Tag: #womensfiction

Blog Post/Feature Post and Book Review: New Beginnings in the Little Irish Village by Michelle Vernal

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for NEW BEGINNINGS IN THE LITTLE IRISH VILLAGE by Michelle Vernal on the Bookouture Blog Tour.

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

***

Book Description

Welcome to the little Irish village of Emerald Bay where the sun is shining, the locals are gossiping, and romance is in the air. But will returning home be the fresh start Imogen Kelly needs?

Thirty-two-year-old Imogen Kelly is meant to be living her best life in Dublin but the bright lights of the city aren’t making her truly happy. So she leaps at the chance to take on an interior design job at the big country manor at the edge of Emerald Bay. It also gives Imogen an excuse to return to the place where she spent an unforgettable summer with her first love, Lachlan Leslie, the heir to Benmore House.

Imogen’s heart is full of hope at the thought of seeing her childhood sweetheart but on the way there she nearly has an accident on the winding, muddy country road. She arrives at Benmore House late and flustered, only to discover the builder working with her on the renovation project is none other than Ryan O’Malley – the class prankster who was forever pinging her bra strap at school.

Within seconds it’s clear he’s still a cheeky charmer, even if he’s transformed into a gorgeous guy who unexpectedly sets her pulse racing. Forced into close proximity with relentlessly cheerful Ryan, who’s forever (badly) singing rock ballads at the top of his voice, Imogen at first finds him an annoying distraction.

With St Patrick’s Day celebrations in full swing, Imogen has her work cut out to keep the job on track. Spending more time with Ryan, she discovers that, behind his warm smile and generous ways, he’s nursing heartache. But when she finally sees blue-eyed Lachlan again, Imogen has to face up to the truth about the secret summer romance they shared.

Will she leave Emerald Bay broken-hearted? Or will Imogen realise that home really is where the heart is?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123279464-new-beginnings-in-the-little-irish-village?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=pVLxR3fNIt&rank=1

***

Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

NEW BEGINNINGS IN THE LITTLE IRISH VILLAGE by Michelle Vernal is a heart-warming contemporary romance set in the small Irish village of Emerald Bay. The Kelly family owns the local pub and is a loving family with five daughters. This is Imogen’s story, the second sister of the five. The eldest Kelly sister’s story is in Christmas in the Little Irish Village, which is also a wonderful read, but this story does stand on its own.

Imogen Kelly is thirty-two-years-old and a successful interior designer. She has been living and growing her business in Dublin, but she travels the country for various jobs. She jumps at the offer of the job to redesign guest rooms in the big country manor in her hometown. She is happy to visit and stay with her family, but she also wants to revisit the manor house of her first love, Lachlan Leslie.

When she shows up for her job, she is surprised to find the builder on the project is the cheeky Ryan O’Malley from her school days. Imogen finds she is attracted to the handsome builder, but her love life is complicated. Imogen must decide if she can get closure with her first love, find happiness with her current beau who is 27 years older than her and already has a grown family, or choose the builder who she finds she cannot quit thinking about.

This is a wonderfully charming contemporary romance with realistic characters and a setting that makes me want to pack my bags and move. Imogen is an intelligent and successful businesswoman but is struggling to find her soulmate and HEA. Her journey is made interesting with the choices she must make between the men in her life. Her family and best friend are fully drawn and give her support and love through her journey. There is humor, love and plenty of heart written into this story. The author makes Imogen and the small Irish village come to life. I cannot wait to return for the other sister’s stories,

I highly recommend this delightful contemporary romance!

***

bty

About the Author

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

Social Media Links

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleVernal

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

Feature Post and Book Review: Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn

Book Description

Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself. When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page.  

But then Georgie comes across a forgotten artifact—a “friendfic” diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary’s simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline—a guidebook for getting started on a new path.  

Georgie’s plans hit a snag when she comes face to face with an unexpected roommate—Levi Fanning, onetime town troublemaker and current town hermit. But this quiet, grouchy man is more than just his reputation, and he offers to help Georgie with her quest. As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side—if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back. 

Honest and deeply emotional, Georgie, All Along is a smart, tender must-read for everyone who’s ever wondered about the life that got away . . .

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60604190-georgie-all-along?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=GlZFpKS3du&rank=1
 

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

GEORGIE, ALL ALONG by Kate Clayborn is a beautiful journey of self-discovery and finding where you belong along with quirky hippy parents, a best friend who seems to always have it all together, and a one-time town troublemaker and his dog. This is a standalone women’s fiction/romance and the first, but will not be the last, book I have read by this author.

