I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review today on the release of Isobel Blackthorn’s A PRISON IN THE SUN (Canary Islands Mysteries Book 3).
Below you will find a message from the author, a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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A Message from the Author:
I wrote A Prison in the Sun to honour and remember all those men imprisoned under General Franco’s regime because they were gay. On Fuerteventura, where this story is set, prison conditions were brutal and likened to a concentration camp. To the best of my knowledge, nothing substantial about this prison has been written in English. All of my research I conducted in Spanish. In 2008 the story of the prison broke after professor Miguel Ángel Sosa Machín interviewed prison survivor, Octavia Garcia. I have known of the prison’s existence since 1989, when I lived in Lanzarote and my close friends from the island told me what went on there.
I have purposefully juxtaposed life in the prison with that of the present day, counterpointing the gravity of the prisoners’ situation with a touch of bathos in the main narrative, striving not only for balance, but also to entice reflection on who we were, who we are, and where we want to be.
A Prison in the Sun is my fourth Canary Islands’ novel and was written in keeping with that narrative style.
I offer the following story in all sincerity.
***
Book Blurb:
After millennial ghostwriter Trevor Moore rents an old farmhouse in Fuerteventura, he moves in to find his muse.
Instead, he discovers a rucksack filled with cash. Who does it belong to – and should he hand it in… or keep it?
Struggling to make up his mind, Trevor unravels the harrowing true story of a little-known concentration camp that incarcerated gay men in the 1950s and 60s.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
A PRISON IN THE SUN (Canary Islands Mysteries Book 3) by Isobel Blackthorn is a literary book with two mystery subplots; one past and one present featuring a millennial ghostwriter questioning his sexuality. This book is easily read as a standalone. I have not read the previous books and I believe the series is based more on the location than the characters.
Trevor Moore has made a decent living as a freelance
ghostwriter, but after a difficult divorce two years ago he has been personally
stagnant. He has lost his identity as a househusband and full-time father. Now
his bi-sexual ex-wife is remarrying her girlfriend and he is struggling with
his own sexuality.
Trevor decides to rent a farmhouse on Fuerteventura an
island in the Canary Islands chain to work on his own novel. He is tired of
producing for others and receiving no credit. The farmhouse is next door to a
hostel that he learns was once a labor camp for gay men during the Franco
regime. While it seems like an interesting bit of history to base a story on;
it also seems too depressing.
On a trip into seaside caves, Trevor finds a backpack. No
one on the beach claims it. When he gets it home and opens it, it is full of a
large amount of cash and a packet of old handwritten pages. While he struggles
with his conscious on whether to turn in the money or not, a body washes up on
the beach a few days later. He also discovers the packet of pages is a personal
account from a prisoner from the labor camp.
Can Trevor use the personal account to bring the story of
the labor camp to life in his own words? And what of the dead body and the decision
to be made about the backpack?
This was a very different type of book for me because it was more literary than genre mystery. The author intertwined the past and present mystery subplots equally throughout. Both were interesting and intriguing. There is a lot of emphasis on Trevor questioning his sexuality which I can understand with the tie into the labor camp, but I did not feel it was necessary as many times as it appeared throughout the book. The ending is abrupt and leaves you with many questions which was frustrating for this genre lover who wants everything tied up at the end, but it is what you would expect in a literary work.
This book is a bit out of my comfort zone, but it is well written
and worth the read.
***
Author Bio:
Isobel Blackthorn is an award-winning author of unique and engaging fiction. She writes dark psychological thrillers, mysteries, and contemporary and literary fiction. On the dark side are Twerk,The Cabin Sessions and The Legacy of Old Gran Parks. Her Canary Islands’ collection begins with The Drago Tree and includes A Matter of Latitude and Clarissa’s Warning. Her interest in the occult is explored in The Unlikely Occultist: A biographical novel of Alice A. Bailey and the dark mystery A Perfect Square. Even her first novel, Asylum, contains a touch of the magical. Isobel is at work on her fourth Canary Islands’ novel, a sweeping historical work based on her own family history. Her short story, ‘Lacquer’, appears in the esteemed A Time for Violence anthology. Isobel is currently at work on a full non fiction biography of Alice A. Bailey.
Isobel was shortlisted for the Ada Cambridge Prose Prize 2019, for her biographical short story, ‘Nothing to Declare’. The Legacy of Old Gran Parks is the winner of the Raven Awards 2019.
Isobel writes non fiction too. Her writing appears in journals and websites around the world, including New Dawn Magazine, Paranoia, Mused Literary Review, Backhand Stories, Fictive Dream and On Line Opinion.
Isobel’s interests are many and varied. A humanitarian and campaigner for social justice, in 1999 Isobel founded the internationally acclaimed Ghana Link, uniting two high schools, one a relatively privileged state school located in the heart of England, the other a materially impoverished school in a remote part of the Upper Volta region of Ghana, West Africa.
Isobel has a background in Western Esotericism and she’s a qualified Astrologer. She holds a PhD from the University of Western Sydney, for her ground-breaking research on the works of Theosophist Alice A. Bailey, the ‘Mother of the New Age.’ After working as a teacher, market trader, and PA to a literary agent, she arrived at writing in her forties, and her stories are as diverse and intriguing as her life has been.
Isobel performs her literary works at events in a range of settings, gives workshops in creative writing, and writes book reviews. Her reviews have appeared in Shiny New Books, Sisters in Crime, Australian Women Writers, Trip Fiction and Newtown Review of Books. She talks regularly about books and writing on radio, in Australia, and on occasion in the UK and USA and Canary Islands.
British by birth, Isobel entered this world in Farnborough, Kent, as Yvonne Margaret Grimble. She has since been Yvonne Rodgers, before changing her name completely in 1996 to Isobel Schofield. After a number of years as Isobel Wightman, she is now very happily and permanently Isobel Blackthorn. Isobel has lived in England, Australia, Spain and the Canary Islands. She now lives on Australia’s southern coast with her cat, Psyche. You can find out more about her other achievements here.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the Book Tour for Seeley James’ new book in the Sabel Security series – Death and Conspiracy:A Jacob Stearne Thriller.
