readingtonic

#Book Blitz #The Right Kind of Unexpected by Rayna York @Xpresso Book Tours

The Right Kind of Unexpected
Rayna York
Publication date: June 18th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Tess hasn’t experienced many kindnesses in her eighteen years. When her boyfriend abandons her at a small-town gas station, it’s just one more crappy event to add to the pile. Without a car, money, or cell phone, her options are limited, and calling her parents isn’t one of them. So when the family that owns the business throws her a lifeline, she grabs hold. Because even the worst situations can have a silver lining, and this one is a town called Jasper Creek, a diner everyone calls Earl’s, and a young mechanic named Colten Reed.
Rayna York’s standalone novel gives readers the small-town romance they crave with enough feels to make the heart sing. It’s the perfect feel-good, summer romance.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

I rush to the bathroom at the side of the building and lock the door behind me. I can’t deal with this anymore. I grip the sides of the pedestal sink and drop my head, breathing deep. In, out, in, out, fighting for calm.

Why? Why did I think this was a good idea?

Three days ago, Dax and I were on our way to a gallery opening when I mentioned I’d never been to Disney World. He said he hadn’t either. I commented on how it would be fun to jump in the car and go. High school graduation was over, my parents were in Europe, I didn’t have any plans for the summer, so the next afternoon we were on the road.

Bad idea.

Horrible.

The worst.

I lift my sunglasses to the top of my head and startle at the red-rimmed, brown-eyed zombie staring back at me. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since we left, and I forgot to take my makeup off last night, then Dax was in such a hurry this morning.

Maybe our relationship was always a mess. I don’t know. We’ve only been together for six months. In New York, Dax and I got along great. There were parties, restaurants, people, and places to fill our time. Now, without the distractions and being stuck together in mostly confined spaces, I realize we don’t have as much in common as I thought. But it’s more than that. He needs to be right about everything and nags me until I concede to his views. I never noticed him doing that before. There are a lot of things I didn’t notice before.

I use a little soap and water on a paper towel and clean the black smears from around my eyes. It cleans the makeup off perfectly, but the dark circles and puffiness remain. I slide a hair elastic from around my wrist and pull my brown mop of humid-induced frizz into a messy bun.

With a deep sigh, I slide my glasses back over my eyes and push the door open into the bright sunlight. I take in the beautiful field dotted with wildflowers behind the gas station, then close my eyes and lift my face to the sun, disregarding the intensity on my pale skin. I breathe in the fragrant smell of green that only a sweltering heat can produce.

It’s time to put an end to this impromptu adventure. It ceased being fun after the first five hours. And it’s my car, my time, my money. With renewed strength, I turn on my heels, ready to confront Dax and get my car keys back. I’m heading home with or without my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. I can drop him off at a bus station if he wants to continue the trip.

I round the corner of the building. Wait, what? Where is it?

I walk to the two ancient gas pumps and turn in a circle, taking in the white building with peeling paint, and everything else in the three-hundred-and-sixty-degree radius, but the car is nowhere in sight. I walk to the other side of the building, thinking he might have parked in a different location while getting something from inside, but the car isn’t there either.

Author Bio:
Rayna York grew up with hippie parents that liked to adventure. Where change was the norm, books were her constant—a way to escape. As an adult, many careers came and went, but writing has always been her passion. Everything I knew to be true is her first published novel.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Newsletter

#Book Review #Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Weslie #Romcom @St.Martins Griffin

From the blurb:
A reality TV star and a cupcake-baking football player pretend to be a couple in order to save his bakery in this sweet and sexy romance.Jada Townsend-Matthews is the most reviled woman in America after turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. When she comes home to lick her wounds, Jada finds herself working at San Diego’s newest cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz, alongside the uptight owner and professional football player Donovan Dell.

When a reporter mistakenly believes Jada and Donovan are an item, they realize they can use the misunderstanding to their advantage to help the bakery and rehabilitate Jada’s image. Faking a relationship should be simple, but sometimes love is the most unexpected ingredient.

Fake it Till You Bake It is a sweet confection of a novel, the perfect story to curl up with and enjoy with a cupcake on the side.