Georgie Mulcahy has made a living from putting other people first. When Georgie’s current Tinsel Town client decides to retire, she does not know what she wants to do, but her best friend is pregnant and asking for her help, so she returns to her hometown. She returns to her parents’ home to find they have also allowed Levi to stay while his house is being remodeled. Levi is basically a hermit after being a troublemaker in his youth and opposite the open Georgie.

Georgie finds an old “friend-fic” while helping her friend and decides this just might be the guidebook she needs to start a new path. As Georgie and Levi spend more time together, Levi wants to help Georgie with her old to-do list, and they discover they both have pasts they need to accept before they can move forward.

This is a deeply emotional attempt to go back to find your future. Georgie is a giver and fixer who feels empty personally and as you read along you find you are yelling at the book, trying to tell Georgie she is perfect just the way she is. Levi is a wonderful grump who proves to be so much more and is a wonderful counterpoint to Georgie’s openness and caring. The parents of both Georgie and Levi could not have been more different and I know which I prefer. Levi and Georgie are wonderful together and I was happy with the family reconciliations in this story and glad that others were not forced to make a resolution. The story would have felt false to me otherwise. Being a pitbull owner myself, all Hank’s traits made me smile and I know the difficulties are real that Levi faced at times with others.

I highly recommend this wonderfully uplifting women’s fiction/romance and I am looking forward to checking out other books by this author.

***

About the Author

Kate Clayborn is the critically acclaimed author of six novels. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Bookpage, and more. By day she works in education, and by night (and sometimes, by very early morning) she writes contemporary romances about smart, strong, modern heroines who face the world alongside true friends and complicated families. She resides in Virginia with her husband and their dig.

Social Media Link

Website: https://www.kateclayborn.com/

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Sister Effect by Susan Mallery

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE SISTER EFFECT by Susan Mallery on this blog tour.

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

***

Author Q&A

1) What inspired you to write about sisters? And do you have a sister story to share?

I think I’m inspired to write about sisters precisely because I don’t have any of my own. I’m an only child. My parents were onlies, too, so I didn’t even have any cousins growing up. But I did have a good friend who came from a big family, and I absolutely adored going over to her house. It was so delightfully loud! So beautifully chaotic! (Maybe part of the reason I loved it so much was that I could leave and go home whenever I wanted. My friend envied the quiet and the privacy at my house.)

I wrote The Sister Effect because I wanted to explore the idea of two sisters who experience the same event—going side by side through childhood—but who perceive it differently. And their different perceptions create a ripple effect through the years that sends their lives in different directions. When Finley and Sloane were young, their mother and grandfather got into a custody battle for them. The court decided in Mom’s favor after Finley told the judge she didn’t want to lose her mom, so grandpa turned his backs on the girls. Can you imagine how traumatic that would be? They loved him, and they thought he loved them, too, but he reacted out of his own pain rather than out of thinking of what was best for them. Finley became terrified to trust her heart to anyone again. Sloane turned into the wild child of the family, larger than life on the outside to disguise her pain.

As The Sister Effect starts, the sisters are in their thirties and estranged. But they both deeply love Sloane’s young daughter, and their love for that little girl will open their hearts to one another so they can become true sisters once again. This book is painful and funny and uplifting, with so many juicy topics for bookclubs to dig into. I hope you’ll love The Sister Effect as much as I loved writing it.

Although I don’t have a sister story of my own to share, I did invite some of my favorite writers to share a True Story of Sisterhood. You can read them at https://sistereffect.susanmallery.com. There, you’ll find heartwarming stories of sisterhood from Maisey Yates, Carolyn Brown, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Mariah Stewart, Christine Rimmer, Alexis Morgan, Debbie Mason, Robyn Carr, Lori Foster, Brenda Novak, and Christina Dodd—plus some wonderful stories shared by my readers. It’s a true celebration of sisterhood, both biological and sisters of the heart!

2) What is the biggest challenge you face when you start writing a new book?

Because I’ve written so many books, my biggest challenge is to find fresh stories to tell and fresh ways to tell them. I try to make each book a little better than the one before. In The Sister Effect, I deal with a topic that I’ve never written about—I’ll let you read the book to find out what that is—and it was an exciting challenge because it was so new to me. I’m also incredibly nervous about this book, which is a good sign. I have found over the years that the books that make me the most nervous are the ones that readers love the best, because my nerves are a sign that I stretched myself as a storyteller.