Below you will find an excerpt from the book, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Good luck and enjoy!
***
Excerpt:
SOMETHING WENT WRONG WITH MY girlfriend.
I trudged along the stone-paved streets at dawn wearing my blue jeans and black leather jacket over a t-shirt that read, “That which does not kill me—should run.” I was thinking things over. There were no real indicators I could put my finger on, but when I said we should step out for coffee, she offered to join me “later.” Something in her tone of voice. Something in her distant gaze.
What happened? Last night we were thirsty for each other. I did my Julius Caesar impression, Vini, Vidi, Vici. She channeled the Whore of Babylon. Laughter and romping ensued.
This morning, she was different.
A shop lady dragged a stand filled with bouquets onto the sidewalk in front of her store. Figuring flowers might perk Jenny up, I picked one. The lady took one look at my face, smiled, and told me they were free for lovers. At least, I think that’s what she said. I studied Arabic and Pashto to get me through my eight tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. French never came up. I thanked her, sniffed the bouquet, and kept strolling.
We’d had a whirlwind romance, the kind you read about in books. If you read that kind of book. Which I don’t. So, I guess it was how I imagined a storybook romance goes. I’d saved her mother’s life, which led to Jenny getting a pardon. As soon as she got out of prison, she came to my house to say thank you in person. Come to think of it, that doesn’t sound like a storybook romance at all. Anyway. One thing led to another. Two weeks later, I invited her for a getaway weekend. I was thinking something like a bed-and-breakfast in the Shenandoah Valley. Cozy and affordable and nearby.
Then I made the mistake of telling my boss, Pia Sabel, about my plans. She thought Jenny Jenkins would prefer Paris. After all, Jenny’s the daughter of Bobby Jenkins, the billionaire drug lord—I mean, founder of Jenkins Pharmaceuticals. Since no one can say no to Ms. Sabel, especially when she insists on paying and providing a private jet, the next thing I knew we were in Paris, staying in the Hotel Lutetia on the Left Bank.
It turned out Jenny had been to Paris so many times it was like going to Walgreens. Her dad rented out Napoleon’s Tomb for her ninth birthday. For my ninth, Dad filled a barn bin with dried soybeans so we could jump in them. Things are different for farm boys in Iowa.
There was an upside. Instead of going to see the fire damage at Notre Dame or visiting the Louvre, she wanted to spend the entire trip in bed. I was fine with that.
Then this morning happened.
My brain came back to the street in front of me. Two men hauled tables and chairs out of a café and placed them on the sidewalk. I put my flowers on a table and dropped into a wicker chair. One of the men said something about not being open yet, but the other guy pulled him away.
I said, What did I do wrong? I made sure she was satisfied several times over. Wait. She wasn’t faking it, was she?
Mercury, winged messenger of the Roman gods, pulled up a chair next to me. If she be faking an orgasm when you’re going downtown like a Detroit rapper, who is she cheating?
Sometimes it’s nice to have a god you can chat with. Most of them are invisible and mute. I enjoy our little chats. Sometimes. But every now and then, the diagnosis of my Army psychiatrists rolls through my head like a thunderstorm. “PTSD-induced schizophrenia,” they said. Yeah. Well. What do they know? The guys who served with me in combat considered me divinely inspired.
Mercury first came to my aid in a battle where a company of Iraqi Republican Guards had pinned down a Marine platoon. I’d been separated from my Army Ranger unit and snuck through the combat zone lost, scared, and confused. With Mercury whispering in my ear, telling me where to aim, I took out half the Iraqis attacking the Marines and scattered the rest. The Marines loved me. I got medals. From then on, my heavenly powers on the battlefield made me the soldier’s soldier. Everybody wanted to transfer to my platoon.
All Mercury wanted was a return to his former glory. Just kick Christianity to the curb and reinstate the whole Roman pantheon. No problem. After fifteen hundred years, he and his buddies were done with living on food stamps and desperate for a reunion tour.
I said, Is it me? Too much of a socio-economic divide?
Mercury leaned in. You want a woman like that, brutha? Really want a woman like that? Then you gotta think like a Caesar.
I said, I’m her master and commander in the bedroom.
Sheeyit, dawg. Mercury rolled his eyes and leaned back. (Did I mention he’s black? He cites the Judeo-Christian Bible, where it says God made man in His image. Mercury points out that the Great Leap Forward happened in Southern Africa. There were no white people in Southern Africa in the days of Adam and Eve. Therefore, all gods are black. Yeah, took me a while too.) I’m talking real Caesar, not just another white dude whipping out some cheap leather gear in a hotel room. I’m talking invading nations, burning villages, raping, pillaging…
And that’s where I tune him out. Certain aspects of civilized behavior have changed a good deal since he whispered in the ears of the rich and powerful. I texted Jenny that I was waiting for her at the Café de la Mairie. She didn’t reply.
Ever listen to some old guy go on about winning the state championship back in high school? Try spending an hour listening to a used god talk about the good ol’ days when Julius Caesar defeated the official Roman Army under Pompey—not because he should but because he could.
Mercury said, And that’s how Julius Caesar became emperor. The lesson here is: Kill everyone who defies you.
I said, How’d that work out for ol’ Julius in the end?
The streets began to fill with enough vehicles to start the rhythmic honking cycles peculiar to big cities. It sounded a lot like that Broadway tune by George Gershwin. What was it called? “An American in …” somewhere.
There were no texts from Jenny on my phone when I checked for the three hundredth time. I sent her a picture of the menu and asked if she wanted me to order for her. No response.
Mercury said, There they go again. Those two clowns been circling the block all morning, dressed like Siberians.
I had a croissant with jam and a coffee. Alone.
Are you listening to me, homie?
Mercury’s supposed to be the god of eloquence, but tutoring William Shakespeare five hundred years ago didn’t work out for his resurrection, so he tried channeling inner-city kids. He thinks he sounds like Dr. Dre, but he comes off more like Eminem will in forty years. Desperately dated.
I’m telling you, Mercury said, those two are your ticket to fame. You kill them, and the press will love you. Glory will be ours!
