Tag: #aboutauthor

Feature Post and Book Review: Protected by the Gargoyle by Lisa Carlisle

Book Description

Demons are out there.

Don’t ask Janie how she knows. She wants to forget what they did to her and move on.

But when her witch friend has a premonition about a demon in Boston, Janie is forced to confront her fears. She seeks the help of her gorgeous friend and gargoyle shifter, Arto.

Little does she know that Arto considers her his fated mate. He’ll do anything to protect her, even if it means keeping his love a secret.

Janie wants to learn more about demons, so he shows her some books in the library. She reads an ancient script in a powerful old book and unwittingly summons an incubus.

The very tool Arto provided to help her instead brings her nightmares to life.

Now they must work together to stop a predator on the hunt while their relationship is tested by a growing attraction.

Demons have captured Janie before. Can she avoid their clutches this time?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122494858-protected-by-the-gargoyle?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=m4cLCq4W0z&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

PROTECTED BY THE GARGOYLE (Boston Stone Sentries Book $4) by Lisa Carlisle is another exciting trip into the paranormal romance world of gargoyles, witches and demons set in present-day Boston. Even though we met Janie and Arto in previous stories, this is their HEA romance story. While people and paranormal creatures in the series are explained so that this book can be read as a standalone, I feel you would enjoy it more if you read the entire series in order.

Janie is still working to heal her leg injuries from the Boston Marathon bombing and working to restore her sense of safety after being abducted and marked by a demon. Her best friend, Larissa has a premonition about a demon loose in Boston and Janie is terrified. She reaches out to her gargoyle friend, Arto to assist her in protecting herself.

 Arto is more than willing to help Janie because he believes she is his fated mate. As they go through old magical tomes, Janie accidentally summons a demon. Now a demon is in Boston trying to abduct Janie once again. Janie and Arto work together to get rid of the demon and as they do their friendship ignites into much more.

Will Arto be able to protect Janie, banish the demon, and prove to her they are truly mates?

I enjoyed this addition to the Boston Stone Sentries series. I have been waiting for Janie and Arto’s romance and this story did not disappoint. There is plenty of sexual frustration and amusing internal dialogue on both sides as they move from the friend zone into a relationship. It is fun for me when I return to a paranormal world and the characters are evolving and growing. Besides the steamy romance, this story also has action and suspense woven throughout. All the books in this series are entertaining and fast paranormal reads with captivating characters.

I recommend this addition to the Boston Stone Sentries series.

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About the Author

Lisa Carlisle is a USA Today Bestselling author of paranormal romance and suspense. She loves to write about wounded, cursed, or misunderstood heroes finding their happily ever afters. They may be shifters, vampires, witches, gargoyles, or even military, first responders, and rockstars! She especially loves stories with fated mates and forbidden love, second chances, and enemies-to-lovers romance.

Her travels have provided her with inspiration for various settings in her novels. She deployed to Okinawa, Japan, while in the Marines, backpacked alone through Europe, lived in Paris, and now lives in New England with her husband, two kids, two crazy cats, and too many fish.

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Social Media Links

Website: https://lisacarlislebooks.com/

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lisa-carlisle

Feature Post and Book Review: Casanova Cowboy by Jamie Schulz

Book Description

She’s used to the glitzy, big-city life. He hides behind country-boy charm.
Will these total opposites spark unquenchable flames of attraction?

Izabel Silva is wary of men. After escaping an awful relationship and a workplace betrayal, the talented marketer seeks refuge with an old friend in small-town Montana. And though worried she’s falling in with another control-obsessed hunk, she accepts the kindly neighbors’ invitation to stay with them and their flirtatious son.

Zack MacEntier longs to live down his reputation. With his ranch’s bank accounts at rock bottom, the one-time lady’s man isn’t ready to take on a gorgeous and strong-willed Latina. But when his mother volunteers him to show the lovely newcomer around, the loyal cowboy is secretly glad of an excuse to spend more days in the fierce woman’s company.

Taken aback by local prejudice, Izabel’s concerns over Zack’s stubborn protective streak start to fade when he comes rushing to her rescue. And even as the brave rancher fears that he has nothing to offer the beautiful outsider, their growing passion has placed them firmly in danger’s crosshairs…

Can they survive the unexpected threat and claim a scorching love?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123240228-casanova-cowboy?ref=nav_sb_ss_3_15#CommunityReviews

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

CASANOVA COWBOY (The Montana Men Series Book #2) by Jamie Schulz is a delightful contemporary western romance with a hero and heroine who have been scarred by love in their pasts and even as they work to heal, trust and love again, they are in danger from an unknown threat. This is the second book in the Montana Men series following “Broken Cowboy”, but it can easily be read as a standalone.

