An accomplished photographer and the devoted mom of an adorable little boy, Allie Ross has just moved to an upscale DC suburb, the kind of place where parenting feels like a competitive sport. Allie’s desperate to make a good first impression. Then she’s framed for murder.
It all starts at a neighborhood party when a local dad corners Allie and calls her by an old, forgotten nickname from her dark past. The next day, he is found dead.
Soon, the police are knocking at her door, grilling her about a supposed Tinder relationship with the man, and pulling up texts between them. She learns quickly that she’s been hacked and someone is impersonating her online. Her reputation—socially and professionally—is at stake; even her husband starts to doubt her. As the killer closes in, Allie must reach back into a past she vowed to forget in order to learn the shocking truth of who is destroying her life.
Before turning to fiction, AGGIE BLUM THOMPSON covered real-life crime as a newspaper reporter for a number of papers incliding The Boston Globe and The Washington Post. Aggie is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers, and serves as the program director for the Montgomery County chapter of the Maryland Writers Association. For the past nine years, she’s lived with her husband and two daughters in the suburbs of Washington D.C., which has afforded her a front-row view of suburban intrigues and helicopter-mom Olympics. I Don’t Forgive You is her debut novel.
Today is my stop on the blog tour for Trouble for the Leading Lady, a historical romance set in 19th century Bath.
Trouble For The Leading Lady
Bath, 1852.
As a girl, Nancy Bloom would go to Bath’s Theatre Royal, sit on the hard wooden benches and stare in awe at the actresses playing men as much as the women dressed in finery. She longed to be a part of it all and when a man promised her parents he could find a role for Nancy in the theatre, they believed him. His lie and betrayal led to her ruin.
Francis Carlyle is a theatre manager, an ambitious man always looking for the next big thing to take the country by storm. A self-made man, Francis has finally shed the skin of his painful past and is now rich, successful and in need of a new female star. Never in a million years did he think he’d find her standing on a table in one of Bath’s bawdiest pubs. Nancy vowed never to trust a man again. Francis will do anything to make her his star. As they engage in a battle of wits and wills, can either survive with their hearts intact? The second in Rachel Brimble’s thrilling new Victorian saga series, Trouble for the Leading Lady will whisk you away to the riotous, thriving underbelly of Victorian Bath.
In 2019 she signed a new three book contract with Aria Fiction for a Victorian trilogy set in a Bath brothel. The first book, A Widow’s Vow was released in September 2020 followed by book 2 Trouble For The Leading Lady in March 2021 – it is expected that the final instalment will be released in the Autumn 2021. Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and has thousands of social media followers all over the world. To sign up for her newsletter (a guaranteed giveaway every month!), click here!
Thank you to Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Moments Like This, a sweet contemporary romance set in Hawaii! If you are a fan of the genre or just would love a bit of cyber-travelling by checking out the natural beauty and charm of the sights described in the book, the book has a lot to offer!
Book details: Moments Like This (From Kona With Love) by Anna Gomez & Kristoffer Polaha Published by: Rosewind Books Publication date: March 9th 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance Synopsis:
After Andrea “Andie” Matthews chooses her career over a marriage proposal and then loses a promotion she worked so hard for, she jumps at the chance to take a break and help run a friend’s coffee shop.
Alone in Hawaii, Andie befriends the staff and quickly grows to care for them, making her determined to revive the company.
As luck would have it, she meets the mysterious Warren Yates on Christmas Eve. They share a cup of coffee, some conversation, and even a moment, which leads to many more in the coming weeks.
But when Andie learns who Warren really is—and what he actually wants—she is torn between her feelings and his deception.
What would you do if after having worked ridiculously hard for four years and having sacrificed your family, relationship, friends and kind of everything that makes life enjoyable, you suddenly found yourself passed over for the coveted promotion? would you just smile and promise to support the new guy with all your knowledge, contacts, ideas, blood and sweat? or would you be crushed by the disappointment?