3) If you were not an author, what other profession would you choose to be a part of and why? 

I have a powerful imagination, but it’s really hard for me to imagine being anything other than a writer. I was published just months after I graduated college, and I’ve never had another job. However, I graduated in accounting, so I suppose I would probably be an unfulfilled accountant. 

4) Does this book include any favorite recipes as some of your other books do?

Just one—but it’s a total wow! When I was writing The Sister Effect, I imagined a decadent breakfast that Sloane might serve at her restaurant, Life’s a Yolk. I called it Cinnamon Custard Yum-Yum and described it in the book as a cross between French toast and bread pudding. But it only existed in my imagination. . . until, in a case of life imitating art, I created a recipe to go with my imaginary recipe title. It. Is. Fabulous. Yum Yum Yum Yum YUM! The recipe is included with the book club discussion guide at the end of the book. Enjoy!

***

About the Book

Susan Mallery’s newest hardcover is an emotional, witty, and heartfelt story of Finley who is raising her niece because her long-addicted sister, Sloane, abandoned her. When Sloane reappears, eager to build a relationship with her daughter, Finley will struggle with forgiveness, the ties that bind a family together, and the fragility of trust.

Finley McGowan is determined that the niece she’s raising will always feel loved and wanted. Unlike she felt after her mom left to pursue a dream of stardom and her grandfather abandoned her and her sister Sloane when they needed him most. Finley reacted to her chaotic childhood by walking the straight and narrow—nose down, work hard, follow the rules.

Sloane went the other way.

Now Sloane is back, as beautiful and damaged as ever, and wants a relationship with her daughter. She says she’s changed, but Finley’s heart has been bruised once too often for her to trust easily. With the help of a man who knows all too well how messy families can be, Finley will learn there’s joy in surrendering and peace in letting go.

Mallery, with wisdom, compassion and her trademark humor, explores the nuances of a broken family’s complex emotions as they strive to become whole, in this uplifting story of human frailty and resilience.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61406731-the-sister-effect?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=5fXthFjDLA&rank=1

The Sister Effect : A Novel 

Susan Mallery

On Sale Date: March 7, 2023

9781335448644

Hardcover

$28.99 USD, $35.99 CAD

416 pages

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE SISTER EFFECT by Susan Mallery is an emotionally intense women’s fiction/romance featuring two very different sisters, their complex relationship and their generational family’s interactions and struggle for forgiveness. This story includes scenes revolving around realistic depictions of alcohol addiction, the struggle for sobriety, and a sub-plot involving infidelity.

Finley McGowan is the younger sister, but she has always been the strong sister, who worked hard and stayed on the straight and narrow path. When she and her older sister, Sloane were growing up, their mother would leave them with their grandfather as she went in pursuit of stardom. Their grandfather tried to gain legal custody and it split their family with their grandfather disappearing from their lives and the girls feeling abandoned.

Finley is now an adult, living with her mother and raising her eight-year-old niece, Aubrey. Sloane has returned, says she is sober, has a job and a place to live and wants more of a relationship with her daughter. Finley has been burned one too many times and doesn’t trust her sister’s sobriety. Finley is fiercely protective of Aubrey and her own heart. When she meets a man who understands how messy families can be, Finley finds a release and understanding that just may allow her to find peace in letting go.

This is an emotional and heartfelt deep dive into families with realistic problems. Ms. Malley’s story pulls you into the serious repercussions of addiction, abandonment, and infidelity, but also has lighter happier moments layered throughout the story. Forgiveness is a big theme in this story, and I feel everyone will have their own beliefs on how they feel about the way Finley and Jericho moved from injured parties to understanding and forgiveness. Individuals dealing with alcoholism or any addiction in their families have very differing experiences and resolutions. I was happy with the resolution for both sisters in this story.