Izabel Silva has left Seattle and is looking to reconnect with her old friend, Addie, and unknowingly appears on her wedding day. Izabel is escaping an emotionally abusive relationship and workplace betrayal. With Addie on her honeymoon, a friendly neighbor invites Izabel to stay with her and her family and volunteers her flirtatious son to show her the sights during her stay.

Zack MacEntier is drawn to the beautiful woman staying with his family, but he has plenty of problems with the start-up of the family vineyard and with his reputation as a Casanova, which he wants to change before he feels he has anything to offer a woman. Zack and Izabel take tentative steps to trust and friendship which soon turns into an intense chemistry that neither can resist, but someone is not happy with this new couple.

Small threats turn into gunfire and Zack and Izabel are in more danger than anyone expects.

I enjoyed this romance so much because it has a wonderful hero and heroine who grow throughout the love story and for the most part actually communicate and when they do not it is believable and not just an easy way to further the plot. Izabel starts out hesitant and then becomes a strong heroine who is trying new things and rebuilding her life in a completely new environment. Zack is lovable and seems carefree but tries to carry too much on his own and must learn to overcome his pride when his friends want to help. His secret from his past was heartbreaking. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous and realistic to an adult relationship. I enjoyed catching up with characters from the first book, but if you have not read it, you will not be confused or lost. The suspense elements of the plot are interwoven throughout the story seamlessly and all the separate threads are resolved.

I highly recommend this endearing contemporary romance and I am looking forward to many more in this series.

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About the Author

Jamie Schulz is a contemporary Western romance and dystopian cowboy romance author. She loves to write about heroes with vulnerabilities and strong, feisty heroines who are a match for the men they love. To her, every one of her stories, no matter how dark, must have a happy ending, and she strives to make them impossible to put down until you get there.

Jamie has been writing and making up stories for most of her life and hopes to one day reach the bestsellers lists. Her book Broken Cowboy won the Global Book Awards Gold Medal for romance and was a RONE Awards finalist. Jake’s Redemption—a full-length prequel to the dark, dystopian world of the Angel Eyes series—was also an award-winner in the Global Ebook Awards.

Cowboys, ice cream, and reading almost any kind of romance are among her (not so) secret loves. She balances her free time between reading her favorite romance authors—in genres ranging from erotica and dark romance to sweet historicals and contemporary romance—and spending time with those she is closest to. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her family and their fur babies, and she enjoys hearing from her fans.

Social Media Links

* Website: thejamieschulz.com/

* Facebook: www.facebook.com/thejamieschulz

* Twitter: twitter.com/TheJamieSchulz

* Instagram: instagram.com/thejamieschulz/

* BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/jamie-schulz

BookTour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Scots of Dalriada by Rowena Kinread

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE SCOTS OF DALRIADA by Rowena Kinread on this Coffee and Thorn Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

THREE BROTHERS
Fergus, Loarn and Angus, Princes of the Dalriada, are forced into exile by their scheming half-brother and the druidess Birga One-tooth.

THREE FATES
Fergus conceals himself as a stable lad on Aran and falls helplessly in love with a Scottish princess, already promised to someone else. Loarn crosses swords against the Picts. Angus designs longboats.

TOGETHER A MIGHTY POWER
Always on the run the brothers must attempt to outride their adversaries by gaining power themselves. Together they achieve more than they could possibly dream of.

Fergus Mór (The Great) is widely recognised as the first King of Scotland, giving Scotland its name and its language. Rulers of Scotland and England from Kenneth mac Alpín until the present time claim descent from Fergus Mór.
Full of unexpected twists and turns, this is a tale of heart-breaking love amidst treachery, deceit and murder.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75627138-the-scots-of-dalriada-fergus-mor?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Ck5bKVIOdI&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE SCOTS OF DALRIADA by Rowena Kinread is a historical fiction set in the fifth century telling the tale of three brothers with focus on Fergus, who will go on to become the founder of Scotland. This is an epic family saga delivered in an easy-to-read historical fiction novel.

While this story covers many years, the author makes it flow through the many players and intrigues with intertwined historical facts that do not bog down the pace. The author’s research is evident with the descriptive characters and living conditions all brought to life. The writing style is very different from other historical fiction books I have read. It is a cross between reading a short, to the point history book, but with the added imagined historical fiction embellishment of relationships intertwined.

This historical fiction story is loaded with adventure, jealousy, greed, and warfare, but it also has moments of romance, family, and brotherhood. It is an entertaining and enlightening story of a period I had previously known nothing about.

