I have two new reviews up today. The first is a short M/M romance called “Kneading You”. You’ll find it under LGBTQ+ stories. The second is a cozy mystery called “Carpet Diem” – listed under mysteries. 🙂 Enjoy! I know I did.

BURNING LOVE

By Jana Richards

Blurb:

After causing three cooking fires in her apartment, Iris Jensen finds herself evicted and homeless. She lands on Riley Benson’s doorstep, looking to rent a room in the beautiful old home he’s restoring. It’s only for six weeks until Iris leaves Portland, Oregon for her new job on a cruise ship. Firefighter Riley knows firsthand what a bad tenant she can be. But he needs money to finish the work on the house he loves. And something about Iris pulls at his heart…

Meanwhile, in Heaven, two angels watch over the young lovers. Angelica and Hildegard work in Heaven’s Relationship Division, where angels match mortals with their soul mates. The angels believe so strongly in Iris and Riley’s love that they break Heaven’s rules to help them. Can the angels convince them their love will last a lifetime?

Excerpt:

“Renting the room to you is starting to look like one of the smartest things I’ve done lately,” he said with a smile.

Without thinking she set the boxes on the fridge and took his hand. “I’m serious, Riley. I don’t mind telling you how scared I was. Whiskers and I came very close to sleeping on a bench in the park with the other vagrants. So, thank you.”

Riley gently brushed his fingers across her cheek, sending a rush of desire coursing through her body. “You’re welcome. But I know you would have been okay, even if I hadn’t rented you the room. You’re a strong girl.”

Iris didn’t feel very strong at the moment. In fact, she felt as weak as a kitten, and just as vulnerable. She let go of Riley’s hand and gave a shaky laugh.

“Yeah, that’s me. Strong as a marshmallow.” She picked up the boxes of food and turned away, afraid to look him in the eye and make a fool of herself.

“Hey, what’s this?” Riley asked. Iris turned to see him staring at her calendar.

“That’s just a little visual reminder for me. Only five more weeks until I hit the sunshine and you get rid of me.”

Instead of laughing the way she thought he would, Riley continued to stare at the calendar.

“Right,” he said. “Only five more weeks.”

She wanted to ask him if he was okay, but something in his voice stopped her. Surely, he wouldn’t miss her?

“Renting the room to you is starting to look like one of the smartest things I’ve done lately,” he said with a smile.

Without thinking she set the boxes on the fridge and took his hand. “I’m serious, Riley. I don’t mind telling you how scared I was. Whiskers and I came very close to sleeping on a bench in the park with the other vagrants. So, thank you.”

Riley gently brushed his fingers across her cheek, sending a rush of desire coursing through her body. “You’re welcome. But I know you would have been okay, even if I hadn’t rented you the room. You’re a strong girl.”

Iris didn’t feel very strong at the moment. In fact, she felt as weak as a kitten, and just as vulnerable. She let go of Riley’s hand and gave a shaky laugh.

“Yeah, that’s me. Strong as a marshmallow.” She picked up the boxes of food and turned away, afraid to look him in the eye and make a fool of herself.

“Hey, what’s this?” Riley asked. Iris turned to see him staring at her calendar.

“That’s just a little visual reminder for me. Only five more weeks until I hit the sunshine and you get rid of me.”

Instead of laughing the way she thought he would, Riley continued to stare at the calendar.

“Right,” he said. “Only five more weeks.”

Genre: Paranormal/contemporary romance

Published by The Wild Rose Press

Keywords: fantasy, paranormal, angels, firefighters, humor

Length: novella

Heat Level: sweet

Buy Links: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | B & N | Bookstrand | Google Play | Kobo | iBooks | Walmart

Author Bio:

When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal. Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was a 2008 EPPIE finalist.

In her life away from writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant, a mother to two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga, movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and her husband live in Winnipeg, Canada with an elderly Pug/Terrier named cross Lou. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.janarichards.com

Social Media Links:

Website:  http://www.janarichards.com

Blog:  http://janarichards.blogspot.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards

Amazon UK Author Page:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B002DEVWWG

Newsletter Signup: http://janarichards.com/contact.html#newsletter  

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2892274Jana_Richards

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jana-richards

Runaway Love Story by Sadira Stone, Book Two in the Book Nirvana Series.

ISBN(s):
978-1-5092-2704-4 Paperback
978-1-5092-2705-1 Digital

ASIN B07QBHS1ZQ

Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance (Explicit love scenes, M/F, no kink)

Setting: Eugene, Oregon

Tagline: Fierce passion or long-cherished dreams…she can’t hang onto both.

