Happy New Year! Lots of lovely books and enough free time for your family and your hobbies, including reading, of course.
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:
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo- another lovely buddy read with Yesha.
What I am reading/listening to now:
AForestofStolenMemories by Callie Thomas
What I’m reading /listening to next:
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher
How did your last week go and what are you reading this week?
One Hundred Dreams Kelly Collins (An Aspen Cove Romance, #22) Publication date: December 29th 2022 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
He’s a man trying to keep things under control. She’s a woman yearning to break free. Is this a disaster waiting to happen or a love story in the making?
Actress Cameron Madden is sick and tired of being tired. With her last movie failing at the box office and her career in question, she heads to Aspen Cove to lick her wounds. The small mountain town is the perfect place to escape the prying eyes of a critical public, the demands of her career, and the rules set by her team. Expecting a female bodyguard named Valery, she’s shocked to find the script has been flipped and Valery is a tall, dark, and annoying man who goes by Val. The first thing he does is hand her a set of rules—his rules. And she plans to break every one of them.
The last thing bodyguard Valery Armstrong wants to do is babysit an actress, but when the job comes in, he is the only one available. Saving the day and picking up the pieces is what he’s been doing since his father passed away. That single event ten years ago taught him one thing—prepare for every possibility. Before agreeing to take on Cameron, he asks himself how difficult could one woman be? When he arrives, he hands her the list, then watches as she gifts him with a heart-stopping smile—right before tearing the page to pieces. How difficult could one woman be? Cameron Madden is about to show him.
He pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to her. “These are my rules.”
She seemed to sink in front of him, but it was a momentary muscle lapse before that invisible string pulled her back up. Only this time, it seemed to drag her forward to stand in front of him. She swiped the envelope from his hand and tore open the flap. Once she drew out the single page with his rules, she let the envelope fall to the floor.
He watched as her eyes moved across the page. Second by second, they grew until he was sure they’d pop from her skull.
She raised her head and stared at him. “Are you serious?”
“Why would I give you that if I wasn’t serious?”
“It’s a page with one rule. You said rules.”
He smiled. “I don’t need more than one.”
She glanced at the paper and lifted her head. “You make all the rules?” She stared at him like he’d sprouted a horn in the center of his forehead.
“That’s my one rule. Take it or leave it.”
Her jaw dropped, and she took a step back. “What are you going to do? Leave?” She tore the page in half and let the pieces fall to the marble floor next to the envelope. “You’re not the boss, and you don’t make the rules.”
“Wrong.” He turned around, walked back to the elevator, pushed the button, and waited.
“You’re seriously leaving? How am I supposed to get to Colorado?”
He took several cleansing breaths before he spun around to face her. “Nothing has changed. You have a flight waiting at Los Angeles International Airport. It will take you to Denver, where you’ll have to get a ride to Aspen Cove. Rent a car. It’s only a few hours’ drive from there to your destination.”
She seemed to wobble on her heels. “You’re abandoning me?”
He shook his head. “I’m not. I gave you my rules, and you dismissed them. You don’t get to be the top private security firm in the country if you break your own rules, and my only rule is I make the rules.” The elevator door opened, and he stepped inside. “I’ll give you ten minutes to decide. If you’re not down in the lobby by then, I’ll leave. It’s that simple.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but the doors closed before she could get a word out.
~ Tip: Just hit “FOLLOW” for notifications about deals & new releases! ~
International bestselling author of more than thirty novels, Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping love alive. Always a romantic, she blends real-life events with her vivid imagination to create characters and stories that lovers of contemporary romance, new adult, and romantic suspense will return to again and again.
Kelly has sold more than a quarter of a million books worldwide, and in 2021 she was awarded a Readers’ Favorite Award Gold Medal in the Contemporary Romance category for A Tablespoon of Temptation.
Between Takes Morgana Bevan (Kings of Screen, #1) Publication date: August 17th 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
“So I’m clear: you want me to babysit an off-the-rails actor for six months?”
When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.
Or, at least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
My family moved, my ex took my friends when he left, and my job is suddenly uninspiring. There’s a silver lining in here somewhere, I’m sure…
It comes, eventually, in a strange package; a last-minute job that’s slightly outside my comfort zone, a long way away. Dealing with a movie star can’t be that hard, can it?
He’s hot, of course. And a mess, no doubt. Hates me and wants to be left to self-destruct alone, apparently. But it’s my job to turn it around, turn him around and when I find myself falling for more than just the job, it gets tricky.
The lights are better here, more magical, and I’m not sure if it’s his lack of charm or the prospects for the future but I can almost taste that lemonade… or can I?
