Veterans Day and a Hometown Heroes Sale!

On this Veterans Day I'm thinking about my grandpa who served two tours of duty in the Korean War. He received medals for his bravery, but he sacrificed so much. I'm grateful he was able to return home when many of his friends did not. He worked hard to overcome the demons he'd picked up on the battlefields and gave his life in service. He served in a civilian capacity for the Army and received awards and recognition for his efforts, he was part of several committees to help senior citizens and other veterans and he was voted Volunteer of the Year in his community the year he died. I miss him. I miss his phone calls and visits and how he could make me laugh. I'm so grateful to all veterans who gave up so much to serve and will be thinking of them all this Veterans Day.

And in honor of Veterans Day, there is a Hometown Heroes Sale going on for books featuring military or law enforcement heroes. And they're all just .99 cents!

You can see all the books HERE and click on the cover you want to buy!

Weekend Book Report

I just started reading A.L. Sowards new book in her Balkan Legends series, Against a Crescent Storm. It is so good! I love learning more about this time in history and the writing is superb! Have you read any of the books in this series yet?

Here's the back copy:

The Serbs defied the world’s most powerful ruler, and now Danilo and Maja must fight to save their people and their newly forged love before the sultan exacts his revenge.

The Balkans, 1389

Three years ago, Danilo’s people won their freedom from the hated Ottoman Empire, but with enemies on every side, the Serbs’ hard-earned peace remains fragile. Knowing the sultan will soon come for revenge, Danilo sets out to gain key allies for the coming war—and to escape the haunting grief of personal loss.

War has orphaned Maja and her brother, but they’ve moved forward from the turbulent aftermath of battle by crafting religious mosaics. Yet after being cheated and robbed, they are desperate for help. Rescue comes from Danilo, the man who once saved them from slavery to the Turks. What begins as an offer for safe escort is soon complicated by threats from a Hungarian noble who suspects them of conspiracy and from Iskandar, an Ottoman spy consumed by a vendetta against Danilo and a dangerous obsession with Maja.

As their journey grows more perilous, Danilo and Maja are drawn together by shared grief and affection. Yet upon returning home, Danilo finds that his župan, unaware of Danilo’s growing emotional entanglement with Maja, plans to use Danilo’s hand in marriage as a tool to forge a crucial alliance. Danilo is soon torn between love for Maja and loyalty to his family and people.

As tensions escalate, sabotage and vicious rumors weaken Christian unity, and hope of victory in the Balkans grows dim. Allies and enemies converge on the fields of Kosovo, where an epic battle will shape the destiny of nations for centuries to come.

Click HERE to buy

Over the Edge Review

Have you ever ridden on a horse and then it starts to canter and you're surprised, but after a minute you settle into it, but then the horse starts to gallop and while the wind is rushing through your hair, there is a thread of fear as you hold on to the reins too tightly and try not to imagine yourself thrown to the ground in a heap, staring up at the sky with the wind knocked out of you? That's how it feels reading Stephanie Black's new Trespassers novel, Over the Edge. It is SO good!

 
The mystery starts out all twisty and turny with a few surprises, but you know, you're settling in and trying to figure out who the villain is, then things take off and there's the increasingly intense mystery with romantic yearning going on, and just when you think you have everything figured out, you're thrown off and everything is upside down and then you turn the last page and it seriously takes your breath away. (I still haven't stopped thinking about that last scene!)

Rayna is a complicated heroine who is torn between her love for her family and how her powers have changed her life. She gets caught up in a murder mystery that gets even more twisted with the requirements of the team that wants Rayna to join them and the agent she's got feelings for. Damon is written so well with wanting to do his job, yet wanting to protect Rayna. His choice between duty and love is so difficult and yet so absorbing for the reader. I cannot wait for the next book in the series. One of my top stories of the year!