Andie wakes up in a hospital. She fell down during the celebratory drinks for the promotion she hadn’t got and bumped her head. Luckily, she has some time to think over how to proceed and how to do ‘the business walk of shame’ of having to hand over her projects to the chosen candidate. Andie is exhausted, run down and frankly demotivated. Api, the only friend Andie hasn’t scared away, is going on a trip to Europe and needs somebody to look after her coffee shop in Honolulu. Andie recognises she needs a sabbatical or at least a couple weeks off and jumps on the plane.
As far as the plotlines go, this one is quite traditional- trying to figure out one’s priorities in a place with a different rhythm of life and then meeting somebody special. It’s a well-tried trope and it works, especially, since it is written by an author who has a first-hand knowledge of the corporate world Andie belonged to.
The setting was gorgeous and the cyber-traveller in me had a wonderful vacation checking out all the places mentioned in this romance. I loved that Andie kept defending the Chicago weather (I also come from a place with four seasons), but I could see how Hawaii became her number one place in the place.
Andie and Warren, her ‘tall, dark and handsome’ stranger, make a deal that since they are both at the crossroads in their lives, they won’t look for information about each other online. It is such a modern topic- should you try to give your love interest a fresh start and work hard(er) to discover what they are really like or is it really a sign that Andie doesn’t care?
They want to try to discover and share special moments, wonderful experiences. Can we really live without past? Luckily for us, Andie learns a lot about the local customs, food, and legends, and so do we. For me, this was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book.
The book is co-authored by Anna Gomez (you may know her under her pen name Christine Brae) and Kristoffer Polaha, but the writing flows seemlessly, and I will be looking forward to reading more from this duo.
I enjoyed this romantic escape and would love to find out what the next instalment in the series will be like.
Thank you to Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours, the publisher and the authors for the gifted review copy. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Kristoffer Polaha is best-known for his long starring role in the critically acclaimed series Life Unexpected (The CW). Other TV series credits include Get Shorty with Ray Romano and Chris O’Dowd, the limited series Condor opposite William Hurt and Max Irons, The CW’s Ringer (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Valentine, as well as North Shore (FOX).
In addition to co-starring with Rainn Wilson in Backstrom (FOX), he had a multi-season role on the acclaimed series Mad Men (AMC) and Castle (ABC). Polaha is also well-known for starring in Hallmark Channel movies such as Dater’s Handbook with Meghan Markle, and the Mystery 101 franchise on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
Polaha first received attention for his portrayal of John F. Kennedy, Jr. in the TV movie, America’s Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story, opposite Portia de Rossi. He has appeared in numerous independent features, including Where Hope Grows, Devil’s Knot (Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon), and the Tim Tebow film, Run the Race.
Polaha has a featured role opposite Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman 1984 and in Jurassic World: Dominion.
In addition to his work as an actor, producer, and director, Polaha is branching into the book world by co-authoring a new series. He is also involved with several charitable organizations, including being an ambassador for World Vision, a board member for HerArtsInAction, and The Polaha Family Circus Foundation.
Polaha was born in Reno, Nevada, and he is married to actress Julianne Morris. They have three sons.
Anna Gomez was born in the city of Makati, Philippines and educated abroad. She met and married her best friend who whisked her away to Chicago over twenty years ago. She is Chief Financial Officer for Leo Burnett Worldwide, a global advertising company founded in 1935. In her capacity, Anna serves on the board of several not-for-profit organizations, namely the Hugh O’Brien Leadership Organization and Girl Scouts of America. She is also the executive sponsor for a number of employee resource groups focused on Diversity and Inclusion.
Under the pen name Christine Brae, Anna has published six novels, has an established fan base, and a dedicated following. Her titles rank in the Top 100 months following their release. Her last three novels, In This Life, Eight Goodbyes, and The Year I Left, have won literary awards and were immediate bestsellers on Amazon, ranking #1 across multiple categories.
Thank you for reading the post! Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Happy Publication Day to City of Spells by Alexandra Christo!
City of Spells Alexandra Christo (Into the Crooked Place #2) Published by: Feiwel & Friends Publication date: March 9th 2021 Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
City of Spells, the follow-up to Alexandra Christo’s gritty YA fantasy, Into the Crooked Place, finds the world on the brink of war and four unlikely allies facing sacrifices they had never imagined.
