#standalone – Page 48 – Avonna Loves Genres

Feature Post and Book Review: In the Dark by Loreth Anne White

Hi, everyone!

Today I am very excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review for Loreth Anne White’s IN THE DARK. This is a fantastic mystery with a romantic suspense subplot that I hope will turn into many more books with the two main characters. Save a block of time to read this one because I just could not put it down!

Below you will find a Q&A with 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. You have to read this book! As always, good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway.

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Q&A: Author Loreth Anne White

1. You are very well known for your romantic suspense tales, but your new title, IN THE DARK, is all about mystery — a real whodunit! Tell us a bit about the story.

I like to think there is still a strong echo of my earlier romantic suspense books that ripples through IN THE DARK. Yes, it’s a locked-room mystery/thriller — wilderness style, but the mystery narrative is wrapped inside a romantic suspense-style narrative that follows a budding friendship between Detective Mason Deniaud and Search & Rescue manager Callie Sutton who must not only piece together what happened as they hunt for survivors, but also must race against time to save who might be left. The story leaves off with a promise of more ahead in the relationship between Callie and Mason, so my roots are still showing, I hope.

2. Your story definitely has shades of Agatha Christie as well as a nod or two to Stephen King. Did these authors act as inspirations for this book?

IN THE DARK is not only a homage to Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, but Christie’s story becomes a plot device, a psychological tool that the villain uses to instill fear in the victims trapped in the lodge because the victims know what transpired in the book, and they anticipate the same will happen to them.

And yes, a teensy nod to master of atmosphere and horror, Stephen King’s THE SHINING where characters are trapped in a remote and snowbound hotel and become mercy to the psychological horror that descends on them.

3. A rural, isolated lodge is always a great place to start a suspenseful novel. How exactly did your characters all come to be at Forest Shadow Lodge?

The characters are invited for an all-expenses stay at the brand new, high-end, fly-in wilderness lodge and spa. They are lured by an offer to enjoy a ‘soft opening’, so to speak, where they can assess the accommodation and potentially negotiate lucrative contracts with the new lodge owners. Each guest runs a business that would be suitable for such an establishment. Each is excited by a possible lucrative contract. But not all is quite what meets the eye, of course.

4. Your story is told from multiple points-of-view as you take deep dives into the characters’ lives and histories. Does everyone have something to hide?

Don’t we all have something to hide? My characters in this book certainly do. Some of their secrets are more powerful than others.

5. Mason and Callie are two of the law enforcement responders that are trying to piece together exactly what happened at The Lodge. Tell us more about these characters and what makes them so good at what they do.

Mason Deniaud was a top homicide detective before relocating to the remote north for personal reasons. He lost a young son and a wife and he’s searching for a way to live, or exist, if not heal. Callie Sutton is a young mother who is single, but also isn’t because her husband lies in hospital and is brain dead. Her husband is there, but he also isn’t there for Callie and her young son. Like Mason, she’s in limbo, a place where she can’t move forward, or back. It’s through this they find a bond. And the search for the missing lodge party pushes them together.

6. IN THE DARK is a pivotal novel in your career. What does it have in common with your previous writing and how is it different? How does this inform your next steps as a writer?

Pivotal sounds cool. I’ll take it! Thank you. But yes IN THE DARK is a bit of a departure from my previous romantic suspense books. If readers enjoy it, however, and if my publisher remains happy, I’d like to keep growing in this direction. But I do think my crime stories will always revolve around strong women, or women who might be victims to start with, but who find agency and take back their lives and become strong and survive through the arc of a story. (As with my forthcoming work IN THE DEEP). I do love to include a relationship element in my crime novels, but bonding with a potential love interest comes out of the personal growth of the protagonist. I like to tell—and read—stories of women who find ways to rescue themselves.

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Excerpt:

“The gas stove and the gas water heaters work,” Nathan said. “And there’s plumbing.” He turned his back on them and busied himself taking mugs out of the cupboard in an exaggerated fashion. His heart hammered in his chest. Sweat prickled across his lip.

“And there’s tea, coffee, tins of tuna, and soup,” Steven said as he hurriedly opened more cupboards.

Bart frowned. “Well, at least we won’t go hungry.” He made for the living area, paused. “I found a path. It looks like it leads around to the other bay, but it was getting too dark to follow without a flashlight.”

“Do you think it might lead to the real lodge?” Steven asked.

Nathan blinked. It was like the doctor was reaching for straws by asking—as if hoping, still, that their pilot had just made some terrible screwup with the GPS coordinates.

