Bridges Linda Griffin Published by: The Wild Rose Press Publication date: April 25th 2022 Genres: Adult, Historical Romance
In 1963, Neil Vincent, a middle-aged World War II veteran and “Christian atheist” is working at Westfield Court as a chauffeur. He spends most of his spare time reading. Mary Claire DeWinter is a young, blind, Catholic college student and reluctant heiress. To secure her inheritance, she has to marry within a year, and her aunt is pressuring her to marry a rich man who teased and bullied her when she was a child. Neil and Mary Claire shouldn’t even be friends, but the gulf between them is bridged by a shared love of books. Can they cross the bridge to more?
For more information, visit my website, sign up for my newsletter, and claim a free autographed copy of Stonebridge: https://www.lindagriffinauthor.com/
I was born and raised in San Diego, California and earned a BA in English from San Diego State University and an MLS from UCLA. I began my career as a reference and collection development librarian in the Art and Music Section of the San Diego Public Library and then transferred to the Literature and Languages Section, where I had the pleasure of managing the Central Library’s Fiction collection and initiating fiction order lists for the entire library system. Although I also enjoy reading biography, memoir, and history, fiction remains my first love. In addition to the three R’s—reading, writing, and research—I enjoy Scrabble, movies, and travel.
My earliest ambition was to be a “book maker” and I wrote my first story, “Judy and the Fairies,” with a plot stolen from a comic book, at the age of six. I broke into print in college with a story in the San Diego State University literary journal, The Phoenix, but most of my magazine publications came after I left the library to spend more time on my writing.
My stories have been published in numerous journals, including Eclectica, Thema Literary Journal, The Binnacle, The Nassau Review, Orbis, and Avalon Literary Review, and in the anthologies Short Story America, Vol. 2, The Captive and the Dead, and Australia Burns. Four stories, including one as yet unpublished, received honorable mention in the Short Story America Prize for Short Fiction contests.
Member of RWA, Authors Guild, and Sisters in Crime
My NOT So Anonymous Best Friend Elizabeth Arroyo Publication date: April 29th 2022 Genres: LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult
Noah aka NOS2321: Gamer. Weeb. Up-and-coming rock star. And gay. Encouraged by his anonymous pen pal, XES6969, Noah takes the leap and comes out of the closet—no instructions needed—accidentally sending his father to the hospital during his reveal. Despite his horrible dating track record which included two girls (because it was required that he at least try) and one boy (because he had to start somewhere), Noah believes in happily ever after. That belief gets tested when he falls for Evan Santiago.
Evan aka XES6969, believes in sacrificing yourself for those you love. Learning NOS’s identity hadn’t been his fault. Except he carries the lie which begins to fester, trapping him into silence. When a stray football brings them together, Evan no longer wants to keep silent. And when he learns that Noah is interested too, he takes a chance at love, risking everyone he’s tried to protect, including himself.
Elizabeth is the Latinx author of speculative fiction novels for teens. Her YA contemporary debut, My NOT So Anonymous Best Friend, is slated for release on 4/29 by Evernight Teen.
Before she started writing, Elizabeth got her undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. She then went on to work in foster care programs, mental health facilities, and youth organizations within the Latinx Community, providing services to youth and families.
She now spends her time writing romance, binge watching anime, and spending time with her family.
Love in Twinkle Falls Freda Ann Publication date: April 25th 2022 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
Bridgette Dupont is engaged to the hunky, flirty fireman who has it all—yet why does she feel anxiety when she thinks of herself walking down that aisle on their wedding day?
With her best friend Sophie happily married and pregnant, Bridgette has a clear picture of what her life could look like, but she can’t help feeling the fear of motherhood…and when her past comes calling, all of Bridgette’s simmering emotions begin to boil over.
Ryan Hodges couldn’t be any happier with his fiancée, she’s beautiful, compassionate and sweeter than pie—but when his parents drop into town for a surprise visit, tensions between his mother’s wants and his fiancée’s needs come to a head.
When everything rains down on the happy couple all at once, their strength and faith in each other are put to the ultimate test. Will Ryan and Bridgette make it to the altar, or will they realize their future together was never meant to be?