Back-Cover Blurb:

She hates average…he’s as average as they come.

High school history teacher Doug Garvey is trying to enjoy his last few weeks of summer vacation, but receiving his final divorce decree hits him harder than expected. After a brief fling fizzles, he fears love just isn’t in the cards for him. If only he could find someone who’s real, someone interested in something beyond herself…maybe a new running partner who can keep up with his more carnal appetite. When sexy, straight-talking Laurel runs across his path, he dares to hope again.

He’s done with social-climbing posers…she’s ambitious and has big dreams.

Fired from an art gallery, Laurel Jepsen shelves her pursuit of an art career in San Francisco to help her beloved great aunt Maxie move into assisted living. While out on a morning run, she’s harassed by a group of teens until a tall, broad-shouldered hottie steps in, pretending to be her boyfriend with a kiss that makes her wish it were true. But she’s only passing through, not looking for a relationship.

Their fierce chemistry burns up the sheets—and the couch, the shower, the forest—but falling in love would ruin everything. Laurel can’t stay in Eugene, and he can’t leave. Doug’s only hope is to convince her the glittery life she’s after could blind her to the opportunities already in her path.

Excerpt:

“I’m sorry she called you the S word.”

“Huh?”

“Sensible.”

She laughed. “Yeah. That’s a curse word, as far as I’m concerned.” She leaned her head on his shoulder.

“I’ll strike it from my vocabulary. Your S word is sparkle.” He traced her jawline with a feather-light touch. “Look at you, Laurel. You’re blinding.” His twilight-blue gaze made her heart dance—a steamy tango with swirls and dangerous dips. He kissed her, and, for a moment, she forgot all about caution, about cutting things off before they became too serious, about San Francisco. Her focus narrowed to his lips on hers, his nearness heating her whole body, opening her like a blossom, soft and willing. Ripe for the plucking.

“God, I’ve missed you.” He scooped her legs across his lap. One hand cradling her nape, the other gripping her thigh, he kissed her senseless. His velvet tongue teased her lips apart. He tasted of sugary coffee. The world around them faded—just two bodies, calling and answering, breathing in sync, their pulses beating the same rhythm.

Pre-order Links:

Preorder on Amazon

Preorder from Barnes and Noble

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/runaway-love-story/id1460549153

Author Bio:

Ever since her first kiss, Sadira’s been spinning steamy tales in her head. After leaving her teaching career in Germany, she finally tried her hand at writing one. Now she’s a happy citizen of Romancelandia, penning contemporary romance and cozy mysteries from her home in Washington State. When not writing, which is seldom, she explores the Pacific Northwest with her charming husband, enjoys the local music scene, belly dances, plays guitar badly, and gobbles all the books. Visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com.

Inspiration for the Book Nirvana Series:

Until recently, I was one of those readers–literary snobs who look down their noses at romance for the usual stupid reasons: too corny, too predictable, too fluffy. Then I read a few online articles about how fun and lucrative writing erotica can be. I thought, what the heck? Let’s try.

I have never had so much fun with a writing project! My first steamy romance, Through the Red Door, nearly wrote itself, though it damned sure didn’t edit itself. I’ve totally immersed myself in the world of romance, gobbling books like popcorn, filling my ears with romance podcasts, and joining the Romance Writers of America. From skeptic to romance mega-fan in two short years, I’m totally addicted to passionate, heartfelt stories with happy endings.

Why set the series in a bookshop? Ever since I was a wee lass, I dreamed of owning one. Add to that my fascination with historical erotic art and literature, and you’ve got the Book Nirvana series, set in an indie bookshop with an extensive erotica collection behind a locked red door.

I love stories in which a couple’s powerful physical attraction leads them to consider a partner outside their usual M.O.—one who just might turn out to be their perfect match. That’s how it happened for my husband and me, and my romance fiction contains that element.

I sort of pulled the setting out of a hat. I wanted to set my series in a college town. I’d heard that Eugene, home of the University of Oregon, has a lively arts scene and a rich counterculture legacy from the hippie era. After much online research, correspondence, and hours on Google Earth, I finally made the trip. Eugene is even lovelier than I’d imagined. Kate Rock, a resident author, kindly shared her knowledge of the city’s history and the flavor of the different neighborhoods. I look forward to many return trips.

 I want to hear from you!