After the loss of Wesley and the horrifying reveal that Zekia is helping the Kingpin of her own free will, Tavia, Saxony, and Karam flee to Saxony’s home to rebuild their rebellion. Meanwhile, trapped in the Kingpin’s darkness, Wesley must fight against the deadly magic that invades his mind and find a way back to his friends before it’s too late.
As the Kingpin’s dark magic spreads and his army conquers Creije, these four unlikely friends have to decide just how far they’ll go—and how much they are willing to sacrifice—to win.
Praise for Into the Crooked Place:
“With its gangland details, creative magical caste system and surprisingly brutal characters, Into the Crooked Place is very much its own thing. And that thing will likely be a story you can’t put down.” —Culturess
Karam stepped forward, her skillfully embroidered clothes cascading down to her ankles in a way that was almost delicate, and so very much the opposite of Karam. Even from where Tavia stood, she could smell the peppermint salve on her friend’s sliced knuckles, something the fighters in Creije loved to use to soothe their injuries and that Karam wore every day, just in case.
“I thought we agreed that you were going to stop being stupid,” Karam said, Wrenyi accent thick on her tongue.
“I didn’t agree to anything,” Tavia said. “Did you follow me here?”
Karam crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you complaining about me saving you?”
“I don’t need saving.” Tavia leaned back in the booth. “I’m a busker, not a damsel.”
Nolan looked between them with a disbelieving scoff. “Are you two finished?” he asked. “Because we were about to kill her.”
For the first time, Karam looked at him, as if she had only just realized— or cared—that he was there.
“We have not been introduced,” she said.
“No,” Nolan said. “We haven’t.”
Karam held out a hand. “Hello,” she said.
And then she used that hand to grab ahold of Nolan’s shoulder and pull him toward her.
Without warning, Karam cracked her head against his.
The buskers broke into a frenzy as Nolan stumbled back, clutching his bloody nose. Quickly, Karam landed a kick to one of the others.
Tavia jumped up from the booth just as Nolan regained his footing, smashing a glass from a nearby table over his head. She shifted the backpack on her shoulder and landed a kick to another busker’s knee.
He went down with a yelp.
“This is why I had to follow you,” Karam said.
She kicked a busker in the chest and as he bent over to catch his breath, she rolled across his back and punched another clean in the face.
“You are so reckless.”
Tavia sighed at the lecture, which was becoming Karam’s specialty these days.
“If you were so worried about my safety, then you could have helped me take Nolan down back in the streets before his buddies showed up,” Tavia said. She swung her fist into the air, catching the cheek of a nearby busker, just the way Karam had taught her.
Karam took out her knife and threw it into the shoulder of another. “I thought you did not need saving,” she said.
Tavia rolled her eyes and kneed one of Nolan’s friends in the groin. “Forget making it slow!” Nolan yelled, pulling out a knife. “I’m going to gut you where you stand.”
Tavia shook her head. “He really does like being graphic,” she said to Karam.
She reached into her pocket for a pair of mirrored glasses and slipped them onto her nose, like she had seen Wesley do a dozen times.
“Here,” she said to Karam. “Put these on.”
Karam wrinkled her face and looked at Tavia like she was starting to lose her mind, but when she saw Tavia’s hands go to her pocket for a second time, it seemed Karam knew better than to argue.
“What in the Many Gods are those for?” Nolan asked, wiping the blood from his nose.
Tavia clutched the charm in her hand, its jagged edge spiking into her palm like tiny needles. “A way to show that if there’s one thing I have,” she said, “it’s style.”
She threw the charm down onto the floor and it exploded into a blinding light. Nolan and the others clutched at their eyes, screaming loud enough to drown out the bar’s music altogether.
“Come on!” Tavia yelled. “We need to go!”
She pulled Karam toward the door, where the customers were now blindly running and screaming as their vision temporarily disappeared.
They spilled back out onto the streets of Rishiya and Karam ripped the glasses from her face.
“Have you considered trying not to get yourself killed every now and again?” she asked as they darted through the city.
“Not really,” Tavia said, struggling to keep up with her pace. “I think I’d find it boring.”
She didn’t need to look at Karam to know that she was rolling her eyes, but Tavia felt invigorated. She had the magic she ’d come for, so all in all the trip to the city had been a roaring success. And with the warm breeze on her neck and fire of victory in her belly, Tavia felt like maybe all hope wasn’t quite lost.