***

About the Author

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

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

Social Links

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/susanmallery

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

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-sister-effect-susan-mallery/18611717?ean=9781335448644

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sister-effect-susan-mallery/1141741087?ean=9781335448644

Books a Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Sister-Effect/Susan-Mallery/9781335448644?id=8318065423495 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1335448640?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwsusanmalle-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1335448640

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Secretary by Catherine Hokin

Book Description

The Tower House. Down a secluded path, hidden by overgrown vines, the crumbling villa echoes with memories. Of the family who laughed and sang there, until the Nazis tore them from their home. And of the next woman to walk its empty rooms, whose courage in the face of evil could alter the course of history…

Germany 1940. As secretary to the leader of the SS, Magda spends her days sending party invitations to high-ranking Nazis, and her evenings distributing pamphlets for the resistance. But Magda is leading a dangerous double life, smuggling secrets out of the office. It’s a deadly game, and eventual exposure is a certainty, but Magda is driven by a need to keep the man she secretly loves safe as he fights against the Nazis…

Forty years later. Nina’s heart pounds as she steps into an uncertain future carrying a forged passport, a few bank notes, and a scribbled address for The Tower House taken from an intricate drawing she found hidden in her grandmother’s wardrobe. Separated from her family and betrayed by her country, Nina’s last hope is to trace her family’s history in the ruins of the past her grandmother ran from. But, when she finally finds the abandoned house, she opens the door to a forgotten story, and to secrets which will change everything: past, present, and future…

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The Secretary by Catherine Hokin is a gripping novel spanning four decades.  It has a dual timeline covering Germany during WWII and East Berlin after the war. Throughout the book readers will wonder would they be brave like the two heroines or remain a neutral bystander? Did the heroines take enough action, or should they have done more?

Magda Aderbach became the personal assistant to factory owner Walther Tiedemann, reminding readers of Oskar Schindler who saved Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust. Because of her efficiency Magda impresses Heinrich Himmler, the leader of the SS and architect of the Holocaust, and she volunteers to be his secretary. She leads a dual life, pretending to enjoy hob-knobbing with the powerful Nazis, but also working for the resistance because she hates the Nazis and what they stand for. She smuggles reports, forges documents, arranges fake IDs to smuggle Jews out of Germany, and has organized safe houses for the Jews as well.

Fast forward forty years where Magda now lives in East Berlin, behind the Berlin Wall with her daughter, her husband, and her granddaughter, Nina Dahlke.  Both Magda and Nina have similar personality traits, wanting to fight injustice, although the granddaughter is more impulsive and a lot less cautious. Beyond that, Nina does not understand why her grandmother is so secretive about her life in Germany during WWII. She knows there is a house in question, that was once lived in by Magda, but there are secrets involved with that house, and more secrets that Magda has kept to herself. After the Wall falls, Nina takes a journey to West Berlin to find the Tower House, hoping to trace her family’s history in the ruins of the past her grandmother ran from. But, when she finally finds the abandoned house, she finds out who owned the house, and wonders if her grandmother had a dual life, seeing pictures of her with Himmler.  To make matters worse, Nina meets Elsa, the former wife of an SS officer, who lies and tries to pin her atrocities on Magda.

What the author does brilliantly is show parallels and similarities between the Nazi regime and the Communists control of East Berlin, the Stasis. As with both regimes there were spies everywhere, no freedom, a life lived under guards and rifles, terrible atrocities, and inhuman behavior where there was oppression, imprisonment, and killings. Readers understand the heroism of Magda and Nina as they were brave enough to stand up to tyranny even if it meant a harsh imprisonment or execution.  Once the wall falls, the two worlds of Nina and Magda collide in a major revelation.

This novel is riveting throughout.  Readers will not be able to put the book down, wanting to find out how the stories end for both Nina and Magda. The portrayals of these characters who must make impossible choices will keep people on the edge of their seats. A bonus is the history sprinkled throughout the novel.  

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did you get the idea from The Lost Mother?

Catherine Hokin:  This book follows my previous novel, The Lost Mother, since it is still in Germany, this time after WWII. I also spent a lot of time in Berlin.  They have a wonderful museum dedicated to the heroes of the silent resistance. What interests me is what happened because of WWII.

EC:  What was your experience like when you went to Germany?

CH: I come from a tiny village in England. When I was seventeen, I went there and saw the wall, in about 1979.  I never have seen people with machine guns.  I spoke with a local woman who told me that her sister lived in East Berlin, and she has not seen her in over twenty years. The wall went up overnight and if someone was caught on the other side that was it. My mind fast-forwarded to this story. There are a lot of flash points for me which I write about in my books. 

EC:  Did the book have similarities between Communists and the Nazis?

CH:  They both were oppressive, used surveillance, and censorship, controlling people’s lives and minds. I did the comparison intentionally.  I find it fascinating how in a short period of time society moved from one dictatorship to another. When East Germany was born there was hope behind it, but it turned into something people had fought to get rid of, such as the genocide.

EC:  How did you do the research?

