Harlequin Series Picks for January 2022

 

Those who know me well know how much I LOVE all the Harlequin brands and personally think they are the publishers that make the world go round. Today I'd like to share with you the picks a very special HQN publicist has chosen for January. I hope you'll give one or all of them a try, I'll be choosing mine soon.
Enjoy!

#GIVEAWAY The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews Blog Tour Interview with Mimi sponsored by Austenprose PR

 

Welcome to my stop on the Siren of Sussex blog tour here you can learn all about the novel, enjoy my interview with author Mimi Matthews and enter the generous #Giveaway that Mimi is sponsoring. #Giveaway deets below!
Enjoy!!

Once Upon A Friendship Anthology Authors Blog Event to Benefit St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital Week And Challenge

 

Well we've reached the end of the Once Upon A Friendship blog event I hope you all have enjoyed learning a little about all these fabulous authors and why St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital is near and dear to them and I hope you'll take a chance on maybe loving some new authors and buying a copy of these 10 full length novels for only .99.
I want to thank the authors for being so generous in this era of me, mine and my it's really nice to see kindness, generosity and caring.

Even though the event ends today I'll leave the challenge up until the book goes off sale February 8 and then I'll make the match donation.

Thank you all again for making this an incredible event. 

 The Challenge is-
For every anthology purchased 
I will make a matching donation to St. Jude's
Just mention in the comments section
that you bought the anthology and I'll back it up 
With a donation of my own!
Thank You!

Today's featured authors are:

Terri Osburn and Ashley Farley

Once Upon A Friendship Anthology Authors Blog Event to Benefit St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital Week And Challenge

 

Welcome to day 3 of my 4 day Once Upon a Friendship blog event and a personal challenge to my blog visitors.

 The Challenge is-
For every anthology purchased 
I will make a matching donation to St. Jude's
Just mention in the comments section
that you bought the anthology and I'll back it up 
With a donation of my own!
Thank You!

Today's participating authors are:

Barbara Hinske and Judith Keim 

Once Upon A Friendship Anthology Authors Blog Event to Benefit St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital Week And Challenge

 

Welcome to day 2 of The Once Upon a Friendship blog event and Challenge 

 The Challenge is-
For every anthology purchased 
I will make a matching donation to St. Jude's
Just mention in the comments section
that you bought the anthology and I'll back it up 
With a donation of my own!
Thank You!

Today's authors are:

 Kellie Coates Gilbert, Debra Clopton & Rachael Bloom

Once Upon A Friendship Anthology Authors Blog Event to Benefit St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital Week And Challenge

 

To all my blogger friends I am so excited to be hosting  the ten authors from Once Upon a Friendship Anthology from Monday thru Thursday of this week. 

This anthology is 10 full length novels for .99 for a limited time and all proceeds go to directly to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. How cool is that!

Now For The Challenge
For every anthology purchased 
I will make a matching donation to St. Jude's
Just mention in the comments section
that you bought the anthology and I'll back it up 
With a donation of my own!
Thank You!

#MacmillanAudio Review of Maiden Voyages by Siân Evans

 

Today I reach back into my audio backlist for a #Macmillan Audio of Maiden Voyages, I started this ages ago but for some reason didn't finish it until recently. Life I guess

Enjoy!

ASIN: B08KSGT5BT
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 8-10-2021
Length: 10hours & 45minutes
Source: Publisher/Netgalley for review
Buy It: Audible

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

In an engaging and anecdotal social history, Siân Evans's Maiden Voyages explores how women’s lives were transformed by the Golden Age of ocean liner travel between Europe and North America.

During the early 20th century, transatlantic travel was the province of the great ocean liners. It was an extraordinary undertaking made by many women, whose lives were changed forever by their journeys between the Old World and the New. Some traveled for leisure, some for work; others to reinvent themselves or find new opportunities. They were celebrities, migrants and millionaires, refugees, aristocrats and crew members whose stories have mostly remained untold - until now.

Maiden Voyages is a fascinating portrait of these women as they crossed the Atlantic. The ocean liner was a microcosm of contemporary society, divided by class: from the luxury of the upper deck, playground for the rich and famous, to the cramped conditions of steerage or third class travel. In first class you’ll meet A-listers like Marlene Dietrich, Wallis Simpson, and Josephine Baker; the second class carried a new generation of professional and independent women, like pioneering interior designer Sibyl Colefax. Down in steerage, you’ll follow the journey of émigré Maria Riffelmacher as she escapes poverty in Europe. Bustling between decks is a crew of female workers, including Violet “The Unsinkable Stewardess” Jessop, who survived the Titanic disaster.

