I am so excited to share this Feature Post and Book Review for the Happy Publication Day of Ann Gridharry’s new book KILLER MOTIVE! This is the start of a great new series featuring DI David Grant and his team.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links. The plot is riveting and will keep you turning the pages. I am looking forward to following this team on many more investigations and I highly recommend this new crime thriller!
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Book Blurb
When a nurse is murdered, Detective David
Grant recognises the hallmarks of a serial killer called Travis.
Twenty-five years ago, Grant caught Travis
for the murder of five women and the murderer has been incarcerated ever since.
A frail sixty-year-old, Travis is in the terminal stages of cancer. The problem
is, he was at the hospital in the custody when the nurse was murdered.
Determined to solve the case, Grant
recruits a specialist to his team, Ruby Silver, a top criminal profiler. But
Ruby is hiding something from her colleagues.
Who is the copycat killer and what is their
motive?
Grant and the team must work quickly to solve the case as the body count rises…
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
KILLER MOTIVE by Ann Girdharry is a riveting start to
a new British crime thriller series. This new to me author had me intrigued
with all her characters, on-the-edge-of-my-seat with her thriller plot and gave
me a chilling in depth look into two serial killers.
DI David Grant is a 25 year veteran of the force with a stellar
career and record. He is intelligent and dogged in his pursuit of the truth. When
a nurse is found murdered, it bears all the characteristics of a serial killer
from Grant’s past. The killer is in the final stages of terminal cancer and at
the hospital for treatment when the murder occurred.
Ruby Silver is a research assistant, who is the true author
of a highly acclaimed publication on serial killers. Grant recruits Ruby to
assist his team, but Ruby has secrets of her own on why she is determined to be
on the team.
As DI Grant and Ruby work together to uncover the identity
of the copycat killer will they be able to stop him as the body count rises?
I was entirely engrossed in this investigation, the psychological
twists and all the characters in this thriller! Ms. Girdharry’s plot was rife
with twists, surprises and red herrings that were never over the top, but quite
believable. Ruby was an interesting character to add to the mix of a normal
police team Her backstory and emotional growth during the investigation pulled
you in emotionally and added extra depth to the story. All of the other team
members were fully fleshed and I will be looking forward to reading more about
them.
I highly recommend this book for a great thriller read and a
wonderful new group of characters to follow in future books!
***
Author Bio and Social Media Links
Ann
Girdharry is a British crime fiction author. Her debut novel, Good Girl
Bad Girl, is an Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist and a Readers’ Favourite
Five Star Book.
Trained in psychotherapy, she worked for many years in
the not-for-profit sector. She loves to travel. After the UK, she lived in
Norway and the USA, and she currently lives in France.
You can find out more about her books on her website
– www.girdharry.com. On her site, Ann also blogs occasionally about life in
France and she posts reviews for books she’s enjoyed reading
I am very excited to share this Feature Post and Book Review on the Blog Tour for Susan Mallery’s new contemporary romance MEANT TO BE YOURS (Happily Inc Book 5). This is another heartfelt addition to the Happily Inc series. It can easily be read as a standalone.
Below you will find a Q&A with Susan Mallery, an excerpt, my book review, the author’s bio and social media links. I hope you enjoy your time in Happily Inc as much as I did!
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Q&A with Susan Mallery:
What was your favorite part about writing Meant to be Yours?
Ohhh, that’s a hard question! I love everything about writing romance. The first kiss is still magical to me. The passion, the emotional intensity. It’s a moment that changes the course of a person’s life. When you fall in love, your life is bisected into before and after. Love is transformative, and the greatest pleasure of my life is to write about it.
Jasper and Renee in particular were a lot of fun to write because Renee is just such a mama bear when it comes to protecting her brides. She’s a wedding planner at Weddings Out of the Box, a theme wedding venue in the town of Happily Inc. Jasper is a bestselling thriller writer who wants to set his next book at a wedding. Renee’s response made me laugh so loud that I’m pretty sure I scared my pets.
Jasper continued. “I thought I could follow you around for a few weeks, learn about the business and—”
“No,” she said firmly, as all thoughts of them having another close encounter faded from her mind. “You’re not getting your serial killer cooties on my weddings. I’m a big believer in keeping the energy positive and flowing forward. Do you know what a serial killer would do at a wedding?”
He stared at her, his gaze intense. “That’s what I was thinking. I want the serial killer to be a wedding crasher.”
“No,” she said firmly. “Just no.”
When Jasper goes behind her back to get intimately involved with one of her weddings, Renee vows to keep him from bringing darkness to her bride’s special day.
I also adored the animals in this book. In the beginning, Jasper doesn’t trust himself to let a woman into his heart. His simple but profound act of kindness to a dog who needs a home leads to him finally being ready to fall in love. The dog, Koda, is based on a reader’s real-life dog. I gave Koda the same adorable quirks and characteristics that make him special—and I gave Renee the reader’s last name in her honor.
Did you find out any funny or interesting facts about wedding planning when writing this book?
I have learned that brides and wedding planners are some of the most creative people in the universe. I can’t tell you how much time I spent on Pinterest, looking at pictures from theme weddings. There are some really beautiful themes, and some that are charming and humorous. Every theme uniquely reflects the bride and the groom in the most beautiful way. In Meant to Be Yours, Renee designs several lovely theme weddings with beautiful touches I think readers will enjoy. Here’s a snippet from one:
Jim and Monica Martinez were a sweet couple with a fun firefighter theme for their big day. There was a long tradition of firefighters on both sides of the family and plenty of cute touches in the wedding and reception.
Monica’s dress laced up the back and instead of white ribbon to cinch her gown, she’d used bright red. The centerpieces were ceramic boot vases painted to look like firefighter boots, filled with red, orange and yellow flowers. There was even a walk-through fountain at one end of the reception area, created with fire hoses, a pump and a lot of engineering.