Freda was born in southern New Jersey but grew up in Florida. She has loved writing her entire life. After retiring from a career in law enforcement, she knew it was time to fulfill her lifelong dream of being a published author.
She’s the author of The Hawaii Series, proudly named from her love of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. It’s a three-book series with all of them written as standalone books.
Freda loves her large family, horses, dogs, cat, and close friends. She hosts monthly family dinners at her home in the country, which she shares with her husband.
She loves baking (she owned and operated a cupcake business for years), cooking, yoga, crocheting, nature and traveling with the love of her life.
What helps her write? Music makes her happy! If music doesn’t give her the right motivation, she puts on a romantic movie, usually from the Hallmark Channel, which she can’t get enough of!
Freda speaks her mind and pushes perfection to its limit. She strives to be her best, most positive self she can be in life. With time, determination, and practice, she believes anything is possible.
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:
A Paperback Original—Also Available as a Hardcover Library Edition
Welcome to Spooky Season!! The follow-up to Erin Sterling’s New York Times bestselling hit The Ex Hex features fan favorite Gwyn and the spine-tinglingly handsome Wells Penhallow as they battle a new band of witches and their own magical chemistry.
Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; she’s running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she’s started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there’s only one problem—Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow.
Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallow’s, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns he’s gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.
When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late.
**************
Expected Publication Date: September 20th, 2022
Publisher: Avon
Fantasy/RomCom
ISBN 9780063027510, 0063027518
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New York Times bestselling author Erin Sterling also writes as Rachel Hawkins, author of The Wife Upstairs as well as multiple books for young readers. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama.
Love You Right Julia Kent (Love You, Maine, #1) Publication date: April 26th 2022 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
A missed opportunity five years ago makes for an unexpected encounter now between two people meant for each other – but who square off in a very public battle of wills in the small town of Love You, Maine, where every day is Valentine’s Day. Can love conquer all in a town steeped in it?
Kell Luview refuses to be a sucker at love again. Five years ago, he left D.C. with his tail between his legs and his heart broken. Fiercely protective of his small town in rural Maine, he’s determined to save the family tree business and avoid his feelings at all costs, no matter how much he longs to solve the mystery of what happened in D.C.
L.A. native Rachel Hart hates being underestimated almost as much as she hates this small town. She has two goals on this trip: get out of the cheesy tourist trap of Love You, Maine with a completed business deal, and avoid running into Kell, her old friend from D.C. who never became an old flame because of a huge misunderstanding.
One that still aches.
When her rental car breaks down on a logging road and Kell comes to her rescue, it’s clear he’s a changed man – and not for the good. Grumpy and reserved, he pushes all her buttons, still stubbornly convinced she betrayed him all those years ago. He’s never forgiven her, and she’s never forgiven herself for carrying a torch for him.
An embarrassing incident gets the town gossip mill going when residents wrongly assume Kell and Rachel are the newest couple to find love in the most romantic place on Earth. But the townsfolk aren’t wrong for long…
As Rachel breaks through his defenses and charms the town, he faces his biggest fear: all those pesky feelings he’s been avoiding.
Because they’re all about Rachel now.
And maybe they always were.
Can Kell and Rachel fight their growing attraction in the one place in the world where you can’t avoid love?
If you’re looking for a fun read about enemies to lovers, forced proximity, heroines who get their comeuppance and sworn bachelors felled by unexpected true love, featuring a hot bearded lumberjack impervious to poison ivy, and a city-slicker, jaded career woman with a penchant for great coffee, set in a small town in New England – then this is your book.
Grab a cup of (properly good) coffee, a can of hot cocoa mix, a jar of Fluff and maybe some calamine lotion (just in case), and get your happymeter ready as you read the very first book in New York Times bestselling romantic comedy author Julia Kent’s Love You, Maine series – where love isn’t just a feeling – it’s a way of life.
✓Standalone ✓Enemies to Lovers ✓Small town romance ✓Lumberjack and city slicker outsider … and a cat named Calamine
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 21 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French, German, and Italian, with more titles releasing in the future.
From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire she met in a romantic comedy).
She lives in New England with her husband and three children where she is the only person in the household with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls.
She loves to hear from her readers by email at julia@jkentauthor.com, on Twitter @jkentauthor, on Facebook at @jkentauthor, and on Instagram @jkentauthor. Visit her at http://jkentauthor.com
Happy Publication Day to The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon !
From the Blurb:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Drowning Kind comes a genre-defying new novel, inspired by Mary Shelley’s masterpiece Frankenstein, that brilliantly explores the eerie mysteries of childhood and the evils perpetrated by the monsters among us.
1978: At her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont, the brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill. But when she’s home with her cherished grandchildren, Vi and Eric, she’s just Gran—teaching them how to take care of their pets, preparing them home-cooked meals, providing them with care and attention and love.
Then one day Gran brings home a child to stay with the family. Iris—silent, hollow-eyed, skittish, and feral—does not behave like a normal girl.
Still, Violet is thrilled to have a new playmate. She and Eric invite Iris to join their Monster Club, where they catalogue all kinds of monsters and dream up ways to defeat them. Before long, Iris begins to come out of her shell. She and Vi and Eric do everything together: ride their bicycles, go to the drive-in, meet at their clubhouse in secret to hunt monsters. Because, as Vi explains, monsters are everywhere.
2019: Lizzy Shelley, the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us, is traveling to Vermont, where a young girl has been abducted, and a monster sighting has the town in an uproar. She’s determined to hunt it down, because Lizzy knows better than anyone that monsters are real—and one of them is her very own sister.
A haunting, vividly suspenseful page-turner from the “literary descendant of Shirley Jackson” (Chris Bohjalian, author of The Flight Attendant), The Children on the Hill takes us on a breathless journey to face the primal fears that lurk within us all.
Jennifer McMahon is the author of ten novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Promise Not to Telland The Winter People. She lives in Vermont with her partner, Drea, and their daughter, Zella. Visit her at Jennifer-McMahon.com or connect with her on Instagram @JenniferMcMahonWrites and Facebook @JenniferMcMahonBooks.
Happy Publication Day to Nettle and Bone by T.Kingfisher!
From the Blurb:
This isn’t a fairy tale where the princess marries the prince. It’s one where she kills him. Hugo & Nebula Award-winning author T. Kingfisher weaves a subversive and original fairytale in Nettle & Bone.
Marra never wanted to be a hero.
As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, she escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for the sake of an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra is done watching her suffer at the hands of a powerful and abusive prince.
Seeking help for her rescue mission, Marra is offered the tools she needs, but only if she can complete three seemingly impossible tasks: —build a dog of bones —sew a cloak of nettles —capture moonlight in a jar
But, as is the way in tales of princes and witches, doing the impossible is only the beginning.
Hero or not—now joined by a disgraced ex-knight, a reluctant fairy godmother, an enigmatic gravewitch and her fowl familiar—Marra might finally have the courage to save her sister, and topple a throne.
Today I’m delighted to present a guest post by Miriam Drori, the author of Style and The Solitary.
Writing About Social Anxiety
Guest Post for Reading Tonic by Miriam Drori
I don’t write solely about social anxiety, but, as it happens, the three books currently available all involve social anxiety. My (unavailable) romance and historical fiction don’t mention it and neither do any of my short stories.
But I’d like to share my experience, and hope it’s useful for anyone writing about mental illness as well as for all readers.
Coming Out
The story begins in 2003. With my increasing passion to using writing to raise awareness of social anxiety, came an awareness that I would have to ‘come out’ as a person with social anxiety. This was a gradual process that included starting a blog. I gave the blog a name, An’ de Walls Came Tumblin’ Down, but I myself remained anonymous until I eventually ventured a first name and later a full name. The reaction I was most scared to receive was ridicule. Fortunately, that hasn’t happened – online, at least.
Starting with Non-fiction
I didn’t have a plan, but I’m glad with the way my writing progressed. Beginning the process with non-fiction helped me to sort out what I’d learned about social anxiety from various sources, including – and probably most importantly – fellow ‘sufferers’ I met online. In fact, the finished book, Social Anxiety Revealed, includes numerous quotes from people who gave permission for me to share their words on condition that no names would be attached to them.
Closeness
When I decided to try to create a fictional character with social anxiety, the first question I asked myself was: Am I too close to it? How can someone with social anxiety stand back and describe the character from the viewpoints of people who don’t understand the character’s behaviour?
I heard, or read, suggestions that I was too close. But isn’t it precisely the job of a fiction writer to see the world through other eyes?
This is one reason why I began the novel, which became Cultivating a Fuji, by describing the character from different points of view. It is only in Chapter 5 that the reader is finally shown the inside of his head.
Making Sure the Character Isn’t Me
To avoid suggestions that my novels are autobiographical, I enforce differences in them. The characters with social anxiety, in my books, are mostly male. The one who is female came to social anxiety in a completely different way from me. Our backgrounds couldn’t be more diverse.
How to Make the Character Interesting
A character with social anxiety might appear, to the reader, to be boring. It’s certainly one way that other characters might view that character. But people with social anxiety aren’t at all boring on the inside. Their heads are full of the thoughts that led social anxiety to flare up in the first place. So, as long as I bring those thoughts to the forefront, the characters can’t be boring people.
On top of that, as with all novels, the plot needs to hold the reader’s attention. In Cultivating a Fuji, the character is sent to represent his company in Japan. The novel explores his exploits in that country and, even more importantly, how that experience affects him on his return home to the UK. In Style and the Solitary, the character is arrested for murder, and social anxiety prevents him from explaining his innocence.
Also, like all main characters, he has to change. That doesn’t mean that his social anxiety suddenly vanishes, but only that he learns to open up more than he did, showing that there is hope for him in this world.
Who Will Read It?
I have to admit that, despite my conviction that my non-fiction guide, Social Anxiety Revealed is for everyone, because everyone knows someone who suffers from social anxiety, readers have been mostly twofold:
People who suffer/live with social anxiety
People who treat/help people with social anxiety
I don’t think I’ve yet managed to reach teachers or parents, although I believe both of those groups need to be aware, because social anxiety usually appears in adolescence and is much easier to treat at that age.
Contrastingly, readers of the novels, Cultivating a Fuji and Style and the Solitary, have been more diverse. Some have encountered social anxiety and its effects for the first time and, for me, that’s one of the outcomes that make writing worthwhile.
Style and the Solitary
An unexpected murder. A suspect with a reason. The power of unwavering belief.
A murder has been committed in an office in Jerusalem. That’s for sure. The rest is not as clear-cut as it might seem.
Asaf languishes in his cell, unable to tell his story even to himself. How can he tell it to someone who elicits such fear within him?
His colleague, Nathalie, has studied Beauty and the Beast. She understands its moral. Maybe that’s why she’s the only one who believes in Asaf, the suspect. But she’s new in the company – and in the country. Would anyone take her opinion seriously?
She coerces her flatmates, Yarden and Tehila, into helping her investigate. As they uncover new trails, will they be able to reverse popular opinion?
In the end, will Beauty’s belief be strong enough to waken the Beast? Or, in this case, can Style waken the Solitary?
When Miriam Drori says she loves to perform, people don’t believe her. When she says she’s not shy, they think she’s delusional. The fact is, things ain’t what they seem. A witch called social anxiety took away her ability to be spontaneous, but it didn’t change her exhibitionist nature. You need to watch her dancing or speaking before an audience to understand that.
Fortunately, she has found an outlet for her thoughts in writing, a solitary activity with multiple recipients. She never doubted her ability to write, but only in recent years has she managed to gather her views and observations together into papier-mâché balls worth throwing far and wide.
If you ignore the witch, life has been good to Miriam, especially since she made the decision to move from the UK to Israel. She has a wonderful husband, three lovely children and a delightful house. She loves to read, travel, hike and dance. She has worked in computer programming and technical writing, and now enjoys the freedom and versatility of creative writing. And she believes passionately in raising awareness of social anxiety.
