Archives for November 2020

To Heal a Heart by Jana Richards


To Heal a Heart by Jana Richards
The Masonville Series
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

Garrett Saunders’ world changed two years ago on a road in Afghanistan. Back home, he feels like a stranger. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he meets a horse destined for the slaughterhouse and a woman bent on rescuing the strays of the world, including him.

Blair Greyson moves to Masonville to look after her ailing grandfather and give her rescue horses a home. Right away she butts heads with a surly former Marine. Despite a rocky start, they come to an agreement: Blair will board Garrett’s rescue horse and he’ll help with repairs around her farm.
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Garrett finds purpose working with Blair—and falls in love with her. But she’s hiding a secret. Can she forgive herself and accept Garrett’s love, or will she let guilt and regret continue to rule her life?

If I had to choose one word to summarize this story then I’d choose the word, heartwarming. This was an inspiring and uplifting book.

The hero, Garrett, and the heroine, Blair, are both tragically broken. One can only wonder how they could ever move forward and each let their past demons go. They both believed they didn’t deserve each other. I’m serious when I say this plot had the potential to be a head banger but it pleasantly wasn’t. There were other characters i.e.: family/friends that were all different kinds of messed up in their own way that the focus wasn’t entirely the leading characters repeating how they had no future he/she deserved better. There was involvement or intervention from both sides encouraging them to open their eyes and hearts; to grab the opportunity to learn from other people’s mistakes or successes. The title of the book was very appropriate for Clair and Garrett as they healed each other’s hearts.

Blair and Garrett’s love for each other was eloquently written. One could imagine and feel the struggle and couldn’t help but cheer them on. The chemistry was there between them. It took some time for them to surrender to it, which leads my sharing that the pace of the story was a bit slow for me. The first page was gripping but as the story progressed it was like riding an emotional roller-coaster.

This is book two in the Masonville series. I didn’t read the first one and didn’t feel like I needed to. Because of that, I’d say that To Heal a Heart can be read as a standalone. This story was three hundred and twenty nine pages. I think it has the making to be made into a Hallmark movie.

Blair’s grandfather is a stable character who had an impact on his family and his community. It was gut-wrenching that he didn’t get to see the ending as the reader did. To Heal a Heart was a dramatic contemporary romance that has the potential to touch many reader’s lives. For that reason I sincerely recommend this book.

Character Creation by Christina Lourens – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Christina Lourens will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Character Creation

I’ve been writing novels for at least eight years and I’d like to think I’ve come a long way since I wrote my first full length novel. I used to start my novel ideas with a plot, mapping out the story without really thinking about the characters. I would slot the characters in where I found I needed them. As any writer can tell you, that is not the best way to go about writing a novel.

Luckily, before I wrote The Calm I Seek, I read some good books on writing, and took a few workshops, which made me realise that characters are central to any novel. Without well-rounded characters, a book will fail to draw the readers in. Characters should propel the story forward, not the other way around.

When plotting The Calm I Seek, I knew I wanted to write a novel about family, and especially the bond between sisters. I have six sisters myself and at first, I gave Rebecca three sisters. However, I soon realised that the third sister didn’t really add much to the story, so she got cut. The two sisters who remained are quite different from each other. Laura is strict and unyielding, firm in her convictions. Hannah is more free-spirited, unsure of what she wants in life.

Creating characters is a lot of fun. The key to creating believable characters is to remember that every character is the star in his or her own story. Secondary characters aren’t there to serve the main character’s story. They have lives of their own, and goals which may be at odds with what the main characters want. The tension between the different goals of each character is what will move the plot forward.

In The Calm I Seek, Laura and Hannah are both at odds with Rebecca, but each for different reasons. I had a lot of fun planning each character’s backstory, motivation and goals. And not just for the sisters, but for each character in the novel. The risk with creating backstories for each character is that you’re tempted to give each secondary character a much larger role, which would make the novel far too big. But that’s what editing is for.

I’m very pleased with how The Calm I Seek turned out and I hope that my readers will equally fall in love with all the characters in the book. Well…maybe all. Not every character is likeable, which is fine. As long as they are believable.

With love, betrayal and grief disrupting her perfectly peaceful life, will she fight for the happiness she deserves?