Pay attention to that last sentence because I also discovered that a lot can go wrong when you invite a few hundred people to a party. Imagine a room filled with people who aren’t used to dressing up, plus a fountain made with fire hoses, and a wedding planner who will do anything to protect her bride.
Did Renee or Jasper surprise you while you drafted this novel?
They did! When I started this book, I thought Jasper was the more wounded of the two. But as I wrote, I discovered that Renee’s scars went deeper than I thought. She’s been keeping a secret from her friends in Happily Inc, a secret about her mother that has cost her jobs, friendships and romantic relationships. Just when she starts to feel safe and accepted in her new home, her mother comes for a visit. . .
Can you share about what you’re working on right now?
I’m working on revisions on the next Happily Inc book, a Christmas book that will be out next year. No title yet. It has all of the humor and heartfelt emotion readers love in my books—plus Christmas! I invited members of the Susan Mallery All Access group on Facebook (www.facebook.com/groups/susanmalleryallaccess) to suggest random items for me to incorporate into the story. When the book comes out next year, I’ll share a scavenger hunt list with my readers so they can find the objects as they read. It’s just a fun way for me to stay connected to my readers as I write.
Who is an author you draw inspiration from?
Years ago, the fabulous Debbie Macomber suggested to me that I stop writing series about families, and start writing series about people who live in the same town. That advice was the inspiration for my Fool’s Gold series, which led to my Happily Inc series, as well. I’ll always be grateful to Debbie for that.
Who is a book character you’d be best friends with?
Each of my heroines is someone I’d be friends with—after all, I spend months with them, so I want them to be people I enjoy hanging out with. As for best friends, I’ll go with Ellen Fox, heroine of The Friendship List, which will come out next year. Ellen had me laughing all the way through the book. She’s blunt and smart and would drop everything to help someone she loves.
She’s a single mom who got pregnant in high school. She had sex one time, got pregnant, and then… nothing. She’s basically a virgin with a kid. But when she discovers what she’s been missing, she has no inhibitions. Her lack of filter was a source of constant amusement for me. Every day, I was excited to get back to work so I could spend time with her again. Such a fun book to write!
What do you hope readers will experience or gain when reading Meant to Be Yours?
I hope Meant to Be Yours will be a happy escape for them, an entertaining break from the stresses of their daily lives. This is a book for readers who like to feel the sharp pings of emotion—and the release of laughter with a guaranteed happy ending.
What inspired you to write Meant to Be Yours?
I loved the humor inherent in the idea of a thriller writer wanting to research weddings, and a wedding planner who wants to keep his darkness away from her bride’s special day. Jasper is the kind of writer who does his research in tangible ways. Before he writes a fight scene, he blocks it out with his buddies—weapons and all. He wants to get the details right.
So when he decides to set his next book against the backdrop of a wedding, he’s determined to get those details right, too. And the only way to do that is to be involved with a wedding from start to finish. But Renee is determined to keep any hint of darkness away from her bride’s special day. It’s not an intellectual exercise to her—it’s someone’s wedding day, and that means something.
It’s just a humorous conflict that I thought would be a ton of fun to write. And it was!
Oh, and by the way, Jasper also decides that his detective character needs a love interest…so he needs someone to block out the kissing scenes with him, too. (Full confession: I do occasionally ask my husband for help with my research. 😉 )
What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?
I’m active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter—but mostly on Facebook. I share book news on my main page, www.facebook.com/susanmallery. In the Susan Mallery All Access group, www.facebook.com/groups/susanmalleryallaccess, I share personal anecdotes and pictures, hold contests and play games. It’s a lot of fun, and everyone is welcome to join! (Unless you’re some weird spammer guy who wants me to marry you. Ew.)
***
Excerpt:
“It might just be okay,” wedding coordinator Renee Grothen murmured softly to herself as she surveyed the wedding reception. She wouldn’t risk admitting everything had turned out as planned until the last guest had left, but four and a half hours in, things were going really well.
Jim and Monica Martinez were a sweet couple with a fun firefighter theme for their big day. There was a long tradition of firefighters on both sides of the family and plenty of cute touches in the wedding and reception.
Monica’s dress laced up the back and instead of white ribbon to cinch her gown, she’d used bright red. The centerpieces were ceramic boot vases painted to look like firefighter boots, filled with red, orange and yellow flowers. There was even a walk-through fountain at one end of the reception area, created with fire hoses, a pump and a lot of engineering.
Renee walked around the perimeter of the indoor reception space, looking for problems. So far, so good, she thought with cautious optimism. The cake had been cut, the bar service was about to end and the tone of the party had faded from raucous to comfortably tired—exactly as it should. With a little luck, things would wrap up on time and without a crisis. This was Monica and Jim’s day—Renee wanted it to be as perfect as possible. While she always took care of her clients, she tended to unleash her mother bear instincts for her special couples and Monica and Jim certainly qualified.
She spotted Pallas Mitchell, her boss, walking toward her. It was nearly ten on a Saturday night and Pallas, a pretty brunette only recently returned from maternity leave, yawned widely. When she spotted Renee she held up her hands, palms up.
“What can I say? I’ve been home with an infant. These wild late-night hours are going to take some getting used to.”
“No one’s judging,” Renee told her. “As I said at seven, at eight and again at nine, go home. I can handle this. You’re barely back and you need to give yourself time to adjust to the schedule.”
“You’ve been running things for nearly six months. You need a break.”
In truth, Renee was a little ragged around the edges, but she’d loved handling Weddings Out of the Box while Pallas had been gone. She’d enjoyed the challenges each unique wedding presented and watching all the details fall into place on the big day.
“I had lots of help,” Renee pointed out. “Hiring college students on summer break was a good idea.” And what they’d lacked in experience, they’d made up for in energy and enthusiasm.
