Chaos and Cranberries Joann Keder Publication date: November 1st 2022 Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery
Paranormal investigator, Feather Jones and her boyfriend, Tug have arrived in picturesque Piney Falls for their Christmas getaway. To their dismay, they learn that their suite isn’t available because the last guest, author Dash Vixen, never checked out.
Dash was murdered when a copy of his own horror Christmas anthology was used to beat him to death.
Coming to their rescue is local sleuth, Lanie Anders, who invites them to spend the holiday with her and her husband. Unbeknownst to all of them, the murderer has bigger plans. Soon Lanie, Feather and their respective other halves are embroiled in a mystery that will stretch them both to their crime-solving limits!
This is a crossover book: Feather is a sleuth from the Charming Mysteries series and Lanie is a sleuth in the Piney Falls Mysteries.
Ivy Merrilee Globe was a prolific author, completing seventy-nine books in her twenty-six years of life. Her most recent, Snowily Severed, was a short story featured in the massively popular Christmas horror anthology, Strung by the Fire.
She recently signed a contract with Brain Gravy Pictures to turn her short story into a movie.
Driving home from physical therapy, she stopped for children crossing three blocks from her home, when her neighbor’s sleigh ornament slid off the roof of their home and through her car windshield, impaling her. Ivy herself couldn’t have written such a dramatic end.
Ivy leaves behind three brothers and a cat named Ice.
“She didn’t die on the twenty-second like the other two. Find the date of the Frosty attack, Lanie,” Vem urged.
I typed in the information and when the page came up, our mood was somber. “Ivy was attacked on the twenty-second by the Frosty wannabe. They intended to kill her that day, and when it didn’t work, they came back to finish the job.”
“Poor Ivy,” Vem lamented.
My phone rang and I jumped up to answer. Even though we’d been together for several years, I was always expecting his call.
“Babe?”
“Mrs. Hill? This is the Tucson police department.”
Author Bio:
USA TODAY bestselling author, Joann Keder spent most of her years in the Midwest, growing up and raising a family on the Great Plains of Nebraska. She worked for sixteen years as a piano teacher before returning to school to receive a master’s degree in creative writing. A mid-life move to the Pacific Northwest led her to re-examine her priorities. She now creates stories about life and relationships in small towns while her ever-patient husband encourages her on.
Son of the Salt Chaser A.S. Thornton (Salt Chasers, #2) Publication date: November 8th 2022 Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
The gift of magic may be a curse.
After her desert-transforming wish, Emel follows Saalim to Madinat Almulihi to reclaim all she has lost. But the seaside city is not what she expected. When she is tasked with assisting the palace healer, she is faced daily with the reminder that Saalim—focused only on seeking the revenge of those who killed his family—does not remember her at all.
Cursing the magic that destroyed her love and brought her to an unwelcoming city, Emel regrets her decision to leave her settlement. That is, until she meets Kas. Though inscrutable, he is the first person to help her forget her past, and the pull of finding happiness with him tempts her from the life she wished for with Saalim.
But darkness waits in the desert, and not all people in Madinat Almulihi are what they seem. When Emel understands she is entangled in the fate of the city—and of Saalim—she is faced with the realization that magic may be the most powerful card in her hand. It might be the only way to save all that she loves, but if she plays her hand wrong, it could destroy everything.
Leaning back onto my hands, I pushed my feet into the cool water. My raw, blistered skin welcomed the relief.
“What do you think they’re doing?” Firoz asked, nudging me with his own submerged foot.
Soldiers from Madinat Almulihi stood across the large pool. I would have assumed they were cooling themselves, too, but the longer I watched, the more I saw that there was a pattern—almost a rhythm—to the way they dipped their hands into the water and pressed it to their brows, wrists, and necks.
“Praying,” a voice said from behind me. A voice so achingly familiar it took all of my strength not to jump from the ground and rush to him.
Slowly, I turned to Saalim.
In our few days of travel, I had come to understand that he and his men behaved differently from my father and his court. It still surprised me that their king—my king—could appear so unlike a royal. His dark sirwal was rolled at his calves, his feet bare. He wore no weapons, and the black tunic across his chest was dust-covered and almost tattered at the edges; the guthra that loosely wrapped his face, equally worn. Had Saalim himself not told me tales of the wealth and allure of Madinat Almulihi, I would not believe that it was a city worth seeing at all.