Get your copy HERE

Here is the back copy:

SIX MONTHS AGO, ACCUSATIONS of murder threw Rayna Kirkpatrick’s life into turmoil, and her fight to prove her innocence nearly got her killed. Now, she seeks healing and refuge, but as a Trespasser—a person with lethal paranormal abilities—she can’t escape the attention of the covert government organization monitoring her. They want her on their team, but Rayna wants to maintain her quiet life in Willet Beach, living next door to her sister and running a small pottery studio.

SPECIAL AGENT DAMON HALE has been assigned to keep an eye on Rayna. The abilities that would make her a valuable member of the Trespasser team would also make her a powerful weapon in the hands of an enemy; it’s Damon’s job to keep her safe and ensure that information about her Trespasser status remains classified. He’s posing as her boyfriend to provide an excuse for the time they spend together, but, privately, each of them is struggling with that cover story; their feelings for each other are becoming all too real.

RAYNA’S ATTEMPT AT A peaceful life shatters when she rescues a woman from a fire, an act that drags her into a whirlpool of rumors and deadly secrets. As Damon works to protect her, he’s torn by the knowledge that managing this crisis might require decisions that will devastate Rayna and that the line between ally and enemy may be more blurred than either of them imagined.

Happy Halloween! And a Spooky Book Sale!

Stephanie Black is one of my favorite suspense writers. She walks that fine line with toe-curling scenes that make you want to keep the lights on and an amazing plot that pulls you in and doesn't let you stop reading until the wee hours of the morning. I read the first book in her new series, The Trespassers, and could not wait for the second one to come out and guess what? It's coming out next week! I'm so excited! 

In order to celebrate, the first book in the series is on sale and you are definitely going to want to pick it up if you love romantic suspense with a little paranormal. It's so, so good!

Get your copy HERE
 

Here's the back copy:

Rayna Kirkpatrick has lived her entire life with a secret: she possesses dangerous paranormal abilities. But she’s carefully kept her powers hidden from the world―or so she thinks. When new struggles in her life prompt her to seek information about her abilities, her internet search sends up red flags. Without her knowledge, she is placed under surveillance by a government team who monitors people with unique gifts like hers, individuals known as Trespassers. There are only two options for those manifesting such supernatural abilities: submit to regulation and scientific study or be eliminated.

Damon Hale is an invaluable asset to the government. As a Trespasser himself, he is perfectly positioned to determine how to handle others like him. When a series of unexplained deaths is connected to Rayna, Damon is assigned to go undercover to her California hometown to determine whether she’s the killer they suspect she is. As he gets to know this kind and charming woman, he’s determined to not allow his growing attraction to her to shake his objectivity. But the deaths surrounding her are no coincidence, and as his suspicions about her guilt begin to fade, he realizes he and Rayna must work together to discover the truth or risk becoming the next victims.

If You'll Have Me Review--This One Was So Good!

I got to read an advanced copy of Esther Hatch's new book, If You'll Have Me, and it was one I did not want to put down. 

If You'll Have Me was an amazing story of love and healing. Our heroine is at a crossroads in her life as she tries to find a situation for both her and her mother that doesn't involve marrying an odious man just to keep a roof over their heads. They've come back to Breckenridge, a town that once held happy memories, hoping to find a place to live or work until Anna is old enough to claim her inheritance. The shy boy who she'd spent a wonderful summer with years ago is still there, but has now become a handsome man. They begin to renew their acquaintance and Anna is once more captivated by his eyes and humor. But David is hiding a secret that could prevent him from being able to ever do anything about the growing feelings between them. The author skillfully weaves a story of love between two people who are each carrying the effects of trauma and emotional wounds, but there is always that thread of hope that love can heal and is worth the risk. The yearning between these two was really well done and the kisses absolutely swoon-worthy! This one is definitely going on my keeper shelf!

Here is the back copy:

A lady desperately seeking freedom. A prosperous younger man. An unexpected connection.

