tegan got to her feet and strode over to the sink where she made a show of rinsing her tea mug. The set of her shoulders, her brisk movements, her poorly hidden tears, all told of her very real fear. And she was right to be afraid, and that thought caused within me a choking sadness. I stood up and went to her.
“I’m sorry, Tegan. If there had been another way, anything, to spare you having to face him again … I am sorry, truly I am.” I placed my hand lightly on her arm.
She hesitated. “So you’ll stay?” she asked at last. “You’ll stay and help me?”
“I promise.”
She touched my hand with her fingers, a tentative but meaningful contact. The instant her skin met mine I experienced the unmistakable tingle of magic. Tegan’s magic. The strength of it took my breath away. Over the years I had been in the presence of many witches, but even with such a brief connection I could tell that what I was feeling, what Tegan held inside her, was something quite extraordinary. Such unexpected power, such an alteration in what was fundamental to the witch that Tegan had become, left me shaken.
If she noticed my shock Tegan chose not to show it.
“I’ve got to feed the chickens,” she said, looking up at me with a brave smile. “Want to come and see them?”


Wednesday, April 13, 2016

**GIVEAWAY** Showcase Heart Like Mine by Maggie McGinnis

Today I'm showcasing contemporary romance author Maggie McGinnis and her new book Heart Like Mine, book 2 in her Echo Lake series. Plus her publisher, St. Martin's Press is sponsoring a giveaway for one print copy US Only of the book.
Details below





















ISBN-13: 9781250069085
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Release Date: 04/05/2016
Length: 368pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound


Overview

ONLY LOVE CAN HEAL A BROKEN HEART
Delaney Blair loves her job at Echo Lake’s Mercy Hospital, where she’s developed a reputation for being smart, fair, and driven. When she’s assigned to cut funding, she has to temporarily relocate her office, put on borrowed scrubs, and go toe-to-toe with Dr. Joshua Mackenzie, the interim head of the pediatrics department. His killer smile and rock-star body are distractions Delaney could do without, but she’s determined to stay focused while she brings his budget into line. It’s not working.
Beloved by his colleagues and patients alike, Josh is too busy caring for sick kids to talk numbers with the sexy, stiletto-clad Delaney. Every time they talk business, tensions run high…but so does a powerful attraction neither of them can ignore. When an emergency brings Mercy to its knees, Delaney and Josh must work together to save lives. But can they also find a way into each other’s hearts?
Don't miss Heart Like Mine, the second Echo Lake novel from Maggie McGinnis!

GIVEAWAY IS FOR ONE PRINT COPY
US ONLY OF HEART LIKE MINE
PLEASE USE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW TO ENTER
THANKS ST. MARTIN'S PRESS
GOOD LUCK!

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

**GIVEAWAY** Showcase The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman

I'm so happy to present to my readers a showcase for The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman, which is a pen name for the award winning memoirist Wade Rouse who a fellow Missourian chose his grandmother's name to honor the woman whose charm bracelet and family stories inspired him to write his debut novel, The Charm Bracelet.
Enjoy the showcase and Viola/Wade's publisher St. Martin's Press is offering one print copy of the novel as a giveaway, details below.























ISBN-13: 9781250071323
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: 03/22/2016
Length: 304pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound/Audible



Overview

Lose yourself to the magic of The Charm Bracelet.
Through an heirloom charm bracelet, three women will rediscover the importance of family and a passion for living as each charm changes their lives.
On her birthday each year, Lolly’s mother gave her a charm, along with the advice that there is nothing more important than keeping family memories alive, and so Lolly’s charm bracelet would be a constant reminder of that love.
Now seventy and starting to forget things, Lolly knows time is running out to reconnect with a daughter and granddaughter whose lives have become too busy for Lolly or her family stories.
But when Arden, Lolly’s daughter, receives an unexpected phone call about her mother, she and granddaughter Lauren rush home. Over the course of their visit, Lolly reveals the story behind each charm on her bracelet, and one by one the family stories help Lolly, Arden, and Lauren reconnect in a way that brings each woman closer to finding joy, love, and faith.
A compelling story of three women and a beautiful reminder of the preciousness of family Viola Shipman's The Charm Bracelet is a keepsake you’ll cherish long after the final page.