“Eiqab will strain to hear,” Firoz said.
Saalim looked away from his soldiers down to Firoz. “We worship the giver, not the punisher.”
“Wahir,” I said. How strange it was to see someone praying to the lesser god. How wrong.
Saalim’s gaze met mine.
A rush of cold and hot, longing and desperation, and . . . Sons, how didn’t he feel it? Couldn’t he see me as I saw him? I felt as I had the first time he looked at me after he became human again, when he had killed my father and his eyes locked on mine. I stared back, willing him to feel, to remember as I did . . . the set of his jaw hard beneath my fingers, his lips against my own, his breath warm as I pulled it into my lungs. His hands so careful against my skin, his heart beating against my breast, the tremor of his voice as he said my name.
“Emel, isn’t it?” he asked.
The memories scattered. I bent my head to the ground, not wanting him to see my grimace. He felt nothing, remembered nothing. Sons, he did not know me at all.
Masira was a devious goddess, giving so much but taking as much in return. Damn her magic that she unfurled like a woven rug! Something beautiful to cover all of the ugly scars and secrets, to distract from them. But that was all the magic did, wasn’t it? What it tried to remove, it did so sloppily. Everything still lay underneath the threads.
“Yes, she is Emel,” Firoz said loudly.
I looked back to Saalim, brushing away my thoughts like sand on my palms.
Saalim continued. “Today, you and . . .”
“Firoz,” he said.
Saalim paused at the name, his brow pulling together slightly before he continued.
“Firoz. I am still learning. You both will help with the cook-fires.” Then he turned from us and continued around the water’s edge.
“Well, I at least know food is cooked on a fire. What do you know about cooking?” Firoz chuckled. His mother always cooked for his family, and I had had no business working in the palace kitchens as an ahira.
I forced a laugh as I watched Saalim walk away.
“What bothers you?” Firoz asked.
I shook my head.
“He’s just a king, Emel. Same heart that can be pierced by blade.” He stabbed the air with an invisible blade.
Author Bio:
A. S. Thornton is the author of award-winning Daughter of the Salt King (CamCat Books, 2021), the first book in the Salt Chasers duology. She has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. She lives with her family in Northern California. When not writing, she’s taking care of dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though. Those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention.
Happy Publication Day to the Matchmaker and the Cowboy by Robin Bielman!
From the blurb:
This time he’s playing for keeps in this new rom-com from USA Today bestselling author Robin Bielman.
The thing Hunter Owens wants most in the world? To be taken seriously. And he’s got the perfect plan to achieve his goal. He can practically feel the respect coming his way. Until suddenly his life turns upside down and sideways, and— surprise!—maybe that other thing he’s wanted for a long time isn’t so far out of reach either.
Callie Carmichael would rather be anywhere else than rooming with Hunter while he recovers from a health scare. The cowboy might be her best friend’s older brother, but all they’ve ever managed is awkward exchanges. Not to mention he’s far too reckless for her liking.
When they discover they’re both after a coveted new job position for their small town, their budding friendship takes a turn into not-so-friendly competition. But as they battle to best each other, there’s more at risk than either of them anticipated. Because Hunter’s heart has always been Callie’s.
Author Bio: USA Today bestselling author Robin Bielman lives in Southern California with her awesome family and her very cute dog, Harry. She writes both sweet and sexy contemporary romances with one goal in mind: to leave you with a smile on your face. When not attached to her laptop, she loves to read, go to the beach, and frequent coffee shops with friends. She also dreams of traveling to faraway places and loves to connect with readers. Keep in touch on social! Xoxo
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 Viscount who loved me by Julia Quinn- I always, always prefer the book to it’s film/TV adaptation …or Do I?
I guess this one is an exception. The cast is wonderful and I love the differences between the book and the TV show- they changed the focus to that of a forbidden love. I found Anthony’s fear of death and subsequently fear and refusal to love relatable and worth exploring, but there were a few scenes which made me feel uncomfortable, in particular ‘the key’ scene.
The ending of the TV show is sheer perfection…Can they beat it in Season 3?