Publisher:St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: June 21st, 2022
Purchase

My thoughts:
There’s something truly satisfying in feeling capable and knowing you can make something from scratch and it doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about a successful business or a perfect cupcake!
Loved this new romcom from Jamie Wesley! Sweet and satisfying!
Jada Townsend Matthews may appear confident and outspoken, but deep down she believes she is a disappointment to her brainy parents. To be fair, at twenty five Jada still needs to find her direction in life, but it doesn’t have to be science or law. Jada’s latest attempt to start her career of an influencer by participating in a TV reality show has backfired and now she is a bit of a pariah on social media. When her friend Olivia takes her to Sugar Blitz cupcake store, all Jada does is express her opinion and it’s not her fault that the store owner Donovan Dell takes offence. The baking goods may be delicious, but the customers aren’t there and that’s the truth.
In a twist of fate, Jada finds herself forced to take up a temporary job with Donovan and…both of them have a lot to learn. Yes, Donovan is a bit uptight, as having grown without financial stability, he craves logic, calm and order. He is also sweet and responsible…He is the proverbial good man who is hard to find. Jada, on the other hand, is both a ray of sunshine and a hurricane with her spontaneity and creativity. Opposites attract, grumpy versus sunshine, fake dating- pick your favourite trope, they are all here in this deliciously entertaining romcom.
I loved the way the protagonists were so flawed and realistic. I knew Jada was my kind of girl when she focused all her attention on what brought the customers to the bakery on that particular day, why they wanted or rather needed their treat. My special mention and gratitude for the dyslexia rep!
Light-hearted, charming, diverse- Fake It Till You Bake It is a fun summer read and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

It’s Monday! What are you reading? June 20th, 2022

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 House of Blood and by Sarah J.Maas- liked this one more than ACOTAR, maybe it’s all about timing, maybe I like this mix of fantasy thriller with pure urban fantasy at the end more than Sarah’s fairy-tale retellings. A few things I didn’t like- the pace in the first 2/3rds of the book is much slower, and the protagonist Bryce gives out the ‘I’m not like other girls’ vibes, but, the world-building is epic. Everything is tied up at the end, so I’d be happy to wait for the next book. Luckily, it’s already out, so I can read the sequel straightaway.

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson

Fake it Till You Bake it by Jamie Wesley

What I am reading/listening to now:

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

What I’m reading /listening to next:

Reasons why not to Date Public Enemy CEO by Melanie Mutton- this seems to be a romcom week and I’m really enjoying it 🙂

How did your last week go and what are you reading this week?

#Book Blitz #Monterey King (California Suits 3) by Claire Marti #Contemporary Romance @Xpresso Book Tours

Monterey King
Claire Marti
(California Suits, #3)
Publication date: June 16th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

When former Army Major Cameron Taylor comes home a hero from his deployment in the Middle East his scars run deep – both physically and emotionally. But he’s starting over, running a luxury hotel with his best friends. And Lucy Goodwin, apparently…his high school sweetheart who he’s never quite managed to forget.

There’s only one reason Lucy’s been engaged – and walked away – three times and now he’s standing right in front of her. Cameron Taylor is the man she’s never stopped loving, even when he left her “for her own good” all those years ago. There was nothing good about it, that’s for sure. Just like there’d be nothing good about trying to break down Cameron’s walls now. But that doesn’t mean she’s not tempted to try…

***Monterey King is the third book in award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Claire Marti’s spin off contemporary romance series, California Suits. The series will follow the adventures of five best friends who are opening a string of luxury boutique hotels from La Jolla to Monterey to Beverly Hills as each one finds true love…usually where he least expects it. Each book is a standalone.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

Author Bio:

Claire Marti is an award winning and USA Today Bestselling author of swoonworthy Contemporary Romance novels set in Southern California, including the Pacific Vista Ranch series and the spin-off California Suits series. She lives in San Diego with her husband, silly dog, and two clever cats.

Claire started writing stories as soon as she was old enough to pick up pencil and paper. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a BA in English Literature, Claire was sidetracked by other careers, including practicing law, selling software for legal publishers, and managing a non-profit animal rescue for a Hollywood actress.