“Now that I’m back, things can return to normal,” Pallas said, covering another yawn.
“Go home,” Renee urged. “Please. I can handle things here. I promise.”
“Okay. I will. Thanks. Don’t you dare come in tomorrow.” Pallas’s voice was firm. “For once, we don’t have a Sunday wedding. Enjoy the break.”
“I will.” Renee would probably pop in to do a little paperwork, but she wouldn’t stay long. “Are you coming to The Boardroom on Monday night?”
In a wedding destination town, the rhythms of the residents were determined by weekend weddings. Happily Inc’s workweek started on Wednesdays as the businesses geared up for the dozens of nuptials that occurred in multiple venues. Which meant the town’s Friday night was actually on Monday.
The Boardroom, a local bar, hosted game nights on Mondays. Board games ruled and tournaments were heated and fun as friends crushed each other at everything from Candy Land to Risk.
Pallas shook her head. “I’ll admit to being a bit of a worrier. When we went a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ryan. He’s only five months old. It’s too soon to leave him at night.”
Renee held in a smile. “Sure. I get that.”
“I know you don’t, but thank you for pretending. Have fun for me, too. Oh, Jasper’s back, so tell him hi, if you think of it.”
Jasper was back? Renee hadn’t heard. She liked knowing he’d returned from his big book tour. Not for any reason in particular, she amended hastily. Sure, he was nice, but there were a lot of nice guys in the world. There was just something about Jasper. Maybe it was because in addition to being good-looking and just a little dangerous, he wasn’t a forever kind of guy.
“I saw that!” Pallas grinned. “I totally saw that. You did the predatory smile thing I was never good at. You want to use him for sex! Did I know this?” She stomped her foot. “Did this happen while I was on maternity leave? What else went on while I was off having a baby?”
Renee laughed. “You’re reading way too much into my smile. I’m happy he’s home from his book tour. That’s all.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Jasper and I are not involved. I doubt we’ve had more than a three-sentence conversation.”
Not that it took many sentences to ask Your place or mine? And while the description of predatory was nice, it gave her too much credit. Would she stalk him and pounce? Not even on her best day. Would she say yes if the man asked? She smiled again. Oh, yeah, she would. Definitely. Okay, probably. If she was feeling brave. Because while she worked her butt off to give her couples their perfect happily-ever-after day, she knew it was never going to happen for her. Those who could—did. Those who couldn’t became wedding planners.
Avoiding relationships might be the smart choice, but it was also a lonely one. She knew Jasper was into the long-term, monogamous, not-serious kind of thing and she was pretty sure she could handle that. Assuming she was his type and he was interested. They could have some laughs, lots of sex and walk away completely unscathed in the heart department. Where was the bad?
“There’s something going on and you can’t convince me otherwise,” Pallas said. “You have depths. I’m very impressed. Okay, use Jasper and then tell me the details because hey, he’s got to be great.” She yawned again. “I’m such a lightweight. I’m leaving now.”
“Good night. Hug Ryan for me.”
“You know I will.”
Pallas walked out of the reception hall. Renee continued to circle the space, looking for any forgotten handbags or phones, and noting how long it would take the cleaning service to return the huge room to order. Doing her job and not thinking about the fact that Jasper was back—that was her.
A loud whoop got her attention. She turned and saw three teenaged guys running through the fountain at the far end of the big, open room. Each of them jumped, trying to touch the arc of water dancing overhead.
The younger brother, she thought as she made her way toward them. And his friends. No doubt they were bored after so many hours with not very much to do. Regardless, she was not going to have them disrupt the reception when it was so close to being over.
As she approached the running, jumping teens, she saw both sets of parents, along with the bride and groom, still dancing. They swayed in time with the music, oblivious to the fountain and the idiots messing with it. Then several things happened at once.
The younger brother started an extra long run toward the fountain. Jim let go of Monica and spun her out the length of their arms. Monica bumped her mom, who stumbled a little. Dad grabbed Mom, moving all of them closer to the fountain and the younger brother running, who had to swerve suddenly to avoid them. As he swerved, he lost his balance and slipped, tumbling into the fountain mechanism. One of the hoses broke free, wiggling and spraying water everywhere.
Renee saw it all happening and knew there was no way she was going to allow her beautiful bride to get soaked. She lunged for the hose, caught it and held it tightly against her chest as the bride’s father rushed to turn off the water to the hose. It took only seconds, but by then the entire fountain had spilled over and Renee was drenched, shivering and had water up her nose even as she wondered if she looked half as ridiculous as she felt.
The new Mrs. Martinez hurried over. “Renee, are you all right?” She turned on her brother. “How could you? This is a wedding, not a water park.”
Aware that end-of-wedding exhaustion could easily lead to emotions spiraling out of control, Renee quickly faked a smile.
“Monica, it’s fine. Don’t worry. Keeping you and the rest of the wedding party dry was my only concern.” She glanced at the water draining onto the floor and realized part of the fountain was still pumping out water. That couldn’t be good. If she couldn’t get everything turned off, she was going to have to call in one of those companies that took care of disasters like flooding. “Really. It’s no problem.”
“You’re dripping and the water’s rising. My dad went to find the main shutoff.”
Renee wrung out her hair and hoped her makeup wasn’t too badly smudged. Then she realized the water level in the reception hall was indeed climbing and hoped Monica’s father found the shutoff soon.
She was just about to go help him when he returned.
“All turned off.” He glanced at the mini flood. “Sorry about this.”
“It’s fine,” Renee lied, her tone soothing, because that was part of her job. To pretend all was well even when they needed to be figuring out how to build an ark.
The rest of the guests were heading out. Nothing like the threat of an unexpected flood to get people moving, she thought, trying to find the humor in the situation.
“I’m so sorry,” Monica told her as she held her dress out of the water and slipped out of her shoes.
