Book & Author Details: How Not to Fake Marry a Billionaire by Ashlee Mallory (How Not to Marry a Billionaire, #2) Publication date: May 17th 2021 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance Synopsis:
People say I’m smart.
Probably because I have a PhD in astrophysics and am on the cusp of publishing a theory that just might change our perception of the known universe.
The verdict, however, is still out for me.
After all, I fell for a colleague who broke my heart and then stole the grant money from the Camella Franklin Foundation that had been funding my research. Did I mention he’s also engaged to Camella Franklin?
Then the gorgeous and charming billionaire Colin Fitzgerald came to me with a proposal that might just change my life.
A marriage in name only in return for the grant money needed to fund my research.
Marrying a hot billionaire wouldn’t be so bad, right?
Except that from the moment I laid eyes on the guy, it felt like the stars had aligned and I had actually met my destiny. He, on the other hand, had been totally in love with my best friend.
But, as people say, I’m smart. I wouldn’t do anything so foolish as to fall in love with my fake husband.
Ashlee Mallory is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and thrillers. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and two kids. She aspires to one day include running, hiking and traveling to exotic destinations in her list of things she enjoys, but currently settles for enjoying a good book and a glass of wine from the comfort of her couch.
Keep up with all upcoming releases by following me here, or joining my Newsletter at http://bit.ly/1lPwwE3 for updates and giveaways!
Book & Author Details: Catnapped by R.J. Blain (Magical Romantic Comedies, #14) Publication date: May 11th 2021 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Urban Fantasy Synopsis:
When someone steals Diana’s cat, a former lab animal rescued from death’s door, she calls on one of the most dangerous beings in the universe for help. Cutting a deal with the devil isn’t the smartest move, but there’s no way in hell she’ll abandon Mr. Flooferson the Magnificent to his fate.
Teaming up with the son of a demon, an angel, and one hell of a woman might push Diana to the limits of her courage and sanity. Unless she wants to sell her soul to the devil, she must cope with her new partner, make the most of a bad situation, and find out who stole her cat and why.
What she learns will forever change humanity–and lead to a battle destined to forever change the heavens and the devil’s many hells.
RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.
In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until satisfied.
Book & Author Details: Country in Bliss by Freda Ann (A Bliss Cay Novella, #3) Publication date: May 19th 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance Synopsis:
After country singer, Blaze Shore, almost cold-cocks Cali Rose with his car door, she hopes to never see the arrogant stranger again. But when she finds herself face to face with the up and coming heartthrob, the wrong kind of sparks fly.
Blaze agrees to take on the role of big brother to Angel, a boy he mentors. He wants to give the struggling kid the best summer vacation of his life. On day two in Bliss, he realizes it may be more difficult than he imagined.
Cali’s daughter, Becca, wants to hang out with the only kid staying nearby. The problem is he lives with Blaze, the man who likes nothing more than getting under Cali’s skin.
Can two kids and a dog find a way to help Blaze and Cali look beyond haunting memories of the past, as well as their first impressions of one another? Or will this summer turn into the worst one ever?
Freda was born in southern New Jersey but grew up in Florida. She has loved writing her entire life. After retiring from a career in law enforcement, she knew it was time to fulfill her lifelong dream of being a published author.
She’s the author of The Hawaii Series, proudly named from her love of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. It’s a three-book series with all of them written as standalone books.
Freda loves her large family, horses, dogs, cat, and close friends. She hosts monthly family dinners at her home in the country, which she shares with her husband.
She loves baking (she owned and operated a cupcake business for years), cooking, yoga, crocheting, nature and traveling with the love of her life.
What helps her write? Music makes her happy! If music doesn’t give her the right motivation, she puts on a romantic movie, usually from the Hallmark Channel, which she can’t get enough of!
Freda speaks her mind and pushes perfection to its limit. She strives to be her best, most positive self she can be in life. With time, determination, and practice, she believes anything is possible.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for A Knot of Sparrows, the fourth book in DI Winter Meadows series of police procedurals by Cheryl Rees-Price.