Entertaining and informative, Maiden Voyages captures the golden age of ocean liners through the stories of the women whose transatlantic journeys changed the shape of society on both sides of the globe.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

Sophia Rose Reviews Lightning in a Mirror Jayne Ann Krentz

Today my friend Sophia Rose returns to share her review of Lightning in a Mirror by Jayne Ann Krentz.
Enjoy!

Lightning in a Mirror by Jayne Ann Krentz

#3 Fogg Lake

Romantic Suspense

Publisher:  Berkley Romance

Published:  1.18.22

ASIN:  B092V35KJF

Pages:  320

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  Berkley

Sellers: Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

The final installment in the chilling Fogg Lake trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz.

Olivia LeClair's experiment with speed dating is not going well. First there was the nasty encounter with the date from hell who tried to murder her and now the mysterious Harlan Rancourt—long believed dead—sits down at her table and tells her she's the only one who can help him locate the legendary Vortex lab.

This is not what Olivia had in mind when she signed up for the Four Event Success Guaranteed package offered by the dating agency. She doesn't have much choice, though, because her psychic investigation firm works for the mysterious Foundation and Victor Arganbright, the director, is adamant that she assist Harlan. There's just one problem—no one knows Harlan's real agenda. His father once ran the Foundation like a mob organization, and Harlan was destined to be his heir. There's a real possibility Harlan has returned to claim his inheritance.

For now, however, it's a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend because others are after the secrets of the long-lost lab. Unfortunately for Olivia, the one thing friend and foe have in common is that everyone is convinced she is the key. Her unique psychic talent is required to defuse the ticking time bomb that is Vortex.

Neither trusts the other but Olivia and Harlan soon realize they must work together to survive and unlock the Bluestone Project's most dangerous secrets before more innocent people die.

 

#MacmillanAudio Review of The Becoming by Nora Roberts Book 2 of the Dragon Heart Legacy

Today I'm so excited to be bringing you my review of Nora Roberts 2nd in her Dragon Heart Legacy, The Becoming.
Enjoy!

ASIN: B08SSTLBW7
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 11-23-2021
Length: 15 hours & 36 minutes
Dragon Heart Legacy #2
Source: Publisher/Netgalley for Review
Buy It: Audible

ADD TO: Goodreads

Overview:

A new epic of love and war among gods and humans, from Nora Roberts—the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Awakening.

The world of magick and the world of man have long been estranged from one another. But some can walk between the two—including Breen Siobhan Kelly. She has just returned to Talamh, with her friend, Marco, who’s dazzled and disoriented by this realm—a place filled with dragons and faeries and mermaids (but no WiFi, to his chagrin). In Talamh, Breen is not the ordinary young schoolteacher he knew her as. Here she is learning to embrace the powers of her true identity. Marco is welcomed kindly by her people—and by Keegan, leader of the Fey. Keegan has trained Breen as a warrior, and his yearning for her has grown along with his admiration of her strength and skills.

But one member of Breen’s bloodline is not there to embrace her. Her grandfather, the outcast god Odran, plots to destroy Talamh—and now all must unite to defeat his dark forces. There will be losses and sorrows, betrayal and bloodshed. But through it, Breen Siobhan Kelly will take the next step on the journey to becoming all that she was born to be.

Review- One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak

Today I'm going back to my early 2020 Netgalley backlist to pick up a book that I should have read right away.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 978-0778309468
Publisher: Mira
Release Date: 4-7-2020
Length: 464pp
Source: Publisher/Netgalley for review
Buy It: Publisher/Amazon/B&N/IndieBound

ADD TO: Goodreads

Overview:

"A great book to finish off your summer reading."—Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Some families we’re born into
Some we find for ourselves

When Serenity Alston swabbed her cheek for a genetic test, she joked about uncovering some dark ancestral scandal. The last thing she expected was to discover two half sisters she didn’t know existed. Suddenly, everything about her loving family is drawn into question. And meeting these newfound sisters might be the only way to get answers.