“Don’t be. You had a wonderful wedding and reception. Why don’t you and Jim start gathering your things? I have a spare set of clothes in my office. I’ll get changed, then help you make sure you have everything.”
As she spoke, she noticed the water seemed to have settled at about the six- or seven-inch level. Yup, she was going to have to call someone. No doubt she would be here all night. Oh, joy.
“I’m really sorry,” Jim said. “We thought we’d planned for every contingency.” He glared at his new brother-in-law. “Except for stupid.” He turned back to her. “Let us know the cost of cleanup. We’ll pay for it.”
“Thank you. I think the deposit should take care of it but I’ll let you know if there’s a problem. Now if you’ll let me go get changed, I’ll be back with you in ten minutes.”
Monica nodded.
Renee slipped out of her shoes and walked through the ankle-deep water. When she reached her office upstairs, she carefully closed the door behind her before undressing, then slipped on jeans and a T-shirt. Not exactly professional, but she wasn’t going to worry about that right now. Before she returned to her bride and groom, she looked up the local disaster cleaning service. The number was in her files, but wasn’t one she had had to use before.
They picked up on the first ring.
“Happily Inc CleanUp. This is Hilde. How can I help you?”
“Hi. I’m Renee Grothen at Weddings Out of the Box. We had a firefighter wedding tonight with a big fountain. There was an accident with one of the hoses and now our main reception hall is flooded.”
There was a pause. “Um, did you say firefighter wedding? Never mind. How much water?”
“About six inches.”
“That’s a lot.”
“It was a big fountain.”
“Give us thirty minutes and we’ll be there.”
“Thank you.”
Renee hung up, gave herself a second to catch her breath, then headed back to deal with the bride, the groom, the flood and anything else that might happen tonight. Because with a wedding, it was always something.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
MEANT TO BE YOURS (Happily Inc Book 5) by Susan Mallery is a
contemporary romance set in the wedding destination town of Happily Inc. Even
though this is the fifth book in the series, it can easily be read as a
standalone romance with a complete HEA.
Renee Grothen is a wedding coordinator at Weddings Out of
the Box. She works hard at making sure everything is as perfect as possible for
such a memorable day for every couple. As happy as she is for each of the
couples, she believes that marriage is never to be in her future.
Jasper Dembenski is a successful suspense novelist who has
managed to make a comfortable life for himself in Happily Inc. Jasper had
severe PTSD when he left the Army and still feels he is broken and unable to
have any type of permanent relationship.
When the two are seated together on game night at The
Boardroom, there is an attraction that surprises them both. Neither is looking
for permanent, but can they have a no strings fling?
Renee soon becomes the inspiration for the female character that Jasper needs to add as a love interest in his book. As he writes and learns about his female character, he learns about relationships and his own life. Maybe he is not as broken as he believes. Renee may seem to have it all together, but she has a lot of secrets in her past that have shaped how she relates to her present. Is she willing to take a leap of faith and put her heart on the line one more time?
I read this book in one day. I was so engrossed in finding out how Ms. Mallery was going to take two people who believed they would never have a HEA for themselves and give them their HEA together. This romance has more H/h character development than most intertwined with realistic dialogue and sex scenes while also keeping you entertained with secondary characters and the weddings happening at Weddings Out of the Box. I felt empathy with Jasper right away, but it took finding out the secrets in Renee’s past for me to understand her and how she was emotionally damaged. Renee’s mom, Verity was a wonderful secondary character and I enjoyed how she interacted with all the people, pets and animals in Happily Inc.
I always know I will be engaged and entertained when I read a Susan Mallery romance. This is another heartfelt addition to the Happily Inc series.
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Author Bio:
SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—40 million copies of her books have 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 two ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as mom.
I am very excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review on my turn for the Blog Tour for OMJ Ryan’s soon to be released new book DEADLY SILENCE (Detective Jane Phillips Book 1). I am racking up quite the number of amazing British police procedural thrillers and female DCI’s I follow and now I have another.
DCI Jane Phillips was first introduced in Deadly Secrets. She is now DI Jane Phillips and a lot has happened in the six months since the climax of Deadly Secrets, but you can read this book as a standalone and not be confused. Jane is now the main character in this new series.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio. Enjoy!
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#DeadlySilence
#IncubatorBooks@OMJRYAN1
@damppebbles@DamppebblesBTs
#damppebblesblogtours
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Book Blurb:
Some
sins can never be forgiven.
DI Jane Phillips was a star detective driven by a
relentless quest for justice. But then she stepped outside the law.
Now, demoted and suffering with PTSD, she finds herself
facing the deadliest threat of her career — a serial killer who is preying on vulnerable
women, murdering them in a shocking and bizarre ritual.
A master of deception, he selects his victims at random. Or
so it seems. But as Phillips investigates, she begins to see a method in the
killer’s madness. Perhaps these victims aren’t random at all…
As the pressure mounts, can Phillips find the link between these ritual murders before the killer strikes again — or will her dogged determination to solve the case bring his deadly silence to her door?
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
DEADLY SILENCE: A gripping serial killer thriller
(Detective Jane Phillips Book 1) by OMJ Ryan is the start of a new DCI/DI
British police procedural thriller series now featuring DI Jane Phillips and
the other detectives from the author’s first book, Deadly Secrets. This book can
be easily read as a standalone without any confusion.
The consequences from previous decisions in the pursuit of
justice have left DCI Jane Phillips just recuperated from a gunshot wound which
almost took her life, demoted to DI, coping with PTSD and dealing with a DCI
from her past in charge of her and her team.
A serial killer is preying on women in the quiet town of Cheadle. As Jane and her team investigate the similar gruesome ritual murders, they discover the women are not random, but connected through their Catholic Church.
As the pressure from their new DCI and superiors mount, Jane’s
relentless pursuit of justice just may bring the killer to her own door.