Author Website Facebook  Twitter  Goodreads  Bookbub  Amazon Author Page

Pinterest  Instagram

Press:

Radio Interview with Readers Entertainment Radio: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/circle-of-seven/2019/04/04/readers-entertainment-radio-presents-author-rhonda-gilmour

Praise for Through the Red Door (Book One in the Book Nirvana Series):

“…a beautiful love story filled with wonderful characters and if you like your romance hot, hot, hot look no further. It is a story about being able to begin anew and still love the one you lost.”

— Linda Tonis, RWA Paranormal Romance Review Team

“The erotic scenes in this book were off the charts – even the ones that were only Clara’s “dreams.” Ms. Stone’s debut novel is a rich mix of love, sex, and thoughtful introspection as she tries to move on with her life.” – Peggy Jaeger, author of Christmas and Cannolis

“This book is in a class by itself…from the graphic descriptions of the erotica collection that’s locked in a room of widow Claire’s bookstore to the hot-hot-hot interactions she has with a certain hot-hot-hot widowed professor with an intellectual interest in that collection…

What elevates this book is the excellent writing, the memorable characters, and the captivating story. PLUS…parts of it are verrrry funny. I mean laugh-out-loud funny. There are also some very touching parts, too. Parts that’ll bring tears to your eyes.”

Susan Flett Swiderski, author of Hot Flashes and Cold Lemonade

 

Tweets to Share:

 Big-city bound, Laurel detours to help her elderly aunt. When a perfectly ordinary guy feels—well, perfect, she’s tempted to stay, until they’re swept into a Twitter storm. Her gut tells her to stick to her plan. Her heart has other ideas. @SadiraStone #WRPbks #SteamyRomance

Fierce passion or long-cherished dreams…she can’t hang onto both. Runaway Love Story: 2 Runners face family secrets, clashing dreams, and a social media storm, armed only with sizzling chemistry and a strange feeling each might be The One. @SadiraStone #WRPbks #SteamyRomance

 

Crime Times Two is now on sale for 99 cents!

When divorce is out of the question, can murder be forgiven?

Blurb from “Crime Times Two”

Meredith knows three things: First, the man in the library begged her to help him. Second, he was afraid of his wife. Third, now he’s dead.

While the evidence first points to a natural death, Meredith is certain there’s more to discover. People are tight-lipped in this small mountain village, and the man’s wife isn’t talking either. Then a second death occurs, with remarkable similarities. It’s time to talk about murder.

As a slow-burning relationship heats up in her own life, Meredith struggles with concepts of love and hate, belief and suspicion, and absolution and guilt. Nothing is clear cut…

She must decide: Is guilt, like evil, something you can choose to believe in?

 Armchair travel to Idaho

I met a New Yorker several years ago, who upon discovering I lived in Idaho, paused and then asked, “That’s a state, right?”

This isn’t a rant against people from New York. I get it. Idaho has been one of those small states that stays out of the news, that people fly over enroute to somewhere else, and just quietly lives and lets live. At least, that’s the way it used to be. Word’s gotten out and now my state is the fastest growing state in the country (by percentage, of course).

If you haven’t been here before, I’d like to play tour guide today. It’s vacation time, so sit back and enjoy a virtual flash trip to my beautiful northwestern state!

I’ll start with Coeur d’Alene and surrounding areas. This is a much more forested and “wet” area, with a myriad of lakes, streams and rivers. While most of Idaho is crisscrossed with rivers and dotted with hidden lakes, the northern part of the state is known for its lush nature.  Coeur d’Alene, named by French traders, translates into heart of an awl, or sharp-hearted, or more basically “shrewd.” They found the native Indians there, the Schitsu’umsh, (now known as the Coeur d’Alene tribe) savvy traders for goods and so the name stuck. The large lake is pristine and quiet, with the town walkable and filled with fun shops to explore.

One of my favorite times there was when we took our kids on a fifteen-mile ride on the Hiawatha trail, an old rail line through the high Bitterroot Mountains that has been converted to a bike/walking trail. Years later, we still talk about this adventure through ten tunnels and seven tall trestle spanning deep chasms.

Farther south, about midway through the state is a vastly wild expanse once crossed by Lewis and Clark. These famous explorers nearly gave up as they struggled to find a route through this area. Still sparsely populated, the region is inviting to hikers and campers with adventurous spirits. One of my most memorable trips ever was a stay in an old fire service lookout station. Imagine staying in a glass house (really just one small room) five stories up at the peak of the tallest mountain. We looked down on eagles flying and even airplanes. Incredible!