Karam could call her reckless and the Crafters in the camp could call her a danger, but Tavia had a job to do. She had buskers to lead, and she was going to win this war and save Wesley, whether people approved of her methods or not.
Author Bio:
Alexandra Christo decided to write books when she was four and her teacher told her she couldn’t be a fairy. She has a BA in Creative Writing and works as a copywriter in London, both of which make her sound more grown up than she feels. When she’s not busy making up stories, she can be found buying far too many cushions and organizing food crawls all over the city. Alexandra currently lives in Hertfordshire with an abundance of cacti (because they’re the only plants she can keep alive).
Thank you to Meghan Harrington and St.Martin’s for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Float plan, a beautifuly-written, romantic story of dealing with grief and getting a second chance at love and life.
Synopsis:
Heartbroken by the loss of her fiancé, adventurous Anna finds a second chance at love with an Irish sailor in this riveting, emotional romance.
After a reminder goes off for the Caribbean sailing trip Anna was supposed to take with her fiancé, she impulsively goes to sea in the sailboat he left her, intending to complete the voyage alone.
But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.
In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn’t mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.
“The perfect escape. Fresh, funny, and romantic. I wish I could sail away with this book.” – Meg Cabot, New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Diaries and Little Bridge series
Review:
I don’t know much about boats and sailing. I do know something about grieving for someone you loved and lost, and this hauntingly beautiful book made me feel all sorts of emotions in recognition of how hard it is to let go your past and take a chance on a new, unimagined and unplanned future.
Anna is a twenty five year old waitress from Fort Lauderdale whose fiance Ben committed suicide after a long bout of depression. Ben planned to sail to Trinidad and have lots of amazing experiences on the way. When Anna’s alarm alerts her that this is the day Ben chose for their departure, she packs her bag and leaves knowing full well that she isn’t ready to let go of her grief, whatever her family and friends may think. Anna’s sailing experience is woefully inadequate. After narrowly escaping a full on collision with another boat, she advertises for a guide. She also finds herself in a risky situation. Call it two narrow escapes in a day. This time she is saved and aided by a kind stranger, Keane Sullivan, who she hires to help her make her way to Puerto Rico. What follows is an amazing journey from an emotional turmoil and darkness to what the author indirectly decribes as a ‘state of grace’, with love, hope, sadness and happiness finding their rightful place in Anna’s heart.
Float Plan is one of the best books I have read this year. The characters are impossible not to fall in love with. Anna’s grief is all-encompassing, and yet, she is trying hard to listen to her heart, and learn how to go on living. At first, she keeps thinking about Ben’s wishes and what he would have thought of this place or that, but gradually allows herself chart a new course, wherever it may lead. She is so kind, honest and grateful, that her state of mind rubs off on the reader. I felt so immersed in her story, her journey (or rather I should say their journey) that I didn’t want it to end. Her relationship with Keane develops naturally and takes as much time as they both need to be ready for their future. I haven’t said much about Keane so far, because I’d love the reader to have no preconception, but just see him through Anna’s eyes.
This was my first book by Trish Doller and I was amazed by the ease and beauty of her writing style. Some of her lines rang so true to what I felt in my time of grief and mourning, others gave me time and space to breathe in the spindrift and feel the healing power of ‘salt water- sweat, tears or the sea’. The descriptions of places Anna and Keane visit on their journey were absolutely spellbinding and provided a welcome emotional escape. Above all, the book filled me with calm with its carefully chosen, sparse words, its sincerity and quiet belief that the person you lost doesn’t have to disappear completely, but you can build something new alongside the old memories.
Thank you very much to NetGalley, St.Martin’s Press and the author for the review copy of this wonderful book.. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Author bio:
TRISH DOLLER is the author of novels for teens and adults about love, life, and finding your place in the world. A former journalist and radio personality, Trish has written several YA novels, including the critically acclaimed Something Like Normal, as well as Float Plan, her adult women’s fiction debut. When she’s not writing, Trish loves sailing, traveling, and avoiding housework. She lives in southwest Florida with an opinionated herding dog and an ex-pirate.