I will be adding another engaging, intelligent, strong female British detective to follow on my reading list. I was very happy to see that Jane was given the main character role in this new series. I love her sense of right and wrong and her determination to discover the truth and not just solve a case. I will be looking forward to Mr. Ryan adding more backstory to Jane’s character in future books as well as the rest of her team. DCI Brown is the boss you “love to hate” and I enjoyed finding out why Jane and he are at such odds. The killer was sadistic in his method of murder, but you also felt a small amount of sympathy for him when his motive is revealed. I was not surprised by the killer or his motive for the murders, but the plot and characters are so engaging it did not matter.
This is a fast paced read with the perfect balance of
thrills and chills vs. smart detective work. I highly recommend Deadly Silence
and I am looking forward to many more books featuring DI Jane Phillips!
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Author Bio:
For the last twenty years I’ve worked in radio and entertainment across the UK and Australia, collaborating with household names, celebrities and music icons, accumulating a host of international writing and radio awards.
And in 2018 I followed my lifelong passion to become a full-time novelist, writing stories for people who devour exciting, fast-paced thrillers by the pool, on their commute – or those rare moments of downtime before bed. My mission is to entertain from the first page to the last.
Hailing from Yorkshire, I’ve lived and worked across the UK in Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow, Sydney and Melbourne before settling in the north east of England with my wife and young son.
I am happy to be a part of this Release Blitz for Amy Briggs’ new book The Inheritance (A Port Henry Novel).
Below you will find a book description, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. I loved Scrappy, the Great Dane. As always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
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Book Description:
Riley Maxwell spends her days working from her New York City apartment, designing websites and copywriting for clients around the world. Most of her exposure to people outside of her home base is her visits to the local Chinese takeout place down the street. Satisfied with her life of solitude, Riley’s summer gets turned upside-down when a wealthy client passes away, leaving her a beach house in Port Henry, New York, one of the wealthiest shore towns on the East Coast.
When the Great Dane, Scrappy, who—surprise!—she also inherited, gets sick, she takes him to the nearest veterinarian, where she meets Donovan Hunter. A ridiculously good-looking playboy, Donovan immediately gets under Riley’s skin, and she can’t wait to be rid of the house, the dog, and Port Henry. Dr. Hunter, on the other hand, can’t get enough of Riley’s sass and how different she is from the usual summer crowd.
As the summer passes and Dr. Hunter runs out of made-up reasons to get Riley and Scrappy back into the office, he cooks up a new strategy to catch her attention, setting a plan in motion to get the girl, and the dog.
Formerly a firefighter and EMT, Amy Briggs grew up next to a military base, which inspires many of her stories. Her love of fairy tales contrasted with suspense carries through each of her novels and she hopes to inspire readers to fall in love with love. Amy lives in Texas with her family where she spends her time at her family’s MMA gym and has more cats than she can handle.
Amy loves to hear from readers and can be found on all the social media here: www.facebook.com/amybriggsauthor, Instagram @amybriggs23 & on Twitter at @amybriggs23. You can also email her at amy@amybriggsauthor.com
Find a full list of all of Amy Briggs books at www.amybriggsauthor.com
I am pleased to share this Feature Post and Book Review for J.S. Scott’s ENAMORED (The Accidental Billionaires Book 3). I loved the hero in this romance! This book is part of a series, but easily read as a standalone.
Below you will find 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. Enjoy and as always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
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Excerpt
“You
said you’d trade for my services,” I prompted. “But I don’t have much to offer
to a man like you.”
He studied me for a moment, which made me
uncomfortable.
I didn’t want anyone to know me better.
A man like Seth would never understand me.
“You have a hell of a lot to offer any guy,” he considered.
“Not exactly true,” I disagreed. “I was engaged
once, but I was never enough for Nolan Easton,” I muttered, instantly wishing
the name hadn’t left my mouth.
For some odd reason, Seth was easy to talk to,
but I needed to guard my words better.
He whistled softly. “Nolan Easton? Head of
Easton Investment Firms? The very wealthy Nolan Easton?”
“Yes,” I said tightly.
“Even so, I can’t believe he dumped you,” Seth
answered.
“He didn’t,” I admitted. “I finally broke it
off. He didn’t know how to keep it in his pants, and I didn’t want to spend my
entire life being who he wanted me to be.” I coughed nervously. “Now can we get
back to the business at hand?”
“Not yet,” he insisted. “I’m still trying to
get why any guy would want to change a single thing about you. Not that I
exactly love your line of work right now, but you’re passionate about it. You’re beautiful. You’re smart. You
seem to know exactly what you want. Considering our circumstances, I can’t say
I’ve seen your sense of humor, but I’m assuming you have one of those, too.
What the hell else did he want?”
I ignored his question. “I have three older
brothers,” I shared. “I have to have a sense of humor or they’d drive me
crazy.”
He rested his arms on the table and leaned
forward. “You didn’t answer my question, Riley. What else did he want?” His
voice was low and persuasive.
“It’s not important. My engagement has been
over for a while, and I’m happy. I finally found my own home here in Citrus
Beach, and I’m pretty content with being alone. It’s a lot nicer here than San
Diego. Quieter.”
It was a hell of a lot better than being with a
man who made me feel like I was less than nothing.
“When exactly did you move here? And where are
you living now?”
“Almost two years ago,” I ground out, growing
impatient to get back to business. It wasn’t wise to dump a lot about my
personal life to a defendant—no matter how good a listener he might be. “I had
a condo, but I recently purchased your sister’s cottage. I’ve settled there
now. She and Eli have the bigger home next door, so I already knew I’d have
good neighbors.”
“I’m right down the beach from there,” Seth
said, sounding surprised. “I’ve never seen you.”
“Like I said. It’s recent. I just moved in.”
I was squirming in my chair. I didn’t care for
the feeling of being interrogated. I was usually the one asking the questions.
