Lots of new reviews up today.
Under “Nonfiction”, we have:
30-Day Healthy Weight Loss Plan and Cookbook: 100 Easy Recipes and Workouts for a Balanced Life by Kelli Shalall. 5 Sparklers
30-MINUTE DASH DIET COOKBOOK by Andy De Santis – 4 Sparklers
LOW-CARB DIET FOR TWO by Bek Davis – 5 Sparklers
And under LGBTQ Romance, we have “Heart and Home” by Andrew Grey. A 4 1/2 Sparkler contemporary romance.
Enjoy! I know I did.
Christmas Cookies at the Cat Café: a Furrever Friends Sweet Romance
Christmas isn’t the same since Diane’s kids grew up and her husband died – so when her high school sweetheart comes back to town, maybe it’s time for some cozy new holiday traditions.
Diane had a great marriage and a wonderful life. Now she’s a widow at 53, and her grown children are encouraging her to slow down and do less – but she wants more. She starts planning for a new career by arranging a photo shoot at the cat café her daughters run. Unfortunately, the cats won’t cooperate.
Rick loved Diane in high school, but he chose to travel the world while she settled down with another man. Now he’s back for a visit, but he’s not planning to stay – even if Diane still tugs at him. He’ll help her get what she wants from life, and then he’ll say goodbye.
Rick temps Diane to quit her job, sell her house, and travel. But she can’t leave the people she loves so dearly, the family that might still need her just a little bit. Diane tempts Rick to end his wandering ways, but he can’t simply step into the hole left by her husband’s death. As the weeks pass from Thanksgiving to Christmas, the holiday season brings out complicated emotions.
Can Diane and Rick find a way to make a new life together while holding onto the best parts of the past? They’ll need more than attraction and affection. They might even need a Christmas miracle.
The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes. Each book is a complete story with a happy ending for one couple (and maybe more than one rescued cat). These sweet romances will leave you with the warm feeling of cuddling a purring cat.
Excerpt
The cat did not want to wear a hat.
“Come on, Miles, it’s for your own good,” Diane muttered. “I’m not trying to insult your feline dignity. I’m trying to find you a forever home. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Once again, Diane got the cat settled on a table against the autumn backdrop. Miles seemed perfectly content to sit there and watch the proceedings. But as soon as Diane tried to put the sunflower hat on the cat’s head, he dropped and flailed as if touched by flaming thorns rather than soft felt. Miles wrestled with the hat as Diane rushed to wake up her cell phone. Maybe she could get something cute, with the cat chewing a sunflower petal.
Diane aimed the camera. The hat sailed to the floor.
Miles leapt off the table, streaked across the room, climbed one of the cat trees, and calmly perched on a platform staring out the window, pointedly ignoring her.
“That Cat in the Hat book is nonsense,” Diane said. “I used to get a diaper on a squirming baby in under a minute. You’d think I could get one cat to wear a lousy hat or at least pose nicely.”
Visit the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series page on Amazon.
Price: $2.99 Free with KU.
Heat Level: sweet and clean
Kris Bock
Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)
Author Bio: Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and with shelter cats. The series begins with Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Café. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter and get Lions and Love at the Cat Café, a free sweet romance novella complete at 35 pages.
Kris also writes romantic suspense set in the Southwestern U.S. If you love Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, try Kris Bock’s stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest.
I have three new reviews under the “Romance” section.
Two of them are from the same author/series. Kris Bock has written a series of sweet romances that take place in a cat cafe. What could be better than coffee, cats, and cute guys? “Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Cafe” and “Christmas Cookies at the Cat Cafe” both received four Sparklers.
The third one is a contemporary western called “Justified Misfortune” – Four Sparklers for this action-packed romantic suspense.
GOODBYE, ORCHID is one of the most anticipated 2020 fall reads: Buzzfeed l Parade l Travel+Leisure. Winner: 2020 American Fiction Award l Pinnacle Achievement Award.
“Page-turner” “Breath of awe” “Tugs on your soul”
What happens when an entrepreneur suffers an accident that changes him forever and he has to decide: to love his woman, will he need to leave her?
One July morning in Manhattan, handsome athlete and entrepreneur Phoenix Walker accompanies his love, half-Asian beauty Orchid Paige, to the airport. Neither believes today is goodbye.
But soon after Orchid leaves, disaster strikes.
Phoenix wakes in the hospital, broken, forever changed.
Now, he’s faced with the hardest decision of his life. Does he burden the woman whose traumatic childhood makes him feel protective of her? Or does true love mean having to say Goodbye, Orchid?
“A tale of sacrifice and rebirth; heroism is in the details.”
—SSGT Aaron Michael Grant, author of TAKING BAGHDAD: Victory in Iraq With the US Marines
For fans of Me Before You and Fault in Our Stars, Goodbye, Orchid asks…
“What choice does a wounded hero have when loving his woman means breaking his own heart?”