Bart said, “We can check again in the morning to see if—”

“There is no real lodge.” Jackie appeared in the doorway that led from the great room into the kitchen.

They all turned to look at the solid woman with intense eyes.

“This is no mistake,” she said curtly. “This is a con, some sick game.”

“What do you mean?” Bart asked.

“Did you guys not see the plaque outside, next to the front door? This place is called Forest Shadow Lodge. As in Forest Shadow Wilderness Resort & Spa. Here, look at this.” She pulled a brochure from her pocket and smoothed it out on the kitchen island.

“I printed it off the website before I left home.” She jabbed a photo of the luxury lodge. “It’s fake. It’s photoshopped, because it’s using the same location. See this bay here? And the shape of this one here? This mountain? This is how the terrain looked from the air. It’s this spot, but someone has photoshopped the spa into the location. They’ve erased parts of the forest, added cabins and trails, plus interior shots from some other spa and lodges.” She met their gazes. “This whole thing was faked from the get-go. We were lured here. All of us. And now we’re trapped.”

A sinister cold seemed to enter the kitchen. A shutter banged upstairs, and wind whistled. Mist, cloying and wet, pressed up against the windows. It grew darker inside.

“Why?” Bart asked, still holding his wood.

“God knows.” Jackie dragged her hand over her hair. “But right now, we’re stuck. We’ve been baited and lured into some weird kind of wilderness prison.”

“We are not trapped.” Stella entered the kitchen. “We have a plane. And you guys have a pilot—me. We have fuel. We—”

“We have no bloody radio!” Jackie snapped, whirling round to face Stella, her eyes furious.

“What?” said Steven.

“That’s right,” Jackie said. “Go on, tell them, Stella.”

Stella’s gray eyes flashed, shooting daggers at Jackie.

“Go on. Tell them. The radio is broken. Sabotaged, wires cut.”

“But I heard you speaking to your dispatch on the radio,” Nathan said.

“But it wasn’t working, was it, Stella?” Jackie said. “Your dispatch couldn’t hear you, could they? No one even knows where we are, do they?”

Stella’s features went tight.

“So when were you going to tell us this, Stella?” Steven asked.

“I didn’t want to say right away. Fear, worry, is not a good thing when—”

“When what? Jesus. Who are you to decide what’s right and wrong for us to know?” Steven barked. “You’re just the pilot, not the boss of our lives, for Chrissakes.”

“There’s a chance I could fix it in the morning. If I can—if it’s an easy fix—you’d never have to have known about it.”

“So you thought you’d play God?” Steven snapped. “Because we would all panic.” He wagged jazz hands at the sides of his face.

“And you’re not panicking?” she said.

Silence swelled in the kitchen. It felt for a bizarre moment as though the house was listening. Alive. Hostile. Nathan felt hairs rise along his arms. He was sensitive to these things. He could feel trees in the forest watching and listening to him.

***

My Book Review:

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

IN THE DARK by Loreth Anne White is her new book which is a mystery with a romantic suspense subplot that is now one of my favorite mystery books of 2019. You should set aside time to read this one because you will not want to put it down.

The promise of a luxury spa vacation and the chance to secure a lucrative contract for their companies has eight lucky guests coming together for two weeks in a remote location in British Columbia.

What they don’t realize is each is tied together by one tragic incident. They all have secrets to hide.

As they fly into the remote location, it is not what they were expecting. A storm keeps them trapped at the old hunting lodge and as they inspect the inside, they realize it is not a vacation, but a trap. Suddenly, everyone is suspect and no one can be trusted. They are all pawns in a game that must be played out until there is “one”.

When a seaplane is discovered by hunters, RCMP officer Mason Deniaud and SAR expert Callie Sutton come together to retrieve it and discover a dead body strapped inside. They learn of the other missing people and set out to find them.

The clock is ticking. Will Mason and Callie be able to find the missing people before there are none?

This is a GREAT read! It is a fast-paced page turner that grabs you by the throat, pulls you into the perfectly paced plot and surprises you at the end. The mystery is a cross between Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” and the game show “Survivor”. The malicious and deadly wilderness is a whole other dark and gritty character in this story which adds to the atmosphere of dread. While this is a standalone, I am hoping Ms. White will continue writing more stories featuring Mason and Callie. They are wonderfully flawed characters that fit together well.

I highly recommend this book! I have loved all of Ms. White’s books to date, but this one is very special.