He shot me a playful grin that made my heart
trip. “Welcome to the neighborhood,” he said jokingly.
“Thanks,” I said uncomfortably. “Now tell me
what you want from me to leave that piece of property alone.”
He took his time answering, and the silence
seemed to stretch out forever.
I gulped down the last of my tea while I waited
for him to answer.
Was he playing with me?
Or did he actually have some kind of
proposition?
Probably the former—since I really didn’t have
much to offer him in the way of services. I could guarantee that Eli Stone had
set Seth up with his gaggle of business attorneys. Why in the hell would he
need an environmental attorney?
“If you’re playing with me, this encounter ends
right now,” I said tersely.
“I’m not,” he said emphatically. “I’m just
wondering how to explain what I want.”
“If it’s acceptable, I’ll write up the contract
today,” I offered.
“It’s not exactly the contract I’m thinking
about,” he said thoughtfully.
God, I was jittery, and I wasn’t used to
feeling that way. I was pretty certain that it wasn’t the extra-large chai I’d
just consumed, either.
It was him.
Maybe it was the way he studied me.
Or the way his steely gray eyes never left my
face.
I couldn’t read him, and that completely pissed me off. As an attorney, I’d gotten
very good at judging exactly where a defendant’s mind might be, and what their
motives were.
“Just name your terms,” I said irritably. “I’ll
work out the details.”
I forced myself to meet his eyes in what I thought would be a battle of
wills, and then was sorry that I had even glanced his direction.
My breath hitched as I fell into a stormy gaze
that wouldn’t let me go.
I was stunned at the possessive way he eyed me.
I was confused about the emotions I saw there.
And I was mesmerized by the carnal desire that
flared up in his steely irises like a bolt of lightning as he held me still
with a single look, unable to rip myself away from his fixed stare that was
holding me in place.
I knew I was blushing like a damn teenage girl
with her first major crush. My brain was begging my body not to react, but my
stupid body wasn’t listening.
His voice was hoarse and beguiling when he
finally said, “I need a woman, Riley. And that woman has to be you.”
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
ENAMORED (The Accidental Billionaires Book 3) by J.S. Scott is the new contemporary romance in this series. It features an absolutely swoon worthy alpha male hero and a heroine who needs to learn she is worthy of unconditional love. The Accidental Billionaires series are all contemporary romances that follow a family of brothers and sisters who go from blue-collar to billionaire overnight. They have some family cross-over, but they can all be easily read as standalone HEA romances.
Seth Sinclair has taken his share of the family win-fall and
invested in his own property and construction company. It has been quite a
change to go from construction worker to head of his own company, but he has
made it work and prosper. Just one problem, the beach front he wants to develop
is a nesting site of an endangered bird and a beautiful and stubborn environmental
attorney is fighting Seth every step of the way. Even as he considers giving in
for his sister’s sake, he does not want to quit his sparring with Riley.
Riley Montgomery wants the beach front property for a
wildlife sanctuary. She has been battling Seth for months and has suddenly
received a proposition from Seth. If she will pretend to be his girlfriend and
help him at society functions for two months, he will hand over the land. As
apprehensive as she is, she wants that land and agrees with certain conditions
and one of those is absolutely NO sex.
Seth is not happy with Riley’s conditions, but he is willing
to play along for now. As the sexual tension builds, Seth wants nothing more
than to prove to Riley he will always be there for her unconditionally. Riley has
a secret from her past though that she feels makes her unworthy of Seth and his
love.
This is such an emotionally charged romance. Seth is BBF swoon
worthy. (I want one of those!) Riley is so strong to have survived her past,
grown out of the need to be a part of her old social circle and be willing to
allow Seth in and tell him the truth. Seth is absolutely perfect for Riley. The
sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous. I felt they were well written and
take into account Riley’s history. This is the type of billionaire romance I
like. Rags to riches, but not letting the money change who and what you are.
Family, true friends and love is still the core of the Sinclair family values.
Ms. Scott has written an entertaining, steamy and healing romance that I can highly recommend. I now need to catch up on the previous books as I wait for the next which I hope will be Noah’s story.
**Trigger Warning: The heroine has survived and discusses her childhood sexual abuse.
***
About the Book
Title: Enamored
Author: J.S. Scott
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Publisher: Montlake
Summary
Like his
brothers and sisters, Seth Sinclair went from blue-collar to billionaire
overnight, and he’s decided to invest in what he knows best: construction.
There’s only one thing in his way—the endangered birds nesting on a piece of
prime beachfront real estate. And fighting for the birds is Riley Montgomery, a
stubborn, pain-in-the-ass, drop-dead-gorgeous environmental lawyer.
The worst part? Seth will do anything to keep her around—even if it means
hiring her to be his fake girlfriend.
With a cause to fight for, Riley agrees to Seth’s scheme. If she keeps the
superficial women away from Seth, then he’ll leave the wildlife sanctuary
alone. But pretending to be his girlfriend comes with ground rules: No ass
grabbing. And absolutely no sex. Ever. The problem? The sexual
tension sizzles when they’re together.
Seth isn’t so keen on Riley’s rules, but he’ll keep his word, at least
until she decides otherwise. But bringing Riley into his circle has
brought her past back to haunt her in ways that neither of them expected. Now
it’s less about broken rules and more about broken hearts, and Seth will do
whatever it takes to protect the woman he loves.
***
Author Biography
J.S.
“Jan” Scott is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling
author of numerous contemporary and paranormal romances, including the
Sinclairs and the Accidental Billionaires series. She’s an avid reader of all
types of books and literature, but romance has always been her genre of
choice—so she writes what she loves to read: stories that are almost always
steamy, generally feature an alpha male, and have a happily ever after, because
she just can’t seem to write them any other way! Jan loves to connect with
readers. Visit her website at www.authorjsscott.com.