When Claire’s not writing, she’s teaching yoga. You can find her sixty+ online classes on the international website http://www.yogadownload.com. A breast cancer survivor, Claire is a sought-after speaker on the power of yoga and meditation. She’s been published in numerous magazines with articles on wellness and is the author of a memoir, Come Ride with Me Along the Big C, on her experience beating breast cancer.

Claire loves to hear from readers!

Reach out via email or sign up for her newsletter at http://www.clairemarti.com

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

#Book Blitz #Into the Lion’s Den (Secrets of the Northland Shifters 1) by A.S.Green #Paranormal Romance @Xpresso Book Tours

Into the Lion’s Den
A.S. Green
(Secrets of the Northland Shifters, #1)
Publication date: June 15th 2022
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

It’s not just Shifters who lurk in the shadows.

Mountain lion shifter Reese Fitzpatrick never expected to be running his father’s business–a luxury resort hidden away in Minnesota’s Northland. But when his father is killed by a hunter’s bullet, it’s up to Reese to keep his father’s legacy alive.

The job would be hard enough without the arrival of Sarah McAvoy, a mysterious woman with secrets of her own.

While she quickly has Reese’s mountain lion purring inside his skin, she’s also such an irritating distraction he wants nothing more than to snarl and bite her.

But Reese has more to worry about than an accidental reveal of his animal nature.

If he and Sarah can’t get past their differences, overcome the slow-burn of their sexual tension, and make the summer a financial success, the Fitzpatrick land could soon be covered in parking lots and strip malls.

Turns out, Reese’s father wasn’t the competent businessman he always believed him to be. And those vulture real estate developers are already hovering. Just waiting for Reese to fall.

That is, if the hunter who killed his father doesn’t return to get him first.

Fans of K.F. Breene and Kresley Cole will love this hot paranormal shifter romance!

Goodreads / Amazon

Only 99 cents for a limited time!

Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author A.S. Green lives in chilly Minnesota and spends the all-too-short summers on Lake Superior, which is the muse for her paranormal and contemporary romances. She writes complex characters, action-packed plots, and snarky in-your-face banter. And, of course, loads of steamy love scenes.

When she’s not writing romance, she’s probably watching Outlander or pleading (unsuccessfully) with her husband to don the kilt she bought him last summer.

You can find her on most social platforms at @asgreenbooks. For the latest news – and to get your hands on exclusive content – subscribe to A.S. Green’s newsletter today (asgreenbooks.com)!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Newsletter

#Blog Tour #Book Review #The Missing Girls of Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson @rararesources @Boldwood Books

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for the Missing Girls of Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson.

What is the book about?

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House

Edinburgh 1880. When Amy Osbourne’s parents are lost at sea, she is forced to leave her London home and is sent to live with her aunt and uncle at the opposite end of the country.

Alardyce House is depressing and dreary, her aunt haughty and cruel. Amy strikes up a friendship with her cousin Edward but his older brother Henry is just as conceited as his mother, and a mutual loathing develops between him and Amy.

As her weeks of mourning pass, the realisation begins to dawn on Amy that her aunt has designs on her inheritance and the candidate she favours to be her neice’s husband fills Amy with horror. Struggling in this strange, unwelcoming environment, Amy begins to suspect that something isn’t right at Alardyce House.

There are rumours below stairs of a monster on the loose, local women are being brutally attacked and her cousin Henry is the prime suspect. Alardyce House is full of dark secrets and Amy isn’t sure who she can trust…

Purchase

My thoughts:

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House is quite an unusual book, very difficult to classify- it is set in the Victorian Edinburgh, so it has certain historical elements, but at the heart of it is a twisty mystery/thriller with gothic vibes.

If you are familiar with Heather Atkinson’s crime fiction, in particular her latest series of gangland thrillers Blood Brothers, you know that she has a very simple and engaging writing style in whatever subject she chooses to delve into. The Missing Girls of Alardyce House is no exception. Once you start the book (provided this is the genre and the kind of story you like), you will probably fly through it in no time, compelled to read on to find out who was responsible for the mysterious happenings and how Amy’s story played out.