An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn. I still plan to read Colin’s story, but Benedict’s Cinderella didn’t charm me at all.
Breaking the Friendzone by May Lynn
Victoria and Violet by Rachel Brimble
What I am reading/listening to now:
Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen
The Matchmaker and the Cowboy by Robin Bielman
The Wrong Bridesmaid by Lauren Landish
What I’m reading /listening to next:
Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Hidden Scars by Angela Marsons
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 Victoria & Violet, a delightful historical romance by Rachel Brimble.
Victoria & Violet
It should be a dream come true to serve the Queen of England…
When Violet Parker is told she will be Queen Victoria’s personal housemaid, she cannot believe her good fortune. She finally has the chance to escape her overbearing mother, a servant to the Duchess of Kent.
Violet hopes to explore who she is and what the world has to offer without her mother’s schemes overshadowing her every thought and action.
Then she meets James Greene, assistant to the queen’s chief political adviser, Lord Melbourne. From entirely different backgrounds and social class, Violet and James should have neither need nor desire to speak to one another, yet through their service, their paths cross and their lives merge—as do their feelings.
Only Victoria’s court is not always the place for romance, but rather secrets, scandals, and conspiracies…
Victoria & Violet is a sweet and delightful historical romance set in the early stages of Queen Victoria’s reign. Even though I mostly read contemporary romance, this was such a wonderfully immersive and entertaining read that I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who would like to learn more about the period and family relationships at the time.
Violet Parker, a servant to the Duchess of Kent, Queen Victoria’s estranged mother, is overjoyed to find out about her new position of the royal housemaid. The only thing that is marring her happiness is the fact that Violet’s overbearing and I daresay abusive mother expects her to spy on Her Majesty and use her presence to make Victoria consider seeing the Duchess more often. If you are familiar with Queen Victoria’s controversial upringing (the Kensington system), you won’t be surprised that Violet, a victim of her own mother’s belittling remarks and constant manipulation, would like nothing to do with her mother’s schemes. Violet cares deeply about Victoria’s happiness and her well-deserved freedom to make her own choices in life. This is also the time when the Parliament and royal advisors insist on Victoria marrying and producing an heir to secure the future of the country. Violet’s own romance with a charming courtier James Greene is intertwines with the story of Queen Victoria’s engagement and subsequent marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg.
Rachel Brimble has a very easy, engaging writing style. In no time at all I was transported to Queen Victoria’s court. The author clearly captured the atmosphere and uniqueness of the period and included just the right amount of detail to make us understand and care deeply about the protagonists’ and their dilemmas.
There’s a special kind of dignity and strength in Violet who goes through considerable growth from a miserable, trapped girl to someone who truly knows her mind and is able to stand up to her mother and refute her emotional blackmail. James is also learning to trust his own feelings and experience to allow himself believe he can have a happy marriage, free of anger and domestic abuse his father heaped on his children. This topic of familial ties, duty and obedience versus freedom of choice and real independence (esp. in thinking and making decisions) is something which goes through the whole book.
I really enjoyed the story and would love to read more from the author.
Letting Go Jacquie Biggar (The Defiant Sisters, #1) Publication date: October 21st 2022 Genres: Coming of Age, Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
A coming-of-age novel about the pain of misconceptions and learning from them.
When life gives you lemons…
Izzy
Mom is barely in the grave and the prodigal child is here to pick the bones clean.
I don’t want her here. My sister’s defection is a wound that won’t heal, and her return simply rubs at the scabs covering my heart.
I’ve managed just fine without her. She can go back to her fancy college and forget about us- that’s what she does best anyway.
If only I didn’t need her help. Or miss her so much.
Renee
The day my dad committed suicide I ran. I’ve been running ever since.
Going home is supposed to be the answer. Instead, it makes me question every thoughtless decision I’ve made.
My sister hates me. My little brother barely knows me. And Simon… is engaged.
None of it matters- or so I tell myself. I’m here to make amends and face a past haunted by regret.
As long as I can convince myself to stay.
Letting Go is a young adult romance dealing with tragedy, restitution, and love in all its aspects. The story relates to sensitive topics that may be triggering for some readers.