St. Martin's Press is sponsoring a Giveaway of
One Print Copy of The Charm Bracelet
US ONLY
Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter
Good Luck!

Monday, April 11, 2016

Showcase Dissent: Book 1 of the Nexus by Thomas Olbert

I love bringing new to me authors to light and here's yet another. Enjoy the showcase of Dissent by Thomas Olbert!






















ISBN-13: 9781942342892
Publisher: Phase 5 Pulbishing, LLC
Release Date: 3/31/2016
Length: 232
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound



Goodreads is having a #Giveaway of Dissent
Click HERE for the entry page


Overview

This thrilling and inventive space opera takes us to a fascinating and terrifying future where newborn life is won in battle and death. Genetic engineering has removed the male influence and Femes, a sapien race similar to legendary Amazon Warriors, fight each other for supremacy across the galaxy.
Despite being born with the genes of nobility, Kaylenn decides to prove herself in battle. Nothing is more sacred to a Kralite. When her government declares war, she is eager to prove herself again. All opponents fall before her, but when she has no choice but to place her faith in Saaryth--a lowly Kaltaarist squadron commander--or face glorious death herself, she chooses to live.
Born to the tribe, Saaryth embodies the unity and self-sacrifice that is the birthright of all Kaltaarists. After years of being marginalized by their Kralite-led government, Saaryth shows Kaylenn the potential of the many working together in perfect harmony to accomplish a single goal. But Kaylenn's fiery passion awakens within Saaryth desires forbidden to Kaltaarists: she doesn’t want to share.
Their union provokes the ire of the governments and corporations controlling the galaxy, but is the only hope to save Kaylenn's homeworld. The Nexus is always watching… and its judgment is neigh.

Friday, April 8, 2016

**Giveaway** Showcase The Girl From Home by Adam Mitzner

Happy Friday I'm so happy to bring you a showcase on The Girl From Home by Adam Mitzner and Adam's publisher Simon and Schuster is graciously sponsoring a giveaway, details below.
Enjoy and Good Luck!























ISBN-13: 9781476764283
Publisher: Gallery Books, Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 04/05/2016
Length: 336pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound/Audible



Overview

The acclaimed author, whose recent novel of suspense Losing Faith was declared “startling…a well-crafted story” (Kirkus Reviews), takes you on a gripping psychological thrill ride in this electrifying tale of a millionaire who will go to deadly lengths to get what he wants.
Jonathan Caine is a true master of the universe—a currency wizard with a trophy wife, a penthouse condo with a view of the Statue of Liberty, and the desire for more—when his world comes crashing down, spiraling him into a relentless fall from grace. Devastated, Jonathan returns to his hometown to care for his ailing father and attend his twenty-fifth high school reunion, where he becomes reacquainted with former prom queen Jacqueline Williams. Back in the day, Jackie didn’t even know Jonathan existed. Now she is intrigued by the man he has become. But their budding relationship has problems, not the least of which is Jackie’s jealous and abusive husband. Jonathan is determined to learn from his mistakes, but is he capable of complete transformation? Or will a shocking temptation test his desire for redemption beyond anything he could have imagined?

The Giveaway is one print copy of
The Girl From Home
US ONLY
Please Use Rafflecopter form below to enter
Thanks Gallery Books!
Good Luck!

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Review - Showcase Waylaid By Kim Harrison

I'm excited to be bringing you this showcase/review of Kim Harrison's "worlds colliding" short story. The Drafter is high on my tbr pile and now after reading Waylaid I'm even more anxious to open the pages. Enjoy the showcase and review!






















