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:
Ex-Appeal (Ponto Beach Reunion#3) by Cathy Yardley
Never Rescue a Rogue (Merriwell sisters#2) by Virginia Heath
What I am reading/listening to now:
Hidden Scars by Angela Marsons
What I’m reading /listening to next:
starting this one later this week- hooray!!!
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
How did your last week go and what are you reading this week?
Let There Be Snow Charlotte Rains Dixon Publication date: November 3rd 2022 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Christmas isn’t Christmas without snow.
So Dixie Dunham believes.
But she’s about to experience a Christmas with nothing but cold, gray rain after taking a job at the Starlight Winery in Pineview, Oregon, smack in the middle of wine country. Dixie likes her new job at the winery and she’s hoping owners Jamie and Ernest will soon name her to the position of national sales manager. She’s certain the proposal she’s working on for a city-sponsored contest will cement her claim to the job. That would be something to impress the friends and family she left behind in New York.
And Dixie is desperate to impress them, seeing as how she fled after her fiancée jilted her at the altar in favor of her maid-of-honor best friend. Now as the December days shorten and darken and Pineview celebrates the season with lavish decorations and festive events, it’s hitting Dixie hard how much she’s lost. All she has left besides her job is the company of her loyal dog, Bo. And a Christmas without snow.
When Jamie and Ernest introduce her to their good friend Max Pettigrew, who has just moved from Paris back to Pineview after a wrenching divorce, she’s instantly attracted to him. But Max Pettigrew never met a woman he didn’t want to flirt with. All in the strictest of innocence, of course. Too bad what he thinks is charming flirtatiousness is off-putting to Dixie. Ridiculously handsome he may be, but he’s also ridiculously annoying. And she does not need more annoyance in her life. When the two of them turn out to be vying to win the same city contest, her annoyance turns to anger. But Max grows more determined to win her over, inviting her to the Pineview Christmas parade and holiday parties, and turning to a stream of self-help books to help improve himself.
Can Max mend his entitled bro ways? Will Dixie get her promotion, and perhaps more important, her snow at Christmas in rainy Oregon? Let There Be Snow, a novella, launches November 3, 2022. Stay tuned for pre-order information.
The great-granddaughter of pioneers who walked across the Oregon Trail, Charlotte Rains Dixon considers herself a westerner through and through. Many of her stories are set in her home state of Oregon, where her characters reside in fictional versions of her favorite wine area and coast towns, as well as Portland, where she lives.
When not writing fiction, Charlotte teaches writing in England, the south of France, and around the Pacific Northwest. She also coaches writers privately. She is Director Emeritus and a current mentor at the Writer’s Loft, a certificate-in-writing program at Middle Tennessee State University. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Spalding University and is also the author Emma Jean’s Bad Behavior.
Charlotte lives with her husband in Portland, Oregon, in a multi-generational home that is by turns boisterous and exuberant but seldom quiet. She believes no breakfast is complete without a crossword puzzle to work and no Happy Hour can actually be happy without popcorn. (Wine goes without saying.) Despite frequent stays in France, she regularly fractures the language. She is, however, fluent in Carney.
Charlotte writes stories about places you long to live filled with people you’d love to know.
Learn more about Charlotte at her website, charlotterainsdixonauthor.com and be sure to sign up for her author newsletter here.
Rebounding with the Billionaire Tina Gabor (Bronson Billionaire Romance Series, #4) Publication date: October 31st 2022 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
She’s an outcast from a billionaire family. He’s her brother’s best friend and business partner.
They hate each other.
But when she bolts from the church on her wedding day, and they wind up trapped in a snow storm,
the heat between them is undeniable.
She’s on the rebound. He’s a workaholic who needs to let off some steam. One weekend with no strings attached. Right?
Do you enjoy funny, contemporary romances with spicy love scenes?
Because if you do …
You’ve landed in the perfect place.
I’m Tina Gabor, and it’s so much fun getting to write the books I love reading. Gorgeous men and fierce, feisty, and funny women are my jam.
And since there’s nothing like a love story with a dash of sun and fun …
I set most of my in Southern California and Florida. I grew up in South Florida, and now I live in Southern California with my fiancee and a stray cat we named Fred.
To get special deals on new releases and updates on what your favorite book couples are doing after the story ends, go to SparksFlyRomance.com/Tina
Things I Should Have Said Kelsey Humphreys Publication date: November 1st 2022 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
When an introverted artist catches feelings for an extroverted executive, exactly how sweaty, awkward and embarrassingly painful will her fall be? (Spoiler alert: very.)