Today I am happy to share this Feature Post and Book Review for Helena Hunting’s new contemporary romance A LIE FOR A LIE (All In Book 1). While set in the world of professional hockey, this story focuses on the second chance romance and some not-so-little lies.
Below you will find a guest post from the author, an excerpt from the book, my book review, a book summary, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy and as always good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Guest Post: Lainey vs. Puck Bunnies
A Lie for a Lie is a heartwarming, sexy, emotional romantic comedy. It’s a second chance romance, filled with secrets and there are definitely some exciting, fun twists. It’s also a story of empowerment, self-discovery, and independence.
Rook Bowman, aka RJ or Rookie as he has been known as previously, has recently taken on the role as captain of Chicago’s NHL team, and with that role comes big responsibility and more fame than he sometimes knows how to handle. As with any professional sport, the NHL lifestyle can often be full of excess and decadence; money, fame and an endless stream of women who will do just about anything to get into bed with them, and it’s not always easy to avoid that kind of temptation.
When we meet Rook in A Lie for a Lie we learn that he has a less than shiny past when it comes to the excess and the puck bunnies (hockey groupies). NHL players are often drafted quite young—just watch a game and you’ll notice that the rookies can often barely grown peach fuzz, let alone a full beard. They’re still teenagers when they start their careers, and Rook was no different. Having grown up on an alpaca farm in rural New York, his focus was mainly hockey and the family farm, but once he hit the pros he found himself surrounded by women who literally threw themselves at him. And being young, attractive and full of testosterone, he fell headfirst down that rabbit hole. At least until the drama found him in the form of a fake pregnancy and a social media firestorm. Because of that, and the impact it had on his relationship with his family, Rook swears off the bunnies and refocuses on his career, rather than extracurricular activities.
He meets Lainey on the way to Alaska, where he’s gone every summer since he was a teenager with his dad and his brother. He lost his father a few years earlier, but kept the tradition with his brother because he craves the escape from the demands of his life as an NHL superstar. Lainey encapsulates everything he misses about being a “normal guy.” She doesn’t recognize him or seem to even know anything about hockey, and that makes her even more alluring. For once, he can just be himself. He doesn’t have to worry about ulterior motives or being used. Lainey is refreshingly innocent, incredibly smart, genuine and overwhelmingly sweet and Rook finds himself enamored with her sense of adventure. As they get to know each other, Rook learns about her traumatic past and realizes that despite the challenges she’s faced, Lainey possesses a quiet strength and resilience. Add some insane chemistry and you’ve got a recipe for love.
Unfortunately for Rook, he built their entire fragile relationship on lie he can’t take back.
***
Excerpt:
When Lainey excuses
herself to the bathroom, I rush upstairs and throw on a T-shirt. I know she
said whatever makes me comfortable, but sitting around shirtless is such a
douche move.
I make it back to the
kitchen and pour her a fresh drink before she returns from the bathroom.
“How can I help with
dinner?” Lainey drapes her sweater over the back of a chair.
And my mouth goes dry.
Like I ate an entire sleeve of saltines and chased it with a tablespoon of
salt. So far I’ve only seen Lainey in a giant parka or an oversize sweater.
Under all that bulky fabric is one hell of a body. She’s wearing a simple white
waffle shirt that conforms to her curves. A pair of dark-wash skinny jeans
encase her toned legs.
I’m used to bunnies
throwing themselves at me, often in questionable states of undress. I stopped
getting excited about miniskirts and revealing tops a long time ago. There’s
something infinitely sexier about a woman who can show off her body without
actually showing it off at all.
Lainey tips her head to
the side. Her teeth press into her full bottom lip. I want to do that. Suck
that pouty, full lip between my teeth and bite it. I want to do a lot of other,
far more explicit things than that, but a kiss seems like a good place to
start.
“RJ? Is everything okay?”
Her eyes dip down to my chest. I’m wearing a shirt from one of my endorsement
campaigns. It afforded me the extensive renovations on this cabin a few years
ago.
“Huh?” I give my head a
shake. “Oh. Yeah. Everything’s good. Sorry, zoned out there for a second.”
She smiles and pushes up
on her toes, her eyes twinkling—like, they legit light up, and her excitement
makes her entire body vibrate. It also makes her boobs jiggle. I try to keep my
eyes glued to her face. It’s not easy, though.
“I do that all the time!
Sometimes my brain is busy with so many thoughts I miss entire conversations.
Does that happen to you too?”
I grin. I love that she
seems to say whatever is on her mind. “All the time.”
“It’s actually a helpful
skill when you’re being lectured, because I can sort through stuff in my head,
but it’s not so great when your supervising professor is telling you what’s
wrong with your thesis.” She pulls her hair over her shoulder and finger combs
it.
“I take it that’s happened
to you.”
“It did. Thankfully he
also emailed all his criticisms, so missing out on it the first time wasn’t
that big of a deal.” She divides her hair into three sections and deftly braids
it without looking at what she’s doing even once. It’s pretty damn impressive.
I almost want to pull it apart so I can watch her do it all over again.
“Anyway, enough about that. Let’s get started on dinner!” She nudges me out of
the way so she can wash her hands. She dries them on her jeans and moves over
to the fridge, opening it to check out the contents.
I kind of like that she
makes herself at home. I’m used to women who expect to be catered to. It’s
refreshing to meet someone who doesn’t want me to pander to her.
I start pulling things out
of the fridge as she starts naming items she’ll need and set them on the
counter. I manage to locate most of what she asks for.
“What about garlic? Do you
have any of that?” She leans over, peering into the fridge beside me. Her braid
slips over her shoulder, skimming my arm.
“Uh, maybe we could forgo
the garlic?”
“Are you allergic? My
oldest brother gets bloated when he eats it. It took us forever to figure out
what was causing it. Sometimes I’ll still put some in when he’s coming for
dinner, because it’s funny to see him look like he’s expecting.” She tips her
head to the side. “Or you just don’t like garlic?”