Having lost track of which two people he wanted me to kill, I said, Jenny doesn’t care about glory.
The sun rose higher in the sky. The waiter brought more coffee. People going places began to fill the sidewalk. Singles, couples, families. It was Sunday, and many of them were filing into one big-ass church across the street.
Mercury said, What’s the big deal about this here girl has you so distracted, brutha?
I said, Remember when I rescued her mom from the assassins? Before her mom was VP, she was an admiral. And brass tends to expect a concierge rescue. But not Admiral Wilkes. She fought and ran and knocked out bad guys like a superhero. That woman was determined to get out of there. I was impressed.
When Jenny showed up, I realized the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. She was just as determined and driven as her mom. A woman like that, you can build a life together. A real partnership. The two of us working out family, friends, and careers together. We could grow old without the flame dying out.
Mercury said, Determined? Driven? You really want a woman like that, dude? Nothing but trouble if you ask me. In my day, women didn’t read, they didn’t vote, they didn’t talk back. We had a good thing going and y’all messed it up.
My phone’s screen was blank. Still no word from Jenny.
I said, Maybe she needs something more than just sex?
Mercury said, What else is there?
I dunno, I said. Like therapy or something. She had a traumatic year. Maybe she needs help with her mental health.
Mercury said, What would you know about mental health?
The waiter brought a vase for my bouquet. It was wilting. I gave him a nod. “Merci.”
Pretty much the extent of my French vocabulary.
I was stuck. If I went back now, I’d look insecure, worried. If I kept my cool, acted unconcerned, maybe she’d come around. Maybe she’d text me back.
I hate playing games like that. Unless I win.
See here now, bro. You need to take down those terrorists with the two coats. Mercury nodded at the men he’d pointed out earlier. You can be a hero again.
I said, What makes you think they’re terrorists?
Mercury said, They radiate hate.
Across the lane was a large, open plaza. In the center stood a massive chunk of marble with statues of ancient Frenchmen in niches surrounded by water splashing from a central fountain. The Frenchmen were probably important at some point in the history of the area, but now they were just a backdrop for selfies.
Two guys stood next to the fountain. They stole glances at the cathedral doors. They had jet black hair and beards. One had a swarthy, Mediterranean look. The other looked distinctly American. They kept their heads down, their hands shoved in their coat pockets. Their overcoats were heavy enough for winter, but it was a sunny spring day.
Maybe Jenny was worried about the paparazzi. We’d been swarmed outside the hotel. Again later when we went out to dinner. Neither of us is a celebrity, but her divorced parents are minor tabloid material.
Jenkins Pharma sold a questionable number of opiates, and her mom is the Vice President of the United States. Which is why there’d been plenty of controversy over Jenny’s pardon.
The paparazzi couldn’t be it. I’d shared Ms. Sabel’s advice for dealing with tabloid photographers with Jenny. Ms. Sabel told me to smile for the cameras because (a) they hate that, and (b) they’ll print it anyway so you may as well look good. Jenny still hated them.
I thought about going to church. I checked the name of the one across the street. Église Saint-Sulpice. I invited Jenny in a text. We hadn’t discussed religion, and she didn’t seem the type, but if she was mad at me, where better to work things out? She was the kind of woman worth working things out for. The kind worth having an intimate relationship with. Someone you could tell all your secrets to. Or is it, someone to whom you could tell all your secrets? I never get that stuff right. Maybe she didn’t like my grammar.
Mercury grabbed my hair and pulled my head up out of my phone. He pointed at the two guys. Quit thinking about getting laid and ask yourself the million-dollar question: why two coats?
Shoplifters wear overcoats. It gives them room for all their stolen merchandise. So do mass shooters. Coats cover weapons.
The shorter guy fiddled with a string of beads. Sweat dripped from his forehead. He mumbled to himself. The American looked calmer, yet significantly more agitated than your average churchgoer. My military training included a good deal about recognizing terrorists. They often say prayers. They’re often quite nervous. They often sulk to avoid notice.
Either these two were sinners in desperate need of redemption … or they were terrorists.
I found myself crossing the street, heading for the fountain. At the same time, the two men headed for the church. As he pushed off, the short guy tossed his beads into the water.
It was a wide plaza, and they had a shorter distance. I changed course to intercept them. Being unarmed put me at a disadvantage. But they had the terrorist’s tunnel vision. Their eyes remained glued to the entrance. Nothing around them mattered anymore.
A few people in nice clothes funneled up the steps and filed through the massive front door, each taking a bulletin from the greeters. None of them wore more than a light sport coat.
The overcoat guys slowed and hung back. When the funnel cleared, the greeters at the door waited. The overcoat guys trotted up the steps and entered without taking the offered bulletin. Without a bulletin, they would have no idea which hymns to sing. Definitely terrorists.
I bounded up the steps, full throttle.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
DEATH AND CONSPIRACY: A Jacob Stearne Thriller by Seeley
James is a fast-paced, action packed thriller. Although this is the seventh
book in the Sabel Security series, it can be easily read as a standalone. Each
book contains continuing characters arcs, but the plot is unique.
Jacob Stearne is taking time off after his last mission for
a romantic weekend in Paris with his girlfriend. As he waits in a bistro,
Mercury (the Roman god is a figment of Jacob’s imagination and/or a
manifestation of his battle-hardened combat sense) points out two possible
terrorists about to enter a crowded cathedral.Jacob
flies into action, but the eyewitnesses and the video of his heroic act, can be
misinterpreted and some are accusing him of being one of the terrorists.
The French authorities and the CIA use the misunderstanding
to leverage Jacob into helping them infiltrate an international conference of
neo-Nazi fanatics to help uncover the next big attack. As he gets deeper into
the group, he can trust no one, but at the same time he undermines his own credibility.
Can Jacob survive and stop the terrorists before thousands die
and the world erupts into chaos?
This is such a roller-coaster-ride of a thriller! Mr. James
has written a serious and topical thriller plot with great characters and lots
of action, but he also has interspersed humor with the internal dialogues
between Jacob and Mercury. I found it difficult to put this book down because
of all the twists and turns.