Skye Canton is focused on her goals: Make it as an artist in New York, quit her dayjob, finally prove herself to her family back in Oklahoma. Noise canceling headphones on, brush in hand, #livingherbestintrovertlife.
All of which gets blown to bits by a gorgeous, smart, magnetic Texas boy turned Manhattan man-about-town.
Matthew James is full of surprises, tempting Skye to give in and reveal her own secrets. Her bestie, her sisters and even her grumpy cat are on TeamMatt. But he doesn’t fit into her well-drawn plans.
Plus, he’s so smooth and so hot…he reminds her of her past, where she learned the hard way – when there’s this much heat, she’s bound to get burned.
This standalone is a smart, steamy, full-length lovers to enemies to lovers, contemporary romance. It’s a reverse grumpy-sunshine with surprise twists, laugh-out-loud banter, a happily ever after, and a sisters group text thread you’ll wish you could join. This is the first book in the Heartlanders Series.
After tens of millions of video views, comedian Kelsey Humphreys has captured her hilarious, heart-warming characters in book form. Her steamy stories dig into deep truths about love, identity, purpose, and family. When she’s not writing romance or creating comedy videos, she is reading, running, mom-ming and wife-ing in Oklahoma. Follow her funnies on Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok
Ex Appeal Cathy Yardley (Ponto Beach Reunion, #3) Publication date: November 1st 2022 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
A hacker and a fixer—who just happen to be high school exes—reunite to help each other out in this witty second-chance romance from the author ofLove, Comment, Subscribe.
Vinh Doan has a problem. Ten million of them, in fact. He’s a high-level fixer for global conglomerates, which means big money…and big troubles. When ten million dollars go missing from one of his accounts, he needs a top-notch hacker to find it. His first thought? Emily MacDonald, his high school ex.
While Vinh has been taking the financial world by storm, Emily has been struggling. After her dad died, she dropped out of college and put her dreams aside. Her job in tech support has seriously tested her sunny disposition and her finances. Now, there’s an unexpected solution: Vinh, the guy who dumped her when she needed him most.
When Emily finally lets herself listen to Vinh’s request, she realizes that this is a desperately needed chance to get paid…and get payback. But the more time they spend together, the more they recognize that even though they’re not the same people they were a decade ago, their off the charts attraction is just as strong as ever. As they give in to their simmering chemistry, can Emily and Vinh let go of their past, figure out their futures—and hack a second chance at love?
Cathy Yardley is an award-winning author of romance, chick lit, and urban fantasy, who has sold over 1.2 million copies of books for publishers like St. Martin’s, Avon, and Harlequin. She writes fun, geeky, and diverse characters who believe that underdogs can make good and that sometimes being a little wrong is just right.
She likes writing about quirky, crazy adventures, because she’s had plenty of her own: she had her own army in the Society of Creative Anachronism; she spent a New Year’s on a three-day solitary vision quest in the Mojave Desert; she had VIP access to the Viper Room in Los Angeles.
Now, she spends her time writing in the wilds of East Seattle, trying to prevent her son from learning the truth of any of said adventures, and riding herd on her two dogs (and one husband.)
Upon a Wicked Tide Kate Craft Publication date: October 31st 2022 Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
In a world of sirens, pirates and unspeakable danger, one might crave a quiet life on the Garden Isle…but not this blue-eyed girl.
Upon the death of her guardians, Emerelda Mirabel comes to inherit three curious things:
A book…
Not a diary or fable, but something almost sentient. This riddlesome book hums with power, each page offering strange warnings and temptations…Perhaps speaking to a future already written?
A desire…
Adventure calls to the young captain, a hunger for something more than a simple fisherwoman’s life. Upon her ship, The King’s Arcana, she will sail the eight seas, venturing to strange lands with strangers amongst her crew. But at what cost?
A heartless prince…
Seemingly cursed with no heart, Prince Ryder could not care less about his kingdom, his family or even life itself. But when the king insists his son travel with Emery to find a cure for the affliction, something finally stirs within. Something he cannot explain. Something binding him to the blue-eyed girl.
If you’re really curious, here’s a little about me.
I am an emerging writer of fantasy romance. With CHAOS FORGED A FABLE, I will be debuting into the world of published authors with nothing but excitement and an arsenal of future projects waiting to be brought to life.
I studied at the University of Roehampton, graduating in 2014 with a BSc in Psychology and Criminology. Growing up, I was lucky enough to live and travel around the world on various trips and expeditions. This experience has bled into my books, offering adventure and excitement.
I have two partners in crime. The first is my fiancé, who will remain a mystery for the foreseeable future. The second is my fur-baby, Bodhi, the beautiful fox-red Labrador! Together we live in the perpetually dreary United Kingdom.