I must admit I didn’t warm to the main character Amy, despite my sympathy towards the harsh limitations the society put on women at that time. We meet 17year old Amy as she is moving into her Uncle Alfred and her (witchy) Aunt Lenora Alardyce House after her parents perished at sea. Amy immediately makes friends with one of her cousins Edward, while she is put on guard against the other one- haughty and reserved Henry. Amy is a bit on ‘a wild side’ according to her Aunt and is to be married off as soon as possible. Not that Amy helps her case by getting involved with a handsome footman. Then a housemaid is found beaten and badly hurt in the middle of night and Amy begins to fear for what kind of monster the house harbours and protects. As she is being forced into a marriage that would surely put her life in danger, Amy flees…and the story continues into the next decade. There are suspects and twists that you might or might not see coming and a shocker of a cliffhanger ending that opens up the possibility of a follow-up book.

The story is dark and atmospheric and I would be remiss not to mention the violence, but I think the Victorian setting made it even more sinister and mysterious. You have to suspend your disbelief quite a lot -in fact, do it straightaway when Amy starts telling Edward the story of how her reputation got ruined within minutes of meeting her cousin.

Having said that, if you’re looking for compelling and addictive rather than realistic, or, if you’re already a fan of Heather’s writing and are happy that she switched to a new genre, then dive in. The story is definitely addictive and the twists will keep you entertained!

Thankyou to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Author Bio –

Heather Atkinson is the author of over fifty books – predominantly in the crime fiction genre. Although Lancashire born and bred she now lives with her family, including twin teenage daughters, on the beautiful west coast of Scotland. Her gangland series for Boldwood, set on the fictional Gallowburn estate in Glasgow begins with the title Blood Brothers.

Social Media Links –

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/booksofheatheratkinson/

Twitter https://twitter.com/HeatherAtkinso1

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heathercrimeauthor/

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/HeatherAtkinsonNews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-atkinson

Thank you for reading the post! If you would like to know more about Heather’s book or would like to read what other bloggers thought of the Missing Girls of Alardyce House, here is the full blog schedule:

#Book Blitz #Mates: Minerva by Bridget E.Baker #Adult #Paranormal @Xpresso Book Tours

Mates: Minerva
Bridget E. Baker
Publication date: June 15th 2022
Genres: Adult, Paranormal

Fans of the television series FRIENDS will love this supernatural romp on the magical side of NYC.

Forget Murphy—it should be called Minerva’s Law.

Paranormal affairs officer Minerva Lucent has always wanted to stand out by making a difference in the supernatural world. Unfortunately, she’s only managed to stick out—like a sore thumb. Her stun spells often misfire and freeze people by mistake. Her magical restraints have been known to pull objects to them like magnets. And last week, her truth spell caused a perp to start singing in verse.

But when a coveted guardian position opens up, Minerva’s determined to finally show everyone that she’s the witch for the job. She makes a plan to redeem her reputation, and she’s about to set it in motion, when her old finishing school pal, Roxana Goldenscales, shows up on her doorstep in dire need of assistance.

Can Minerva enact her plan and help Roxana (knock on wand!)? Or will she have to choose between becoming a guardian and being a good friend to her old mate?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

EXCERPT:

Most mistakes in life are no big deal, even the big ones. After an apology, restitution, and a little time or training, eventually everything is fine.

But occasionally, a tiny error can land you in hot water.

Or boiling water, in my case.

Three months ago, while trying to apprehend a vampire who was feeding on blitzed people in a hot tub on the rooftop of a residential building, one of my spells misfired. Instead of a freeze spell, I let off a heat flash. . .and everyone in the hot tub boiled like lobsters. Thanks to a few strong potions, everyone survived, and were mostly fine within 48 hours, but the vampire I was trying to arrest, well. He was the son of their Sublime Chancellor.

Yeah, it’s a really stupid name. Magical organizations are kind of famous for those.

But vampires vote as a bloc, and the New York Paranormal Affairs Chief is an elected position. So when his daddy called my boss, Chief Lumos had to do something.