After All This Time Erin Randall (Silver Falls, #1) Publication date: February 23rd 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
He can’t remember a time he didn’t love her. It’s always been Mina.
But Finn’s spent the last decade looking for the right moment to tell her. “If she’s waiting at my locker between classes I’ll ask her out, if she smiles at me right now I’ll kiss her, if she calls me before I book the flights I’ll invite her to Cancun or Paris or London or Spain.”
Now he’s moving back to California just as she might be moving away. He’s done waiting for the perfect moment. He just needs to convince her to give him a chance and find a way to test the waters without ruining their friendship. Good thing Finn likes a challenge.
If you love hot businessmen, sexy s’mores, steamy showers and happy endings, download now.
Explicit content: This book contains hot, steamy love scenes. You’ve been warned.
“Remember our first dance in junior high?” she asked.
He nodded.
He’d wanted to ask her to go with him but none of the other guys had asked a girl so he’d kept his mouth shut.
“Can you even call it a dance if nobody actually does any dancing?”
She laughed. “If you remember, the girls started dancing with each other. It was the guys who refused to step away from the wall.”
“Why are you bringing up all the times I got in trouble?”
“You got in trouble a lot,” she teased. “But it was the ninja moves that brought up that memory. You tried to use them on Toby.”
That wasn’t far from the truth. The other boys had started teasing him about how he was best friends with a girl. Then Toby Freeman had called Mina fat. They’d had to pull Finn off of Toby and both boys had been suspended for fighting.
It had taken him a while to learn to bide his time before exacting his revenge. The story had him wondering if she’d ever considered asking him to a girls’ choice dance.
“Have you ever thought about us dating before now?”
“Once or twice,” she said with a secret smile.
So more than once or twice, he smiled as well.
Author Bio:
Erin has always written romance with a little action 😉
One of her most honed skills is fantasizing so she decided to bring those fantasies to life and share them with you.
When she’s not writing, she can usually be found reading, exploring California with her family, having random dance parties with her daughter, taking her geriatric dog to the vet (yet again), or procrastinating…I mean working on her laptop.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Mr Right Across the Street, a brand new rom-com by Kathryn Freeman.
Mr Right Across The Street
Mia Abbott’s move to Manchester was supposed to give her time and space from all the disastrous romantic choices she’s made in her past. But then the hot guy who lives opposite – the one who works out every day at exactly 10 a.m., not that Mia has noticed thank-you-very-much – starts leaving notes in his window…for her.
Bar owner Luke Doyle has his own issues to deal with but as he shows Mia the sites of her new city he also shows her what real romance looks like for the first time. And when he cooks up a signature cocktail in her honour, she realises that the man behind the bar is even more enticing than any of his creations. And once she’s had a taste she knows it will never be enough!
Mr Right Across the Street is a sweet story of Mia, a computer geek, and Luke, Mia’s sexy, cool neighbour. The story is set in Manchester, so if you, like me, think that British rom-coms are the best, get the book and enjoy this slow-slow-burn romance.
Mia has recently moved to Manchester. She is missing her parents, her sister and her girlfriends, but she really needs to put some space between her and her mean, possessive ex who just won’t stay away. What Mia needs now is friends and some time to reassess why she keeps going for Mr Wrongs. Luckily, Mia is a website designer, a job that can be done anywhere, including her living room, which also has a huge advantage of a very cute view.
Mia has been enjoying watching her hot neighbour across the street work out at 10am every day, until she decides to go to the nearest bar and here he is… Luke, the bartender / the bar owner. They chat and there’s that special connection, also known as the spark. Only Mia doesn’t trust herself to read the signals right, not when Luke seems to be very popular with local ladies. Does Mia need a player in her life? No, thank you! Is she willing to give her phone number and risk being stalked again- the answer is another NO. And then a handwritten poster-sized message appears in the window across the street, and another one, and Mia can’t help herself responding…
The slow build-up of Luke and Mia’s friendship-non-relationship-relationship was a bit frustrating. Yes, I know I said I love it when protagonists take things slowly and I am taking it back. At times, Mia just drove me mad with her ‘cool guys never fall for nerds in t-shirts and leggins’ insecurites. On the plus side, we get to check out lots of cool places in Manchester, which is a fabulous setting for a rom-com.