I always feel like I should be watching these books on TV or
at the movies instead of reading them. Thrills, terrorists, quirky characters
and fast-moving plots make me a very happy Sabel Security series reader every time!
***
Author Bio:
His near-death experiences range from talking a jealous husband into putting the gun down to spinning out on an icy freeway in heavy traffic without touching anything. His resume ranges from washing dishes to global technology management. His personal life ranges from homeless at 17, adoptig a 3-year-old at 19, getting married at 37, fathering his last child at 43, hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim at 59 and taking the occasional nap.
Seeley’s love of creativity began at an early age, growing up at Frank Llyod Wright’s School of Architecture in Arizona and Wisconsin. He carried his imagination first into a successful career in sales and marketing, and then to his real love: fiction.
His writing career ranges from humble beginnings with short stories in The Battered Suitcase, to being awarded a Medallion from the Book Readers Appreciation Group. Seeley is best known for his Sabel Security series of thrillers featuring athlete and heiress Pia Sabel and her bodyguard, veteran Jabon Stearne. One of them kicks ass and the other talks to the wrong god.
Today I am very happy to share my Feature Post and Book Review for Carolyn Brown’s new release THE FAMILY JOURNAL. This is my favorite of Ms. Brown’s books to date. Being able to read about your female ancestors in their own words for generations and while doing so, rebuilding your bond with your own daughter leads to a story that is heartfelt and endearing.
Below I have included an interview with the author about her 100th book!, an excerpt from the title, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book. As always, good luck and enjoy!
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Carolyn Brown Answers Questions About Writing a Hundred
Books
1.
Tell us about the first time you remember ever putting pen to paper. Was it a
slow evolution to becoming an author, or did you have an epiphany that this is
what you were supposed to be doing?
I really can’t remember when I didn’t write stories, but I got serious about
writing a book when my third child was born. She had her days and nights turned
around. Since I had to be up until the wee hours of the morning, I got out a
notebook, sharpened some pencils and started my first novel. I was twenty-four
that year. For the next twenty-five years I collected rejection slips. I do
believe I have enough to wallpaper the White House. I don’t mean that little
two holer down at the end of the path in Grammie’s back yard, but the one in
Washington, D.C. When I was forty-nine, I got “the call”. That was twenty-two
years and one hundred books ago, and I know in my heart and soul that this is
what I’m supposed to be doing.
2. Is there anyone in your family that writes? Did you have a mentor that
helped you push forward to become a full-time author?
My husband, Charles C. Brown, has written nine mysteries and is working on his
tenth. He’s been my biggest supporter through my whole career. He’s a retired
high school English teacher and he does the first edit on my books. Commas are
not my friend, but they are his buddies—thank goodness.
3. How have you evolved as an author? What are some things that have changed
since when you started writing up until now?
In the physical part of the business, lots has changed. I wrote most of my very
first book by hand. When Mr. B bought a used typewrite at a garage sale and
brought it in to me, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. In those sent in
proposals with SASE (that’s self-addressed stamped envelopes) and if the editor
wanted to see more, we sent in the full manuscript by mail. Now everything is
sent over cyberspace. I will be donating the typewriter Mr. B bought me to the
Johnston County Chickasaw Bank Museum on November 16th. My display shares a
room there with Te Ata, Gene Autry and Blake Shelton. I’m signing copies of The
Family Journal there on that day from 2 to 4 p.m.
In
the evolution as a write, I hope that each book is better than the last and
that all my books resonate with readers, touch their emotions and make them
anxious to get the next one.
4. Do you have a set schedule for writing? Do you have any writing rituals
or things that get you in the mood to write?
I’m very disciplined. I write somewhere between three and five thousand words a
day. Sometimes it’s pure trash, but you can fix trash. You can’t fix nothing.
From the time I start a book, my characters are in my head. They eat with me,
sleep with me, talk to me…. shhhh…don’t tell anyone I hear voices!
5. Tell us about some turning points as a writer – some big things that
happened that really changed your career.
One of the biggest things that changed my career was when Amazon bought the
literary company, Avalon, and turned more than forty of my titles into
paperbacks and digital. That made them financially available for more people,
and my readership grew by leaps and bounds. Another was when I finally made the
New York Times and the USA Today bestseller lists. But I have to
say that hitting the number one spot on Amazon was a really the icing on the
cupcake.
6. What does your writing future look like?
My future will simply be to keep on doing what I’m doing, and hope my readers
continue to love my stories. There are five books on the docket for 2020, and
four or five novellas. And we’ve already got a few scheduled for 2021.
7. What made you want your book, The Family Journal, your hundredth
book? What makes this story and these characters special to you?
Family! Plain and simple. What better way to celebrate reaching one of my
goals—to publish one hundred books—than to write about family? This story is
about several generations of strong women in the past, a mother who’s at her
wit’s end in the present, and a young daughter who represents the future. It’s
family from the emotional first scene to the last.
***
Excerpt:
Lily
reached for her tea at the same time Mack was setting his glass back down.
Their hands touched again. Her breath caught in her chest, and her pulse jacked
up several notches.
“I’m
going to ask you a dumb question,” he drawled. “Do you feel chemistry between
us?”
Her
chest tightened. Of course she felt something between them, but she damn sure
didn’t want to talk about it like they were discussing the price of goat feed.
And yet . . . they were adults, not hormonal teenagers who jumped into the fire
with both feet when they felt something for another person. How many times had
she told her clients in therapy sessions to talk things out?
“Why
is that dumb?” she asked.
“It
kind of sounded dumb in my head, and even more so when I said it,” he
said.
“Yes,
I do feel something between us.” She nodded. “I’ve wondered if it’s because I
haven’t dated all that much. How about you?”
“No
dates in three years. Nothing serious since Natalie,” he admitted.
“Do
you think it’s because we hav-haven’t,” she stammered.
“No,
I think there’s definitely an attraction between us, and I’ll tell you right
now, up front, you deserve better than me,” he said.
Lily
frowned so hard that her eyes became mere slits. “Why would you say a stupid
thing like that?”
