Tag: #aboutauthor

Feature Post and Book Review: A Christmas Miracle in the Little Irish Village by Michelle Vernal

Book Description

When twenty-four-year-old Ava Kelly and her adventurous twin Grace return home to The Shamrock Inn, their Ma’s favorite baubles bring back so many memories of Christmases past. They have always done everything together, even leaving their little Irish village for the excitement of London. But with the locket her handsome ex Shane gave her hanging just above her heart, Ava has just one wish this festive season…

After a year stuck in a job she can’t stand and going on dreadful dates, Ava longs to be back with Shane. Curling up in front of the fire with him, the brooding fisherman everyone else sees melts away as his blue eyes meet hers. But planning a future with Shane would mean telling Grace she’ll be moving back to the village for good. Ava knows it will break her sister’s heart for them to be parted.

But, before Ava can build up the courage to talk to her twin, terrible tidings about Shane hit The Shamrock Inn like a winter storm. With everyone but Grace rushing to the harbor, will Ava’s hopes for a future with both Shane and her sister in it be dashed? Or could a Christmas miracle bring them all together?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197776782-a-christmas-miracle-in-the-little-irish-village?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=7QqWN2eArh&rank=4

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE IN THE LITTLE IRISH VILLAGE (The Little Irish Village Book #3) by Michelle Vernal is an emotional rollercoaster addition to The Little Irish Village series. This story features the youngest twin, Ava Kelly, but still involves the entire loving Kelly family and their small-town of Emerald Bay, Ireland during the Christmas season. While this women’s fiction/small-town romance can be read as a standalone, I feel they are better read in order as each sister finds her forever love and the relationships within the family and village continue to evolve.

Ava and her twin, Grace, head to London to work and live for the excitement of the big city and to travel while they are young and free. After a year, Ava believes she has made a terrible mistake. She is unhappy and lonely and regrets leaving Emerald Bay and her ex-boyfriend, Shane. She is torn between her twin and her love.

Before Ava can sit down with Grace to tell her how she feels and that she wants to leave, she gets a phone call from her mother telling her Shane has been swept off his family’s fishing boat during a storm. Ava rushes home and prays for a miracle and as she waits for news, Grace still believes nothing will change. Will Ava get her future with Shane and be able to make Grace understand her true feelings for her future?

I loved this return to the Kelly family and Emerald Bay. There are two parts to this story that both revolve around Ava, and both had my emotions all over the place. I cannot say a lot about the plot points because it would give too much away, but I can tell you to keep the tissues handy. This heartwarming story is full of family, love, hope, reconciliation, and second chances.

I highly recommend this joyful and heartwarming women’s fiction/romance and cannot wait for the next book in the series!

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About the Author

Michelle Vernal is the Amazon UK top 100 bestselling author of Christmas in the Little Irish Village. In 2015 her debut novel, The Traveller’s Daughter, was shortlisted for the Love Stories award and in 2020, The The Letter won the Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Award for Chick lit. In addition, The Autumn Posy, Book 1 in the Liverpool Brides timeslip series, was a finalist in the 2021 Page Turner Book awards. She also writes the popular Guesthouse on the Green series featuring the hilarious O’Mara family. Michelle’s books are full of laugh out loud moments and warmth. Her readers describe her novels as unputdownable, feel-good and funny. She lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, with her husband, two teenage sons and attention-seeking tabby cats, Humphrey and Savannah.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.michellevernalbooks.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleVernal

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/michelle-vernal

Feature Post and Book Review: The Wedding Dress Christmas by Rachel Hauck

Book Description

December comes to quaint Hearts Bend, Tennessee, with a blanket of white and the glitter of Christmas lights.

For JoJo Castle there is no place like home. Her onetime love of adventure ended when her life in the big city came crashing down. Now that she’s home, she never wants to leave again.

Country music sensation Buck Mathews has charmed the world with his smile and his music. However, news of his mother’s illness brought him home to Hearts Bend for the holiday season.

Working with her cousin Haley in The Wedding Shop, JoJo has no aspirations of love. But when her high school crush returns to town, her buried feelings surface.

Busy with his career, Buck hasn’t had time for family and friends, much less love. Seeing JoJo in The Wedding Shop reminds him there are things more important than his career.