Check out my website for more info on books, giveaways and blog updates!
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:
Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E in the woods in this new standalone fantasy from beloved New York Times and USA Today bestselling author TJ Klune
New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts.
In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.
The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.
When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.
Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?
Inspired by Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.
**************
Expected Publication Date: April 25, 2023
Publisher: Tor Books
Fantasy
ISBN 9781250217448, 125021744X
**************
About the author:
TJ KLUNE is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door,The Extraordinaries, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it’s important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive, queer representation in stories.
The Enchanted Bungalow Eva Pohler (The Mystery House Series, #9) Publication date: October 31st 2022 Genres: Adult, Mystery
Ellen and her friends never saw this coming.
During a Twilight tour of Forks, Washington, Ellen, Sue, and Tanya rent a bungalow on Quileute land to celebrate Tanya’s sixtieth birthday. They’re having the time of their lives until strange visions make them question everything they know about the afterlife. Can the three best friends uncover the mystery of the Machiavellian spirit sharing their bungalow?
Here’s what readers are saying about this series:
“Slightly wacky ladies, humor & good intentions result in a very interesting story. I’ve already ordered the second one in the series.”–Lynne J. Condon, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★
“They begin a dangerous quest digging into the real history behind the Gold House. What they find will blow your mind! My heart was racing throughout this entire book. If you believe in ghosts or even if you don’t, I suggest reading by a lamp. I jumped several times as if a movie were playing inside my mind. . . . The three women in this book are wonderful. This is definitely a must-read. 5 stars for Eva! Well done!!”–Book Lover Reviews ★★★★★
“This is a real page turner. Riveting, and exciting. The characters are very well written, it’s easy to read and you won’t want to put it down.”–Southermermaid85, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★
“This is my first experience with author Eva Pohler and I can’t believe I haven’t read anything of hers before! Loved the book and I’ll be checking out more in this series.”–The Novel Lady, Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★
Described as “Nancy Drew meets The Golden Girls,” these friends get in way over their heads as they try to bring peace to ghosts haunting their most recent flip project or vacation rental.
**The books in this series can be read in any order.
Two days later, Ellen flew with Moseby to Seattle, where she rented an SUV—a white Nissan Rogue—and drove in the dark and through the rain for three hours toward La Push. The last two hours were on winding roads that had Ellen gripping the steering wheel and clenching her teeth.
Moseby whined. He sat in a carrier strapped in the front passenger seat.
“I know, Moseby-Mo. It’s been a long car ride, but I think we’re nearly there.”
Brian had business meetings in Portland all week, and Ellen hadn’t wanted to board the dog, worried it would cause post-traumatic stress disorder. Plus, she needed him, since she was traveling without her friends, hoping to get everything ready to save Tanya’s birthday.
It was so dark and rainy in La Push when she arrived that she nearly missed the turn into the Oceanside Resort Office. She pulled in, put the rental in park, found the totem pole Dorothy had described, and, clutching her hood beneath her chin, used the phone inside the totem to telephone security.
“I’ll be right there,” a man on the other end of the line assured her.
Moments later, a black truck approached, and a police officer rolled down his window to hand her a key.
“Are you staying there alone?” he asked as she stood in the rain beside his truck. “I thought there were three of you. My paperwork shows three signatures.”
Ellen and her friends had been asked to sign, scan, and email liability waivers.
“The other two will be joining me in a couple of days.”
The officer frowned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, staying there alone? Dorothy told you about the history of the place, didn’t she?”
“I’ll be fine.” Ellen sounded more confident than she felt. “I just need directions.”
“It’s up there on the highest hill,” he pointed out. “Just follow this road on up. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you,” Ellen said.
“Let us know if you decide to leave early,” the officer added, handing her his card with his contact information. “The cell service is spotty out here, but you can always drive over to the totem and call me from here.”
“Will do.” Ellen read the card. “Thank you, Officer Hobucket.”
The officer waited until Ellen had returned to the SUV before he drove off. She said a prayer as she followed him from the parking area and back onto the road in the opposite direction, heading toward the beach, until she came to a fork. The road to the right went downhill and the road to the left went up, so she went left.
“This has to be it,” she said to Mo as they neared a bungalow surrounded by enormous western red cedar trees, the silhouettes of which were visible in her headlights.
She parked the Nissan Rogue and took Moseby from his carrier. With his leash attached to his collar, she walked him toward the front door. It was too dark to make out much about its features. An old porchlight illuminated the front door and wooden porch, but not much else. She couldn’t even tell what color it was painted. Maybe gray?