“I’m
a high school vo-ag teacher, and I’ll never be rich. Hell, I’m forty-one, and I
don’t even own a house. I’ve just got a pickup that’s paid for and a herd of
goats,” he said.
“Why,
Mack Cooper, are you thinkin’ marriage?” she joked. “You haven’t even kissed me
yet.”
“I’m
just thinking that we shouldn’t start anything without being completely honest,
and, honey, I can remedy that kissing part anytime.” His green eyes
twinkled.
Lily
felt heat rising to her cheeks when she thought of kissing him. How in the
devil would it even work if they did decide to go out, or got into a
relationship beyond friendship? They lived in the same house with Holly and
Braden underfoot all the time. “I’ve got two kids,” she blurted out.
“I’ve
got forty goats.” He grinned.
“Did
you say it’s time to go feed the goats?” Braden came across the room and leaned
his arms on the back of the sofa.
Point
proven, she
thought.
“Yep,
it is,” Mack answered. “I reckon we both need to get changed so we don’t ruin
our good clothes.”
“I’ll
be down in five minutes.” Braden ran up the stairs.
Mack
crossed the room and bent to brush a sweet kiss across her lips. The tenderness
of his mouth barely touching hers and his drawl combined to send a heat flash
through her whole body. If that brief contact created such an effect, a
relationship might burn down the house.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
THE FAMILY JOURNAL by Carolyn Brown is her 100th novel
and it is my favorite to date! This is a wonderful, heartfelt and endearing
story of a divorced mother who has decided to make a new start with her
children in her childhood home in rural Texas.
Lily Anderson has had enough. She caught her disrespectful
teenage daughter smoking a joint and has found out her preteen son is sneaking
out to drink beer and smoke cigarettes with his friends. Her ex-husband gave
Lily full custody in the divorce, so she has taken all their electronic devices
and is packing up and moving out of Austin to her rural childhood hometown of
Comfort, Texas. Lily is desperate to get her children back on the right path.
Mack Cooper has been renting Lily’s home since the death of
her mother and raising goats on the property while also teaching ag classes at the
high school. Lily is willing to share the house with Mack until she decides if
they will be staying or moving back to Austin when the school year is over.
Never married and having been cheated on not once, but twice Mack is happy with
the company, but wary with his heart.
As Lily and her children begin to find a new normal, friends
and reconnect, Mack plays an active part in their lives. Lily is also able to bond
with her daughter over an old journal found in her mother’s desk. Passed down
in her family for generations from mother to daughter, Lily and her daughter learn
of all the strong women in their family’s past in their own words.
Will Lily be able to make this move work for herself and her
children? And will she stay in Comfort to take a chance on a new man to make
her house a home?
I curled up on my couch to start this book after lunch and I
could not stop reading until the end. Having raised my son as a single mom, I
could easily empathize with the trials Lily was going through with her children.
Mack was a strong and steady hero for both Lily and her children and I feel the
cozy romance was written perfectly for their situation. All of Lily’s childhood
friends in Comfort added depth to the story. The most intriguing parts for me
were reading the journal entries. I had to keep turning the pages because I was
as interested in the women’s stories as Lily and her daughter.
This is an all around wonderful story of family love that I
can highly recommend!
***
About the Book:
Title: The Family Journal
Author: Carolyn Brown
Release Date: November 12, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary:
At the end of her rope, single mom Lily Anderson is
determined to move her rebellious children in the right direction. That means
taking away their cell phones, tablets, and computers—at least temporarily—and
moving to the house where Lily grew up in the rural town of Comfort, Texas. But
Lily has a bigger challenge than two sulking kids.
The house comes with Mack Cooper, high school teacher and handsome longtime
renter. The arrangement: just housemates. But Mack’s devoted attention to the
kids starts to warm Lily’s resistant heart. Then Lily finds an old
leather-bound book in which five generations of her female ancestors shared
their struggles and dreams. To Lily, it’s a bracing reminder about the
importance of family . . . and love.
Now it’s time for Lily to add an adventurous new chapter to the cherished family journal—by embracing a fresh start and taking a chance on a man who could make her house a home.
***
Author Biography:
Carolyn Brown is a RITA finalist and the New York Times,
USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling
author of one hundred books. Her genres include contemporary and historical
romances, cowboy and country music romances, and women’s fiction. She and her
husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows
everyone else, knows what they are doing and when . . . and reads the
local newspaper every Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown
children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. Visit Carolyn at www.carolynbrownbooks.com.
I am very excited to once again be a part of a Release Blitz for a new Freya Barker book! TRACKING TAHLULA (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha Series, On Call #3) is another GREAT romantic suspense addition to the series!
Below you will find a description of the book, my book review and the author’s info and social media links. Enjoy!
As author Tahlula Rae has discovered; success is a double-edged sword. Leading a quiet and anonymous life, she isn’t prepared for the hateful backlash when her latest book hit the lists, propelling her into the limelight. No longer feeling safe in Denver, she takes her laptop and dog, Luke, and moves to the mountains around Durango, where her peaceful solitude is disrupted when a red-bearded man knocks on her door.
While one of the fire department’s finest, Evan Biel, is relatively content with his life, he can’t escape the sense something’s missing. When on fire-safety housecalls, he finds himself staring into a pair of soulful, copper-colored eyes sparking a deep interest. Discovering the exotic-looking woman may be in more trouble than he can handle, he tries—yet fails—to keep his distance.
When Tahlula offers San Antonio firefighters, Moose and Penelope Jacobs, temporary lodging, as they help fight seasonal wildfires, Evan’s relieved she’s no longer alone on the mountain. Yet when her troubles become outright threats on her life, his focus has to be keeping Tahlula safe.
TRACKING TAHLULA (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha Series, On Call #3) by Freya Barker is a GREAT romantic suspense addition to this series! Ms. Barker always gives me realistic characters that I would love to be friends with out of her books. This book can be read as a standalone, but there are several crossover characters from previous books in this series and Susan Stoker’s Operation Alpha world.
Tahlula Rae is a successful romantic suspense author who is
finding herself in a real-life suspense plot. As soon as she hit the NY Times
bestseller list and had to do live publicity, she seems to be the target of a
stalker for an unknown reason. After a break-in, she moves to Durango from
Denver with her rescue dog, Luke to be closer to her brother and hopefully get
away from any danger.