Between Takes is a slow burn steamy enemies-to-lovers, boss-assistant romance. It is the first book in the Kings of Screen series. If you enjoy irresistible damaged heroes and take no-nonsense heroines caught in a workplace romance, you’ll love Between Takes.
Morgana Bevan is a sucker for a rock star romance, particularly if it involves a soul-destroying breakup or strangers waking up in Vegas. She’s a contemporary romance author based in Wales. When Morgana’s not writing steamy rock star and movie star romances, she’s working in TV production in the UK.
When not writing, she enjoys travelling, attending gigs, and trying out the extreme activities she forces on her characters.
Cut From Stone Brendan O’Meara Publication date: September 29th 2022 Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult
The world is fresh from humanity splitting in half – the BlankZone in the East and the Federation in the West. As an inevitable attack from the BlankZone looms, the Federation makes swift, mysterious, and unexpected moves to prepare.
James, a 17-year-old living in the Federation, is drafted by the military. He learns he has been selected to join a group of skilled teens who will be transformed into elite human weapons. Follow James and his friends as they mature from teenagers to lethal warriors. Together, they will face life altering events as they navigate a new existence dedicated to protecting their friends, families, and humanity at all costs.
The screen was broken into multiple squares focused on Northern Africa. Instead of the differentiated plains of grass, earth, and water with settlements sprinkled throughout, there was a sprawling web of interconnected buildings, roads, and a brand-new infrastructure spanning the width of the continent and trailing off the screen to the south.
They completely took over.
They weren’t practice. They were their base, James thought in terror of the army that required an entire continent to operate.
As the images filtered in, the web of settlements grew throughout the landmass. There were entire squares filled with what looked like long, lean barracks neighboring full towns of armories, each covering the same square mileage as a major city.
Harbors along the coasts were filled with ships and docks, while airfields were strewn throughout the flatlands displaying gleaming rows of chrome weaponry perfectly arrayed, wing to wing.
“How the hell did they pull this off?” asked Stacie. “It’s just… wham, an entire continent disappeared and in its place… this.”
“We have no clue. We’re having trouble determining exactly when all of this happened, but it must have been months ago.” Months?! James’s mind was spinning, thinking of the physical demands and resources it would take to build infrastructure of this magnitude. They were looking at a decades long project at the least. If whoever ran the BlankZone accomplished all of this in a matter of months, what else were they capable of?
He kept scanning the area when he noticed clouds were blocking some of the images. He moved closer and realized they were moving in an odd pattern, flowing over the land, and petering out along the southwest coast. He looked around trying to find where they started, but the originator was offscreen.
Is that smoke? He wondered what source of fire could be so widespread it caused clouds on such a grand scale. His mind drifted to pictures of volcanos he studied in high school.
“How did we get these?” James asked, trying to wrap his mind around the enormous scale of the base.
“Same as before. A break in their satellite protection and constant attempts to hack through,” Croyton replied. “Different this time though.”
“How so?” asked Stacie from the other end of the line. “They meant us to see these shots.” “A warning,” James said quietly.
“A threat,” Croyton replied stonily. “They want us to know what they’re capable of, how easily they can assert control without blinking an eye. The ships were a warning. This…” He shook his head, unblinking. “This tells us how ready they are.”
Author Bio:
Raised in White Plains, New York, Brendan O’Meara formed a love of stories and books from a young age. He has spent his free time over the last decade crafting his debut novel, Cut From Stone, book one in the Crafting Humanity series.
It began in Philadelphia where he attended college daydreaming about a dystopian reality. With a vivid imagination (as described by his middle school teachers) and a passion for adventure, Brendan’s novels will transport you to a different life and capture you from cover to cover.
Brendan lives in Washington, DC with his daughter, wife, and two dogs. You will find him on the weekends drinking a beer watching the Packers and Notre Dame football games. He is an avid reader with a specific interest in sci-fi, anything dystopian, fantasy, history, and all levels of fiction.
Brendan would love to hear from you, feel free to contact him any time at brendan.omeara@craftinghumanity.com.
Finally, visit craftinghumanity.com and sign up for our email lists for news, updates, and information on the rest of the Crafting Humanity series. We will not spam you!
Her Best Friend’s Brother Yahrah St. John (Six Gems, #1) Published by: Harlequin Desire Publication date: December 27th 2022 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Childhood friends become forbidden lovers in this sexy start to the Six Gems series from Yahrah St. John.
Their fiery affair fulfills her fantasies… And puts everything at risk.
When travel blogger Wynter Barrington’s wealthy, disapproving family cuts her off, she finds comfort in a passionate chance encounter with Riley Davis, her best friend’s brother. He’s hot as hell…and totally off-limits.