ISBN-13:9781501145551
Publisher: Pocket Star Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 04/04/2016
Length: 61pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo



Overview

Worlds collide when Rachel Morgan of The Hollows meets Peri Reed of The Drafter in this exciting new short story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison.

The paranormal and the futuristic meet in this thrilling novella featuring your favorite badass heroines from two of “the amazingly gifted” (RT Book Reviews) Kim Harrison’s most beloved series: the Hollows and the Peri Reed Chronicles. The magic of the Hollows runs full force into the technological sophistication of The Drafter when a device capable of carrying a city’s data stream pulls Rachel, the bounty hunter witch of the Hollows, between realities, marooning her in a world where the supernatural holds no sway. To get Rachel and Jenks home, Peri, the dangerous renegade of 2030, must decide what will chart her future: her blind trust in those who grant her power, or her intuition telling her to believe.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Showcase Mortal Dilemma H Terrell Giffin - Oceanview

Today I'm showcasing his newest Matt Royal novel, Mortal Dilemma. I had the privilege of interviewing him about his last novel, Chasing Justice HERE






















ISBN-13: 978-1608091744
Publisher: Ocenview
Release Date: 04/05/2016
Length: 416pp
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound



Overview

Jock Algren arrives on Longboat Key in a state of depression and hopelessness. His most recent mission for his secretive U.S. government intelligence agency has been disastrous and his friends Matt Royal and J. D. Duncan aren’t sure they’ll be able to pull him out of his despair—then the bad guys show up and danger erupts on all fronts.
Longboat Key Detective J. D. Duncan is investigating a cold case when the brother of the victim shows up on the island and complicates the investigation. A grizzled sailor—described by Matt as “the meanest man I’d ever known”—brings his boat into a local marina and bodies begin to accumulate. A Middle East jihadist intent on revenge locks on to Jock’s clandestine past, bringing a deadly chase to the last outpost in the continental U.S.—Key West. Three prongs of evil descend, clashing violently. How could all this malice be interconnected?

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

**GIVEAWAY** Showcase The Tsarina's Legacy by Jennifer Laam

I'm pleased to showcase Jennifer Laam's sophomore offering, another exciting Russian Romanov tale, The Tsarina's Legacy. I interviewed Jennifer about her debut, The Secret Daughter of the Tsar HERE I'm excited to offer a copy as a Giveaway sponsored by Jennifer's publisher, St. Martin's Press.
Giveaway details below























ISBN-13: 9781250068798
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: 04/05/2016
Length: 352
Buy It: B&N/Amazon/Kobo/IndieBound



Overview

Then...Grigory "Grisha" Potemkin has had a successful long association with the powerful Empress Catherine of Russia. But Catherine and Grisha are older now and face new threats, both from powers outside of Russia and from those close to them. Haunted by the horrors of his campaign against the Muslim Turks, Grisha hopes to construct a mosque in the heart of the empire. Unfortunately, Catherine's much younger new lover, the ambitious Platon Zubov, stands in his way. Grisha determines that to preserve Catherine's legacy he must save her from Zubov's dangerous influence and win back her heart.
Now...When she learns she is the lost heiress to the Romanov throne, Veronica Herrera's life turns upside down. Dmitry Potemkin, one of Grisha's descendants, invites Veronica to Russia to accept a ceremonial position as Russia's new tsarina. Seeking purpose, Veronica agrees to act as an advocate to free a Russian artist sentenced to prison for displaying paintings critical of the church and government. Veronica is both celebrated and chastised. As her political role comes under fire, Veronica is forced to decide between the glamorous perks of European royalty and staying true to herself.
In Jennifer Laam's The Tsarina's Legacy, unexpected connections between Grisha and Veronica are revealed as they struggle to make peace with the ghosts of their past and help secure a better future for themselves and the country they both love.

St. Martin's Press is offering
One Print copy of 

The Tsarina's Legacy
US & Canada Only
Please use Rafflecopter form below to enter
Thanks St. Martin's Press
Good Luck!