After the violent death of her husband, Rebecca Holmes is content leading a quiet life spending time with her sisters and niece. When her younger sister Hannah asks her to plan her wedding, Rebecca discovers her friends and family all think her life is empty. Determined to prove them wrong, Rebecca takes up salsa lessons where she meets the charismatic salsa teacher, Gabriel Rodriguez.

Falling in love is the last thing Rebecca wanted to do, but she is inexplicably drawn to Gabriel. Opening her heart again is terrifying, especially after what happened with her late husband. With the help of the local vicar, Rebecca starts to believe that maybe she deserves a happy ending after all.

Just when she’s decided to give her heart to Gabriel, a betrayal brings back demons from the past. Heartbroken, Rebecca closes herself off again, but when disaster strikes her family, she is forced to confront her past actions. Can there be redemption for her and can she forgive those who betrayed her?

The Calm I Seek is a heartbreaking novel about forgiveness and redemption.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Being woken up early by strange sounds from the kitchen was not my idea of a good start to Christmas Day. I had expected to sleep late and have a leisurely Christmas breakfast with my younger sister, Hannah, and her boyfriend, who were staying with me, but instead got my older sister banging away in my kitchen when she had a perfectly good kitchen at home—where her husband and children were as well.

“What are you doing here?” I stared bleary-eyed at Laura, who had succeeded in covering every surface of my kitchen counter with stuff.

“Good morning, Rebecca. I thought I’d get a head start on lunch.” Laura washed a large turkey under the tap. “Hand me the chopping board, will you?”

I did as she asked and sat down at the table. Laura placed the turkey on the board.

“But why so early?” I yawned and gazed at the clock. “It’s barely past seven. Lunch isn’t till two. Surely you could get here a bit later?”

Laura rubbed salt and spices on it and pushed a strand of hair out of the way with her wrist. “Just let me do my thing.”

“I could help.” I already knew what the answer would be. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been so careless with my offer. Laura hated for anyone to interfere with her precious preparations.

Instead of replying, she lifted the dead bird off the chopping board and back into the roasting pan.

I averted my eyes. “Seriously though, why are you here so early? And why are you preparing the turkey here? You usually do that at home. Shouldn’t you be there with Robert and the kids?”

“Don’t tell me where I should be. Why don’t you go back to bed?”

“With all the racket you’re making? You woke me up. It’s too late now. I can’t go back to sleep.”

About the Author:Christina Lourens has always been passionate about writing, but life got in the way of her writing career. She’s never given up and can be found writing in the evenings and on weekends, often accompanied by her pug. When she’s not writing, Christina keeps busy at the day job (until her writing career takes off) or snuggles up on the couch with a book. She loves crocheting, but because of her busy life, crocheting projects tend to take a long time to be finished.

Christina has lived in three countries, but is currently living in the UK with her husband of 20 years, their two children, pug, canary and pheasant.

The Calm I Seek is her first novel.

Website | Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or iBooks.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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The Icon by Carla Golian


The Icon by Carla Golian
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

One day Victoria comes across a book “La Très Sainte Pyramide” (The Most Holy Pyramid). Her world turns upside down as disbelief and intrigue grasp her; the author is none other than the legendary ascended master, The Count of Saint Germain, and it is a new publication. Mysteriously she becomes compelled and obsessed with this book of the master’s alchemical great work and has to get to the bottom of it. She journeys through Paris to hopefully find the alchemist. In Paris, a love story begins.

As we probably am aware, it is PDE 5 inhibitor drug that cialis generika 40mg instantly works to improve the blood flow to the penis. This ingredient act as PDE5 inhibitor and attempts to heal the condition. online viagra The person suffering from the condition can go with any of commander cialis djpaulkom.tv their partners. Treatment for erectile dysfunction The only treatment for this india cialis online prevalent issue. Discover the City of Lights, take a look at some paintings, meet a handsome alchemist in this contemporary occult romance fiction. Mysticism, symbolism and magical realism pervade throughout.

This exciting story starts out with Victoria having a mystical experience. The sensations she experiences are dramatic, and the descriptions make it easy for readers to understand. There is some telling and not showing though.