Short BIO: CAROL VAN DEN HENDE is an award-winning author who pens stories of resilience and hope. She’s also a speaker, strategist, and serves on nonprofit boards. One secret to her good fortune? Her humorous husband, fun-loving twins, and rescue cat, who prove that love really does conquer all.
Please sign up for Carol’s newsletter at carolvandenhende.com/contact or linktr.ee/cvdh
SOCIALS
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54297964-goodbye-orchid
https://www.instagram.com/carolvandenhende/
https://fb.me/CarolVandenhendeAuthor
https://carolvandenhende.com/contact
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfd3hQ4FIY53zafnVOlM81Q
Free chapter one by entering email address here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/sdw0qzrf7q
BUY LINKS
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54297964-goodbye-orchid
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/goodbye-orchid-carol-van-den-hende/1137193883?ean=9781646631889
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Goodbye-Orchid/Carol-Van-Den-Hende/9781646631889?id=7964592335699
https://bookshop.org/books/goodbye-orchid/9781646631889
https://www.target.com/p/goodbye-orchid-by-carol-van-den-hende-paperback/-/A-80666220
So… how do you review a book that was well-written, but you will absolutely never read again? And in fact, was a bit hard to get through this time? I just finished reading “The City of the Plague God” by Sarwat Chadda. It’s a YA fantasy book in the Rick Riordan mythology genre of fiction. It’s got a lot of action, adventure, plays heavily on the story of Gilgamesh and Mesopotamian gods and takes place in New York City.
So what’s wrong? Well, for starters, I don’t recommend reading a story about a plague while in the throes of a pandemic. Secondly, it has a lot of disgusting aspects (plagues of boils, maggots, and more). It was really nasty. But would probably appeal to a younger audience with a strong stomach.
Anyway, I gave it 4 sparklers because it is well-written and interesting, but…ugh. Will definitely not ever read it again.
Teresa has a new review up on her page. A 4 1/2 sparkler for The Beautiful Fall: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Glorious Excess in 1970’s Paris by Alicia Drake.
Blurb:
Money can buy anything. And anyone. As the head of the Constantine family, I’m used to people bowing to my will. Cruel, rigid, unyielding—I’m all those things. When I discover the one woman who doesn’t wither under my gaze, but instead smiles right back at me, I’m intrigued. Ash Elliott needs cash, and I make her trade in crudeness and degradation for it. I crave her tears, her moans. I pay for each one. And every time, she comes back for more. When she challenges me with an offer of her own, I have to decide if I’m willing to give her far more than cold hard cash. But love can have deadly consequences when it comes from a Constantine. At the stroke of midnight, that choice may be lost for both of us.
Excerpt:
I stare at the two thousand dollars we agreed upon. It doesn’t feel real. Since meeting Winston, I’ve made over four thousand dollars, kicking me up to eleven grand in my college fund. It’s annoying the relief I feel. It would have taken me months to make that much at FGM Services. I know Manda offered to pay, but I’d feel much better if I could somehow pay for it myself, even if it’s just books and supplies. I hate having to be indebted to her.
I go to reach for the money, but his hand covers mine, stopping me. My heart does a nervous skip in my chest.
“Want to earn more?” His eyes flare with challenge.
I can do this.
I can endure his weird-ass fantasies because he pays well.
“Yes,” I tell him with false bravado.
“Then wrap those lips around your breadstick. Lick it and suck it. Like you wish it were my dick.” He nods at the bread on my plate. “Five hundred dollars.”
God, he is so freaking bizarre.
I’m about to tell him where to shove his breadstick when I decide to negotiate for more. It’s just a breadstick, not his dick. I can do this. Easily. I’m practically salivating for it anyway. The bread, not his dick.
“Eight,” I counter.
“A grand if you moan my name while you do it and don’t stop when Francis brings our food.” He winks at me. “Easy money.”
“Fifteen hundred and I’ll gag on it.”
He fists his hand, his jaw clenching, the first sign of a normal human reaction. Heat burns down my spine, pooling in my pelvis. I’m not turned on by him. Not a bit.
“You have yourself a deal, little girl.”
Closing my eyes, I attempt to distance myself from him as I pick up my bread. He clears his throat, earning my stare, and shakes his head.
“Eyes on me,” he murmurs. “Everything you do, I want your eyes on me.”
Buy Links:
K Webster is a USA Today Bestselling author. Her titles have claimed many bestseller tags in numerous categories, are translated in multiple languages, and have been adapted into audiobooks. She lives in “Tornado Alley” with her husband, two children, and her baby dog named Blue. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and researching aliens.
You can easily find K Webster on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads!
Can’t find a certain book? Maybe it’s too hot for Amazon! Don’t worry because titles like Bad Bad Bad, This is War, Baby, The Wild, and Hale can all be found for sale on K’s website in both ebook and paperback format.