CH: I read a huge number of books, spent a lot of time in London’s Holocaust Library, and saw on the Internet people who told their stories.  With every book I spent six months of research to understand the nuance. 

EC:  How would you describe Magda?

CH:  She is reliable, steady, impulsive, loyal, brave, and chose to fight injustice. But I do not think she realizes the scale of what was the cost of her involvement. She has a naïve view that she can stand up to the Nazis who she worked with. Magda questions if she did enough?  She did arrange escape routes and wrote reports, forging IDs, and had safe houses.

EC:  Magda’s saving of Jews-was it based on reality?

CH:  Yes. About 6000 Jews survived in hiding in Berlin. People found them a cellar to hide in and had them move around.  I even put in a scene where Magda tried to go back out to help more. I wanted to show how the Nazis treated the Jews.

EC:  How would you describe Nina?

CH:  I felt a kinship with her.  I was a lot like her.  She felt she did not fit in her world.  She fought back although clumsily, putting others at risk.  Nina is a feisty character.  To write the scenes where she was imprisoned, I spent a lot of time at the Hohenschonhausen Prison in East Berlin, a horrible place. She is spunky, innocent, conflicted, and hot-headed.  She did not have choices and control over her life. After the Wall came down, she felt alienated. 

EC:  What was the role of Elsa in the story?

CH:  She is horrible, hard, vicious, dangerous, and cruel, an adversary of Magda.   I wrote her to show how someone during those times was immersed in the Nazi life.  She loved the lifestyle. Elsa was caught up in the cause and jealous of Magda. Elsa liked being in control of the chess board, pulling people’s strings.

EC:  Next books?

CH:  This is the third book published by Grand Central in the US. I have written seven books, the seventh one coming out this month in the UK.  People can get any of my books in E format in the states. I also write a series where the third book comes out in the UK in January. The series is about a photographer and a Jewish detective, taking place from 1933 to 1963, set in Berlin and Prague.  The first two books involve serial killers, taking revenge on what happened to them. The fourth book in the series comes out in May. Each book has crimes that came of WWII.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Review: Flirting With the Beast by Jane Porter

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

FLIRTING WITH THE BEAST (Modern Love Book #2) by Jane Porter is an emotional romance/women’s fiction addition to the Modern Love series. This is a story featuring a mature woman in her sixties moving forward after major life changes. This book is a part of a series, but each book stands on its own.

Andi McDermott has mourned for her husband and long-term marriage for five years and has decided it is time to move on and date again with the encouragement of her girlfriends. When her stepson disappoints her by not coming for her planned Christmas dinner to meet his fiancée, she refuses to mope and takes off for the family cabin at Lake Arrowhead and invites her best friend, Margo to join her. Everything is going well, until Andi once again must deal with her closest neighbor, who had been feuding with husband for years.

With the threat of a major snowstorm, Margo returns home, but Andi does not leave in time to safely get home and finds herself snowed in. When her power goes out, she turns to the neighbor who is not quite what she imagined.

Wolf Enders enjoys the solitude of living full time at Lake Arrowhead. The Marine vet, divorced father lives as he pleases and while Andi has always found him intimidating, when she comes to his cabin, she finds him kind and uncomfortably sexy. Wolf finds he is attracted to Andi and wants to take this good girl to bed, but he is not interested in a relationship. But life keeps throwing these two together and Andi just might be the one to tame the beast.

This is a wonderful read, not just a romance, but an all-around emotional journey not only for the H/h but their family members also. Andi has grown personally since her marriage ended and while she now stands up for herself and what she wants, she is still kind and loving. Wolf needs his space, is gruff on the outside and is one of those men that takes care of his family in the things he does for them and not necessarily verbally. The on again off again relationship is very believable as they both deal with family drama, grief, and fear. The sexual relationship was well written and steamy. This story is based around the romance between Andi and Wolf, but the realistic situations with grown children, friends, and life in general makes this story multilayered and memorable.

I highly recommend this mature romance/women’s fiction!

***

About the Author

USA Today, and New York Times bestselling author of 65 romances and women’s fiction titles, Jane Porter has been a finalist for the prestigious RITA award six times, with her Tule Publishing novella, Take Me, Cowboy, winning the Novella Category July 2014. Today, Jane has over 15 million copies in print, including her wildly popular Flirting with Forty, a novel picked by Redbook Magazine as it’s Red Hot Summer Read in 2006 before being turned into a Lifetime movie in 2008 starring Heather Locklear.