***

About the Book:

Title: In The Dark

Author: Loreth Anne White

Release Date: December 1, 2019

Publisher: Montlake

Summary:

The promise of a luxury vacation at a secluded wilderness spa has brought together eight lucky guests. But nothing is what they were led to believe. As a fierce storm barrels down and all contact with the outside is cut off, the guests fear that it’s not a getaway. It’s a trap.
Each one has a secret. Each one has something to hide. And now, as darkness closes in, they all have something to fear—including one another.

Alerted to the vanished party of strangers, homicide cop Mason Deniaud and search and rescue expert Callie Sutton must brave the brutal elements of the mountains to find them. But even Mason and Callie have no idea how precious time is. Because the clock is ticking, and one by one, the guests of Forest Shadow Lodge are being hunted. For them, surviving becomes part of a diabolical game.

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Author Biography:

Loreth Anne White is a bestselling author of thrillers, mysteries, and romantic suspense. A three-time RITA finalist, she is also the recipient of the Overall 2017 Daphne du Maurier Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Romantic Crown for Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book Overall. In addition, she’s a Booksellers’ Best finalist and a multiple CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award winner. A former journalist who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now resides in the Pacific Northwest with her family. When Loreth isn’t writing, you will find her skiing, biking, or hiking the trails with her dog (a.k.a. the Black Beast) or open-water swimming. She calls this work, because that’s when the best ideas come. Visit her at www.lorethannewhite.com.

Social Media Links:

Website: https://www.lorethannewhite.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Loreth.Anne.White

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Loreth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150272.Loreth_Anne_White

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Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock

Hi, everyone!

It is my turn to share my Feature Post and Book Review on the Blog Tour for Terri Blackstock’s new Christian contemporary second chance romance SMOKE SCREEN. Realistic characters with a mystery subplot made this an entertaining and intriguing read.

Below you will find a book synopsis, an excerpt from the book, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Synopsis

One father was murdered,
and another convicted of his death. All because their children fell in love.

Nate Beckett has
spent his life fighting wildfires instead of the lies and rumors that drove him
from his Colorado home town. His mother begs him to come to Carlisle now that
his father has been released from prison, but it isn’t until he’s sidelined by
an injury that he’s forced to return and face his past. But that means facing
Brenna too.

Fourteen years ago,
Nate was in love with the preacher’s daughter. When Pastor Strickland
discovered Brenna had defied him to sneak out with Nate, the fight between
Strickland and Nate’s drunken dad was loud—and very public. Strickland was
found murdered later that night, and everyone accused Roy Beckett. When the
church burned down, people assumed it was Nate getting even for his father’s
conviction. He let the rumors fly and left Carlisle without looking back.

Now, Brenna is
stunned to learn that the man convicted of murdering her father has been
pardoned. The events of that night set her life on a bad course, and she’s
dealing with a brutal custody battle with her ex and his new wife where he’s
using lies and his family’s money to sway the judge. She’s barely hanging on,
and she’s turned to alcohol to cope. Shame and fear consume her.

As they deal with the
present—including new information about that fateful night and a wildfire
that’s threatening their town—their past keeps igniting. Nate is the steady
force Brenna has so desperately needed. But she’ll have to learn to trust him
again first.

***

Excerpt

I woke up in a blinding bright room, my clothes off and something clamped to my face. I tried to reach it, but I couldn’t bend my right arm, and my hand stung. An IV was taped to my other hand, but I moved carefully and touched the thing over my face.

An oxygen mask. I tried to sit up. “What happened?”

T-bird came to my bedside, a sheen of smoky sweat still soiling his face. “Nate, lie back, man.”

“The fire,” I said. “Need to get back. My men.”

“They’re still there. Making progress. But you’re not going anywhere near a fire for a month or so.”

I took the mask off and coughed a little, but managed to catch my breath. “A month?”

“Yep. Second degree burns on 20 percent of your body. Some of the burns are deep.”

It came back to me, the event that had gotten me here.

“The family. Were they injured?”

“Not a scratch or burn. Turns out it was a U.S. Senator from Kansas. He says you’re a hero.”

“You know I had no choice. They were in the path—”

“Take the praise where you can get it, man. We don’t get that much.”

I looked at my right side. My right arm was bandaged, and so was my side and down my right leg to the point where my boots had stopped the flames. Second degree wasn’t so bad, I told myself. Third degree would have been brutal. I’d be able to leave the hospital soon. I’d heal.

“I won’t need a month,” I said.

“Yes, you will. They can’t let you go back. Doctor’s orders. You’re grounded until he releases you.”