The shock of finding Renée on the doorstep is fading, taken over by the sheer hypocrisy of her arrival. Why now? It’s a little late if she wants to make amends. Not a word for two stinking years and she shows up thinking I’m going to be grateful she’s here?
Not in this lifetime.
The warm sincerity of her embrace, though… it tries to weaken the resentment I’ve fostered since she walked out on her family, leaving me to pick up the pieces.
“I don’t want you here,” I snarl, unable to hide my bitterness. I’d rather act as though I don’t care.
Renée eyes me warily, rubbing a reddened palm. I feel a childish delight to have caused her even a minuscule amount of the pain she’s caused me.
“I’m aware,” she says calmly, bending to pick up a bulging overnight bag. “But I’m here now, so let’s make the best of it—for Mom.”
Red hot rage rises from the pit of my stomach to spit and steam from my ears. “Do. Not. Use Mom against me. You lost that right a long time ago.”
Months of caregiving flicker behind my eyes. My father’s suicide did something to Mom. She shouldered the blame and wore it like a hairshirt, ripping the blinders away from their relationship to show the fractures in the foundation. She shut down. Stopped eating, washing, and caring. It was left to me to get Benjamin off to school, clothes washed, and a semblance of normalcy when everything was insane.
“You should have called.” Renée’s empathetic gaze gets on my last nerve.
I whirl away before I plant my fist in her face. “Your room is the way you left it. You can stay the weekend, then I want you to leave. Ben doesn’t need to get his hopes up.” And neither do I.
Jacquie Biggar is a USA Today bestselling author of romance who loves to write about tough, alpha males and strong, contemporary women willing to show their men that true power comes from love. She lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and loves to hear from readers all over the world!
In her own words:
“My name is Jacquie Biggar. When I’m not acting like a total klutz, I am a wife, mother of one, grandmother, and a butler to my calico cat.
My guilty pleasures are reality tv shows like Amazing Race and The Voice. Every Monday night, I can be in my armchair plastered to the television laughing at Blake’s shenanigans.
I love to hang out at the beach with DH (darling hubby) taking pictures or reading romance novels (what else?).
I have a slight Tim Hortons obsession, enjoy gardening, everything pink, and talking to my friends.”
She has been blessed with a long, happy marriage and enjoys writing romance novels that end with happily-ever-afters.
In The Shadow of The Apennines Kimberly Sullivan Publication date: October 21st 2022 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Historical, Women’s Fiction
An American divorcée. An Italian shepherdess. Separated by a century, united by common dreams.
The sleepy little Abruzzo mountain town of Marsicano seems about as far as Samantha can flee from her failed marriage and disastrous university career. Eager for a fresh start, Samantha begins to set down roots in her Italian mountain hideaway.
At first, the mountain retreat appears idyllic, but an outsider’s clumsy attempts at breaking into the closed mountain community are quickly thwarted when the residents discover Samantha’s snarky blog ridiculing the town and its inhabitants.
Increasingly isolated in her mountain cottage, Samantha discovers the letters and diaries of Elena, a past tenant and a survivor of the 1915 Pescina earthquake. Despite the century that separates the two women, Samantha feels increasingly drawn into Elena’s life, and discovers startling parallels with her own.
Kimberly grew up in the suburbs of Boston and in Saratoga Springs, New York, although she now calls the Harlem neighborhood of New York City home when she’s back in the US. She studied political science and history at Cornell University and earned her MBA, with a concentration in strategy and marketing, from Bocconi University in Milan.
Afflicted with a severe case of Wanderlust, she worked in journalism and government in the US, Czech Republic and Austria, before settling down in Rome, where she works in international development, and writes fiction any chance she gets.
She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and The Historical Novel Society and has published several short stories and three novels: Three Coins, Dark Blue Waves and In The Shadow of The Apennines.
After years spent living in Italy with her Italian husband and sons, she’s fluent in speaking with her hands, and she loves setting her stories in her beautiful, adoptive country.
Like A Hero Michael J. Bowler Publication date: October 18th 2022 Genres: Action, Adventure, Young Adult
Courage can be costly. Orphaned brothers Vincent and Dennis Villanueva learn the truth of those words when they create a masked crime fighter and turn him loose on Los Angeles. The brainchild of fourteen-year-old Dennis and embodied in twenty-one-year-old Vincent, “Invictus” hits the streets to jumpstart apathetic Angelenos into taking a more active role in their city.