Evan Biel, Durango firefighter and paramedic is out making fire-safety
house calls. As he rings the bell for a remote home in the hills, he is
surprised by the exotic beauty with the soulful copper eyes who answers the door.
Evan finds he cannot get the feisty, independent, pregnant woman off his mind.
As their relationship grows, Tahlula and Evan work to
balance her independent streak vs. his protective nature. At the same time, the
summer wildfire season threatens the city as the personal dangers to Tahlula
increase. Can Evan and his friends keep Tahlula safe?
I always LOVE Ms. Barker’s characters! They are mature,
realistic, smart and likable. The romantic suspense plots keep you turning the
pages, but it is always the characters that make Ms. Barker’s books a “must buy”
for me. I am happy when I find an author who writes about older characters
finding their HEAs and Ms. Barker does it so well.
I recommend this romantic suspense and the whole series for
great characters and stories. I highly recommend Freya Barker for realistic
mature HEAs.
***
About Freya:
Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; with characters who are perhaps less than perfect, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills, and their own slice of happy.
A recipient of the RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for best first book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya has not slowed down.
She 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!
I am BURSTING to share this Feature Post and Book Review for Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s DIRTY LETTERS. This is one of my favorite standalone romance reads of the year and Griffin definitely made my BBF list!
Below you will find an excerpt from the title, my book review, a book summary the author’s bios and social media links and the link to the Rafflecopter giveaway for a $100 Amazon Gift Card giveaway!
I highly recommend this romance and good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
EXCERPT:
The small dining room
table had a pile of mail. I’d had Dad’s mail forwarded to my house, so mostly
it was just catalogs and junk. Once a month, Mrs. Cascio sent me
everything that arrived, even though I’d told her it wasn’t necessary. I
mindlessly fingered through the pile, not expecting to see anything worth
keeping. But I stopped at an envelope addressed to me—well, not me, but Luca
Ryan. That was a name I hadn’t heard in a long time. In second grade, my
teacher, Mrs. Ryan, started a pen pal writing program with a small town in
England. We weren’t allowed to use our real last names for safety reasons, so
the entire class used her last name—hence I was Luca Ryan. I checked out the
return address for the sender’s name.
G. Quinn
Wow, really? It couldn’t be.
I squinted at the
postmark. It was from a PO box in California, not England, but I didn’t know
any other Quinn other than Griffin. And the handwriting did look pretty
familiar. But it had been close to eight years since we’d exchanged letters.
Why would he write now? Curious, I ripped it open and scanned right to the
bottom of the letter for the name. Sure enough, it was from Griffin. I started
at the beginning.
Dear Luca,
Do you like scotch? I remember you said
you didn’t like the taste of beer. But we never did get around to comparing our
taste in hard liquor. Why is that, you might ask? Let me remind you—because you
stopped answering my letters eight damn years ago. I wanted to let you know,
I’m still pissed off about that. My mum used to say I hold grudges. But I
prefer to think of it as I remember the facts. And the fact of the matter is,
you suck. There, I’ve said it. I’ve been holding that shit in for a long time.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not obsessive or anything. I don’t sit in my house
thinking about you all day long. In fact, there have been months that go by
when thoughts of you don’t even enter my brain. But then some random thing will
pop into my head out of the blue. Like I’ll see some kid in a pram eating black
licorice, and I’ll think of you. Side note—I’ve tried it again as an adult, and
I still think it tastes like the bottom of my shoe, so perhaps it’s that you
just have no taste. You probably don’t even like scotch. Anyway, I’m sure this
letter won’t find its way to you. Or if by some miracle it does, you won’t
answer. But if you’re reading this, you should know two things.
1. The Macallan 1926 is worth the extra
cash. Goes down smooth.
2. You SUCK.
Later, traitor, Griffin
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
DIRTY LETTERS by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward is one of the best contemporary romances I have read this year! This romance has a swoon worthy rockstar hero and a heroine who is battling severe anxiety after a life altering event eight years ago.
Luca and Griffin became pen pals from the age of seven when
Luca’s teacher set her class up to write to children in England. Luca’s life in
New York could not have been more different than Griffin’s life in England, but
they became best friends. They told each other their deepest fears and secrets
and formed a bond that lasted over years, until Luca stopped answering Griffin’s
letters.
Out of the blue, eight years later, Luca finds a letter from
Griffin as she is cleaning out her deceased father’s apartment. His letter is
full of anger over her breaking their connection.
Luca reconnects by letter with Griffin, who now lives in California.
Luca explains to Griffin the reason for her discontinued writing and when he
learns the cause he forgives her. The spark and deep connection is still there
and soon the letters go from the flirty childhood connection they had, to an
adult connection full of their wildest sexual fantasies.
Luca wants to meet in person, but Griffin is afraid that when Luca meets him, everything will change. Neither go by their real last names in their correspondence or professional lives. Luca is willing to take a huge leap and go find her friend, but what she finds is not what she expected. Can two such different people find a way to be together forever?
This is one of those romances that pull you in and when you
reach “The End”, you do not feel any time has passed and you do not want to
leave Luca and Griffin’s world. I had all my emotions yanked, tossed and pulled
and believe me, you better have tissues for the last few chapters, some for sad
tears and ultimately for happy tears. The parts of the story told in written
letters between the H/h had me laughing out loud, squirming in my seat (explicit
and sexy hot) and crying like a baby. There is just something so much more in a
written letter than today’s emails, texts and phone calls. Griffin definitely
made it to my book boyfriend list. Luca is written with empathy and is a wonderful
portrayal of living through the good and bad days with an emotional anxiety disorder.
This is one of the most emotional, heartfelt and just plain
romantic books I have read this year. Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward have “knocked
it out of the park” with this collaboration! I highly recommend this romance!
***
About the Book
Title: Dirty Letters
Authors: Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Publisher: Montlake
Summary
She had yet to meet him but had never forgotten the British
boy who’d warmed her heart.