Later, Victoria discovers the fascinating, multi-talented Prophet while reading a book she picked up from a metaphysical bookstore. This leads her on a quest to find him. She is an interesting character, a believer, and her faith underlines the story. However, she sometimes asks questions of people that will make them raise a brow, such as asking the modern-day publisher if the author is alive and if he is the same Count, which lived in the 16th century.

The author does well with descriptive settings, allowing readers to become immersed in places. Adding views of present day Paris with sprinkles of history does much for the setting and mood. Victoria is a good detective, searching for and following clues. There are wonderful discoveries and twists and turns in this story, and subjects with depth. A touch of religion and spiritualism underlies the tale. It also takes a lovely romantic turn.

The book becomes increasingly more emotional and touching because Victoria is a romantic yet sensible woman who knows what she wants. To top things off, the ending was quite satisfying.

Within the Folds of a Swan’s Wing by Jennifer Walker


Within the Folds of a Swan’s Wing by Jennifer Walker
Publisher: Totally Entwined
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

What if the one element that has always defined you as a geeky outcast has the potential to catapult you into being the next big thing?

A Black girl adopted into a White family, Jodie has always felt out of place, especially at her mainly middle-class, white high school. Used to being a ghost in the halls, she has always found solace alone in her room surrounded by a world of Stephen King novels, Oreo cookies, Dave Brubeck jazz riffs and origami. Forever classified as a geeky outcast, she finally finds two unlikely friends who share her interests and accept her as she is—Bethany, the visually-impaired new girl, who has autism, and Jared, the home-schooled, self-proclaimed nerdy frozen-yogurt clerk who she’s crushing on big-time.

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There is so much hope tucked into these pages.

Jodie was a well rounded and loveable protagonist who changed in so many exciting ways through the course of this novel. When I first met her, she was a withdrawn, socially isolated teen who often turned to overeating to help her deal with difficult emotions like loneliness or embarrassment. I appreciated the fact that her problems were so well written. They gave me compassion for her struggles and made me yearn to find out if she’d develop healthier coping mechanisms and if she’d find a way to make genuine connections with the people around her.

What made me adore it even more than I already did through Jodie alone was how beautifully the secondary characters were written as well. Bethany was such a sweet, gentle girl, and the friendship between these young women soon blossomed into something marvelous. Similar patterns were repeated with several other teens and adults in Jodie’s life. There were multiple times I paused from reading and wished these characters truly existed in our world. Not only did they genuinely feel real, they were also the sort of folks I’d happily become friends with because of how kind and welcoming they were to everyone.

This was one of those young adult books that could easily cross over to the adult section of any library. There were many themes in it that were just as relevant for readers decades older than the intended audience as it was for. Sometimes folks of all ages need to be reminded why inclusivity is important or how a series of small and seemingly inconsequential changes in one’s life can ultimately lead to transformation.

I’d heartily recommend Within the Folds of a Swan’s Wing to young adult and adult readers alike. This is a must-read in my opinion!

The Cutting Room Floor by William A. Glass – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. William A. Glass will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR

As Good As Can Be is a work of fiction, but it draws from my experiences growing up in an army family. To keep the narrative moving, I left many interesting real-life happenings out. Some were easy to cut because they revisited ground already travelled. Below are summaries of two real-life episodes that I hated to leave out but did.

In 1955 my family including alcoholic father, ineffectual mother, and five wild kids, traveled to Europe on the SS United States. On the last night of the voyage, my parents were invited to dine with the captain. They left my sister, then 11, in charge of her five younger siblings. We played nicely until eleven or so when the fighting started. After a storm of complaints from neighboring cabins, the deck steward tried but couldn’t stop the mayhem. He called on a ship’s officer who also failed to halt the effusion of blood. The lieutenant reluctantly went up to the first-class dining room for a word with the captain, who then asked Lt. Colonel Glass to restore order in his cabin. My father had been charming the socks off of a Duchess (or so he claimed) and was so irate at being interrupted that he kept us children up for the rest of the night which meant we were all asleep that morning when the ship made a brief stop to let passengers off in Liverpool. Dad was still awake, however, and went ashore. Later he rubbed it in that he saw England and we didn’t. The ship landed in Bremerhaven that evening, and the Glass family spent the next four years in Germany.