But JoJo and Buck have opposing life goals, and there’s no middle ground. Can love, especially the kind that touches hearts at Christmas, overcome her fears and his quest for greatness?

With the help of a very special wedding dress, there just might be a Christmas miracle.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52742020-the-wedding-dress-christmas?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=TT5Vx9xTR4&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE WEDDING DRESS CHRISTMAS (The Wedding Collection Book #3.5) by Rachel Hauk is a heartwarming small town holiday romance novella. This story is a part of The Wedding Collection series which features a special magical wedding dress and while only novella length it packs an emotional punch. (Have the tissues ready.)

It is Christmas time in Hearts Bend, Tennessee.

JoJo Castle returned to the safety of her parents’ home after a horrific personal attack while working in Dallas. Her dreams of adventure and life in the big city are gone. While she is happy working with her cousin in The Wedding Shop and helping with projects around town, she has no interest in love or marriage for herself.

Buck Matthews left Hearts Bend with a dream of country music stardom. His dreams have come true, but he comes home for the holidays when he receives news of his mother’s illness. While his career is at its height, being home reminds him of the things that are missing from his life.

JoJo and Buck were close friends in high school, but life moved them in different directions. With opposing life goals and JoJo’s ever-present fear, can the magical wedding dress and the man in a purple shirt help these two realize a special holiday miracle?

For a quick novella read, this story has well developed characters, an emotional punch and a holiday HEA. Even though JoJo and Buck’s romance moves quickly, it is believable because of their previous friendship and the realistic adult discussion of feelings throughout. There are no sex scenes in this novella. The religious elements in this story are hinted at Christian values and not preachy.  I normally do not give novellas more than a 4-star rating, but this one deserves all 5. I am glad I gave it a try and now I want to go back and read the full-length novels in this series.

I highly recommend this beautiful holiday romance novella!

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About the Author

Rachel Hauck is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author.

She is a Christy Award Winner and a double RITA finalist. Her book The Wedding Dress was named Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times Book Club. She is the recipient of RT’s Career Achievement Award.

Her book, Once Upon A Prince, was filmed for an original Hallmark movie.

Hauck has been acclaimed for her split time novels and royal romances.

A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, and a former sorority girl, Rachel and her husband live in central Florida. She is a huge Buckeyes football fan.

In other news, she’s recently learned how to hard boil an egg. She’s quite proud.

Social Media Links

Website: https://rachelhauck.com/about-rachel/

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

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-wedding-dress-christmas-by-rachel-hauck

Feature Post and Book Review: Bad Liar by Tami Hoag

Book Description

Small-town labels are hard to shake. Hometown hero. Fallen angel. Can anyone ever escape their past?
 
A murder victim dumped at the dead end of a lonely country road, face and hands obliterated by a shotgun blast, is not the way sheriff’s detective Nick Fourcade wants to start his week. His only lead takes him to the family of a hometown hero suddenly gone missing. Marc Mercier left his home for a weekend hunting trip and hasn’t been seen since.

Meanwhile, sheriff’s detective Annie Broussard begins her first day back on the job after suffering a brutal attack by taking on the case of B’Lynn Fontenot, a mother desperate to find her grown son, a recovering drug addict. Robbie Fontenot has been missing for eight days, but the local police have no interest in the case, telling B’Lynn that an adult has the right to disappear, and a missing addict is no big surprise. But B’Lynn swears her son was turning his life around. Sympathetic to a mother’s anguish, Annie agrees to help B’Lynn, knowing she’s about to start a turf war with the city police.

As Annie searches for Robbie Fontenot and Nick investigates the disappearance of Marc Mercier, it quickly becomes apparent that nothing is as it seems in the lives of either man. And it’s still not clear whether either—or neither—of them might be the unidentified murder victim. Old jealousies and fresh deceits, family loyalties gone wrong and love turned sour all lay a twisting trail that leads deep into the Louisiana swamp, endangering all who cross the path of a bad liar.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205846882-bad-liar?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=6fxQITTDev&rank=2

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

BAD LIAR (Broussard and Fourcade Book #3) by Tami Hoag is a fast-paced, dark, and intricately plotted crime thriller/police procedural featuring a married couple, both Sheriff’s Detectives in Partout Parish in the French Triangle of Louisiana. This crime thriller is easily read as a standalone crime thriller, but it is based in a small-town and all the characters continue to grow and evolve in their everyday lives.