Website: http://www.authorkwebster.com
For Riley Kenner, the small town of Belle Terre Louisiana is going to be her second chance at home and family. She’s ready to put down some roots after a life on the road and has found a house to call her own and one of her long-lost brothers. Then her brother disappears – along with her money – and disaster begins to follow Riley through the streets of town making her an outsider before she can even take off her toolbelt.
Jackson Guidry had everything anyone could ever want until his family was willing to walk him down the aisle and trade his future for their own. He’s been on his own since then until he discovers people who look to him for the answers and a community worth fighting for.
As her dreams of home and family go up in smoke (literally), Riley is ready to call it quits. Jackson may only be the stand-in sheriff, but he’s determined to help Riley uncover the truth behind her missing money and missing brother and find a place to call her own.
Can two people looking for a second chance find an opportunity for their happily ever after?
About the author
Maggie Preston is an award-winning author of contemporary romantic fiction. She fell in love with romance before she even knew what it was, stealing paper back novels from her grandmother’s closet when her mother wasn’t looking. Maggie loves to travel and tells people that anything and everything they do could end up in her next novel. So, if you’ve met Maggie and recognize yourself in her books, remember you were warned. Maggie currently balances life between her right brain and left brain: technical writer and quality management consultant by day, romance writer by night.
GET IN TOUCH
Website: http://www.authormaggiepreston.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaggiePrestonAuthor/
Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/y5arsux4
Twitter: @maggie_preston
Goodreads: https://tinyurl.com/y65davv8
BLURB:
Hudson Riggs has returned to his family’s ranch after years spent traveling the world. The former Navy SEAL accepted a position as a Personal Security Specialist, a job that didn’t leave much free time. He never expected his visit to his hometown to turn into another job. His former High School flame has been arrested for murder but Hudson’s gut instinct is she didn’t do it. All he has to do now is prove it.
For Sunny Travers, being back in Canyon Springs is bittersweet. She desperately misses her life in California but her grandmother needs her. Sunny’s world flips upside down when she’s arrested for killing the local hero. Now the citizens of Canyon Springs have turned against her and she’s forced to accept help from the man who broke her heart all those years ago.
Hudson knows Sunny hasn’t forgiven him. Hell, he hasn’t forgiven himself for how he left things but all his emotions take a back seat when someone tries to kill Sunny. Can Hudson protect Sunny long enough to apologize to her and right old wrongs or will the killer get to her first?
AUTHOR BIO:
Lori Matthews gravitated toward reading because of her parents’ habit of leaving books all over the house. Her father loved thrillers and her mother loved romance. Lori combines the two and writes romantic suspense. Her work has won or been a finalist more than a dozen times and she was won three Daphne awards for her Callahan Security series, which includes the novels Break and Enter, Smash and Grab, and Hit and Run.
BUY LINKS:
SOCIAL
FB: https://www.facebook.com/LoriMatthewsBooks
Twitter: @_LoriMatthews_
Instagram: Lorimatthewsbooks
Injured Parole Officer Jeremiah “Jim” Borden never expected Calista Barlow, the sassy blonde waitress he’s craved for months, to ring his doorbell. She slips into his heart—and his bed—but he’s obsessed with a gangland investigation that threatens his career and maybe even his life. Calista doesn’t trust easily, not with a daughter to protect and the stalker who keeps calling her. After her violent ex-boyfriend returns, she finds solace in Jim’s arms. Jim may have to forego his need for answers to protect the ready-made family he adores, but how will he and Calista escape an unseen enemy that is always one step ahead of them?
Character Interview with Jim Borden from Arresting Jeremiah
Add to Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55223686-arresting-jeremiah
Check it out on BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/books/arresting-jeremiah-arresting-onyx-book-2-by-amber-daulton
Purchase Links
Amazon – https://amzn.to/32vAlqu
Barnes and Noble – https://bit.ly/2E4eJYO
Apple – https://apple.co/35BOuo1
Universal link – https://books2read.com/u/mVKvMP
Official Book Trailer:
Now Taking Sign Ups for my Newsletter, Amber Daulton Romance
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About the Author
Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press, Books to Go Now, and Daulton Publishing, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.
Social Media Links
Website – https://amberdaulton.wordpress.com/
Facebook Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/amber.daulton.author
Twitter – https://twitter.com/AmberDaulton1
Street Team – https://www.facebook.com/groups/572204316296198/
Pinterest – https://pinterest.com/amberdaulton5/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6624921.Amber_Daulton
Amazon Author Page – https://amzn.to/14JoZff
Book Bub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amber-daulton
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amberdaultonauthor1/
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/pub/amber-daulton/87/538/368
The Wild Rose Press – https://www.thewildrosepress.com/authors/amber-daulton
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