And when they meet again months later, they begin a sizzling affair. Wynter knows Riley doesn’t do love and marriage, but her youthful crush is feeling more and more like a real relationship. If she’s not careful, Wynter may put more than her relationship with her best friend on the line. Can she survive falling in love with the one man she was never supposed to touch?
Yahrah St. John is the International author of forty books. She became a writer at the age of twelve when she wrote her first novella after secretly reading a Harlequin romance. Throughout her teens, she penned a total of twenty novellas. Her love of the craft continued into adulthood. She’s the proud author of thirty-nine books with Arabesque, Kimani Romance and Harlequin Desire as well as her own indie works.
When she’s not at home crafting one of her spicy romances with compelling heroes and feisty heroines with a dash of family drama, she is gourmet cooking or traveling the globe seeking out her next adventure. For more info:www.yahrahstjohn.com or find her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Bookbub or Goodreads.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted 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 the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you’re continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.
And the book I am waiting for is…
From the blurb:
In this dark, seductive YA fantasy debut, a siren in hiding must choose between protecting her family and following her heart.
Saoirse Sorkova survives on lies. As a soldier, she lies about being a siren to avoid execution. At night, working as an assassin, Saoirse lies about her true identity. And to her family, Saoirse tells the biggest lie of all: that she can control her powers and doesn’t constantly grapple with the impulse to kill. When Saoirse is forced to accept a job guarding the crown prince, she expects to hate Prince Hayes. After all, his father enforces the kingdom’s brutal creature segregation laws. But Saoirse finds herself drawn to him—especially when they’re forced to work together to stop a deadly killer. There’s only one problem: Saoirse is that deadly killer. With a forbidden romance and a compulsively dark plot, this fantasy is perfect for fans of A Song Below Water and To Kill a Kingdom.
**************
Expected Publication Date: June 27, 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
YA Fiction / Epic Fantasy
**************
About the author:
Gabi Burton grew up reading and writing in St. Louis, Missouri. She recently graduated from Bowdoin College and now she works as a paralegal and author in Rhode Island. When she’s not working or writing, she’s probably watching Netflix, scrolling through Twitter, or finding beautiful places to walk—preferably near a body of water. gabiburton.com • @query_queen339
Happy Publication Day to A Hard Day for The Lost Witch by Paige Crutcher!
From the blurb:
A witch discovers that finding your way home is sometimes the most perilous journey of all.
1922. Brigid Heron is a powerful witch and healer in the seemingly lost, but charming small town of Evermore on a forgotten isle in Ireland. However, there is one thing that she longs for above all else: a child of her own. She is even willing to be seduced by the mysterious Luc Knightly, head of the Knightly coven, whose pull is potent and impossible to resist. When their child is born and falls ill, Brigid will risk anything to save her daughter–even tap into the forbidden magic of the Lough of Brionglóid. But when the wild magic takes her daughter from her, Brigid is swept away as well.
2022. Evermore is under siege. The witches of Knight have been using their chaos magic to widen the rift between the island and the Otherworld. Creatures from folklore prey on the villagers, consuming their very humanity.
Brigid awakens in this world with no memory of how she traveled into the future, but she learns that she helped unleash this curse on Evermore. To seal the lough and stop the witches of Knight, she must work with her magical descendants, Ophelia and Finola. But the knowledge she seeks lies with Luc Knightly himself—mysterious, handsome, and powerful. To save Evermore, Brigid may have to lose everything once again.
PAIGE CRUTCHER is the author of The Orphan Witch. She is a former journalist, and her work appears in multiple anthologies and online publications. She is an artist and yogi, and when not writing, she prefers to spend her time trekking through the forest with her children, hunting for portals to new worlds.
Happy Publication Day to A Wicked Game by Kate Bateman!
From the blurb:
If there’s one thing impossible for a Davies to resist, it’s a challenge from a Montgomery. . .
A teasing bet.
Shipwrecked and imprisoned thanks to an incorrect map, Captain Morgan Davies has returned to London to exact sweet revenge on the cartographer responsible for his suffering. He’s also vowed to claim the winner’s prize―three kisses―in the bet he made with his long-time nemesis, the prickly, smart-mouthed Harriet Montgomery. His incarceration has clarified his feelings for her, but convincing the infuriating woman he wants to marry her is going to be his greatest challenge yet. When Harriet’s revealed to be the very mapmaker he seeks, Morgan decides to combine revenge and seduction into one delightful package. . .
A dangerous enemy.
Harriet’s always wanted witty scoundrel Morgan, and now he’s back; as handsome and as taunting as ever. She has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s failing eyesight and a rival mapmaker copying her work to play wicked games with a dastardly Davies―however tempting he might be. But when a threat from Morgan’s past puts them both in danger, Harry discovers that she and Morgan might not be enemies at all . . .