Sheriff’s Detective Nick Fourcade is called to the scene of a dumped murder victim in the tall grass off a country road. Identification is going to take time because the victim’s face and hands have been obliterated by a shotgun blast. As he begins to look for leads, he discovers a returned hometown hero has gone missing. Are his victim and the missing man one and the same?

Sheriff’s Detective Annie Broussard is on her first day back on the job after recovering from a brutal attack. She takes on the case of a mother, B’Lynn Fontenot, desperate to find her adult son. She has gone through ten years of drug addiction, but she truly believes this time he had finally turned his life around. Annie is willing to fight the city police detective to take over the case.

As Nick and Annie investigate their cases, they soon discover that there is much more to the lives of the missing men as they wait to discover if either is the unidentified corpse in the morgue. The investigation leads to surprising twists and turns that will endanger Nick and Annie until the pieces of all the lies fall into place.

This is another example of the strength of Ms. Hoag’s ability to produce an atmospheric crime thriller full of compelling, complicated characters, good and bad, and a twisted plot that keeps you guessing until all the pieces have been discovered. Nick and Annie are fascinating as a couple, while also being the ying and yang of investigative styles. This book realistically portrays many types of drug addiction, domestic abuse, family loyalties, good and bad, jealousy, and murder. It took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions throughout and left me guessing to the end.

I highly recommend this compelling crime thriller/police procedural!

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About the Author

Tami Hoag is the #1 international bestselling author of more than thirty books published in more than thirty languages worldwide, including her latest thrillers–COLD COLD HEART and THE 9TH GIRL. Renowned for combining thrilling plots with character-driven suspense, Hoag first hit the New York Times Bestseller list with NIGHT SINS, and each of her books since has been a bestseller. She leads a double life in Palm Beach County, Florida where she is also known as a top competitive equestrian in the Olympic discipline of dressage. Other interests include the study of psychology, and mixed martial arts fighting. A woman of eclectic tastes, to say the least, Tami was recently asked to list seven things people may not know about about her: 1. I was once offered a job by a private investigator. 2. I have a license to carry concealed weapon, but never do. I took the course for research purposes. 3. My high school guidance counselor encouraged me to become an actress, but I thought that was too impractical (Of course, there’s nothing practical about being a writer, either, but at least I’m not obligated to look good on a daily basis.) 4. I used to sing at weddings. 5. While I have no intention of ever getting married again, I love watching Say Yes To The Dress 6. I have legitimate knockout power in my right hand, and I’m not afraid to use it. 7. When I’m stressed out, all tech devices around me go haywire. I’ve stopped watches, and fried hard drives. I once killed a television in a store display by merely touching it. I’m better off sticking to life’s simple pleasures–like books!

Social Media Links

Website: https://tamihoag.com/

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

Twitter: https://x.com/tamihoag

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tami-hoag

Feature Post and Book Review: High Intensity by Freya Barker

Book Description

Dog trainer and handler, Jillian Lederman, is moving with her pack to Libby, Montana, a place where she has made friends and hopes to find a fresh start. It’s time. For years, she’s just been keeping her wounds fresh by staying in Missoula—where there were regular reminders of all she’s lost—while the rest of the world has continued to move forward.
Perhaps the new house, the beautiful mountains, and a certain pair of clear, blue eyes hold the promise of new beginnings.

Since changing careers years ago, former FBI agent Lucas Wolff has found a much better work-life balance as a member of High Mountain Trackers. Still able to serve his community, he has also been carving out a comfortable existence for himself and is not looking to make any changes to it anytime soon. Not even for a particular bold and ballsy redhead he’s been trying to avoid.

That turns out to be an impossible feat when a plane crash during a blizzard sets both of them on the trail of a young girl, all alone in the mountains. But it soon becomes evident they are not the only ones looking, and staying safe means sticking close together.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210196449-high-intensity?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=UnKWJUXKI5&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HIGH INTESITY (High Mountain Trackers 2nd Gen) by Freya Barker is an intense romantic suspense full of action and all the love and emotions I look for in a great read in this genre. This book can easily be read as a standalone story, but there are carryover characters from the other books in the series. I have read and loved them all, but this one is special.