As childhood pen pals, Griffin Quinn and Luca Vinetti couldn’t have been more
different. Over the years, through hundreds of letters, they became best
friends, sharing their deepest, darkest secrets.
Until one day it ended.
Griffin never understood why Luca disappeared. She was special. She knew the
real him like no one else. He writes her a drunken letter, an angry one, never
expecting her to write back.
Before they know it, they’re right where they left off. This time with heat.
But as playing catch-up goes from fun to flirty to downright dirty, Luca wants more. She wants Griffin in the flesh. That’s where it gets risky. Because when they meet, the mystery will be over. And once they really get to know each other, there’ll be no going back.
***
Author Biographies
Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street
Journal, and USA Today bestselling author. With millions of books
sold, her titles have appeared on more than one hundred bestseller lists and
are currently translated into twenty-six languages. She resides in New York
with her husband and their three children, where she is living out her own
happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.
Penelope
Ward is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street
Journal bestselling author of more than twenty novels. A former television
news anchor, Penelope has sold more than two million books and has appeared on
the New York Times bestseller list twenty-one times. She resides in
Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
Together,
Vi and Penelope are the authors of Dirty Letters, Hate Notes, and
the Rush Series. For more information about them, visit www.vikeeland.com
and www.penelopewardauthor.com.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for Liz Talley’s new standalone release ROOM TO BREATHE.
Below you will find a guest post from the author, an excerpt from the title, my book review, a book summary, the author’s bio and social media links and Rafflecopter giveaway for $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book. Good luck!
***
Author Guest Post: Starting and Starting Over
Room to Breathe is a story of two southern women at very different stages in their lives who are experiencing the same sense of “starting over.” Daphne Witt is weeks from turning forty, in a career that she never expected, and ready to start dating after a divorce. Her daughter Ellery is essentially untested in the world. Young, beautiful, accustomed to everything going her way, Ellery finds herself with a less than dazzling job, a distracted fiancé and, for the first time ever, doubts about who she is and where she’s going. When the novel begins, we find Daphne dealing with an awakened libido she thought long dead, and Ellery struggling to accept working for her mother and living with a fiancé who has little time for her. Both women redirect their dissatisfaction toward secret desires – Daphne for a much younger contractor, and Ellery for a secret email pal who thinks she’s her mother. Like the vines of a vineyard, things get tangled quickly by decisions that not only threaten the fragile mother-daughter relationship, but each woman’s future.
One thing I really like about Daphne is her self-awareness. She’s been content to stand in the wings while everyone else in her life commandeered the spotlight, but now she’s ready to take her turn on the stage. She’s bumbled into a dream she never knew existed as a children’s author, and she’s really good at what she does and becomes an overnight success. But her family, even her ex-husband, can’t seem to let go of the woman she once was. They want the old Daphne, the one who put everyone else before herself. I intentionally gave Daphne a secret crush on a younger man and had her pay attention to her sexuality. Women of a certain age are often set aside, as if their “ sexiness” has a shelf life. I wanted Daphne awakened to the fact that as a woman entering her forties, she still needed intimacy and affection. I wanted her to struggle with the guilt, be tempted, and have a little fun with someone…young enough to date her daughter.
Ellery is the girl I once was. I remember being invincible, tossing my curls over my shoulder as a flounced around in my cheerleading skirt. The world was about me and what I wanted, what I thought I deserved. I wasn’t a bad person, but I do remember my brother once bringing my requested shoes on a throw pillow, bowing, and saying “your slippers, my lady.” I led a charmed life…until life punched me in the face. It has a tendency to do that in your mid-twenties when you find out (gasp!) the world doesn’t revolve around you. So I wanted to take a princess, toss her in the mud, and see what happened. Ellery isn’t always likable, but she’s authentic. And by the end of the book, she sees her mother as a person and not just her mother. Both Ellery and Daphne have a big growth arc in this book.
Room to Breathe has secrets, twists, bad decisions, surprises, and angst, yet it also has humor, heat, and heart tugs. I love the guys in the book – Clay (the hot contractor), Gage (Ellery’s surprise crush) and Evan (the vineyard owner) and I really like the interactions between Ellery and Daphne. I think readers will recognize themselves most in Daphne, but they’ll also remember how hard it is standing on one’s own two feet as Ellery must do. I’m proud of this book about letting go and taking the lemons that life hands you, tossing them, and pouring a glass of wine. Cheers to all the women who aren’t afraid to start over and create their own new paths!
***
Excerpt
“What are you trying to say?” Daphne
asked. Ellery always tried to get her to go to exercise classes, but Daphne
preferred running most days. Organized classes had never appealed to her.
Exercise was her escape, a time she could jab in her earbuds and listen to
podcasts or a book that didn’t feature poodles and tea parties.
“That you isolate yourself out here.
Hanging out with Pop Pop and Tippy Lou isn’t exactly being social. You can make
friends in these classes, plus use muscles you never knew you had.” Ellery rose
and smoothed the T-shirt swing top she wore over a pair of ripped boyfriend
jeans. Several strands of delicate gold chain were layered around her neck. Her
daughter somehow managed to look stylish and trendy in sloppy clothes. Daphne
always looked . . . well, sloppy in sloppy clothes.
“Maybe,” she conceded, only because
her daughter was unfortunately correct. She enjoyed visiting her father and
playing dominoes with his friends, even if they were out of her age range. And
her neighbor Tippy Lou Carmichael, while delightfully droll and enigmatic to
the point of oddness, wasn’t going to go shopping with her or out to drinks.
Tippy Lou preferred herbal tea on her front porch while she watched the feral
cats she fed every morning chase lizards and laze about in her garden.
Daphne had always been the type of
person to have only a few close friends. Though she’d cultivated friendships
with many of the other teachers at Saint Peter’s Day School, where she’d worked
as a teacher’s aide for fifteen years before staying home to write, she’d never
been good at being social. She had church friends, a book club, and knew a few
local writers who wrote professionally, but her best friend, Karyn Little, had
moved to Idaho with her new husband over a year ago.
In a few short years, she’d lost her
husband to self-centeredness and her BFF to the land of potatoes.