Anna Atwood returns to Breckenridge, where she spent one blissful summer as a young woman. This time, though, she comes to the quaint town as a penniless spinster with a single hope: to build a life free from the constraints her father’s death put on her and free from the persistent suitor Mr. Green, whose plans for marriage are Anna’s worst nightmare. When she runs into David Tate, the boy she knew from that memorable summer, she finds he has grown into a confident and striking man. As they rekindle their friendship, David offers her warmth and protection in the moment she needs it most—when Mr. Green appears in town and threatens to destroy Anna’s carefully laid plans.

David Tate remembers Anna as the spirited woman who once brought light into his dark childhood. Now a man of means, he has a promising future, if he can withstand the powerful Lord Murphy—a man whose menacing hold on the town he owns is surpassed only by his relentless hold on David’s life. When David meets Anna again, he realizes he has a chance to save her from Mr. Green’s schemes, even if it means putting himself in danger of Lord Murphy’s wrath and revealing his own deepest secrets.

In a moment of desperation, David and Anna agree to a proposal of convenience to provide the safety they both need. But as their attraction ignites, the looming dangers from Lord Murphy and Mr. Green threaten to destroy their budding happiness.

You can preorder your copy HERE

Rules for Ruin Review

I think this is Mimi Matthews' best book yet! I loved how she carefully crafted Effie and Gabriel's characters. They had a bumpy road to love, but it was so worth it! There were so many favorite scenes I could never name them all. Effie was a strong woman on a mission looking into her past so she can build a future. Gabriel is a man with a past who might not get the future he envisions for himself. But when Effie comes along, he gets something better! They both have to learn to trust and I love how the author shows their vulnerabilities and insecurities. And every scene with Franc stole the show! I love that little dog. The epilogue was sigh-worthy and I can't wait to read more in this series.

Get your copy HERE (I hope you got it when it was on sale!)

Here is the back copy:

No one betrays the Academy. But now Euphemia must decide: break the rules for her enemy, or let the rules break her heart.

On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim—train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. Outraged by a powerful lord’s systematic attack on women’s rights in Parliament, the Academy summons its brightest—and most bitter—pupil to infiltrate the odious man’s inner circle. A deal is struck: bring down the viscount, and Miss Euphemia Flite will finally earn her freedom.

But betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has other plans. The viscount is the perfect pawn to insulate Gabriel’s underworld empire from government interference. He’s not about to let some crinoline-clad miss destroy his carefully constructed enterprise—no matter how captivating he finds her threats.

From the rookeries of St. Giles to the ballrooms of Mayfair, Euphemia and Gabriel engage in a battle of wits and wills that’s complicated by a blossoming desire. Soon Euphemia realizes it’s not the broken promises to her Academy sisters she should fear. . . . It’s the danger to her heart.

Free Regency Today!

Josi Kilpack is one of my favorite authors and her regency romance, The Valet's Secret, is free today! You won't want to miss this one!

Get your free copy HERE  

Here's the back copy:

As a once happily married woman, Rebecca Parker had a good life, but now widowed, working for a living, and her only child grown, she feels invisible, tired, and lonely. That is until the day a valet speeding by on a horse nearly runs her off the road. Mr. Malcolm Henry is apologetic, gentle, and handsome. She’s instantly drawn to him, which is why, rather than stopping him from kissing her, she kisses him back, reigniting a nearly forgotten passion. But love at first sight only happens in fairy tales—never to an ordinary woman like her.

She sees Mr. Henry again and feels the possibilities growing until, while working in the kitchens during a dinner party, she sees the valet she kissed sitting at the right hand of the baroness. Mr. Henry is not the earl’s valet; he is the heir to the earldom—-Kenneth Winterton.

Heartbroken, angry, and betrayed, Rebecca does not trust Lord Winterton and refuses to accept his apology. But when Lord Winterton proves he is as kind and gentle as “Mr. Henry” was, she finds herself willing to give him a second chance. But will he take a chance on her? He needs a wife to help him in his place in society, and nothing about Rebecca’s life does that ...except how he feels when she is with him.

Trust, love, loneliness, and passion collide in this story about a man who will risk it all to fight for the woman he loves and a woman who does not believe in fairy tales—until she finds herself living in one.