After helping law enforcement and the HMT (High Mountain Trackers) on their last case, Jillian Lederman makes the move to Libby, Montana with her special pack of dogs to make a fresh start and hopefully leave some of her heartache behind. She hopes with her new connections and friends, she can begin to move forward with her life. When a plane goes down in the mountains, Jillian and her dogs are called in when the HMT team discovers an eleven-year-old girl is missing from the crash site and may still be alive.

Former FBI agent Lucas Wolff has found a more balanced life and contentment with the HMT team. He can still serve his community, and he is close to his aging mother. The first time Lucas saw the beautiful redhead with her trained dogs, he knew he was in trouble, but there was no avoiding their interactions in little Libby.

As they work together on this case, the chemistry is inescapable, but so is the danger.

I loved this story! Jillian is so strong, intelligent, and loving with a backstory that broke my heart. Lucas is her perfect other half, and they were definitely meant to be. Their love story is just beautifully real. There are explicit sex scenes, but they are not gratuitous and fit well into a growing adult relationship and romance. Jillian’s dogs are as lovable and important to me in this story as the human characters.  I enjoyed getting reacquainted once again with the other HMTs and their families. I felt the suspense plot of this book was much more complex than what you expect in a typical genre romantic suspense and yet it is in balance with the romance. This is an overall great romantic suspense!

I highly recommend this new addition to the series as well as the entire series.

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About the Author

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”, and Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, 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!

For the latest news and updates on books and upcoming releases, you can subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/Freya_Newsletter

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.freyabarker.com/about/

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

Twitter: https://x.com/freya_barker

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/freya-barker

Feature Post and Book Review: The Garbage Man by Candace Irving

Book Description

Former US Army detective Kate Holland spent years hiding from the world—and herself.

Now a small-town cop, the past catches up with Kate when the body of a fellow Army veteran is left along a backcountry road…in meticulously severed pieces.

Four years earlier, Kate spent eleven hours as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan. According to her Silver Star write-up, she singlehandedly took down eleven terrorists to avoid staying longer.

But Kate has no memory of the deaths, or the events that led up to them. And now, bizarre clues are cropping up in and around that crime scene—and others. Clues that appear to connect to that fateful day. Is the killer trying to tell her something?

Or is Kate finally losing her grip on reality?

As the body count rises, Kate must confront the reason she bolted from the Army—before she becomes the killer’s next victim.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194927746-the-garbage-man?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=VuZVoNLjXg&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE GARBAGE MAN (A Hidden Valor Military Veteran/K-9 Mystery Book #1) by Candace Irving is an intense, gritty, emotional roller coaster mash-up of mystery, suspense, and thriller genres featuring a female small-town deputy on the hunt for a serial killer. I could not put this book down, but be warned, this is a book featuring a serial killer and it contains graphic violence.

Former US Army CID investigator Kate Holland saw several tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan seeing some of the worse violence man does to man. On her last trip outside of the wire, her group was captured and Kate spent eleven hours at the hands of terrorists. She escaped but has been suppressing the memory of what happened.

Now a small-town deputy in her hometown, Kate and her German Shepard, Ruger are trying to just get through each day until she is called to the horrific crime scene left by the road. The clues have ties to fellow vets and begin to make Kate believe this is tied to her captivity overseas, but is it true or is she losing her grip on reality?

With each new victim, Kate is forced to face her suppressed past and worry that she may be the next veteran to die.

This is one of those books that pulls you in and keeps you turning the pages. The plot comes at you from many different directions, but all the threads come together to a brilliant climax with PTSD, trauma, and revenge all interwoven throughout. Kate is a complex protagonist. She is strong on many levels, but also vulnerable. She is put through difficult situations, personally and professionally, throughout this story. Ruger is a wonderful sidekick, protector, and emotional support for Kate. This book has everything I look for in a gritty, intricately plotted genre mash-up with a memorable protagonist, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I highly recommend this mystery/suspense/thriller mash-up!