A Knot Of Sparrows
Welsh detective Winter Meadows takes on a new murder case There were a lot of things you could call Stacey Evans. And many of them would be true. And unprintable. But did she deserve to be murdered? DI Winter Meadows has no doubt of the answer when he takes on the case. The crime was violent. The victim helpless. But the motives are many, and the only clue is a strange word left on Stacey’s body. DI Meadows struggles to pierce the secrecy surrounding the teenager’s busy love life. Was the killer one of her pursuers acting out of jealousy? Maybe someone’s wife seeking revenge? But as each suspect is excluded from the enquiry, and other markings turn up, Meadows is convinced that something more sinister is afoot. When another body is found, a veil of silence descends like a fog upon Gaer Fawr. What more will it take for the village to give up its secrets?
A KNOT OF SPARROWS is the fourth standalone title in a series of murder mysteries by best-selling author Cheryl Rees-Price. It will appeal to fans of David Pearson, L J Ross, John Dean, Joy Ellis, and Pippa McCathie.
The full list of books is as follows:
1. THE SILENT QUARRY 2. FROZEN MINDS 3. SUFFER THE CHILDREN 4. A KNOT OF SPARROWS Cheryl Rees-Price is also the author of the standalone thriller BLUE HOLLOW.
All of these books are FREE with Kindle Unlimited and available in paperback from Amazon.
My thoughts: This was my first book by Cheryl Rees-Price and I’m really happy to have discovered a new author to follow. A Knot of Sparrows is the fourth instalment in the series of police procedurals, set in Wales and featuring DI Winter Meadows. It can be read as a standalone, as it really focuses more on the crime DI Meadows is investigating, although we do get to know the team.
From the very beginning we get a glimpse into the mind of the killer and know that this one is one in a long series of crimes. Then we find out the identity of the victim as the police get a report of a seventeen year old schoolgirl Stacey Evans missing only to find her lifeless body a few hours later. There is a mysterious inscription on it, but the meaning of this macabre message from the killer isn’t immediately obvious. As DI Meadows and his team start piecing her life together, it becomes clear that there might be quite a few people who could have meant harm to Stacey.
As I hadn’t read the previous books in the series, I paid a lot of attention to the protagonist. His reactions were very humane. He was kind to the witnesses, bereaved relatives, his team members, and never de-personalised the victims. There are plenty of twists and suspects in this story, so it was important to seethis attitude of not treating this horrific crime spate as a logical puzzle to solve.
The twists did keep me on my toes, though. Every time I thought a suspect was the killer, they would have a watertight alibi. It turned out this quiet village had plenty of deadly secrets.
I really enjoyed this fairly short, but gripping police procedural and would like to go back and read the previous books as well as future instalments in the series. Recommended to all fans of mysteries and thrillers.
Thank you to Rachel and the author for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Author Bio
Cheryl Rees-Price was born in Cardiff and moved as a young child to a small ex-mining village on the edge of the Black Mountain range, South Wales, where she still lives with her husband, daughters and cats. After leaving school she worked as a legal clerk for several years before leaving to raise her two daughters. Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology, and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services. In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
The book I can’t wait for this Wednesday is …
Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney
A new novel by Sally Rooney, the bestselling author of Normal People and Conversations with Friends
Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse, and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend, Eileen, is getting over a break-up, and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.
Alice, Felix, Eileen, and Simon are still young—but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They have sex, they worry about sex, they worry about their friendships and the world they live in. Are they standing in the last lighted room before the darkness, bearing witness to something? Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication Date: September 7th, 2021
Sally Rooney is the author of the novels Conversations with Friends and Normal People. She was the winner of the Sunday Times/Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer Award in 2017. In 2018, Conversations with Friends was short-listed for both the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Rathbones Folio Prize, and Normal People was the Waterstones Book of the Year, won the Costa Novel Award, and was long-listed for the Booker Prize. Normal People won the Encore Award in 2019. Rooney was the editor of The Stinging Fly in 2018 and a Cullman Center Fellow at the New York Public Library from 2019 to 2020. She was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the Hulu/BBC television adaptation of Normal People in 2020.
Book & Author Details: The Spring Renews by Marie McGrath (Honey Cove, #3) Publication date: May 18th 2021 Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Never fall in love. It only breaks your heart.
Sophie Graham didn’t believe in love … not anymore. Ever since her father died, Sophie watched the pain her mother went through. Love was messy and not worth taking the risk.