“I like it sometimes, but
it depends.”
Her brows pinch together.
“On what?”
“Who I’m eating with. I
mean, if I’m going out with buddies, you bet I’m gonna order the honey garlic
wings, or the cheesy garlic bread, or the pasta Alfredo. But if I’m eating
dinner with a pretty girl, I’m gonna pass on the garlic.”
“Oh.” She twists the end
of her braid around her finger.
I hope I’m not reading
things wrong and making her uncomfortable.
“Does that mean you think
I’m pretty?”
That she sounds genuinely
curious as to my answer is unexpected. “You see yourself in the mirror every day—what
do you think?”
She averts her gaze, still
playing with the end of her braid. “My eyes are too big, so I always look like
I’m surprised. My nose is small, and my lips are too full, so my mouth doesn’t
really fit the rest of my face.”
“Wow. I think you need a
new mirror, because all I see is a whole lot of gorgeous.”
She snorts a laugh and
waves me off. “Once, I took a portrait class, and we learned all about
proportion and symmetry of the face. Those are just my flaws based on what I
was taught.”
“Well, I’m a big fan of
all your flaws, and I think they make you more beautiful, not less.”
“Thanks. I think you’re
beautiful too.” She cringes. “I mean handsome. You’re very nice to look at,
with or without a shirt on. When I fell in your lap on the airplane, I remember
thinking, At least I fell on someone nice looking.”
“Is that so?”
“Mm-hmm.” She opens a
drawer, maybe to avoid looking at me. “And as much as I was mortified when you
sat beside me on the Cessna, I couldn’t complain about the view, inside or
outside of the plane. That you turned out to be really nice, and just so
helpful, was a great bonus.” She hands me a roll of foil. “Why don’t you wrap
the potatoes? They take the longest, so we should get started on those first.”
I put the potatoes on the
barbecue and let Lainey order me around. She definitely knows her way around a
kitchen. When I was growing up, my mom did most of the cooking, but my dad
could make a mean Saturday-morning brunch. He also made great bread, which I
miss a lot.
An hour later we’re seated
at the table, plates full of steak, twice-baked potatoes, and crispy brussels
sprouts cooked in bacon fat. I open a bottle of red wine and offer Lainey a
glass.
“Just a little bit? I’m
not sure I like red wine.”
“Maybe you just haven’t
had the right red wine.” I pour a little into her glass.
She picks it up and gives
it a swirl, then sniffs it. “I’ve seen people do this in the movies, but I
don’t really know what the point is,” she admits, then tips the glass back and
takes a tentative sip. Her expression turns thoughtful; then she takes another,
slightly more robust sip. “This is actually really nice. I like it. Maybe the
red wine I had before was bad.”
“Maybe. Some of the cheap
stuff tastes pretty awful.” I pour more into her glass before filling mine. I
hold up my glass and wait for her to raise hers.
“To chance meetings.”
“To new adventures and
great company to share them with.” We toast and take a sip, each smiling behind
the rim.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
A LIE FOR A LIE (All In Book 1) by Helena Hunting is
a new contemporary romance that combines the romance tropes of second chance
romance and secret baby into an endearing story with realistic main characters.
This is a spin-off of Ms. Hunting’s “Pucked series” which revolves around the
world of professional hockey players and the women they find their HEAs with.
Lainey is completing her third Master degree and needs time
away to finish her thesis and get away from her over protective parents. She is
looking forward to being on her own on the remote island after surviving a traumatic
incident. Then she lands in the lap of a handsome stranger.
Rook (RJ) Bowman is looking forward to his yearly getaway to
Kodiak Island with his brother for weeks of fishing and relaxing before the
pressure of the new hockey season. When his brother cancels, Rook decides to go
on his own. On the flight to Alaska, a beautiful woman falls right into his
lap. Besides being beautiful, she is intelligent, anxious, quirky and has no
idea who he is.
Rook is so tired of the puck bunnies and the press so just
the fact Lainey does not know who he is intrigues him and turns him on. The two
spend several weeks together in seclusion and feelings begin to grow and it
turns into more than just a summer fling. Everything is perfect until his brother calls
him away on a family emergency. As he hastily leaves, he has no idea his lie of
using his family nickname instead of his real name will have unforeseen consequences.
A year later, a chance encounter brings Rook and Lainey back
together, but has Rook’s lie destroyed his chance at HEA? And Lainey now has a
secret of her own.
This is such a wonderful romance. Lainey’s transformation
and growth felt realistic and heartfelt. She found out how strong she could be.
Rook learned some hard lessons before he met Lainey and the man he is when he
meets her is swoon worthy. Ms. Hunting writes the progression of the romance
after their reunion perfectly for me. The dialogue is at times funny but also
poignant. The sex scenes are explicit and well placed as the two work to
reunite and trust each other again. This romance has a lot of love not only
between the H/h, but also the families and Rook’s teammates. All the secondary
characters are fully flesh-out out and not just placeholders or caricatures.
I highly recommend this contemporary romance and I am
looking forward to reading more in this series.
***
About the Book:
Title: A Lie for a Lie
Author: Helena Hunting
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Publisher: Montlake
Summary:
Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am.
Lainey is the perfect escape from my life. My plan for seclusion becomes a month long sex fest punctuated with domestic bliss. But it ends just as abruptly as it began. When I’m called away on a family emergency, I realize too late that I have no way to contact Lainey.
A year later, a chance encounter throws Lainey and me together again. But I still have a lie hanging over my head, and Lainey’s keeping secrets of her own. With more than lust at stake, the truth may be our game changer.
***
Author Biography:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting lives on
the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately
intolerant cats. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance with all
the feels to romantic comedies that will have you laughing until you cry.