I’ve been on probation ever since, and let me tell you, having to take remedial magic courses really sucks. Usually magic is fun—spell casting, potions, circles, wards, I like most all of it. But getting sent to remedial magic class is like a plumber being sentenced to spend three months unclogging toilets. Boring, embarrassing, and it stinks.

If I’m being honest, the class hasn’t even really fixed my problem. My magic has been erratic and unreliable since I was a baby. These classes may have helped me learn how to mask my failures more effectively, but I’m pretty sure the real reason I was finally cleared is that my instructors got sick of me.

Until I’m cleared, I have to earn my paycheck somehow.

Which is how I got stuck as the NYPAD liaison to initiates from the human world. In general, the sharpest crayons are not assigned to coordinate departments.

“You’re saying that there are cops out there running around who are actual vampires?” The chunky man with ruddy cheeks leans back in his chair, his disbelief palpable.

There’s an art to explaining the supernatural world to people who only know about parodies, like Twilight or Interview with a Vampire. I usually start with vampires, because most humans want to believe they exist. It makes for an easier transition.

But sometimes, like with this guy, it’s better to just rip the Band-Aid off.

“I think I got ahead of myself.” I sigh. “A war has been waged for more than a thousand years.”

“A war has been waged? Isn’t that a little melodramatic?” He looks around the room. “Are you recording the introduction to Star Wars here?”

Do not smack the fat, rude human, Minerva, not when you’re already in trouble. “This is real.” I cross my arms, expecting another interruption.

He, miraculously, stays quiet.

“The akero, embodiment of all that is light and good, and the daimoni, the epitome of all that is dark and evil, have clashed over and over and over. You’d think they’d have realized the futility of it, but they never did. It’s like an epically bad marriage, where the husband and wife are both taking out life insurance policies and making plans.”

Officer Stevens drops the front feet of his chair back to the ground. “Wait, are you actually serious about this?”

I pull out the laminated photos of the akero, who look like the most gorgeous angels you could imagine, and drop them on the plastic card table in front of him. “I’m not a stand-up comedian.”

He splays the cards out and hunches over them, finally stopping to stare at the most predictable card, the image of Raguel, the akero who embodies joy. The priestess who snapped the photo managed to catch a shot where she has her arms raised, her face upturned toward the Northern Lights, her expression rapturous. It’s a moving photo. I’ve seen grown men cry while looking at it.

Not Officer Derpey here, but you know, emotionally intelligent ones.

“You’re saying the angels and demons are here? On Earth?”

“I haven’t explained that part yet.” He’s wrecking the rhythm of this, and that kind of thing matters with stories. “Their most epic battles happened in many different places. They’re so evenly matched that neither side could gain any advantage. It was sort of like two kids leveling each others’ sand castles, over and over and over.”

“Sand castles?”

Mental note: analogies are wasted on Officer Derpey. “Something shattered the delicate balance between light and dark, and neither of them will fess up to what that was.”

“Something?”

“That’s when the angel Gabriel, their leader, directed the akero to flee for the first time. And of course, the daimoni have doggedly pursued them ever since.”

Author Bio:

Bridget loves her husband (every day) and all five of her kids (most days).

She’s a lawyer, but does as little legal work as possible. She has three quarter horse geldings, a Holsteiner (jumping) horse, and she spends too much time riding and not enough time writing. (Or too much time writing and not enough time riding, depending on your perspective!)

She has more chickens than she’ll admit to having, two lions head rabbits, a cat, two dogs (one bouncy and one yappy). She makes cookies waaaaay too often and believes they should be their own food group. In a (possibly misguided) attempt at balancing the scales, she kickboxes daily.

So if you don’t like her books, her kids, her horses, her chickens, or her cookies, maybe don’t tell her in person.

B.E. Baker is the romance/women’s fiction penname for Bridget E. Baker, who also writes fantasy, end of the world, and dystopian books that add a little magic to the world.

Please sign up for Bridget’s fantasy or romance newsletters on her website at http://www.BridgetEBakerWrites.com or click Follow on her bio above to get notices and updates when she releases new books!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub

#Book Blitz #Discordant Memories by Dee Rollings #Thriller @Xpresso Book Tours

Discordant Memories
Dee Rollings
Publication date: June 14th 2022
Genres: Adult, Thriller

A car accident, amnesia, two supposed lovers, and many dark secrets. In a race against time, who will come out on top?