When her mother starts dating again and things get serious, Sophie’s beliefs get called into question. Not to mention, she has to work at the movie theater with a boy she had almost kissed from a stupid dare. Pushed together by the manager, she has to spend more time with Drew than she had wanted to ever again.
Will she open her heart to love and the possibilities? Or will she bar her heart from everyone?
Marie McGrath lives in a small rural town in Maryland. She hopes to inspire others with her stories. Her favorite genres to read are YA Romance and Contemporary Fiction. She loves the color turquoise, tigers, and listening to music.
In the second installment of the “enjoyable and charming” (USATODAY) Shelley Shepard Gray’s delightful Berlin Bookmobile series, librarian Sarah Anne Miller returns to Berlin to help a childless Amish couple form the family they’ve always prayed for.
Miriam and Calvin Gingerich have been trying for a baby for several years, but the Lord hasn’t seen fit to bless them. Though Calvin claims he’s content with their childless state, Miriam knows he’s not, and when he starts spending more time off their farm, she worries he’s found someone else. But just as she finds herself at her lowest point, she discovers the ultimate surprise. Unable to confide in anyone who might tell Calvin—out of fear she’ll disappoint him with another miscarriage—Miriam turns to bookmobile librarian Sarah Anne Miller—and any books she may have on pregnancy and childbirth.
Calvin has been keeping a secret from his wife, but it’s not another woman. It’s a little boy. One afternoon when visiting Sarah Anne’s bookmobile, he meets Miles, a ten-year-old living with a foster family down the road. But after spending more time with the boy, Calvin learns that his foster family has no plans to adopt him. Calvin feels a connection with Miles and yearns to give the boy a home, but he’s afraid to tell Miriam, knowing she’s devastated they can’t have children of their own.
As weeks pass and Sarah Anne learns that Miles has nearly given up hope of ever finding a real home, she knows it’s time to intervene. It’s going to take some fancy footwork and a whole lot of prayer, but she knows she can help make this struggling couple into a happy family of four.
This is the second book in the Berlin Bookmobile series. You can read and enjoy it as a standalone or you can start following the series from this story. If you decide to go back to a Perfect Amish Romance (Book1), you will get a better understanding of Sarah Anne, the bookmobile librarian. I am a big fan of Sheley Shepard Gray, so I had been looking forward to reading this book and it didn’t disappoint Although adoption, foster care, difficulties in conceiving and carrying a pregnancy to full term are not easy topics to discuss, Shelley Shephard Gray approaches them with sensitivity and faith. In case you were wondering, there is a happy ending.
Calvin Gingerich is browsing books in Sarah Anne’s bookmobile when Ruth Schmidt and her six children (three of whom are in her foster care) come in. Calvin reads a book to calm the children and immediately gets along with Miles, one of the foster kids. Calvin and his wife Miriam are a good,hard-working couple and would like nothing more than to start a family, but it looks less and less likely now that Miriam has had several miscarriages and is having trouble conceiving again. Miriam’s feelings are very complex. On one hand, she is happy for other people who have big families, on the other hand, it isn’t easy to accept this particular predicament that has befallen them. To make the matters worse, her husband and she don’t seem to have the same happy, sweet understanding they used to have at the beginning: Calvin started to sneak away and is obviously hiding something. Calvin knows Miriam didn’t want to look at adoption as a possible option for them, so he doesn’t know how to tell her that he feels a special connection with Miles. Luckily, Sarah Anne sees that there is a lot that can be done to help these people communicate without the fear of offending each other and hurting each other’s feelings.
Love and compassion shine through the various storylines in this book. The book is well-written and impossible to put down. I kept turning pages wishing these wonderful characters love and happiness they deserve and a family they have been dreaming about.
This was a lovely,enjoyable read and now I can’t wait to continue with theseries in Book 3 A Christmas Courtship which is set to be published on October 19th,2021 by Gallery Books.
Thankyou to Edelweiss and Gallery Books (Simon&Schuster) for the review copy. All opinions are my own and weren’t influenced in any way.
It’s Monday! What are you Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn from Book Date, a place to share and discuss what we’ve read in the past week and what we’re in the middle of or are planning to read this week.
What I read / listened to last week
Life’s a Beach by Portia MacIntosh.