The women decide to dig into the mystery together at Serenity’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe. With Reagan navigating romantic politics at work and Lorelei staring down the collapse of her marriage, all three women are converging at a crossroads in their lives. Before the summer is over, they’ll have to confront the past and determine how to move forward when everything they previously thought to be true was a lie. But any future is easier to face with family by your side.

"This heartwarming story of sisters who bond as adults is sure to please...those who enjoy books by Susan Mallery and Debbie Macomber."—Library Journal

Don’t miss Brenda Novak’s latest book, When I Found You!

Sophia Rose Reviews Coldharbour Gentlemen by Ann Lee

Please welcome Sophia Rose back to the blog! Today she's reviewing a historical series debut, Coldharbour Gentlemen. Get ready for some Victorian hijinks in the English countryside.
Enjoy!

Coldharbour Gentlemen by Ann Lee

#1 Darking Hundred

Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Indie

Published:  11.1.21

ASIN:  B09KWHP3R3

Pages:  304

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: ebook

Source:  Purchased

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads  

 

GoodReads Blurb:

Harry Steer just wanted a little adventure.
Be careful what you wish for.

Summer 1800. England is at war with France but in rural Surrey the conflict seems far away: the people of Darking Hundred are more concerned with the harvest and the price of tea.

Young Harry Steer sits trapped at his desk, cramming with his tutor before being sent away to school. But everything changes when he crosses paths with a band of smugglers sneaking past his house. Soon he’s joined their nighttime forays and finds adventure matching wits with the forces of the law.

At first Harry couldn’t be happier with his secret life, but as the net tightens around his companions he discovers the dark side of their illicit enterprise. His summer hijinks turn deadly serious for himself and everyone he loves. Harry will need all his brains and courage if he hopes to break free and find his way back to all that matters to him—home, family, belonging.

Coldharbour Gentlemen is a gripping tale of peril and heroism sure to touch readers of all ages.

Introducing Harlequin Plus- a unique subscription-based service designed for fans of romance.

Calling all romance fan(atics). Harlequin has just released Harlequin Plus, a subscription service just for us!

Similar to other monthly entertainment subscription services such as Netflix, which recently launched Netflix games, Harlequin Plus will give users access to movies and games, along with ebooks and print books delivered to your home. 

Sophia Rose Reviews-Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen

Today I welcome Sophia Rose back to the blog to review Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen a historical romantic suspense.
Enjoy!

Shadows of Swanford Abbey by Julie Klassen

Historical Romantic Suspense

Publisher:  Bethany House

Published:  12.7.21

ASIN:  B08XLNHC26

Pages: 441

Rating: 4.5

Format: eARC

Source:  Net Galley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

GoodReads Blurb:

News of her brother's worrisome behavior spurs Miss Rebecca Lane to return home to her village. Upon her arrival, he begs her to go to nearby Swanford Abbey, a medieval monastery turned grand hotel rumored to be haunted. Feeling responsible for her brother's desperate state, she reluctantly agrees to stay at the abbey until she can deliver his manuscript to a fellow guest who might help him get published--an author who once betrayed them.

Soon, Rebecca starts seeing strange things, including a figure in a hooded black gown gliding silently through the abbey's cloisters at night. For all its renovations and veneer of luxury, the ancient foundations seem to echo with whispers of the past--including her own. For there she encounters Sir Frederick--baronet, magistrate, and former neighbor--who long ago broke her heart. Now a handsome widower of thirty-five, he is trying to overcome a past betrayal of his own.

When the famous author is found dead, Sir Frederick makes inquiries and quickly discovers that several people held grudges against the author, including Miss Lane and her brother. As Sir Frederick searches for answers, he is torn between his growing feelings for Rebecca and his pursuit of the truth. For Miss Lane is clearly hiding something. . . .

Showcase THE ANOMALY by Hervé Le Tellier

Today on the blog I'm featuring yet another fabulous offering from my favorite Indie, Other Press
a winner of the French Goncourt Prize, named a best thriller of the year by the NYT and Publishers Weekly, a best mystery/thriller of the month by Popsugar, and a most anticipated read of the year by Crimereads from award winning French author  Hervé Le Tellier. A Novel that is really high on my list.
Enjoy!