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About the Author

A former US Navy Lt., Candace Irving is the daughter of a librarian and a retired boatswain’s mate chief. Candace grew up in the Philippines, Germany, and all over the United States. Her senior year of high school, she enlisted in the US Army. Following basic training, she transferred to the Navy’s ROTC program at the University of Texas-Austin. While at UT, she spent a summer in Washington, DC, as a Congressional Intern. She also worked security for the UT Police. BA in Political Science in hand, Candace was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy and sent to Surface Warfare Officer’s School to learn to drive warships. From there, she followed her father to sea.

Candace Irving writes gritty military thrillers. She is the author of the Deception Point Military Detective Thriller Series and the Hidden Valor Military Veterans/K9 Psychological Suspense Series. She also writes military romance and romantic suspense as Candace Irvin (without the “g”).

Social Media Links

Website: https://candaceirving.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/candace_irving

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-garbage-man-a-hidden-valor-military-veteran-k-9-suspense-1-by-candace-irving

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: The Forgotten One by Catherine Bybee

Book Description

Sarah McNeilly is a rare find in the tabloid industry. She won’t ignite gossip. She finds the truth. And for once, that’s what her boss wants. With her job on the line, Sarah’s latest assignment is to identify the elusive “Maximillian Smith,” unearth his connection to the billionaire Stone family, and dig up some dirt.

Yesterday Max was an ordinary workingman, concerned with little more than the price of gas. Now he suddenly has a family, jaw-dropping wealth, and an avid (if clumsy) reporter on his trail. With the press threatening to destroy his new life, he needs to release his real story strategically, and Sarah is the key—not to mention an adorable yet invaluable resource for finding his mother.

As Max and Sarah team up to peel back the ugly layers of Max’s past, they stumble heart-first into their fiery attraction. But when their research threatens their newly built trust, it’s their future that is on the line.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210670792-the-forgotten-one?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=qnnluB1Ewt&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE FORGOTTEN ONE (The Heirs Book #2) by Catherine Bybee is a wonderfully charming and heartwarming second book in The Heirs series. This book features the discovery of the missing brother, Maximillian, and his romance with the tabloid writer who will only print the truth. While this book is easily read as a standalone with Ms. Bybee giving enough backstory to still understand the three siblings’ dynamics, I highly recommend reading book one, All Our Tomorrows, because it is a great read also.

Maximillian Smith is a blue-collar worker who lives day-to-day and keeps to himself. Then he suddenly has wealth beyond his imagination and siblings he knew nothing about. He also has a red-headed tabloid reporter on his tail.

Sarah McNeilly has dreams of working for a national news organization, but she needs experience and ends up working for a tabloid. She is having trouble though because she refuses to lie or exaggerate in her articles. When her boss gets a tip about a big story involving a deceased billionaire hotel mogul and a Max Smith, Sarah is assigned to find the scoop before anyone else.

When she literally runs into Max outside the family mansion compound, Max decides he just may be able to use this adorable writer to not only strategically release his real-life story, but to also help him discover the location of the mother that abandoned him to the foster care system. As they investigate together, the chemical attraction builds, but trust comes hard to Max.

I loved this story so much! Max and Sarah are perfect together. I was emotionally involved from Chapter One and their romance felt realistic and it was just plain fun. The banter between them had me laughing out loud at times. There are also times that I teared up and felt pulled into the difficult emotions of the abandoned child Max was and his shutting off his emotions as a way to deal with his life, and yet he was still a caring person. It was great getting caught up with Max’s siblings and the other characters from the first book. Ms. Bybee’s books always pull me in from beginning to end and she has become an auto-buy for me. I could not put this book down and I cannot wait for the next!

I highly recommend this emotionally satisfying and heartwarming contemporary romance!

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About the Author

Catherine is a #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Indie Reader bestselling author. In addition, her books have also graced The New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists. In total she has written thirty-six beloved books that have collectively sold more than 10 million copies and have been translated into more than twenty languages.

Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban
emergency rooms. She now writes full time and has penned the Not Quite series, The Weekday Brides series, the Most Likely To series, and the First Wives series. Learn more about Catherine and her books at www.catherinebybee.com

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.catherinebybee.com 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinebybee 

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/all-our-tomorrows-by-catherine-bybee