In Ketchum, which is right next door to the famed Sun Valley ski area, we enjoy the annual running of the sheep festival in the fall. This is an event celebrating the Basque ranchers who have a long history in Idaho and still raise sheep here. In this event, hundreds of sheep are herded right down the middle of the main street, as the ranchers move their animals to lower ground for the winter. It’s quite an event where people line the streets several deep to watch this wall of sheep move through town.

I live in Boise, so I saved the best for last. I love living in this city, the largest in the state, where there are all the pleasures of an urban area, but with wilderness lurking at the edges. The foothills border the town, offering numerous hiking trails, along with close camping options. The Boise River runs through the middle of town and the city wisely created trails along its path. Of course, the metro area is packed with restaurants, events, microbreweries, theaters, universities, and there is a lovely winery region too. Having lived in larger cities, the bustling urban part of Boise isn’t its unique appeal as much as its proximity to some spectacular scenery.

There is one more area, of course, and that’s the fictional Idaho town of Hay City, which is the setting for my three Wild Crime books. If you’d like to get more glimpses of another side of Idaho, Crime Times Two is now on sale for 99 cents!

Hope you enjoyed this virtual tour.

Bio:

Julie Howard is the author of the Wild Crime series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. She is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild, editor of the Potato Soup Journal, and founder of the Boise chapter of Shut Up & Write. Learn more at juliemhoward.com.

Social media links:

Website: http://juliemhoward.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/juliemhowardauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18116047.Julie_Howard

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07D6CS4NQ

Buy links for Crime Times Two

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2VMZlUv

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Julie_Howard_Crime_Times_Two?id=9QhxDwAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Query=crime+times+two

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crime-times-two-julie-howard/1129472600?ean=2940161941164

Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Crime-Times-Two-eBook/340226618

 

 

 

 

 

At any one time, I usually have two or three books going. Right now, I’m reading an oldie – Eragon by Christopher Paolini. I love paranormal stories and especially YA, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Dragons, magic, intrigue… what’s not to love? 🙂

New book I’m working on: An Excuse for Murder by Vanessa Westermann – an interesting romantic suspense – very British – will have the review for that soon, but so far, a good read.

Next up: Carpet Diem by Misty Simon. A sweet cozy mystery that I can’t wait to delve into.

What’s on your reading list?

Title: An Excuse For Murder

Author: Vanessa Westermann

Genre: Mystery / Romantic Suspense

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Book Blurb:

 As a former bodyguard, it should be easy for Gary Fenris to kill, especially when the motive is revenge. But Gary has made two mistakes in his life. The first was letting the woman he loved die on his watch. The second was thinking vengeance could bring him peace.

Local bookstore owner and amateur lock pick Kate Rowan loves nothing more than a good mystery. Her curiosity soon leads her down a trail of blackmail, obsession and death. Despite the risk – or maybe because of it – Gary finds himself drawn to Kate. When danger strikes, Gary is forced to face the fact that he used love as an excuse for murder. And he’s got one last score to settle.

Excerpt:

 The ghost of her laughter teased across his skin, raising the hairs on his arms.

There she was, vibrant as though she was in the room with him. “Don’t tell me you don’t like it.” She gave her new dress a twirl, barefoot and beautiful, all ready for a night out but for the heels she would wait to put on to the last. Her toe-nails were painted red. The arch of her foot flexed strong and graceful with the movement. Her blonde hair shone in the light of memory. She stopped short, the soft blue fabric swinging against her legs, and grinned at him.

It went straight through him. He raised the bottle of Scotch to his lips, holding on to the vision. It wavered beneath the intensity of his gaze.

Then there was nothing on the floor but scuff marks and the shimmer of dust. His trainers, mud-caked from that morning’s eight kilometer run, took up the space where her heels should have been. He had almost forgotten the way she used to toe her shoes off, always sliding the left one off first for some inexplicable reason.

The wall was cold and hard against his back, the Scotch smooth and warm.

There was no other choice. He’d made his decision two years ago. It was time.

Tomorrow, he would commit murder.

 Buy Links:

Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Kobo | Books-A-Million

Other Links:

Goodreads | BookBub

Author Bio:

Vanessa Westermann is a former Arthur Ellis Awards judge, and has given a talk on the evolution of women’s crime writing, at the Toronto Chapter of Sisters in Crime.

Her book review column entitled “Vanessa’s Picks” was published in the monthly newsletter of a popular Toronto mystery-specialty bookstore, from 2012 to 2016. The column was developed into a blog, featuring literary reviews and author interviews.