Catrina Banks wakes up with bruises on her body and no memories from the last six months. An illustrious painter, she feels as though someone has stolen the colors from her canvas.

Under the teeming hospital lights and white coats crowding around her, Catrina faces questions she has no answers to. How did she end up in a city far from home? What was she doing there? Where is her phone, her ID, and most of all: Who assaulted her?

Struggling with intermittent flashbacks, Catrina tries to piece her life together. Cradling a gray hoodie and wedding bands she has no memory of, Cat returns home with her boyfriend Danny.

Even after she’s safe at home, she can’t shake the weird feeling that something is off, nor can she ignore the haunting glimpses she gets of a different life with another man.

“Discordant Memories” is a gripping domestic thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat, desperate to flip the pages to find out what happens next.

Follow Catrina’s story and find out if she can overcome the obstacles in her way and regain the memories she so desperately craves.

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Bio:

Dee Rollings was born and raised in the big city, but her heart lives in the forest.

She does her best writing on the porch of her tiny house in the woods when she’s not wrangling her kid and her dogs or having one-way conversations with chipmunks.

She has a gorgeous husband who resembles Paul Bunyan and builds the best campfires, which makes all her dreams come true.

#Book Blitz #Dare to Call Me Vampire (Legends of Crimson Hollow 2) by Tamara Grantham #Paranormal @Xpresso Book Tours

Dare to Call Me Vampire
Tamara Grantham
(Legends of Crimson Hollow, #2)
Publication date: May 24th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

They called us vampires. If only that were the truth.

My name is Amaya De la Vega. I’m a former patient at Crimson Hollow, an institute for those infected with the vampire virus. After the virus was cured, we thought our problems were over. Now we realize they’re just beginning.

Lucian Vidraru was branded with many labels. But he’s desperate to save me—and everyone once infected with the virus. The cure wasn’t what we’d expected. We need a solution before our newfound powers possess us. People fear us—and for good reason.

They called us vampires. Now, the world will finally know the full extent of our abilities, which could destroy us all…

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

Author Bio:

Tamara Grantham is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books and novellas, including the Olive Kennedy: Fairy World MD series and the Shine novellas. Dreamthief, the first book of her Fairy World MD series, won first place for fantasy in INDIEFAB’S Book of the Year Awards, a RONE award for best New Adult Romance of 2016, and is a #1 bestseller on Amazon with over 200 five-star reviews.
Tamara holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Lamar University. She has been a featured speaker at multiple writing conferences, and she has been a panelist at Comic Con Wizard World speaking on the topic of female leads. For her first published project, she collaborated with New York-Times bestselling author, William Bernhardt, in writing the Shine series.
Born and raised in Texas, Tamara now lives with her husband and five children in Wichita, Kansas. She rarely has any free time, but when the stars align and she gets a moment to relax, she enjoys reading fantasy novels, taking nature walks–which fuel her inspiration for creating fantastical worlds–and watching every Star Wars or Star Trek movie ever made. You can find her online at http://www.TamaraGrantham.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

#Book Blitz #The Second Time Around by Kelly Collins #Contemporary Romance @Xpresso Book Tours

The Second Time Around
Kelly Collins
Publication date: June 2nd 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

A swoon-worthy second chance romance with all the feels.

Brie Watkins had loved two men in her life. One abandoned her at the altar twelve years ago, and the other died in the war. She is no stranger to loss, but she’s still learning how to move on. When her sick aunt asks her to come back to Willow Bay to help at the family resort, Brie says yes. After all, she’s a southern girl at heart, and a southern girl never turns her back on kin. Brie sells her beloved home, quits her job restoring historic properties, and goes back to the last place she wants to be, only to find her aunt healthy, The Brown Resort thriving, and the man who left her at the altar living next door, looking as handsome as ever. Why can’t life be fair?