“Not maybe. Definitely,” Ellery said,
looking over at her.
“Maybe I’ll try it.” Going to the
class with Ellery might help their relationship, something that Daphne couldn’t
seem to get back on track. She didn’t know what was wrong, how she should act,
whether she should have given Ellery a job or not. Daphne had only wanted to
make things better for Ellery. That’s what every mother did, right?
But Ellery had grown more and more
distant over the past few months. Daphne suspected that it had something to do
with something Rex had said, but Ellery wouldn’t open up. Any time Daphne asked
her what was bothering her or if she wanted to talk, her daughter would tell
her everything was “fine.” She’d begun to hate that word.
“I’m pretty much done for the day. I
have to mail these packages. These are a few of the winners from your online
party.” Ellery picked up a bag full of colorful pink envelopes, walked out the
door and right into Clay.
“Whoa, hey, Elle,” he said, grabbing
her elbow and steadying her. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“I saw you last week at Elmo’s,”
Ellery said, shrugging off Clay’s hand. “But I guess you were too trashed to
remember?”
“Hey, I was celebrating a new contract,
but, yeah, I guess I had a few too many.”
“Honestly, Clay, it’s time you grew
up,” Ellery said, pushing past him before spinning back. The Tom Ford scent she
wore tickled Daphne’s nose.
“Guys never grow up, do we?” Clay
joked.
“Some don’t.” Ellery gave him a flat
look.
Her daughter had dated several guys in
high school but had been tight-lipped when it came to information on what had
happened between her and Clay. Daphne vaguely remembered a dustup with the head
cheerleader for a rival school. Ellery had been only a sophomore, and Daphne
remembered Clay being her daughter’s first heartbreak. Ellery had rebounded
quickly with the quarterback for the Riverton Falcons. She had an uncanny
ability to hook a new, even cuter guy after each successive breakup through
high school and college.
Point in case—Josh was so pretty
angels sang when he walked by.
Daphne still didn’t know her
soon-to-be son-in-law very well because he was always studying, but he seemed
to truly care about her daughter. And that was what mattered most.
“I’m out, y’all.” Ellery disappeared.
Clay turned his pretty blue eyes on
Daphne. “Sorry to interrupt. I wanted to get your opinion on the marble. They
sent two different samples in your color range. One has a lot of movement, the
other is pretty simple.”
“Sure, I’ll take a look,” Daphne said,
following him outside her office and into the heat of late morning.
Ellery tossed the bag of packages into
the narrow back seat of her sleek new Lexus and gave them an absentminded wave.
“She’s a firecracker,” Clay said with
a smile before jogging down the front porch steps. Today he wore a T-shirt.
Thank God. The jeans fit him like a second skin, though. So now she had to
contend with the butt thing.
Not only had she practically drooled
over a shirtless Clay yesterday, but she’d actually rated the bag boy’s
backside that morning at the grocery store. Thankfully Steve the bag boy was
older than Clay, but she was now convinced her libido had written a memo titled
“Take Care of Your Sexuality before You Mount the Bag Boy.” She wondered if
something was wrong with her hormones. Or maybe she was ovulating. Something
other than going middle-aged crazy.
Wait, was turning forty years old
hitting middle age?
Nah. And technically she was still
thirty-nine for the next two months.
***
My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
ROOM TO BREATHE by Liz Talley is a new women’s fiction novel
focusing on a mother/daughter relationship that is struggling with shifting
roles.
Daphne Witt was pregnant and married all before she finished
high school. She made the most of her life and for years was a supportive wife
and mother. While working part-time at a pre-school, she shares a story she
wrote and illustrated. It is sent by one of the other children’s mother to a
publisher and suddenly she has a new career. As Daphne finds herself
flourishing, her husband and daughter are not happy to no longer be the sole
focus of Daphne’s attention.
Divorced and moving on with her life, Daphne attempts to
keep her close relationship with her 22 year- old daughter, Ellery, but it is
not working. Ellery is Daphne’s assistant to help with bills as she takes a
year off after not receiving the internship she dreamed of and she resents it.
Ellery has a plan that is piece by piece falling apart.
After the disappointment of losing the internship, she decides to come home to
live with her pre-med student fiancée. Ellery has been spoiled her whole life
and she is overspending, living on her father’s money and not happy in her
relationship or with her life in general, but she continues to deny there are
any problems.
Everything comes to a head on Ellery’s 23rd birthday
weekend at One Tree Estates Winery.
This story is easy to read and the narrative flows
effortlessly while the characters all go through serious issues. The focus is
on Daphne and Ellery’s relationship, but Daphne’s ex-husband and best friend
all play pivotal roles is the misunderstandings and eventual healing. I felt
the emotions and dialogue were realistic and believable for each character.
I enjoyed this story and all of the memorable characters.
***
About the Book
Title: Room To Breathe
Author: Liz Talley
Release Date: November 1, 2019
Publisher: Montlake
Summary
For a good part
of Daphne Witt’s life, she was a supportive wife and dutiful mother. Now that
she’s divorced and her daughter, Ellery, is all grown up, Daphne’s celebrating
the best part of her life, a successful career, and a flirtation with an
attentive hunk fifteen years her junior . . . who happens to be her
daughter’s ex-boyfriend.
Ellery is starting over, too. She’s fresh out of college. Her job prospects are
dim. And to support her fiancé in med school, she’s returned home as her
mother’s new assistant. Ellery never expected her own life plan to take such a
detour. With no outlet for her frustration, she lets an online flirtation go a
little too far, especially considering her pen pal thinks he’s corresponding
with her mother.
As love lives tangle, secrets spill, and indiscretions are betrayed, mother and daughter will have a lot to learn—not only about the mistakes they’ve made but also about the men in their lives and the women they are each hoping to become.
***
Author Biography
A finalist for
both the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart and RITA Awards,
Liz Talley has found a home writing heartwarming contemporary romance. Her
stories are set in the South, where the tea is sweet, the summers are hot, and
the porches are welcoming. She lives in North Louisiana with her childhood
sweetheart, two handsome children, three dogs, and a naughty kitty. Readers can
visit Liz at www.liztalleybooks.com.