Kate Bateman, (also writing as K. C. Bateman), is the #1 bestselling author of historical romances, including her RITA® nominated Renaissance romp, The Devil To Pay, the Bow Street Bachelors series This Earl of Mine, To Catch an Earl, and The Princess and the Rogue, along with the novels in the Secrets & Spies series To Steal a Heart, A Raven’s Heart, and A Counterfeit Heart. When not writing novels that feature feisty, intelligent heroines and sexy, snarky heroes you want to both strangle and kiss, Kate works as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several popular TV shows in the UK. She splits her time between Illinois and her native England. Follow her on Twitter to learn more.
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:
The Witch Hunt by Sasha Peyton Smith
What I am reading/listening to now:
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
Talk Santa to Me by Linda Urban
What I’m reading /listening to next:
AForestofStolenMemories by Callie Thomas
The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher
See you yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon
How did your last week go and what are you reading this week?
From the blurb:A hopeful and emotional novel about twists of fate, enduring friendships, and life’s never-ending surprises by New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart.In the decade since Emma Dean’s husband died, she’s maintained a peaceful and organized life in her hometown of Wyndham Beach—until she finds evidence of her husband’s longtime affair. How, Emma wonders, can a man who’s been gone for ten years still break her heart?Still reeling from the betrayal, Emma must focus on the group of artists she’s invited to take up residence at the art center she founded, one of whom is secretly seeking refuge from her abusive ex. Toss in a charming businessman who’s returned to town with eyes for only Emma, and it’s becoming a most interesting summer.And the biggest surprise of all is about to ring Emma’s doorbell and turn her life completely upside down yet again.As Emma struggles between what was and what is, she discovers that the life she really wants—however unexpected—is just within reach, if she’s willing to fight for it.
All That We Are is the third book in the Wyndham Beach series which is set in a small town on the Massachusetts coast. If you love reading about complex family dynamics, real life dilemmas, unexpected life events that make you question everything, second chances in love, and, above all, lifelong friendships, this is a series for you. It is better to start with the first book as you would get a much fuller reading experience, but All That We Are can be read as a standalone, if you don’t mind getting glimpses of the happily-ever-afters Maggie and Liddy, the protagonists of the previous two books, are living in this one.
The focus of this book is on Maggie and Liddy’s friend Emma Dean. Emma, who is always impeccably dressed and effortlessly ‘appropriate, has her own heartbreak to come to terms with and overcome in this story. Although she’s been widowed for a long time, it is only now that she starts looking through her husband’s papers and discovers that he had a long term affair with his co-worker. As the evidence keeps mounting, Emma is trying to reassess her life and decide whether she even wants her son Chris to know about his father’s infidelity. After all, neither of them can confront Harry who’s been dead for more than ten years. My heart went to Emma who had the proverbial rug pulled from under her feet not once, but twice in this book, when a stranger rings her doorbell and Emma has to deal with the situation she never thought she would have to face.
Luckily, Emma has her wonderful system of support and I don’t mean just her life-long friends Maggie and Liddy who keep reminding her who she is and what she genuinely and wholeheartedly believes in. It is the whole Wyndham Beach community with its very special atmosphere. I liked the way different generations with their different perspectives have their stories interwoven as they do in real life. If you’ve read the previous two books, you might also appreciate the development some characters (e.g. Grace, Maggie’s daughter) have gone through in the series.
The writing is very engaging and you need this kind of style when the topic can be summarised by one word: Life. Other topics include a relationship parents have with their grown-up children, which can be a reason for anxiety, feeling guilt, or pregrets, but can also be a source of joy, happiness, and support. Emma’s age group doesn’t get enough representation and it is lovely to read a well-written series giving women in their late fifties-early sixties protagonist roles. I am now a fan of Mariah Stewart and will be looking forward to reading more of her stories in future.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
About the author: Mariah Stewart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of forty-one novels and three novellas and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. She is a RITA finalist in romantic suspense and the recipient of the Award of Excellence for contemporary romance, a RIO Award for excellence in women’s fiction, and a Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times Magazine. A three-time winner of the Golden Leaf Award presented by the New Jersey Romance Writers, Stewart was recently awarded their Lifetime Achievement Award (which placed her in their Hall of Fame along with former recipients Nora Roberts and Mary Jo Putney — very excellent company, indeed!)
After having written seven contemporary romance novels, Stewart found true happiness writing murder and mayhem. She considers herself one lucky son of a gun to have landed the best job in the world: getting paid for making up stories. At home. In sweats and J. Crew flip flops. Could life be sweeter?
readingtonic 