Carpenter Carter Kessler left Willow Bay a dozen years ago and never looked back, but he never forgot his first love, Brie. He’s spent the rest of his life regretting his decision to leave her all those years ago. After his father’s death, he reluctantly returns to find his family’s resort a mess. But it is not a total disaster – Brie is next door and as beautiful as ever. He talks her into helping him refurbish The Kessler Resort, but first she lays out the ground rules: they aren’t friends, they’ll never be lovers, and she’ll never stop hating him. As far as Carter is concerned, it’s a start.

But as summer heats up, so does their relationship. As they peel back the layers, what will they find hiding beneath the surface? Can what they started all those years ago be restored, or are some things better left buried in the past?

Find out in The Second Time Around…

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

She leaned on the suitcase. Even in the moonlight, and despite her frown, she still had the most beautiful blue eyes. Eyes as blue as the bay. The Texas coast wasn’t known for its clear waters. It didn’t have the blue of the Caribbean, but the way the reef protected the shore gave it a unique environment, and it had the bluest water. He’d forgotten how he’d thought of the bay as Brie blue, and paired with her chestnut hair, she was one of the prettiest girls in Texas.

He started back to the porch and his beer, but he caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye, trying to stand. She stumbled over the suitcase and fell on top of it.

He raced toward her. “How much of that bottle did you drink?”

She looked at it and shrugged. “Not sure. Four or five.”

“Four or five what? Sips? Gulps? Gallons?” She rose and tottered back and forth. Her back end was high in the air. All these years later, she still had the finest derriere he’d ever seen. “Let me help before you hurt yourself.”

She wagged a finger behind her. “Stay away from me.” She shifted and grunted and righted her suitcase, only to lose her balance again. This time she landed on top of it like it was a lounger. She squeaked, then smiled and let out an “Oh, this isn’t so bad.” She opened the bottle for another drink.

“Is that wise?”

“What do you care?” She laid back and looked up at the twinkling lights of the willow tree. “Did you know when I woke that morning, Mama got me ready? She used an entire can of Aqua Net. I smelled like Ms. Cricket but looked like Miss America.” She ran her hands through her hair and sighed. “I had the prettiest braids going in every direction, but they all came together in the back.” The whiskey bottle fell into the sand, which was probably a good thing. “So pretty.”

“You were always beautiful, Brie.”

“Oh, what would you know? You didn’t even show up.” She blindly searched around for the bottle but gave up quickly.

He sat a few feet away from her. He had a lot to say, but all he’d do was listen.

“You know what the funniest thing of all was?”

“Tell me.” He scooped up sand and let it sift through his fingers. It kind of felt like how life was. It just got away from you.

“Mama wanted me to wear those fancy jeweled shoes. Those heels were four inches high and pinched my toes. I’m telling you, she had me practicing for days, and I was in pure agony. I refused to wear them and hid them at Tiff’s house, because I knew with the humidity, my feet would swell, and I wanted to dance under this tree with you. I didn’t want to have achy feet on my wedding day, so I bedazzled my Keds. I had the perfect shoes for running, and I wasn’t the one who ran.” She turned on her side, showing her back to him.

He thought about how he’d apologize. He wasn’t sure what she knew or didn’t know. It had been so long, and both her parents were gone. Did she know her mother had been unfaithful? Did she believe until their dying days that they’d been hopelessly devoted to one another? Her father had died of a heart attack on a yacht filled with half-naked drunk coeds. Though he’d been gone, gossip traveled fast, and he’d gotten the condensed version every time his mother talked to someone from town.

“Look, Brie, I did what I did for a lot of reasons, but mostly it was to spare you pain and embarrassment.”

“Mm-hm.”

This was going far better than expected. “I’m sorry for hurting you, but if you’d known what I did, you would have been hurt so much more. I was a coward for many reasons. I should have stayed and let the grenade explode. At least then, maybe we could have worked it out, but I didn’t have the maturity to face them or you.” A loud sound startled him, and he scooted closer. “Brie.” He reached out and touched her leg, only to realize she was snoring.

Author Bio:

Like FREEBIES? Join the VIP readers at http://bit.ly/KellyCollinsFreeBook for members-only exclusives!

~ 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.

You can learn more about Kelly at http://www.authorkellycollins.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon