Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for this first book in a new series – SPEAKEASY: A Time Travel Novel by Elyse Douglas on this Virtual Author Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section, the author’s social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy!
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Book Description
In 2019, A West Village Nightclub Singer, Roxie Raines, stumbles through a basement doorway into the past and finds herself in Roaring Twenties New York, with all its dangers, secrets, excitement, and romance.
Roxie Raines lurches through a secret basement doorway in 2019, and time-slips back to New York’s raucous Roaring Twenties. While she dazzles the speakeasy crowds with her “modern sound,” she gets trapped in the dangerous web of Frankie Shay, an evil club owner. She struggles to escape his control and return to the basement doorway that sent her to 1925.
When she meets the handsome detective, Jake Kane, it’s love at first sight, but Jake has a secret past, and her own time travel secret makes him suspicious.
Roaring Twenties New York comes alive with flappers, gangsters, romance and speakeasies and Roxie’s stunning rise to stardom could come with the price of losing both the man she loves and her own life.
Publisher: Broadback (April 5, 2022) Category: Time Travel, Historical Fiction Romance Tour Dates May 3-June 30 ISBN: 979-8423229016 Available in Print and ebook, 375 pages
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
SPEAKEASY: A Time Travel Novel (Book #1) by Elyse Douglas is an entertaining and smart time travel romance set in New York City in 1925. I have read other time travel romances by this author and always enjoy them. While this is the first book in a new series, it does have a complete plot without a cliffhanger.
In August of 2019, Roxie Raines is a struggling singer/pianist who loves performing the old classics. After her performance in Speakeasy, a New York club in Greenwich Village, she follows a local street person who has broken in to the basement and watches him vanish through a blue lit whole in the wall. When she is startled by the bar cat, Roxie falls through, too.
Roxie wakes in the alley behind The Black Cat in New York City in 1925. Roxie finds herself held by a mob boss who discovers her talent. Roxie loves the praise she gets for her performances, but she wants her freedom. She has no connection to the outside world excerpt for the postcards she drops from her hotel room window asking for rescue. She is discovered and rescued by a handsome personal detective and his assistant, but Roxie still does not who to trust with her past. It is 1925 and mob bosses, bootleggers, bribed politicians, and dirty cops are all fighting for their piece of the action.
Can Roxie find her way back to 2019 and does she even want to?
This is a fun romp through New York City in 1925. Roxie is a talented heroine who is capable in the present world, but much more suited to the 1920’s. Jakes’s story just keeps becoming more complicated as more of his personal life secrets are revealed and his dilemma between what he considers the honorable solution versus what he personally wants. The romance progresses at a believable pace and is appropriate to the time-period. The description of clothes, locations, laws, and personal rights was well researched and interesting. The only thing that slightly bothered me was the main antagonist, Frankie Shay, at times seems more of a caricature than a fully fleshed character, but he still fit with the overall suspense plot.
I really enjoy Ms. Douglas’ time travel romances and I am looking forward to seeing where the next novel in this series takes me.
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Excerpt
SPEAKEASY
Elyse Douglas
Twenty-six-year-old Roxie Raines took the subway down to Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village and hurried off in a warm, August rain. It was nearly dark, and the shimmer of streetlights on the wet streets made it seem later than it was. She glanced up to see a tall construction crane, quiet now but surely swinging about during work hours. Another high rise? Did New York City really need another luxury high rise? There was an “old” part of Roxie, a part that longed for the old New York she’d seen online and in old black-and-white movies, before the glass towers, the needle-pointed, multimillion-dollar condos, and the encroaching chain stores took over.
Cars splashed water, taxis honked, and a thin, dripping pan handler shook his chipped cup for loose change, little mumbles moving his lips.
Roxie glanced at him and thought it odd that he wore retro clothes, scuffed wing-tipped shoes, slacks with no crease, a matching suit coat, and an open collar white shirt. His old-fashioned, gray fedora was tilted right, low over his brow, and a large mole on the left side of his nose helped give him a menacing look. Still, she felt compassion for him. He seemed strangely out of place under the yellow smudge of light from an overhead streetlamp, and he seemed utterly lost in the lonely, silver rain.
Fumbling with her umbrella, Roxie stopped, dug into the pocket of her yellow rain jacket, found three quarters, and dropped them into the panhandler’s cup. He nodded, his vacant eyes staring ahead.
“Isn’t there a shelter nearby you can go to?” Roxie asked.
He didn’t look at her, and his response was incomprehensible.
“Can I help you go somewhere and get out of this rain?” Roxie asked, seeing he was soaked, water dripping from the brim of his tattered hat.
He slowly turned to her, his eyes glassy and wide. “Do you know where you come from, girlie?” he asked, in a low, gravelly voice that sounded like a threat. “Do you know how you got here, doll? Are you stranded, too?”
Roxie felt a shiver ripple up her spine and she didn’t answer.
He flashed her a crooked gash of a grin. “No… I see it in you. You don’t know where you are or how you got here. You’re lost. Just like me, doll, you’re lost.”
And then he laughed, a sinister laugh.
Spooked, Roxie whirled around, thrust her umbrella toward the rain and charging wind, and headed off toward Charles Street, her sneakers soaked, her capri jeans damp, and her chin-length, blonde hair gone wild and frizzy.
“What the hell was that all about?” she mumbled to herself, quickening her steps, and not looking back at the man. And then she thought, How do people get so lost and so crazy?
Roxie had a gig that weekend in a Greenwich Village bar called Speakeasy.
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About the Author
Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the married writing team Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington.
She and her husband, Douglas Pennington, have completed many novels, including The Other Side of Summer, The Summer Letters, The Christmas Eve Series, Time Visitor, Time Change, The Summer Diary, and The Christmas Diary Series.
Dawn Dixon can hardly believe she’s on a groomless honeymoon on beautiful Cape Cod . . . with her mother. Sure, Marnie Dixon is good company, but Dawn was supposed to be here with Kevin, the love of her life (or so she thought).
Marnie Dixon needs some time away from the absolute realness of life as much as her jilted daughter does, and she’s not about to let her only child suffer alone–even if Marnie herself had been doing precisely that for the past month.
Given the circumstances, maybe it was inevitable that Marnie would do something as rash as buy a run-down ice-cream shop in the town’s tightly regulated historic district. After all, everything’s better with ice cream.
Her exasperated daughter knows that she’s the one who will have to clean up this mess. Even when her mother’s impulsive real estate purchase brings Kevin back into her life, Dawn doesn’t get her hopes up. Everyone knows that broken romances stay broken . . . don’t they?
Welcome to a summer of sweet surprises on Cape Cod–a place where dreams just might come true.
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Elise’s Thoughts
The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a feel-good book. It has a story of self-reflection, healing, love, and faith although there are some difficult issues covered regarding loss, hardship, and fear.
The plot has Dawn Dixon’s life turned upside down when her fiancé, Kevin, backs out of their wedding. She then finds out her mother had breast cancer and treatment. In addition, both mother and daughter are still recovering from the sudden death of their husband/father.
After Kevin insists Dawn goes on vacation, using the honeymoon reservations, she decides to take her mom, Marnie. Both need a relaxing get away. But the trip turns into a longer then planned event after Marnie decides to buy a historical run-down ice cream shop. She is fulfilling a dream that Dawn and her father had. While trying to fix the shop, Marnie meets a townsperson, Lincoln, who is willing to help. Not to mention she calls Kevin for his advice. Marnie enlists Dawn’s help to carry out her dream because Dawn is the person to oversee operations and has wonderful ice cream making skills.
There is a potent emphasis on healing and self-reflection in relationships. Dawn is practical, focused, and a planner, while Marnie is spontaneous, a risk-taker, and creative. As they work together both start to understand and accept the differences of the other person.
This story is uplifting and inspirational emphasizing what is important in life. The small-town setting, humorous banter, colorful characters, and healing make for a wonderful story.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
Suzanne Woods Fisher: This is book one in the series, “Cape Cod Creamery.” About six years ago for a Christmas present I sent my husband and daughter to Penn State’s short term ice cream school. Ever since, ice cream has been a big part of our life. My editor wanted me to write a series about ice cream.
EC: Role of ice cream in the story?
SWF: It is a character. Ice cream has been a part of the family’s life, including a dream to have an ice cream shop. The mother buys this run-down ice cream shop and needs the daughter’s help. Ice cream has kept the family together and has continued to bring them together.
EC: Each chapter has ice cream quotes-why?
SWF: Little quotations about ice cream. These quotes relate to what is going on in the chapter. It gives the reader a visual appeal. There is one quote that relates to the theme, “life is like ice cream, and we should enjoy it before it melts.”
EC: Your favorite flavor?
SWF: Vanilla is my favorite. A funny story is related to that question. The most popular flavor in the world is vanilla, but the hardest to make. It cannot be masked. My husband did something that I wrote into the series. He made vanilla 59 times to make it right. The vanilla base is the main one for all other flavors.
EC: How would you describe Dawn?
SWF: She is an only child. She is more like her late father, than her mother. She is not spontaneous, or a free spirit, as is her mom. Dawn has very self-awareness and is a planner. She grows throughout the story. She is diligent, a perfectionist, and a rule follower. She was able to have some father-daughter time where ice cream between the two of them was their togetherness. After she lost her father and fiancé healing became important.
EC: How would you describe Marnie?
SWF: She is more creative. She is a breast cancer survivor. She is a child of the sixties, cooky. Marnie relies on her intuition. She is a lot of grey. She balances out Dawn.
EC: What was the role of cancer?
SWF: This is my story. On Christmas Eve I got the phone call I had it. I had surgery, healing, and then radiation. Cancer is right in front of you, but as time passes it gets farther away. The scenes where Marnie did not want to go to cancer survivor meetings was me. I wanted to be very private about it. I wrote this book during that whole process. This book was a gift to me, as an escape from that experience. Whoever is reading this, please get your annual mammogram because that is how my cancer was caught.
EC: How would you describe the relationship between Kevin and Dawn?
SWF: Kevin was struggling as the wedding got closer. He felt they were not in a place they should be to get married. He stopped and slowed things down. He kept checking in to make sure Dawn is OK. They become open where things went wrong. They are sensitive to each other.
EC: How would you describe Lincoln and Marnie?
SWF: Lincoln was a workaholic and then realized he lost everything. He had a moment that he had no one to put as an emergency contact. This was a wake-up call. They realize they have a lot in common. At this point they are just good friends and are shying away from a second romance. Both are slow, cautious, and careful. They try not to be judgmental.
EC: The historical association?
SWF: They are like a homeowner’s association. They want to keep the tone of the town. The drama of the book is how they wanted to put the brakes on anything that will be different from what the town was like.
EC: What is the theme?
SWF: Preserving the past while moving forward. Holding on to what is needed yet at the same time is not frozen, to let go and embrace the future.
EC: Next book?
SWF: It will come out in a year. Marnie goes to ice cream school and bumps into her husband’s niece, a chef who lost her job. She stays with Dawn and Marnie where Dawn and she compete. But Dawn’s cousin is clinically depressed and needs help getting back on her feet.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SUMMER AT THECAPE by RaeAnne Thayne. I was supposed to share this on an HTP Tour, but I put the posting reminder on the wrong month. Ooops! Better late than never and I loved the book so much, I was not going to skip it.
Below you will find a book summary, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Summary
Summer at the Cape is the fourth original hardcover from New York Times, USA TODAY, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne. With the emotional pull of Debbie Macomber, Barbara Delinsky, and Susan Wiggs, RaeAnne tells the story of the Porter sisters, Cami and Violet, who come together to mourn the death of Violet’s twin, Lily. Over the course of the summer, the sisters must make peace with each other and also individually with their free-spirited, outspoken, activist mother who left their father two decades earlier.
As the older sister to identical twins Violet and Lily, Cami Porter had always been the odd sister out. The breach became even stronger when her parents split up—while the twins stayed in Cape Sanctuary with their free-spirited activist mother, Rosemary, fourteen-year-old Cami moved to L.A. with her by-the-book attorney father, Ted. Nearly twenty years later, when Cami gets the tragic news that Lily has drowned saving a child, Cami returns to her childhood home—her mother and Violet need her.
Lily had spent her entire life looking for something to be passionate about, and in leasing a property from neighbor Franklin Rafferty and setting up Coastal Pines Glamping, she was about to see her dream realized. Following her death, the sadness and grief Rosemary, Violet and Cami feel is compounded by Jon Rafferty, son of the neighbor whose land Lily had leased. Jon, who hadn’t seen his father in years, is stunned to learn that his father is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, and he worries that the Porter women took advantage of him. But Jon can see that the Porter family is in mourning, and agrees they can keep the land through the summer, and then they’ll need to shut the glamping site down.
Then there’s Violet—the child Lily saved, Ariana Mendoza, is the daughter of Violet’s former high school sweetheart, Alex Mendoza. She could never forgive him way back when for cheating on her, but she is so grateful that his adorable little girl is okay. Alex still has feelings for Violet, but he is overcome with grief and gratitude at the same time for the loss of Lily, who died saving his child.
SUMMER AT THE CAPE by RaeAnne Thayne is a heartfelt women’s fiction novel about a divided family, grief, forgiveness, love and loss. This is a standalone novel that will take you on an emotional roller-coaster ride. Make sure you have the tissues close.
Cape Sanctuary is the coastal town Rosemary Porter with her twins, Lily and Violet has retreated to after the divorce of her high-powered attorney husband. Cami, the older sister of the twins has stayed with her father in Los Angeles and become a lawyer, also. As the years have passed, so has the divide as the sister live their own lives.
After nearly twenty years and only four months after the death of Lily as she was rescuing the lives of two young girls, Rosemary begs Cami to return to Cape Sanctuary to help with a legal issue Lily left unfinished. Besides dealing with the neighbor who stands in the way of Lily’s dream, she is also having to navigate her own strained relationships with her mother and younger sister. Violet is also trying to deal with the grief of her last words to her twin before her death and the man she once loved, who is the father of one of the girls her sister saved when she lost her life.
This is one of those books you pick up and are immediately lost in the story and invested in all the characters, which continues to happen when I choose books by this author. The three main female characters all deal with their grief and loss in different ways, try to reconnect with each other and travel the minefield of regrets and hurt feelings along the way. They are strong women who have made mistakes but have learned with Lily’s death that their love for each other is what is important, and they are willing to work for it. The secondary characters are fully fleshed and realistic, from the neighbor with Alzheimer’s and the little girl Lily saved, to the men who find romance with the women. This is an overall beautifully written story of family and forgiveness.
I highly recommend this excellent small town, women’s fiction/romance novel!
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Excerpt
2
VIOLET
WILD, FRENZIED BARKING RANG OUT WHEN Violet Porter let herself into the back door of her mother’s comfortable kitchen at Moongate Farm.
Rosemary was nowhere in sight. Instead, a cranky-faced schnauzer–toy poodle mix planted himself in front of the door, telling her in no uncertain terms that she was an intruder who wasn’t welcome here.
“Hi, Baxter,” she said, mouth stretched thin in what she knew was an insincere smile. “How are you, buddy?”
Lily’s dog only growled at her, baring his teeth with his hack-les raised as if he wanted to rip her throat out.
The dog hated her. Violet wasn’t exactly sure why.
She might have thought he would look more fondly toward her, considering she was the identical twin to his late owner. But maybe that was the problem. Maybe the fact that she looked so much like Lily but clearly wasn’t her sister confused the dog and made him view her as a threat.
He had never really warmed to her, even when he lived in her condo with Lily. Since Lily’s death, he had become down-right hostile.
“Stop that. What’s gotten into you? I could hear you clear back in my bedroom.”
Her mother’s voice trailed out from down the hall, becoming louder as she approached the kitchen, still fastening an earring.
She stopped dead when she spotted Violet.
“Oh! Violet! You scared me! What are you doing here?”
“You invited me. Remember? You’ve known for months I was coming to help you out during my summer break.”
“You were coming tomorrow. Not today!”
Okay. That wasn’t exactly the warm welcome she might have expected, Violet thought wryly. Instead, her mother was staring at her with an expression that seemed a curious mix of chagrin and dismay.
She shrugged as Baxter continued to growl. Wasn’t anybody happy to see her?
“I finished cleaning out my classroom and calculating final grades this morning. Since all my things were already packed and loaded into my car, I couldn’t see any reason to wait until the morning to drive up. Is there a problem?”
Rosemary, usually so even-tempered, looked at her, then at the giant wrought iron clock on the wall of the Moongate Farm kitchen with a hint of panic in her eyes.
“No. It’s only…this is, er, a bit of a complication. I’m expecting dinner guests any moment.”
“That must be why it smells so good in here.”
It smelled like roasting vegetables mixed with garlic and cheese. Violet’s stomach rumbled loud enough she was certain her mother had to hear, but Rosemary didn’t seem to notice, looking at the clock again.
Why was she so nervous? Who was coming? If she didn’t know better, Violet might have suspected her mother was expecting a date.
Not impossible, she supposed. Her mother was still a beautiful woman, with high cheekbones, a wide smile and the deep blue eyes she had handed down to Violet and her identical twin.
Rosemary didn’t date much, though she’d had a few relationships since her divorce from Violet’s father.
As far as Violet knew, she had broken up with the most re-cent man she had dated more than a year earlier and Rosemary hadn’t mentioned anyone else.
Then again, just as Violet didn’t tell her mother everything that went on in her life in Sacramento, Rosemary likely had secrets of her own here in Cape Sanctuary.
“No problem,” she said, trying for a cheerful tone. “You don’t have to worry about feeding me. If I get hungry later, I’ll make a sandwich or something. I’ll get out of your way.”
“You’re not in the way,” Rosemary protested. “It’s just, well…” She didn’t have time to finish before a knock sounded at the back door. Baxter, annoying little beast, gave one sharp bark, sniffed at the door, then plopped down expectantly.
Violet thought she heard a man’s deep voice say something on the other side of the door and then a child’s laughter in response.
Something about that voice rang a chord. She frowned, suddenly unsettled. “Mom. Who are you expecting?”
“Just some…some friends from town,” Rosemary said vaguely. She heard the man’s voice again and her disquiet turned into full-fledged dismay.
No. Rosemary wouldn’t have. Would she?
“Mom. Who’s here?” Her voice sounded shrill and she was quite sure Rosemary could pick up on it.
“I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” her mom said defensively. “You told me you were coming tomorrow, so I…I invited Alexandro and his daughter for dinner. He’s been such a help to me with Wild Hearts. I could never have set up all those tents or moved in the furniture without him. I’ve been meaning to have him and his daughter over for dinner but the time got away from me, until here we are. I’m sorry. You weren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow and I didn’t think it would be a problem.”
The news hit her like a hatchet to the chest. Alex was here, on the other side of the door. Alex, who had once been her best friend, the man she thought would be her forever.
Alex, who had betrayed her.
She had seen him exactly twice since they broke up a decade ago.
One previous encounter had been a few years after he married Claudia Crane, when she had bumped into him at the grocery store while home from college for a brief visit.
The second time had been four months earlier at Lily’s memorial service.
That was two times too many, really. Three encounters was asking far too much of her.
She wanted to jump back into her car and head back to Sacramento.
No. This was silly. She had known she would see him this summer. How could she avoid it? Cape Sanctuary was a small town. Not only that, but his house and boat charter business were both just down the road from Moongate Farm.
The concept had seemed fine in the abstract. Like algebra and the periodic table.
It had been nearly a decade, after all. She was a completely different person from that besotted girl she had once been.
He meant nothing to her anymore. She should be able to blithely chat with him about what he had been up to the past decade.
Yeah. Not happening.
Maybe she could turn around, climb back into her car and go hang out at The Sea Shanty until he was gone.
No. That was just kicking the can down the road. She had to face him eventually. Why not now?
She could come up with a dozen reasons, but none of them seemed compelling enough for her to flee without at least saying hello.
“I’m sorry,” Rosemary said again, her hand on the doorknob. “It’s fine, Mom. Don’t worry about it. Don’t leave them standing outside. I’ll just say hello and then head over to the bunk-house to settle in. You won’t even know I’m here. It will be fine.”
She didn’t believe that for a minute, but she forced herself to put on a pleasant smile as her mother opened the door.
And there he was.
As gorgeous as ever, with those thick dark eyelashes, strong features, full mouth that could kiss like no one else she had ever met…
Her toes curled at the unwelcome memories and she forced her attention away from Alex to the young girl standing beside him. She had dark hair that swung to her shoulders, bright brown eyes and dimples like her father.
Right now she was staring at Violet like she had just grown a second head.
“Miss Lily?” she whispered, big brown eyes wide and mouth ajar.
Of course. Ariana thought Violet was her sister. It was a natural mistake, as they were identical twins, though as an adult, Vi had mostly seen the differences between them.
She approached the girl with the same patient, reassuring mile she used in her classroom when one of her students was upset about something.
“Hi there,” she said calmly, doing her best to ignore Alex’s intense gaze for now. “You must be Ariana. I’m Violet. Lily was my twin sister.”
“You look just like her,” the girl said breathlessly. Her gaze narrowed. “Except I think maybe your hair is a little shorter than hers was. And she had a tattoo of flowers on her wrist and you don’t.”
When they were in college, Lily had insisted on getting a tiny bouquet of flowers, intertwined lilies and violets and camellias to represent the three Porter sisters.
She had begged Violet and Cami to both get one, too. Cami, older by two years and always far more mature than either Vi or Lily, had politely explained that she didn’t want any tattoos because of the serious nature of the law career she was pursuing. Violet had promised she would but then kept putting it off.
She still could go get a tattoo. After Lily’s death, she had thought more seriously about it, but the loss of her sister was always with her. She didn’t need a mark on her skin to remind her Lily wasn’t here.
She forced a smile for the girl. “Right. No tattoo. That’s one sure way of telling us apart.”
Plus, she was alive and Lily wasn’t. But she wasn’t cruel enough to say that out loud, especially not to this child.
Lily had drowned after rescuing Ariana and a visiting friend when a rogue wave from an offshore winter storm dragged the girls out to sea. Lily had somehow managed to get both girls back to safety, but the Pacific had been relentless that day, and before Lily could climb out herself, another wave had pulled her under.
Violet certainly couldn’t blame this child for a cruel act of nature.
New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful norhtern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her stories have been described as “poignant and sweet” with “beautiful honest storytelling that goes straight to the heart.” She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.raeannethayne.com.
He’s hell-bent on telling her what to do. She’s determined to make it on her own. They’re both going to learn a thing or two about first impressions.
Brightwater Valley, New Zealand, is beautiful, rugged, and home to those who love adventure. But it’s also isolated and on the verge of becoming a ghost town.
When the town puts out a call to its sister city of Deep River, Alaska, hoping to entice people to build homes and businesses in Brightwater, ex paratrooper Chase Kelly is all for it. He sees the benefits of building the economy, but only if those who come to Brightwater are ready for its challenges. Former oil executive Isabella Montgomery and her plan to open an art gallery don’t seem up to the test. Now Chase is determined to help her learn the ways of his formidable hometown.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Find Your Way Home by Jackie Ashenden is an adversary to lovers’ story with a lot of adventure. Readers get to imagine the beautiful New Zealand setting with the blueness of the lakes, the white capped mountain peaks, the weather changes, and the small-town atmosphere.
The plot has Isabella Montgomery, Bethany Grant, and Indigo Jameson hoping to open shop to help revitalize a remote town. Brightwater Valley, New Zealand, put out a call to its sister city of Deep River, Alaska, hoping to entice people to build homes and businesses in Brightwater to invigorate this ghost town.
Isabella (Izzy) decided to join the group after losing her job and being ditched by her fiancée. She wants to start over and embrace the adventurous spirit of the town unlike her former town of Houston, Texas. Chase Kelly is the defacto Mayor of the town. He is trying to raise a teenage daughter Gus by himself and make the town economically livable again. But he and Izzy seem to constantly butt heads as they try to find ways to bring in tourists.
Chase is a micro-organizer, managing everything, has a need for control and is very bossy yet is very caring and will do anything for those he loves. He tries to convince himself that he is not attracted to Izzy as he overanalyzes his feelings. Izzy on the other hand is determined to just follow her own lead and try not to please others. Chase and Izzy dance around each other and struggle to deal with ghosts in their past. But when they get together sparks fly as they realize they have more in common, including exes who never really cared about them.
This is a story of love and loss, acceptance, and new beginnings. The character banter is perfect as they snipe at each other until they realize they have a connection and are learning how to trust again.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: What about the setting?
Jackie Ashenden: This the first in a series set in New Zealand. I wanted to do something connected to my Alaska series, :Deep River.” Since New Zealand is ripe with small towns it made it easy to write a small town into the series. There is a small town in the South Island, an ex-mining town that I based the story on. The South Island has a lot of outdoor activities like bungee jumping and hiking, so the heroes must be outdoorsmen. I brought in some of my Deep River characters and connected them up.
EC: How would you describe Izzy?
JA: She is Zeke’s sister from the Deep River series. She is strong-willed, stubborn, does not like to rely on others, and is very protective as well as kind. Because of being a Southern girl, she is a planner and determined with some rage over what happened to her.
EC: How would you describe Chase Kelly?
JA: He is Izzy’s male counterpart with a similar personality. He knows what he wants, an organizer as well as arrogant, rugged, serious, a brooder, very charismatic. He is an ex-SAS paratrooper. Chase will do anything for the people he loves and the town.
EC: How about the relationship between Chase and Kelly?
JA: At first, they butted heads, getting under each other’s skin. They are fighting the physical attraction as well as each other. Both realize they must work together so they decide not to antagonize each other. As they slowly get to know each other they allow their feelings to show.
EC: Seems each character has father issues?
JA: The book That Deep River Feeling has Izzy’s brother, Zeke Montgomery, as the hero. Their father is the antagonist. Izzy was the peace maker between her father and brother. Her parents told her she had to be good, or they would disinherit her. Chase’s father went to the pub, after his wife died, and never left it. He has abandonment issues, having to be on his own and raising his little brother.
EC: Their exes are the direct opposite of Izzy and Chase?
JA: Both are weary of having a new relationship. They have certain assumptions and begin to realize those assumptions are wrong. Izzy sees in Chase someone who is protective, giving and caring whereas her ex was selfish, self-centered, and wanted only a trophy wife. Olivia, Chase’s ex always wanted her way and made him always justify himself, while Izzy listened to Chase’s feelings and took them into account. This is why I put in this quote to show how Izzy and Chase realized they accepted each other for who they are. The quote, “Love is acceptance. It doesn’t require you to do anything or be anything. It just requires that you be yourself.” New Zealanders are straight up people.
EC: What about your next book?
JA: The next book in the series, All Roads Lead to You, and comes out in November. Chase’s brother Finn is the hero, and the heroine is Beth. Finn is grumpy and Beth is an optimist, seeing the silver lining everywhere. She is determined to make him her friend and he is determined to not have her befriend him.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
An emergency call to pick up an injured stallion on the side of the road sends Alexandra Hart, the new owner of Hart’s Horse Rescue, into action. A recent addition to the area, she is not impressed when the animal’s taciturn owner shows up. With his less-than-stellar disposition, he’s the kind of man she normally avoids at all costs, unfortunately, he owns the ranch just down the road.
However, when the manhunt for a pair of escaped prisoners gets a little too close for comfort, Jonas turns out to be a better neighbor than she expected.
The Alex who shows up at his ranch to help with his prize stud’s recovery is not exactly who Jonas Harvey expected. This is the same bleeding heart he met on the side of the road. Worried she’s not up for the job, he’d prefer to keep a close eye on her but his High Mountain Trackers team gets called in to track down a group of domestic terrorists.
But the slip of a woman proves him wrong. On all fronts. Alex not only charms his horses but him as well, and when trouble comes calling she proves to be a worthy ally to boot.
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Elise’s Thoughts
High Meadow by Freya Barker has strong independent women facing off against alpha-males. It is a modern-day western suspense with added doses of romance.
The story is set in Libby Montana where Jonas Harvey has the High Meadow Stud Horse Ranch, which neighbors with Hart’s Horse Rescue. When one of Jonas’ horses goes lame with a leg injury, Alex Hart is asked to help heal him. Jonas did not expect Alex to be a female but finds a woman who is confident in her abilities to heal horses a la the Heartland TV show.
The suspense comes when two escaped convicts begin working with nationalists and homesteaders who are setting bombs. Because Jonas also has a business, the High Mountain Trackers, they are asked to find the domestic terrorists and help to assist the arrogant FBI and DHS agents. After retiring from the Special Forces Jonas had set up the High Mountain Trackers with his ex-military buddies, Fletch, Sully and Bo. This elite team uses all the special talents and knowledge acquired during their military careers to track and rescue, or recover, the lost, or the hiding.
Alex and her friend Lucy have a business that rescues abandoned and abused horses as well as dogs and a donkey. New to the area, they would have to build the rehabilitation reputation of their farm. But everything is put on hold until the convicts are found because they have decided to set up their terrorism operations on Alex’s land.
The hero and heroine are respectively in their fifties and forties. While working together both Jonas and Alex realize there is a chemistry between them. Although they did not seek out a romance it seems to have found them. Now Jonas must use his gruff skills to protect her, while she shows him that nobody will push her around and she will not avert danger. Readers will enjoy learning about the characters while getting a riveting mystery/thriller. This first in a four-book series is filled with action and great banter between the characters.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Why the setting?
Freya Barker: My daughter lives out in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, and she does a lot of camping down into Montana. Most of my writing takes place in the Colorado area, but I thought Montana would be interesting to write about, especially since it is a place I always wanted to go. A photographer friend of mine showed me a picture she had taken of a rancher, that became the cover for High Meadow. I decided to write about Lincoln County in Montana. The homesteader idea came from discussions with my son, an avid hunter.
EC: Why a horse rescue for the female lead, Alex?
FB: I always dreamed of having one when I was younger. As a three-year-old growing up in Holland I saw a functioning farm behind us. At that age I was put on a Belgium horse. I had no fear and loved the experience. I had been around horses my entire young life. I adore horses. My dream growing up was to come to Canada to have enough space to own a horse. I emigrated to Canada when I was twenty-seven with my young children. LOL, I have lived in Canada for over thirty years and still do not have a horse.
EC: How would you describe Alex?
FB: Independent, motivated by idealism, emotional, passionate, strong, determined, big-hearted, and pragmatic. She is a bit of an earth-mother type. She has preconceived ideas which can make her a bit naïve. She relocated herself to a place where she knew nobody so I would say she is also adventurous. The main drives in her life were to raise her son after her husband was killed and to build up a business.
EC: How would you describe Jonas?
FB: He is a traditionalist and old fashioned. He has lived in a male dominated environment, being surrounded by ranchers and having been in Special Forces. He is considerate and can be a charmer when he wants to be. Jonas can also be open-minded.
EC: What about the relationship?
FB: It is a mature relationship. Neither is looking for a partner, yet there was some chemistry both could not ignore. There is not a lot of angst, emotional situations, in the relationship, but more a cerebral approach. I am not a fairy tale writer and want it to be real. I hope I reflected that they could talk about misunderstandings and their feelings. I put in my books how others see the relationship before the hero and heroine and will tease them. Because they are slightly older characters people around them can see what is happening first. In the beginning Alex is guarded but not for long, because she was willing to open to a possibility.
EC: Ama/Jonas relationship versus Lucy/Alex?
FB: They both behave as siblings. With Lucy and Alex there is friendship, a little bit of big sister, and nurturing from Alex to Lucy. With Ama/Jonas she is the nurturer. Both Lucy and Ama are direct and blunt. Lucy has a defense mechanism because of what happened to her that makes her more abrasive. Ama is also loving, and the directness is part of her personality. Both control the household.
EC: Why the military angle?
FB: I have had military angles before. I group of my friends are ex-military. I use the veteran component. Readers get a certain picture of an alpha male. It is a quick way for people to identify with the characters. It is also a way to honor them. A lot of skills learned in the military can be used, for example tracking. Jonas was in Afghanistan, Alex’s late husband fought in Afghanistan, and Alex’s son is fighting in Iraq. It made for a credible source since they step up to the plate and would not sit by the sidelines. I also tried to make it realistic. I asked people who knew and did research to find out information.
EC: The thriller end has a lot of 3-letter agencies?
FB: There are jurisdictional issues. It can be different from state-to-state and county-to-county. In this case I researched the town and county. I found out how the departments worked.
EC: Next books?
FB: The book just out, book two, is High Stakes. The hero is Fletch who is a broody individual and likes to be in the shadows. He has spent some time in Canada and was found there by Jonas when assembling his team. Fletch lives off the grid. Because he is a tracker he was approached by a woman, Nella, whose sister, Fili, is missing. There is a lot of wildernesses involved as with tracking, tracing, adventure, and hiking. Book 3 called High Ground comes out in August. The hero and heroine are Sully and Fili. Book 4 will be released in December. The hero and heroine are Bo and Lucy.
THANK YOU!!
***
BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
HIGH STAKES (High Mountain Trackers Book #2) by Freya Barker is an action-packed romantic suspense featuring another of the High Mountain Trackers meeting his match in the strong-willed older sister looking for her missing younger sister. This book can be read as a standalone even with the carryover of characters from book one.
Antonella “Nella” Freling is a research librarian for a Canadian university who has not heard from her younger sister Filipa “Fili” who was supposed to be at Nella’s home over a week ago. They are never out of touch, even though Fili wonders the country in her mobile home. When the authorities seem to be ignoring her, she takes matters into her own hands and travels to Montana to hire a tracker her friends have recommended.
Fletcher Boone is a team member on the High Mountain Trackers due to the persistence of Jonas, his ex-military superior. Her prefers his own company and has been known as Mr. Grumpy, but he has his reasons. Fletch and Nella do not hit it off in the beginning of their search, but Nella soon sees Fletch is concerned with her safety and Fletch discovers the determined side of Nella.
As Nella and Fletch search for the missing sister, Fletch has his hands full with the head-strong Nella who will do anything to find her sister even as she places herself in danger.
This book is another exciting romantic suspense in the High Mountain Trackers series. Nella and Fletch have a slow burn romance intertwined in a search and rescue and crime suspense plot that is full of twists. I found Nella and Fletch to be believable in their dance from self-protection to trust and love. All the characters from book one are back to watch Mr. Grumpy fall and provide some entertaining dialogue. This is a cast of characters that pull you right into their stories and I cannot wait for more.
I highly recommend this exciting romantic suspense, this series, and all the books by this author!
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Author Bio
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills in their lives.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