 

ISBN-13:  978-1-63542-169-9
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: 11-23-2021
Length: 400pp
Buy It: Publisher/ Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

Winner of the Goncourt Prize and now an international phenomenon, this dizzying, whip-smart novel blends crime, fantasy, sci-fi, and thriller as it plumbs the mysteries surrounding a Paris-New York flight.

Who would we be if we had made different choices? Told that secret, left that relationship, written that book? We all wonder—the passengers of Air France 006 will find out.

In their own way, they were all living double lives when they boarded the plane:
Blake, a respectable family man who works as a contract killer.
Slimboy, a Nigerian pop star who uses his womanizing image to hide that he’s gay.
Joanna, a Black American lawyer pressured to play the good old boys’ game to succeed with her Big Pharma client.
Victor Miesel, a critically acclaimed yet largely obscure writer suddenly on the precipice of global fame.
About to start their descent to JFK, they hit a shockingly violent patch of turbulence, emerging on the other side to a reality both perfectly familiar and utterly strange. As it charts the fallout of this logic-defying event, The Anomaly takes us on a journey from Lagos and Mumbai to the White House and a top-secret hangar.
In Hervé Le Tellier’s most ambitious work yet, high literature follows the lead of a bingeable Netflix series, drawing on the best of genre fiction from “chick lit” to mystery, while also playfully critiquing their hallmarks. An ingenious, timely variation on the doppelgänger theme, it taps into the parts of ourselves that elude us most.

Showcase Longing and Other Stories By Jun'ichirō Tanizaki Translated by Anthony H. Chambers and Paul McCarthy

Today I'm excited to bring you a new release from Columbia University Press from One of the most eminent Japanese writers of the twentieth century, Jun’ichirō Tanizaki. He is most known for his post war novels like The Makioka Sisters and The Key, Tanizaki made his debut in 1910. Inside the pages of Longing and Other Stories readers will find three of his early stories of family life.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9780231202152
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Release Date: 1-4-2022
Length: 160pp
Buy It: Publisher/ Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

“Longing” recounts the fantastic journey of a precocious young boy through an eerie nighttime landscape. Replete with striking natural images and uncanny human encounters, it ends with a striking revelation. “Sorrows of a Heretic” follows a university student and aspiring novelist who lives in degrading poverty in a Tokyo tenement. Ambitious and tormented, the young man rebels against his family against a backdrop of sickness and death. “The Story of an Unhappy Mother” describes a vivacious but self-centered woman’s drastic transformation after a freak accident involving her son and daughter-in-law. Written in different genres, the three stories are united by a focus on mothers and sons and a concern for Japan’s traditional culture in the face of Westernization. The longtime Tanizaki translators Anthony H. Chambers and Paul McCarthy masterfully bring these important works to an Anglophone audience.

Showcase Girls Before Earls by Anna Bennett

Happy 2022 everyone! To start off the new year I'm showcasing a new historical romance release from St. Martin's Press, first in Anna Bennett's new Rogues to Lovers series, Girls Before Earls.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781250793911
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release Date: 12-28-2021
Length: 320 pp
Rogues to Lovers #1
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

Girls Before Earls is the delightful first novel in the Rogues to Lovers series from romance author Anna Bennett.

WHAT A GIRL WANTS
To survive her difficult childhood, Miss Hazel Lively relied on two things: a tough exterior and a love of books. Now, she’s realized her life-long dream of opening a school for girls. She’s hoping the wealthy families who summer at the shore will entrust their daughters to Bellehaven Academy—and help pay for less fortunate students. All Hazel must do is maintain a flawless reputation. It’s a foolproof plan…until a handsome earl strides into her office.
WHAT AN EARL NEEDS
Gabriel Beckett, Earl of Bladenton, has had a monstrous headache since the day his teenaged niece became his ward. She’s already been expelled from two London schools, but Blade is determined to enroll her at Bellehaven Academy, where she’ll be out of his hair. If only he can convince the buttoned-up—and unexpectedly intriguing—headmistress to take a risk.
LEAD TO AN IRRESISTIBLE DEAL
Blade makes an offer that’s impossible for Hazel to refuse, but she has one condition: the earl must visit his niece every other week. Soon, Blade discovers there’s more to Hazel than meticulous lessons. Their sparring leads to flirtation…and something altogether deeper. But the passion that flares between them poses a threat to Hazel’s school and Blade’s battered heart. They say a good thing can’t last forever, but true love? Well, it just might…