Sun, sea and inescapable exes…
Peach is excited to hear that her sister, Di, is getting married. Of course, she would have preferred her little sister to be engaged to someone she’s known longer than a week – and the fact that his name is Charles doesn’t bode well – but who is she to judge?! Afterall, her own love life is non-existent, and who doesn’t love a destination wedding…?
Whisked away to the gorgeous Italian coast, Peach assumes her role as chief bridesmaid and, despite her reservations about the groom, she tries to ensure everything goes to plan.
But weddings are never straightforward affairs… throw in some unexpected guests in the form of ex-boyfriends and one night stands, and soon enough there is more drama than a reality tv show.
Can Peach keep the show on the road, or might she end up in a whirlwind romance of her own…?
Then two very different but very compelling fantasy reads:
Raven Fire(Fire-Walker#4) by EmmaMiles
Raven Fire is the final part of the breath-taking Fire-Walker saga.
If you could, would you dare to change the world?
Evil never sleeps, and neither can the fire spirits who have guarded Kesta and her family so faithfully for more than fourteen years. United in a desire for peace, the four lands beneath the sky have enjoyed relative stability, but under the surface stirs unrest. Greed, ambition, disquiet, rebellion; and the ever-present threat of Geladan’s crazed god discovering she has been fooled.
Quiet Arridia is a Raven Scout, dedicated to the principles and hopes of her parents. When an opportunity presents itself to come home, she grasps it, longing to settle and find the love she has patiently waited for.
Fun-loving Joss is drawn to the court of Elden with all its colour, noise, and intrigue; but has he taken on more than a young man can survive?
Val by Jennie Lynn Roberts
He’ll do anything to save her. And then he’ll say goodbye…
Being framed for murder, captured, and tortured for weeks didn’t break Val. But seeing Alanna every day, knowing she didn’t love him as he loved her, surely would. So, he’ll do whatever is necessary to stop the king from executing her…then he’ll walk away. Forever.
Queen Alanna gave up everything—including her soul mate— to secure the treaty that would end the war. Now, her husband wants her dead and any chance she had for true happiness with Val is ruined.
The king’s new guards are arrayed against them, the threat of war looms large, and their enemy has the upper hand. When all is said and done, will Alanna choose to sacrifice her own happiness to save her kingdom? Or will she risk it all for a second chance at happily ever after with Val?
What I am reading/listening to now:
A Knot of Sparrows
Welsh detective Winter Meadows takes on a new murder case
There were a lot of things you could call Stacey Evans. And many of them would be true. And unprintable. But did she deserve to be murdered?
DI Winter Meadows has no doubt of the answer when he takes on the case. The crime was violent. The victim helpless. But the motives are many, and the only clue is a strange word left on Stacey’s body.
DI Meadows struggles to pierce the secrecy surrounding the teenager’s busy love life. Was the killer one of her pursuers acting out of jealousy? Maybe someone’s wife seeking revenge?
But as each suspect is excluded from the enquiry, and other markings turn up, Meadows is convinced that something more sinister is afoot.
When another body is found, a veil of silence descends like a fog upon Gaer Fawr. What more will it take for the village to give up its secrets?
A KNOT OF SPARROWS is the fourth standalone title in a series of murder mysteries by best-selling author Cheryl Rees-Price. It will appeal to fans of David Pearson, L J Ross, John Dean, Joy Ellis, and Pippa McCathie.
What I’m reading /listening to next:
Retribution by Christina O’Reilley
A young woman has been murdered on Ripton Beach.
DSS ‘Archie’ Baldrick and DC Ben Travers eventually identify the body as that of Lucy Martin, who has been renting a bach in the area. Her husband, Oliver, seems to know very little about his wife or her background.
What was Lucy hiding? Why has she no family or friends?
As the number of suspects mounts up, Archie begins to conclude that the real answer lies in Lucy’s dark and mysterious past, and that the murderer may be just a little too close for comfort …
How did your last week go and what are you reading this week?
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour For Paparazzzi, the second instalment in Jo Fenton’s Becky White series.
Paparazzi A stalker. A popstar’s family murdered. A terrified photographer.
It’s thirty years since Becky White joined the police. Now, six months after leaving the force, she is suffering from PTSD, when an old friend turns up with a tempting offer.