Although not hailed as such, this is an opposites-attract story. Mia is reserved, while Luke is a mix of charm, ready lines and hidden vulnerability. Mia is supposed to be thirty, but it felt as if she was younger and there was enough of ‘I’m not like other girls’ to make me feel uncomfortable. She looks beyond appearances in some cases and doesn’t in others, but don’t we all? Her sister Elle was a real hoot and so was her neighbour Stan (the topic of loneliness in elderly people deserves a separate discussion). There were other interesting side characters I wish we’d seen more of- Sandy, Phil, Mateo, Stan, Naomi, Grace- they made the story much more vivid and more enjoyable. An honourable mention for Pickles who melted my heart.
Great setting, interesting (although not perfect) characters and a lovely writing style, all of these make Mr Right Across the Street an entertaining read. Fans of Kathryn Freeman will be delighted with her 17th book!
Thank you to NetGalley, OneMore Chapter and Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Author Bio
A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a sexy hero.
With a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes come in many disguises.
Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Diane Saxon’s new police procedural The Ex, the latest addtion to her DS Jenna Morgan series.
The Ex
Sometimes your past just won’t let go…
As a heat wave grips the country, DS Jenna Morgan is called to a domestic incident at the home of a young family in Ironbridge. Pregnant Imelda Cheetham-Epstein has been found unconscious by her husband, Zak with serious head injuries. When Jenna arrives on the scene, she discovers something even more disturbing – the couple’s eleven-month-old son, Joshua, is missing and the race against time begins to find him.
Is this an accident or something more sinister? Are the two incidents linked?
Or has something in the Cheetham-Epstein’s past caught up with them?
Diane Saxon is back with a gripping new psychological crime novel, perfect for fans of Cara Hunter and Carol Wyer.
The Ex is the fourth book in Diane Saxon’s gripping series of police proceduralscenteredaround DS Jenna Morgan, her family and her trusted team. The book can be read as a standalone, but I am really glad to have discovered a new series to follow.
DS Jenna Morgan is called to a scene of what appears at first glance a domestic accident. Well-meaning, gossipy neighbours waiting outside have already informed her that the newly married couple living in the house are very much in love with each other and are expecting a baby. Imelda must have had a horrifying fall. While paramedics are doing their job to save the young woman’s life, Jenna discovers that the couple’s eleven-month-old toddler Joshua is missing and the race against the clock begins…
I must say I was a bit apprehensive after reading the first chapter told from the ex’s perspective. I knew dark and disturbing things lay ahead as Emily was clearly delusional. I have to say that it isn’t easy to portray a character like her and make the reader ask the same question Jenna asks herself: how could it happen that a person with this kind of issues fell through the cracks in the system?
Jenna herself is a terrific police officer and you will sympathise with her and admire her. She has a great team and knows she can rely on them at all times to help her do the basic polic work, something the public rarely sees, keen as we are to focus on the results. The book successfully strikes the balance between the personal and professional, the balance that makes or breaks any police procedural.
I liked the narrative structure: we get to see the events from Emily’s POV and also have to solve the mysteryby following Jenna and her team, so the reader is always ‘in the know’ and yet, there are a few twists that may surprise you. For me, the best thing was the level of detail: Diana Saxon really doesn’t tell you, she shows and lets you draw your own conclusions and process the complex feelings this book is bound to stir.
A well-written, fast-paced police procedural /psycholigical thriller, The Ex is a gripping, addictive read, which I can wholeheartedly recommend to all the lovers of the genre. My first book by Diane Saxon and I am hooked. Count me in for all future instalments in the series!
Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources and Boldwood Books for the review copy. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Author Bio: Diane Saxon previously wrote romantic fiction for the US market but has now turned to writing psychological crime. Find Her Alive was her first novel in this genre and introduced series character DS Jenna Morgan. She is married to a retired policeman and lives in Shropshire.