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About the Author

Rowena Kinread grew up in Ripon, Yorkshire with her large family and a horde of pets. Keen on travelling, her first job was with Lufthansa in German

She began writing in the nineties. Her special area of interest is history. After researching her ancestry and finding family roots in Ireland with the Dalriada clan, particularly this era. Her debut fiction novel titled “The Missionary” is a historical novel about the dramatic life of St. Patrick. It was published by Pegasus Publishers on Apr.29th, 2021 and has been highly appraised by The Scotsman, The Yorkshire Post and the Irish Times.

Her second novel “The Scots of Dalriada” centres around Fergus Mór, the founder father of Scotland and takes place in 5th century Ireland and Scotland. It is due to be published by Pegasus Publishers on Jan.26th, 2023.

The author lives with her husband in Bodman-Ludwigshafen, Lake Constance, Germany. They have three children and six grandchildren.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.rowena-kinread.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rowena.strittmatter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RowenaKinread

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rowena-kinread

Book Review: Until We Touch by Susan Mallery

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

UNTIL WE TOUCH (Fool’s Gold Book #15) by Susan Mallery is another enjoyable addition to this small-town contemporary romance series set in Fool’s Gold. While there are continuing characters throughout the books, each individual book can easily be read as a standalone because the focus is one couple in each complete HEA romance plot.

Jack McGarry and his partners have moved their sports PR company out of LA and into Fool’s Gold. Jack has a history of keeping his feelings locked away after a family tragedy in his past, but allows his assistant, Larissa Owens, to use his money and sports status to help other people and worthy causes in his name. While this worked well in LA, the small-town of Fool’s Gold is another matter.

When Larissa’s mother visits, she corners Jack in his office and tells him to fire her daughter so that she will move back home to LA and stop loving him. WHAT? Suddenly the two go from close friends to uncomfortable. When Larissa comes up with a plan to get over her attraction, will Jack play along?

This is another rollercoaster ride of emotions which happens every time I read one of the Fool’s Gold books. I laugh out loud at dialogue that is at times witty and/or hysterical and I shed tears when the H/h are hurting. This story has sweet romance elements to start, but as it continues it becomes very emotional and hard on the heart. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous and I feel realistic to the relationship. The secondary characters are well developed and believable. I especially loved the inclusion of Percy and the chiweenies.

An entertaining and heartfelt contemporary romance and wonderful addition to the Fool’s Gold series.

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About the Author

SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship and romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—forty million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the Ragdoll cat and adorable poodle who think of her as Mom.

Social Links

Author website: https://www.susanmallery.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/susanmallery

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/susan-mallery

Feature Post and Book Review: A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver

Book Description

The first in the Electra McDonnell series from Edgar-nominated author Ashley Weaver, set in England during World War II, A Peculiar Combination is a delightful mystery filled with spies, murder, romance, and the author’s signature wit.

FIRST RULE: DON’T LOSE YOUR CONCENTRATION.

Electra McDonnell and her family earn their living outside the law. Breaking into the homes of the rich and picking the locks on their safes may not be condoned by British law enforcement, but with World War II in full swing, Uncle Mick’s locksmith business just can’t pay the bills anymore.

SECOND RULE: DON’T MAKE MISTAKES.
So when Uncle Mick receives a tip about a safe full of jewels in an empty house, he and Ellie can’t resist. All is going as planned—until the pair is caught red-handed. But instead of arresting them, government official Major Ramsey has an offer: either Ellie agrees to help him break into a safe and retrieve blueprints crucial to the British war effort, or he turns her over to the police.

THIRD RULE: DON’T GET CAUGHT.
Ellie doesn’t care for the major’s imperious manner, but she has no choice. However, when they break into the house, they find the safe open and empty, and a German spy dead on the floor. Soon, Ellie and Major Ramsey are forced to put aside their differences to unmask the double agent, and stop Allied plans from falling into enemy hands.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54860475-a-peculiar-combination?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=UZS4Nw8jxe&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A PECULIAR COMBINATION (Electra McDonnell Series Book #1) by Ashley Weaver is an entertaining and unique WWII historical cozy mystery featuring a resourceful female well versed in the family business of locks and safe cracking and a strait-laced English Intelligence officer. I love finding a new series that guarantees more stories with strong characters for me to enjoy in the future.

Electra “Ellie” McDonnell grew up with an uncle and cousins who earned their living slightly outside the law when their locksmithing business was not quite enough to pay the bills. With her cousins away serving their country in the fight against Hitler, Ellie goes with her Uncle Mick on a late-night job. They are caught red handed and taken not to jail, but to the government office of Major Gabriel Ramsey. Ellie and Uncle Mick are offered a deal, work for the government using their unique skill set or go to prison.