I managed to sit up, but it was a bad idea. The burns pulling on my skin reminded me why I shouldn’t. “I can’t be grounded during fire season. Are you crazy? I need to be there. You don’t have enough men as it is.”

“Sorry, Nate. It is what it is. Why don’t you go home to Carlisle for a while? Take it easy.”

Go home? Pop had just been pardoned, and he and my mom were trying to navigate the reunion. Though she would love to have me home, I didn’t know if I was up to it. My father could be challenging, and fourteen years of prison hadn’t done him any favors.

***

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

SMOKE SCREEN by Terri Blackstock is her new standalone Christian second chance romance. This is an entertaining and intriguing easy-to-read romance with realistic characters and a mystery subplot.

Fourteen years ago, while in high school, Brenna Strickland, the pastor’s daughter and Nate Beckett, the son of the town drunk fell in love. When Brenna was found to be defying her father and sneaking out to meet Nate, Pastor Strickland confronted Nate’s father in the local bar. It was very loud and very public. The pastor was later found killed in this car and Nate’s father was accused and sent to prison. When the church burned down, not long after, Nate was rumored to have set it because he left town the next day, but he was never charged.

Nate has spent his life as a hotshot fighting wildfires. After being burned while rescuing a family from a wildfire, Nate is put on leave just as his father is coming home after being pardoned by the governor. His mother asks him to come home and he decides to return to face his father and his past.

Brenna is now divorced with two children and living across the street from Nate’s brother. Brenna is in the middle of a brutal custody battle and has lost her faith. She uses alcohol to cope when her children are with their father and his new wife. She is shocked to learn of Nate’s father’s pardon and does not know what to do with her feelings of guilt and anger.

Nate reconnects with Brenna and they easily fall back into their old feelings. Nate wants to help Brenna get over her need for alcohol, fight for her children and find her faith again. When new information on the pastor’s murder surfaces and an arsonist sets wildfires that threaten their town, Nate and Brenna must rely on each other, fight for the truth and be willing to believe in a future together.

I loved Nate and how he turned his life around. He is definitely BBF material and his life as a hotshot was interesting. I felt terrible and frustrated with Brenna. She was a great mother, but her alcohol abuse, while realistic, left me so frustrated. She was giving up and not fighting for her children until Nate showed her how. I was also not aware of the author’s previous books and that this book was a Christian romance, which I would not have read if I had known and I would have missed out on a good story.

The mystery from the past of the pastor’s murder and the church arson where both written and integrated well into the story and tied to the present day wildfire and Brenna’s custody battle. The solution was easy to figure out, but still satisfying.

Overall, I recommend this second chance romance.

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Author’s Bio

Terri Blackstock has sold over seven million books worldwide and is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of Intervention, Vicious Cycle, and Downfall, as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, and the Restoration Series.

Social Media Links

terriblackstock.com/

Goodreads

BookBub

Twitter

Facebook!

Feature Post and Book Review: The Family Journal by Carolyn Brown

Hi, everyone!

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 100^th 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.

Social Media Links:

Website: https://www.carolynbrownbooks.com

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13554.Carolyn_Brown

***

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Feature Post and Book Review: Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

Hi, everyone!

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!

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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

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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!

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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.

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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.

Social Media Links

Vi Keeland Website: https://www.vikeeland.com

Vi Keeland Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorViKeeland

Vi Keeland Twitter: https://twitter.com/vikeeland

Penelope Ward Website: https://penelopewardauthor.com

Penelope Ward Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penelopewardauthor

Penelope Ward Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/penelopewardauthor

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Blog Blitz/Feature Post and Book Review: Dying To Tell by Keri Beevis

Hi, everyone!

I am very excited to share this Feature Post/Blog Blitz and Book Review for DYING TO TELL by Keri Beevis. This is a suspense/psychological thriller that had me hooked from page one and I cannot believe I have not heard of this author before now.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s biography.

I highly recommend this book and author!

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Book Blurb:

As the only survivor of a horrific car crash, Lila Amberson believes she is on the road to recovery after she is released from the hospital. Her memories of the accident are blurred though and a series of unsettling incidents leave her fearing for her safety. Does she have survivor’s guilt or is something more sinister at play?

Jack Foley is reeling from the shock of losing his sister in the crash and when he first meets Lila, he lashes out, blaming her for Stephanie’s death. But when Lila gives him a locket that she believes belonged to his sister, it presents more questions than answers.

As Lila and Jack work together to find out what really happened on the night of the accident, they are unaware that someone is watching them closely. Someone who has much to lose if the truth comes out, and someone who is prepared to do everything necessary to ensure all loose ends are taken care of.