Book & Author Details: Text Me On Tuesday: All is Fair in Love and Texting … by Melanie Summers & Whitney Dineen (An Accidentally in Love Story, #1) Publication date: March 5th 2021 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
All is fair in love and texting…
When Aimee Tompkins loaded up her old catering van and pulled into Manhattan, she had her sights set on becoming one of the best (and most lucrative) caterers to ever serve crudités and creampuffs in the Big Apple. But after a year of leaving fliers all over town, she’s not only running out of money, she’s running low on hope. So when she lands a gig at a big architecture firm, Aimee’s certain her luck is about to change.
Noel Fitzwilliam is pitching the most important project of his life—the type architects dream of. Everything has to go right, so when he finds the new caterer naked in his office bathroom right before the meeting, he’s torn between thrilled and extremely irritated. He doesn’t have time for romance, no matter how incredible she looks without her clothes on.
A mix-up means Aimee is accidentally given his cell number instead of his assistant’s. So when she starts texting Noel about how much she hates him, he decides to have a little fun with her. The last thing he expects is for her to turn his world upside-down. But that’s exactly what happens as the pair start sharing their deepest secrets and their greatest fears, and Noel discovers he can share so much more over the phone than he can in person. But what will happen when she finds out who he really is?
It’s a case of opposites attract, even when they repel…
Whitney loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries — not always in that order. Whitney is a multi-award-winning author of romcoms, non-fiction humor, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to.
She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.
Gold Medal winner at the International Readers’ Favorite Awards, 2017.
Silver medal winner at the International Readers’ Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016.
Finalist RONE Awards, 2016.
Finalist at the IRFA 2016, 2017.
Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards, 2017
Finalist Top Shelf Indie Book Awards, 2017 Author links:
Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.
Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.
In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally – then she’ll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for ‘K’ Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn’t require makeup and/or nylons).
Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she’s not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken ‘from above’. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something–more like just staying until they turn the lights off.
She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International. Author links:
Book & Author Details: Something Wicked by Emery Nicolson (Lockhart Legacy, #1) Publication date: March 1st 2021 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Synopsis:
Something wicked this way comes…
You’d think being the descendant of powerful witches would grant me the power to sort out my life, right? But you’d be wrong. I’m stuck in a rut, disdained by my family, and my romantic life is a disaster. Oh, and did I forget to mention that I have no magic?
When a cursed heirloom is stolen, I should stay out of it and leave the retrieval to those better equipped but everything seems to lead back to me…
With the help of an enigmatic bounty hunter, I may be able to clear my name and retrieve the artefact before death and chaos are unleashed upon my beloved city but doing so could cost me everything — including my life.
First of all, the cover is absolutely gorgeous! Secondly, it isn’t often that I stay up and read all night, because I am so absorbed in the story, but this is exactly what happened with this book.
Millie Lockhart works in her family office. Lockharts are Guards (magical Police) and one of the most powerful magical families in Edinburgh, while Millie herself is a bit of a black sheep, apparently having no active magic at all. She is a kind and generous person and a wonderful herbalist, but hey, if it isn’t something you can use in combat, it’s not worth talking about. Years of being neglected and put down have taken its toll on Millie who seems to have quite low self-esteem at the beginning of the book and has to work out a lot of stuff about herself.
I’m not sure having a one night stand with one of your childhood crushes is a recipe for starting a successful relationship…Having said this, we were promised hot and steamy by the blurb and the book delivers it in full. Colm is sweet and sexy and dangerous, and you can’t deny there is chemistry between them, although things seem to progress at a neckbreaking speed with these two.
Loved Millie’s bestie Sarah, and their banter! Every girl needs a best friend who is going to tell you off when you are doing something stupid and will always stand by your side. I’d love to see more of Sarah in the next book.
There’s a mystery and near-death experiences, being on a run, family drama, friendship, lethal magical artefacts, and lots of action. You see why I had to finish the book in one go?
I did enjoy this first book in a new urban fantasy series and would definitely like to read the sequel.
AUTHOR BIO:
Emery Nicolson is a wife, mother and mad cat-lady living in the South West of England. When she’s not writing, she’s probably reading, baking or out walking through a forest.
Emmy (or Nics, as she’s more often referred to) loves hearing from readers and you can find her online via Twitter (@EmmyNicolson), Facebook (@EmeryNicolsonAuthor) or her website (emerynicolson.co.uk).
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