As she waited for Mo to do his business, she turned her face toward the ocean, but it was too dark to see. She could hear it, though, gathering in great bursts against rocks that must not be too far below. A glance to the dark sky above revealed no moon, but an ocean of stars twinkled down at her, and she felt suddenly small and nervous.
“Come on, Moseby-Mo.” She nudged her dog from the grass toward the front door. “Let’s check out the inside.”
Dorothy had warned her that it hadn’t been cleaned in years, and the stale air that greeted her when Ellen opened the door did nothing to contradict that.
Moseby whined at the stoop.
“Inside,” Ellen commanded as she blindly felt the wall for a switch.
Not finding one, she stepped further into the bungalow, making the leash taut between her and Mo, who’d remained on the threshold.
Ellen’s hand swept across a cobweb, and she gasped with surprise at the unexpected texture. Shuddering and wiping her hand against her jeans, she continued to flail around for a light switch and finally found a floor lamp when she walked right into it.
She dropped the leash by accident to steady the lamp, and Moseby scurried away.
Ellen rushed outside into the rain. “Mo! Come back here!”
Mo stood at their rental car looking back at her without any intention of minding her call.
Fortunately, he didn’t run off as she approached him and scooped him into her arms.
“Why are you shaking, boy?” she said in a soothing voice. “Are you cold? I’ve got you. It’s okay.”
She fumbled for her phone, which was somewhere at the bottom of the purse draped over her shoulder. Once she found it, she turned on the flashlight app and proceeded back toward the house.
When she reached the porch, the front door, which she’d left ajar, slammed shut in her face.
“The wind is really something out here,” Ellen remarked as she reached for the knob.
Author Bio:
Eva Pohler is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty-five novels in multiple genres, including paranormal mysteries, thrillers, and young adult fantasy based on Greek mythology. Her books have been described as “addictive” and “sure to thrill”–Kirkus Reviews.
Sci-Fi November is a celebration of our love for this wonderful genre in whatever form you would like to do it throughout the month of November. It is hosted by Lisa from Dear Geek Place and Imyril from There’s always Room for One More.
There’s a readalong of The Galaxy And The Ground Within by Becky Chambers, with weekly discussions starting November 12th – Lisa has the full details over at Dear Geek Place, Sci-Fi challenge with daily prompts, an amazing giveaway bundle, top tens and lots of other fabulous activities.
The SciFiMonth Challenge
Check out these daily prompts (they are deliberately open to interpretation to let anyone participate in any way they wish):
Artwork: Simon Fletcher
…and here is my (very provisional and bound to change) Sci-Fi TBR for this month, which is the first prompt on the challenge list:
1 The Three-body Problem by Cixin Liu
2 Dead Silence by S.A.Barnes
3 Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
4 Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Well, this is my list…we’ll see what I really manage to read this month.
Is science fiction among your favourite genres? Are you participating in this edition of Sci-Fi November?
Happy Publication Day to The Luminaries by Susan Dennard!
From the blurb:
A brand new contemporary fantasy world from the New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series, Susan Dennard.
Hemlock Falls isn’t like other towns. It’s not on a map, cell phones don’t work there, and you might find a ghost-deer grazing at midnight. It’s also inhabited by the Luminaries, an ancient order charged with guarding the nearby forest. Each night, when nightmares rise, only the Luminaries stand between humanity and these monsters bent on devastation—one clan for each night of the week. Fourteen orders around the globe.
Winnie (of the Wednesday clan) desperately wants to reclaim her family’s standing within the Luminaries. In the four years since her dad was caught as a witch, her family has lived as outcasts. Winnie’s solution? Pass the hunter trials. Then her family will be welcomed in again.
During the first trial, however, Winnie is severely outmatched by the forest’s nightmares. So when a new, unknown monster slaughters a banshee and everyone assumes Winnie did the slaughtering, she doesn’t correct them. Realizing she will never survive the final two trials, Winnie seeks help from her gorgeous ex-friend, Jay Friday, who is no longer a baby-faced boy but the best hunter in Hemlock Falls.
As Winnie’s lies start to pile up around her and bodies start to pile up from the new nightmare, she must protect Hemlock Falls, protect her family’s new status, and protect her heart from a former friend with brutal secrets of his own.
Susan Dennard is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series (now in development for TV from the Jim Henson Company), the Something Strange and Deadly series, in addition to short fiction published online. She also runs the popular newsletter for writers, the Misfits and Daydreamers. When not writing or teaching writing, she can be found rolling the dice as a Dungeon Master or mashing buttons on one of her way too many consoles.
Originally from Georgia, Dennard earned advanced degrees in marine ecology and statistics while also traveling the world. She now lives near Lake Michigan with her French husband, très mignonne daughter, and a veritable zoo of aging pets.
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