Following the creation of The White Knight Detective Agency, their first client is a press photographer – a member of the Paparazzi – a young woman with a mysterious and troublesome stalker.
But as the case develops, Becky and Joanna find themselves embroiled in murder. When they are unable to prevent further deaths, their investigation takes them down an unexpected path.
But can they trust their instinct? And will they identify the killer in time to save a child’s life?
Paparazzi, the second instalment in the bestselling Becky White Thriller series. takes you on a journey into the deceptive world of superstars – and those who follow them!
This was my first book by Jo Fenton and I hadn’t realised that this is the second book in a series featuring Becky White. Having said that, it didn’t stop me from enjoying the book, following the events or seeing the main character development. It felt more like the beginning of a new series focussing on the White Knight Detective Agency (such a great name for this sort of business ).
The book starts with a bang. Becky drops a vase (remember how they all tell you a good book should show, not tell, here we see what Becky’s PTSD means for her daily life) and there’s a bang on the door. Enter Joanna Knight, Becky’s friend from…about thirty years ago. Since they lost contact ages ago, Joanna hasn’t been privy to all the changes in Becky’s tormented life, including her leaving the police force. Joanna’s life hasn’t been all plain sailing either. Now she has a wonderful idea of setting up a detective agency. Despite a minor issue of Becky’s husband having quite an extreme reaction to Joanna popping up on their doorstep and another minor issue of Becky still recovering from the traumatic events that happened six months before, the unlikely duo get their first client in no time at all. Both of them agree murder cases are for the police, but investigating a case of a photographer who feels she might be being stalked should be right up the White Knight street. As far as good intentions go, these don’t work out at all, as no sooner have they taken the cases, dead bodies begin to pile up and Becky and Joanna need all their wits around them to figure out who the mysterious killer is.
I’m really partial to books with protagonists who are slightly older (Becky and Joanna are about fifty) and I think it’s great that this age category is getting more representation. Part of Becky’s success as an investigator is her intuition based on her life experience. She is also very perceptive and considerate and my heart went to her when I read how challenging daily struggle with PTSD was. I enjoyed getting to know the families of our protagonists and seeing how personal relationships can influence investigative work.
This was a very quick read, easy to start and finish in one day, with short chapters and engaging writing style. I’d probably classify it as a cozy thriller or a good old whodunnit, although Becky’s daughter Cheryl is dealing with a very modern issue and it was quite reassuring to see how Becky and her friend/ former colleague from the police quickly reacted to prevent further harm. Jo Fenton’s fans are going to be very happy with this second book in the series and it’s definitely not too late to start following Becky White and Joanna Knight’s investigations.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources, the publisher and the author for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
Author Bio
Jo Fenton grew up in Hertfordshire, UK. She devoured books from an early age, particularly enjoying adventure books, school stories and fantasy. She wanted to be a scientist from aged six after being given a wonderful book titled “Science Can Be Fun”. At eleven, she discovered Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer, and now has an eclectic and much loved book collection cluttering her home office. Jo combines an exciting career in Clinical Research with an equally exciting but very different career as a writer of psychological thrillers. When not working, she runs (very slowly), and chats to lots of people. She lives in Manchester with her husband, two sons, a Corgi and a tankful of tropical fish. She is an active and enthusiastic member of two writing groups and a reading group.
Giveaway to Win a signed copy of Revelation by Jo Fenton (Open INT)
*Terms and Conditions – Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Book & Author Details: Awakened Are the Starry-Eyed by Christine Doré Miller(The Starry-Eyed Series, #2) Published by: Evernight Teen Publication date: May 14th 2021 Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult Synopsis:
A new city and unexpected freedom give Andrea the fresh start she craved, but her haunting past threatens to unrest an already tangled future. In this tense and emotionally stirring sequel to Forgiven Are the Starry-Eyed, Awakened will leave you breathless as it navigates the heartbreaking disquiet of one survivor’s scattered and uncertain path towards healing.
Christine lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband and their two children. She works full-time as a marketing director for a large media company and holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree from Western Michigan University where she studied marketing. Growing up in the chilly midwest, she developed a deep passion for dramatic writing and alternative music at an early age, which still peaks through in her adult-corporate-mom life today. Forgiven Are the Starry-Eyed is Christine’s debut novel.
readingtonic 