But reality isn’t a comic book. Vincent finds poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, abuse, and cast-off children. Labeled a vigilante and criminal, the shy grad student with formidable martial arts talent and abysmal people skills soon doubts his ability to make an impact.
Forced to straddle an ambiguous line between moral and legal, he becomes disheartened and secretive, hiding the truth of what he’s doing from Dennis and driving a wedge between them. Feeling neglected, Dennis infiltrates a dangerous drug ring to show Vincent he can be just as heroic, not knowing that the woman in charge is weaving an insidious plot against Invictus as part of her citywide scheme of vengeance. In a race against time, Vincent must regain Dennis’s trust before the brother he loves is lost to him forever.
Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author who grew up in Northern California. He majored in English/Theatre at Santa Clara University, earned a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and a master’s in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills. Michael taught high school in Hawthorne, California, both in general education and to students with disabilities. When Michael is not writing, he serves as a youth mentor with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and a volunteer within the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles, but mostly he takes care of his recently adopted son. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California and hopes that his books can show young people they are not alone in their struggles.
Angel of Ashes and Dust D.H. Nevins (The Wormwood Trilogy, #3) Publication date: October 18th 2022 Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy, New Adult, Young Adult
The end of her people and the death of a planet are looming over her. Kali Michaels must choose between the illusion of safety and the danger of her own power in this anticipated and heart-stopping finale to The Wormwood Trilogy.
Kali learned the hard way that her abilities cannot be trusted if they can be used against her. In an effort to protect those she cares about, she is determined to let the power of her Shadow lie dormant, despite the dangers rising up around her.
Now, tormented by an unstoppable enemy, she and Tiamat Wormwood must try to lead others while doing the impossible—ensuring the survival of humans and half-angels alike.
But how can she partner with Tiamat, when her proximity could kill him?
And how can the Nephilim, Tiamat, be trusted to save a planet, if he is the one who shattered it in the first place?
Little do they know that sometimes, for new beginnings, that which they love must first be destroyed.
D.H. Nevins was born in Toronto and currently lives in a quiet area of Ontario, surrounded by forests and lakes. By day, she is a personable, friendly school teacher. By night, she silently chuckles as she writes about destroying the world. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys world travel, hiking, camping, flying around on her motorcycle or dabbling in live theatre.
How Snowball Stole Christmas Kristen McKanagh (Snowball, #3) Publication date: September 27th 2022 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday
It’s Christmas time at the Weber Haus mountainside inn, where the official greeter, watcher, and matchmaker of the hotel’s resident humans is an adorably mischievous bundle of feline fluff named Snowball. Snowball takes her job very seriously –even if it means being a little more naughty than nice –and she’s ready to celebrate her third holiday season by making the purrrrfect match.
Most cats have nine lives, but Snowball is one of the very few with two jobs. Officially, she’s the Weber Haus inn’s greeter. Unofficially, she’s the town matchmaker. Her track record is the cat’s pajamas—until she meets her owner’s grinchy brother, Peter Diemer. Peter hopes to move the family bookstore to a busy location downtown—but someone else has outbid him for the last storefront.
Christmas is the ideal season for Lara Wolfe to fulfill her dream of expanding her home business into a real shop. Too bad someone is posting negative comments on the town forum. What kind of Grinch objects to a toy store?
Snowball is sure these two are a perfect match. They already have so much in common—books are a kind of toy, right? Now all they need to add to the mix is love, and Snowball has just the shenanigans up her furry sleeve to deliver a sweet romance in time to make the season merry and bright . . .
“Purrresistibly heartwarming.” –Modern Cat on The Twelve Days of Snowball
Romance author Kristen McKanagh writes sweet contemporary romance & Amish romance. She loves plots that warm the soul, feisty heroines with sass, heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of HEAs! Other titles include wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, spreadsheet lover, eMBA, organizational guru, Texan, Aggie, and chocoholic.
Kristen attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing) and an MBA. However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.
Kristen currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own swoon-worthy hero, their amazing kids, who are growing up way too fast, and 2 adorable fur babies.
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