Another episode that occurred in real life and almost made it into the book is when I went to visit my older sister after she trapped a boy from college into marrying her. She was living with him, his mother, and her child on a beautiful stretch of the Chesapeake Bay on the Eastern shore of Maryland. The mother-in-law was a cold blue-blood. The son was a spoiled rich kid who was more interested in his toys (airplane, sport-fishing boat, and race car) than the child. The three of them were living in an antebellum plantation house complete with African-American servants. In the morning, I went up in the plane with my brother-in-law, who tried mightily to get me to throw up. When that failed, he took to dive-bombing the house to wake my sister. I had a private chat with her before I left. She admitted that things were tense in the house, and she felt isolated. However, anything was better than being a home with our family!

There were other scenes that were left on the cutting room floor in order to keep the length of As Good As Can Be within reason. The above ones were the hardest ones for me to get rid off!

Dave Knight is a wayward child growing up in a military family during the 1950s. His older sister wants to kill him but settles for regularly beating him up. Other siblings join in the mayhem while their alcoholic father contributes to the chaos with his unique approach to parenting.
As the Knight family moves from one army base to the next, Dave develops a give-a-damn attitude that often leads to trouble. In high school, he joins other delinquents in a series of escapades, some dangerous, others funny, and a few that would be worthy of jail time should they ever be caught.

After barely graduating, Dave is drafted into the army and sent to guard a nuclear weapons depot in Korea. There, he gets into trouble with his sergeant and tries to avoid dishonorable discharge.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Two rocking chairs are arranged in front of the fireplace. On the mantle is a signed photograph of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Mr. Lawson takes the picture down and shows it to Dave. “My pappy rode with Forrest,” the old man says. “He killed a lot of Yankees, you know, in the war.” Mr. Lawson looks at Dave expectantly but is disappointed by the uncomprehending expression on the child’s face. Carefully he places his prized possession back over the fireplace.

Dave and Melissa return to Gram’s house in time for lunch. After eating, the Knight children have another quiet time. Then Ethel comes up with an idea. “Let’s take a ride out to the river,” she suggests.

“What for?” Knight asks.

“I want to see if the rain the other day caused it to rise.”

“Who cares?”

“Come on, it’s something to do,” Bobbie says impatiently.

The family piles into the Plymouth and rides a short distance to where the Trinity River flows. Knight parks on the shoulder of the highway, and they all go onto the bridge to peer at the muddy water. It’s an evil-looking stream, full of snags and home to alligators, cottonmouths, gars, and snapping turtles. No one in their right mind would go swimming in the Trinity, so all the natives can do is look, check the water level, or maybe drop a line in to see what manner of creature takes the bait. “Can we go now?” Marie asks.

“Hush. Gram wants to look,” Bobbie says.

“At what?” Dan asks.

About the Author:Bill is a retired business executive now living in South Carolina with his wife, Bettina. She teaches high school German while Bill coaches soccer at a small college. Their three sons, Alex, Robert, and Gordon, have all graduated from college and moved away to pursue careers.

For recreation, Bettina and Bill enjoy hiking and camping out. Usually, they take their dog, Scout, along. When the weather permits, Bill commutes to work on his motorcycle.

Website | Goodreads

Buy the book at Amazon.

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Hollywood Endings by Liza Malloy


Hollywood Endings by Liza Malloy
Publisher: Teal Street Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

Is happily-ever-after only in the movies?

When Courtney Robbins moves to California, she isn’t looking for love, fame, or fortune. She’s focused on earning her law degree and advocating for victims of domestic violence. After a chance encounter with actor Justin Erikson, Courtney decides to spice up her life with a steamy fling. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but Courtney quickly learns there is more to Justin than his perfectly chiseled body, piercing blue eyes and adorable dimples. He’s sensitive, thoughtful, and generous. Still, Courtney is hesitant to ponder a future with a Hollywood heartthrob.

As Courtney graduates law school and begins her dream job, Justin’s career thrives. But as the passion between Justin and Courtney intensifies, Justin struggles to shelter Courtney from the paparazzi and is haunted by his own reputation as a womanizer. Just when Courtney starts to think that she can have it all—an idyllic romance and the perfect job—a tabloid rumor threatens both of their careers. As their two worlds continue to clash, they must decide what price they are willing to pay to stay together.