Ellie must break into a safe to exchange critical weapons blueprints before they are delivered to a German spy. While Ellie does not like the high-handed Major, she is more than willing to do her part for the war effort. But things do not go as planned and Ellie and the Major must race to uncover all the traitors involved in the plot as the dead bodies stack up.

This is a great start to this new historical mystery series by this new to me author. All the characters are very well developed and feel very believable and appropriate to this time in history. Not only is the research on London before the blitz evident, but the author does a great job of making the reader feel the appropriate atmosphere of living in the black outed city. The mystery/espionage plot is fast-paced and tightly written with plenty of twists throughout. Electra is a wonderful protagonist and there is still so much to learn about her, her mother’s conviction and which possible gentleman she will find romance with in the future, Major Ramsey or Felix.

I highly recommend this wonderfully enjoyable start to this new WWII historical mystery series!

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About the Author

Ashley Weaver is the author of the Amory Ames Mysteries and the Electra McDonnell series. She is also the Technical Services Coordinator for the Allen Parish Libraries in Louisiana. Weaver has worked in libraries since she was 14; she was a page and then a clerk before obtaining her MLIS from Louisiana State University. She lives in Oakdale, Louisiana.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.ashley-weaver.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshleyCWeaver

Feature Post and Book Review: An American Beauty by Shana Abe

Book Description

This sweeping novel of historical fiction is inspired by the true rags-to-riches story of Arabella Huntington—a woman whose great beauty was surpassed only by her exceptional business acumen, grit, and artistic eye, and who defied the constraints of her era to become the wealthiest self-made woman in America.

1867, Richmond, Virginia: Though she wears the same low-cut purple gown that is the uniform of all the girls who work at Worsham’s gambling parlor, Arabella stands apart. It’s not merely her statuesque beauty and practiced charm. Even at seventeen, Arabella possesses an unyielding grit, and a resolve to escape her background of struggle and poverty.
 
Collis Huntington, railroad baron and self-made multimillionaire, is drawn to Arabella from their first meeting. Collis is married and thirty years her senior, yet they are well-matched in temperament, and flirtation rapidly escalates into an affair. With Collis’s help, Arabella eventually moves to New York, posing as a genteel, well-to-do Southern widow. Using Collis’s seed money and her own shrewd investing instincts, she begins to amass a fortune.
 
Their relationship is an open secret, and no one is surprised when Collis marries Arabella after his wife’s death. But “The Four Hundred”—the elite circle that includes the Astors and Vanderbilts—have their rules. Arabella must earn her place in Society—not just through her vast wealth, but with taste, style, and impeccable behavior. There are some who suspect the scandalous truth, and will blackmail her for it. And then there is another threat—an unexpected, impossible romance that will test her ambition, her loyalties, and her heart . . .
 
An American Beauty brings to vivid life the glitter and drama of a captivating chapter in history—and a remarkable woman who lived by her own rules.

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61341955-an-american-beauty?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=npMzMsAXaB&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

AN AMERICAN BEAUTY by Shana Abe is a riveting biographical historical fiction novel about the most interesting woman of the gilded age that I knew nothing about. Arabella Huntington uses her beauty, determination, and brains to overcome her impoverished beginnings and will ignore the rules of elite New York society and rise to become the wealthiest self-made woman in America.

This story begins in 1867 Richmond, Virginia when Arabella Duval Yarrington is only in her teens. Her mother runs a boarding house and is barely able to feed her children in the war devastated Richmond. Arabella is the beauty of the family, and her mother takes her to get work in a gambling parlor and brothel. Arabella is beautiful and talented and knows her family depends on her. Collis Huntington is a railroad baron who attends the establishment Arabella works at and is smitten with Arabella even though he is married. This man will change her and her family’s lives even as Arabella learns and grows into her ambitions, business acumen, and large fortune over her lifetime.

This is such a rich story with many individual plot threads woven together over the lifetime of Arabella Huntington that made me feel she could walk right off the page. Arabella and her mother had to be tough and make difficult choices that not everyone would agree with, but they survived and thrived. I kept thinking of the Reba McEntire song “Fancy” as I was reading that part of Arabella’s life. All the characters are fully drawn throughout the book and believable. Even though this is a work of historical fiction many of the major plot points of the story can be verified as well as painting and jewelry collections still available for viewing left by Arabella. This story tells the tale of an amazing woman who triumphed even though she was very much ahead of her time.

I highly recommend this captivating biographical historical novel.

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About the Author

Shana Abé is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of seventeen books, including the acclaimed Drákon Series and the Sweetest Dark Series.

She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California, and currently resides in the mountains of Colorado with her very patient husband and a lot of pets.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.shanaabe.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shana_abe