While living in Munich, Germany, Vanessa attained an M.A. in English Literature and went on to teach creative writing.

Vanessa currently lives in Canada and is working on her next novel, while drinking copious amounts of tea.

Readers can find her blog at www.vanessa-westermann.info and follow her on Twitter @VanessasPicks.

Social Media Links:

Website & Blog | Twitter

What if…….

Recently I was blown away when one of my books, Thirty-Three Days, was announced as a finalist in the RONE Literary Awards for 2019. For reasons I won’t bore you with, me getting a literary award is about as surprising as discovering I’ve just won a lottery, only more pleasurable. While I’ve been celebrating, I’ve also been retrospective about how the book came about, and in particular, because it’s a long way from the genre I usually write in, where did the inspiration come from.

Thirty-Three Days is my sixth book and I’m now on number ten, so you can see a bit of time has passed since the idea first came to me. The story was given the first breaths of light by two aspects. Number one was a dream I had about a woman coming back in time to stop a terrible plant disease which in the future would destroy all plant life, and ultimately us as a race too. Once in the past, for the first time in her life she falls in love, but can only stay for thirty-three days. Now I don’t know about you, but generally if I remember a dream at all it is a jumbled lot on nonsense, but this dream was different. It was vivid, chronological and concise, so much so, I woke up my wife, around 4 am to tell her about it.

Now, if you knew her at all, you’d know she is soooooo not a morning person, and for me to risk waking her at that time could result in death, maiming, or at the very least a damn good yelling at. Yet I did, and she listened, and agreed with me, it would make a great story. So I got up to think about it, and make some notes fearing that if I didn’t I might forget.

So as I sat there, in the grey predawn light, sipping coffee, the second aspect came into play and I began to ask myself my favorite question: what if? (as an author, I get to do that a lot)

Thirty-three Days is, as most agree, different to any other book you might have read, yet it’s heart and soul is a love story. So, here goes, what if:

• What if you were in your sixties (or thereabouts) and a complete stranger said to you that they were from the future, and they were convincing, would you believe them?
• What if they said you had been chosen to take a drug they had manufactured, which would send you back in time to your younger body by thirty three years for a short time, would you take it?
• What if they then said that they were one of seven people chosen to take a time leap of thirty-three years to their younger body, so that cumulatively, over two hundred and thirty years had passed since it began? Would you believe that?
• What if they said you had been chosen to be the last of these seven people and only you could save the future of everyone living 230 years into the future by talking a young micro-biologist out of genetically modifying a strain of wheat? If you fail, the modification inadvertently also houses a blight, which over time will mutate and become an unstoppable super disease destroying all plant life. Will you take the drug and go back to your younger body for a month until the dose wears off, and take on the mission to save mankind?
• What if you decided to do it, and through your history you knew the man responsible is destined to die in a car accident, along with his father, after the wheat is released, would you want to try and save them?

These are only a small sample of the problems Jenny, a lonely a sixty-eight year old lecturer in environmental studies has to face. If she agrees, how can she convince her target she is genuinely from the future, and than instead of feeding the world, Bradley Destain will kill it with his wheat?

She has also been told, if she fails, another will be sent with a different mission, his job will to murder Brad. But that’s only the beginning of her problems; Jenny can only stay for thirty-three days in the past, and for the first time in her life, falls in love with Iain, Brad’s father. A side effect of the drug means she will lose all memory, in both time streams upon waking, so if she succeeds, she won’t remember.

I know what you’re thinking…….that was some dream, wasn’t it?

I’m thrilled that so far it has reviews 14 x 5star reviews on Amazon, with some very high praise indeed.

Here’s the official blurb:

Jenny is a lonely university lecturer who’s consciousness has traveled back in time to her younger body to try to save the future of the world. A young microbiologist is going to release a genetically modified wheat that will mutate and ultimately destroy all plant life, leaving nothing but barren windswept dust bowls.

In the past, Jenny finds a love that has been missing from her life; the kind that comes just once in a lifetime. But Jenny can only stay in that time period for thirty-three days.

Meanwhile, in the future, fearful Jenny will fail, plans are made to send another back in time–an assassin. How can she choose between saving the man she loves or saving the future?

Thirty-Three Days is also available in Audio, narrated by the amazing Geoffrey Boyes

Buy link via Amazon: amzn.to/2XVmN2m

Stephen B King

http://www.stephen-b-king.com
twitter: @stephenBKing1
Facebook: @stephenbkingauthor