Jane holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and makes her home in sunny San Clemente, CA with her surfer husband three sons, and two dogs. You can learn more about Jane at janeporter.com.

Social Media Links

Website: https://janeporter.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorjanep

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: A Wingman for Christmas: A Sweet Water Novella by Barbara Barth

Hi, everyone!

Today is my turn to share my Feature Post and Book Review for A WINGMAN FOR CHRISTMAS: A Sweet Water Novella by Barbara Barth on this WOW (Women on Writing) Blog Tour.

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

***

Book Summary

The annual Sweet Water, Georgia, Christmas parade is nearing but relationships are fractured on Wild Rose Lane. Antique dealer Cheryl Calloway’s holiday spirit has tanked. It’s been a horrible year with her divorce, her ex marrying younger and perkier Miriam across the street, and Mama moving into Cheryl’s Victorian cottage with her Amazon parrot right before Thanksgiving. A party girl in her eighties, Mama smokes up a storm, likes her nightly vodka, has a hankering for men, and now a wingman named Nigel. If that isn’t enough, the Historical Society wants Cheryl to clean up all the projects on her porch waiting to go to Spivey’s Antique Mall for their Christmas Open House. Her desire to work her booth is as dead as her marriage. Miriam, President of the Historical Society, chastises her, “If it ain’t pretty don’t put it on the porch.” Then there’s Alice, her strange neighbor with the six-foot fluorescent light bulb cross nailed to the huge Magnolia tree in the middle of her rose garden. Alice watches all the neighbors too closely. Just when Cheryl thinks things can’t get worse, an incident shakes her to the core, and a mystery follows revealing family secrets long forgotten. Cheryl wants to believe in miracles and love again, and Dr. James may just be the man of her dreams as he helps her and Mama sort things out.

Filled with quirky characters, mystery, family secrets, and sweet love, all set in a hot Georgia small town.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63001459-a-wingman-for-christmas?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=IpIBVuOuwo&rank=1

A WINGMAN FOR CHRISTMAS: A Sweet Water Novella

By Barbara Barth

Publisher: Gilbert Street Press

ISBN-10: 0983171599

ISBN-13: 978-0983171599

ASIN: ‎B0BJ9CWHGT

Print length: 198 pages

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A WINGMAN FOR CHRISTMAS: A Sweet Water Novella by Barbara Barth is a perfect holiday quick read novella from a new to me author. I almost never give a novella five stars, but this story is a heartfelt, charming, quirky, and funny mash-up of small-town holiday fiction/Southern women’s fiction/cozy mystery and romance with memorable characters all packed beautifully into a small package.

Cheryl has had a very rough year and is in no mood for Christmas. She caught her husband having phone sex with the younger woman across the street, divorced him and he immediately married the neighbor, and she must see them every day. Her elderly mother is having problems, so Mama moves in with Cheryl rather than her brothers of sister because Mama has become the proud owner of an Amazon parrot named Nigel and they do not want that bird in their homes.

When Mama’s boyfriend, Franklin passes out in Cheryl’s family room, the ambulance is called. When Cheryl and Mama rush to the Emergency Room, Cheryl is introduced to the handsome Dr. James. The holiday may be looking up for Cheryl, but then her home is broken into and Nigel is stolen.

With help from unlikely sources, a suspicious neighbor next door, and a handsome doctor, Cheryl just might find the holiday spirit and Nigel.

This is such a fun holiday novella, and I did not put it down until the end. The characters are believable and lovable. Cheryl is full of love even as she is exasperated with Mama and depressed about her failed marriage, but she learns forgiveness leads to unexpected friendships and romance. The small-town setting is perfect for all these quirky characters and the short, but sweet cozy mystery plot thread of Nigel’s theft.

This is a must read holiday mash-up novella that I highly recommend!

***

About the Author

Barbara Barth turned to writing and adopting dogs to heal after her husband died fourteen years ago. Known as ‘Writer With Dogs’, Barth currently lives with four Chihuahuas in a charming town forty miles outside of Atlanta. She is Literary Arts Chair at a small art center where she promotes writing activities, author events, book launches, and hosts an online group Walton Writers. Inspired by the wonderful artists around her, Barth started painting and has won several awards with her whimsical art.

Social Media Links

Website: https://bb-bjd.wixsite.com/barbarabarthwriter/home

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbara.barth.37

Twitter: https://twitter.com/writerwithdogs

###

Purchase a copy of A Wingman for Christmas on Amazon.com.