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Thank you to Miriam for her guest post giving us a valuable insight into how authors write about social anxiety in their books. Wishing Miriam and her books lots of success!
Description Another stunning cowboy novel from New York Times bestseller Donna Grant, That Cowboy of Mine!
Is he an enemy?
Dillon Young is proud that she inherited her aunt’s ranch. The problem: someone is trying to run her off and is willing to do whatever it takes. Strange, dangerous things keep happening. Dillion suspects her no-good neighbor and fellow wealthy rancher Hank Stephens. Never a man to get his hands dirty, he sends others to get the job done. So, when the irresistible Cal Bennett is found passed out drunk on her property, Dillion is on high alert. Until someone takes a shot at her and Cal springs to her rescue. When the hard-bodied, no-nonsense-talking cowboy points out that she may need some help, Dillion is inclined to reluctantly agree.
Or a lover?
Waking up on a stranger’s property with a shotgun in his face is not Cal Bennett’s idea of a good time. Never mind that the person on the other end of the barrel is one of the most fiercely beautiful women he has ever seen. Things get more interesting when he finds himself shielding her from flying bullets. It’s clear that this smart, savvy woman could use a hand and Cal is all too happy to lend any part of his body she requires. His proposal: pose as lovers until they find out who is after her ranch. As the danger rises and secrets are revealed, the passion explodes between them and there is no turning back.
It’s always a pleasure to read a Donna Grant book and this newest release isn’t an exception: the plot is full of twists and danger, the characters are strong and passionate, and the pace is great. If anything, this book is even more focused and streamlined than Gran’t previous standalones. This one is all about trust. Trust, loyalty, dreams, passion, and love, of course.
Cal Bennett wakes up with a shotgun aiming at hime and it is clear that Dillon Young means business. Someone stole her prized stallion Legacy and it happened while Cal was having his drink-induced nap on her land. Unfortunately, this rodeo champion doesn’t remember anything from the night before, Then someone shoots at Dillon and Cal who yanks her out of the bullet’s way at the very last moment. Dillon is torn between two contrasting feelings. Can she trust Cal who had an opportunity to sabotage her business? Can she not trust him after he saved her life? She has been burnt before and decided it was better to shut her feelings and focus on the ranch she inherited unexpectedly from her aunt Dolly. Dillon has been alone for too long and this charmer of a cowboy is only happy to help out at the ranch. A bit of insta-love/lust? perhaps, but wait till you read how comfortable they are with each other.
The protagonists are both people of great integrity and the more you read, the better you will understand where they are coming from. Not only is Dillon strong and independent, she also shows a lot of courage in face of danger. Cal also has his own backstory of following in his father’s footsteps and perhaps never stopping long enough to work out what his own dreams are. Well, not until he meets Dillon.
The mystery/suspense element seems a bit stronger in this book, although do expect at leasy one hot and steamy scene. We find out who wants to harm Dillon and get her ranch by all means early on. Again, there are a few unexpected twists thrown in by Donna Grant who knows how to keep her reader engaged. The book was action-packed with a great pace from the beginning to its nailbiting climax and sweet epilogue. My only complaint was that the villains and their motivations seemed to be a bit one-dimensional. Having said that, the book was gripping and well-balanced.
A quick and enjoyable read for anyone who loves a good romantic suspense story. Can’t wait to read Donna Grant’s next book!
Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
About the author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant has penned ninety novels, novelettes, novellas, and short stories spanning multiple genres of romance including the exhilarating Dark King and Reaper paranormal series, the romantic suspense Sons of Texas series, the historical paranormal Kindred series, and the contemporary Heart of Texas series. She lives with her two children, a dog, and three cats in Texas.
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 Mersey Mothers by Sheila Riley
That Cowboy of Mine by Donna Grant
Witch in Progress (Blair Wilkes#1) by Elle Adams
What I am reading/listening to now:
To Best the Boys by Mary Weber
Mybe We Won’t by Melissa Foster
What I’m reading /listening to next:
The Meet Cute Method by Portia MacIntosh
The Genesis Wars by Akemi Dawn Bowman
How did your last week go and what are you reading this week?
readingtonic 