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My Book Review:

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DYING TO TELL by Keri Beevis is a new suspense filled, psychological thriller that has so many suspects and plot twists, I just had to keep turning the pages long into the night. Ms. Beevis is a new-to-me author who knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat with a well planned, fast paced plot and memorable characters.

Lila Amberson is the sole survivor of a horrific car crash. At first, when she wakes, she has no memories of the accident, but slowly she begins to remember. The more she remembers, the more she has a feeling of dread. After several incidents, she realizes that someone is trying to hurt her and she has no idea who or why.

Jack Foley is a famous thriller writer who lost his youngest half-sister in the accident Lila was involved in. When Lila shows up to pay her respects at his sister’s funeral, Jack is angry and lashes out, but he soon realizes he was wrong about Lila. He wants to protect her and begins to care for her romantically.

As Lila and Jack begin talking to people to find out what happened on the night of the accident, they begin to realize that someone is watching and does not want a truth to be revealed.

I enjoyed this thriller from page one! Ms. Beevis’ plot has well placed red herrings, increases in intensity and surprised me in the end. The story is easy to read with very likable and believable main characters and a secondary cast of characters that are not just placeholders, but well fleshed out realistically flawed people. I am very grateful I tried this new-to-me author and I will be watching for more books by her even as I go back and check out her previous titles.

I highly recommend this thriller and author!

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Author Biography:

Keri Beevis wrote her first novel at age twenty, but it was a further twenty years before she was published after entering the Rethink Press New Novels Competition 2012. Her entry, Dead Letter Day, was a winner, earning her a publishing contract, and the book proved to be a minor hit, leading to a sequel, Dead Write. However it was Keri’s third novel, standalone mystery thriller The Darkness Beneaththat gained her the most success, along with many new fans, both in the UK and the USA.

Born in the village of Old Catton, less than a mile from where Anna Sewell was living when she wrote Black Beauty, Keri had a passion for reading and writing from a young age, though her tastes veered more to the macabre.

Today she still lives in Norwich, along with her two naughty kitties, Ellie and Lola, and a plentiful supply of red wine (her writing fuel), where she writes a comedic lifestyle column for a local magazine. She loves Hitchcock movies, exploring creepy places, and gets extremely competitive in local pub quizzes. She is also a self-confessed klutz.

Keri’s previous books have all been US based and she is looking forward to the release of her first UK based novel, which is set in her beautiful home county of Norfolk.

Book Review: Exception to the Rule by Charlotte Symonds

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

EXCEPTION TO THE RULE by Charlotte Symonds is a contemporary romance by a new to me author. This is a well written romance with fun and witty dialogue, a hero that every girl dreams of and a wounded heroine who avoids dealing with her emotional past by avoiding relationships.

Delilah Bennet can write a sex scene so well, she has been hired to be a ghost writer by a well-known romance author. She loves her job because she gets to freely manipulate all of the heroes. She is in total control. In her personal dating life she has rules and keeps the control, always. She must be the one to approach and she uses the men for sex. No relationships.

Delilah lives with her best-friend, Rhen and has always been the shield that Rhen uses to hide his true sexuality from his ultra-conservative family. Rhen is the only person who knows the real Delilah and why she is the way she is with men. When she tells Rhen about the fantastic mystery man she spies on while he exercises through the window of their apartment, he believes this may be the one to get Delilah to give real dating a shot, but she never sees his face.

Jake Hastings is the plus-one to Rhen’s cousin at a family wedding. When he sees Delilah dancing, something seems familiar about her, but he does not know from where. With his blue eyes, hard-body and sultry voice, Delilah cannot resist, even though he came up to her. Jake has trouble keeping Delilah from running away each time they get close, but he also cannot stop thinking about her and wanting more.

Is Jake truly sincere and an honorable man? Will Delilah make an exception to her rules and end up possibly having her heart broken for the first time or believe in Jake?

I am in love with Jake! Here is a romance hero who did not do anything, but be a nice guy. (OK. He is gorgeous and rich, too, which never hurts.) Delilah is the wounded heroine, instead of the wounded hero as in most romances. She proves she is capable of love and friendship with Rhen, but Rhen is safe. Her reasons for her rules are believable and give her a reason for always doing a runner when things get personal with Jake. Ms. Symonds has written realistic, funny and witty dialogue throughout the story. The sex scenes are fun, hot and explicit. The characters in this romance are interesting, entertaining and I feel could walk right off the page.

I highly recommend this romance!