Pick this book up with a pot holder! It’s a sizzler for sure. Absolutely delicious!
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Who hasn’t imagined what it would be like to fall in love with someone famous? I know I have and after reading the synopsis, I knew I had to give this book a chance.

The first page captured my interest making me laugh at myself. I have walked up to a couple of celebrities and asked for their autograph. Without spoiling anything, the heroine, Courtney, and her friends were very relatable to me for we shared the same celebrity stalking trait. Though Courtney could really care less because she was committed to getting her law degree.

The hero, Justin Erikson, was slow to grow on me but eventually was irresistible. The story gives the reader what I imagine is a realistic idea what it must be like to be famous with the paparazzi always following you. I honestly don’t think I’d like it. Courtney brought the reader through the ups and downs of dating a movie star.

I actually nanny for someone who is considered important to some people but to me he’s just a human. He lives and breathes like the rest of us. He’s just “dad” to the little girl that I nanny for. I see how others respond to him and it’s silly to me. That’s exactly like Courtney’s attitude regarding Erikson. She sees him for his characteristics.

Together as a couple the chemistry they shared was really spicy. I definitely needed some omeprazole. The plot pulled on my heartstrings many times more for Courtney than it did for Justin however I had many feel good moments. They made for an entertaining couple.

I do need to note that the ending was abrupt. I’ve given that much thought and I have to say it was justified. There was so much back and forth that it seemed appropriate to have the impact of a heavy door closed quickly. I was satisfied with the happily ever after. There weren’t any loose strings. I can’t say that the book was unpredictable but I can say that it was delectable. Hollywood Endings was a fun read.

Jennifer Austin – Interview and Giveaway

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Jennifer Austin, author of her debut The Girl from Far Away, which is releasing in paperback on November 26. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a copy of the book.

Jennifer’s debut novel The Girl From Far Away is based on a world and characters she imagined as a child and teenager.

“It just wouldn’t feel right to me to write it for adults,” she explained. “It was such a huge part of my childhood, and I almost want to use it as a way to express how it felt to move into adulthood and how doing so transitioned this story from my head to paper.”

She used to tell tales about her characters on the school yard, and they formed the bedtime stories she would read to her younger sisters.

“In my head I was the girl from far away, escaping to a mirror earth for adventures. I’ve also tried to put in parts of my own experiences, bad relationships and friendships, feelings I struggled with. It’s almost like therapy if you write about the bad things you’ve experienced but end them with a lesson learnt,” she said.

“How long have you been writing?” I wondered.

“I think I was eight years old when I wrote my first ‘book’. I remember proudly presenting it to my father who read all twenty pages of font size 100 before telling me that it was great but next time I should write a bit more!”

For this debut novel, her characters came first and then she created a story for them. For a project she’s currently working on, she came up with the rough plot before the characters, though she did say that as she’s developing the characters, the more detailed the plot becomes. She’s also writing out the journey for her main and secondary characters before she starts writing.

“This way I can tie it into the chapters and ensure that my characters are actually growing throughout the book,” she told me. “I wish I had done this for my first book.”

Jennifer was born in Kingston-Upon-Thames, spent her childhood in Cardiff, and her teenage years in Berkshire. As an adult she’s lived and worked in London, Dublin and Bristol.

“For a long time I refused to consider myself Welsh as I let trauma from my childhood define my Welsh experience,” she told me, “but after living in Dublin I’ve finally rediscovered my heritage and I’m now proud to call myself Welsh. And the thing I love best about Cardiff is revisiting my old house or where my friends lived. It’s like travelling through memories.”

“What are you reading now?” I asked.

“I just finished Queenie and cried through about 1/3 of it. I cried so much I had to take a break as I couldn’t read through the tears but it was so good I had to read until I finished. Highly recommend to anyone but be warned it is quite dark but brutally honest. Before that I just finished the Raven Boys series which ended with me googling tarot card decks for hours.”

She told me she would love to be psychic and read tarot cards because of the books. However, as far as having a superpower, she would love to be able to move object with her mind.

When she’s not writing, she loves playing story based video games, binging Netflix, and coming up with excuses to get out of social gatherings.

“I’ve recently taken up running which I’m addicted to and I’ve always loved long walks/hikes with my dog!” she said. “I also do a lot of reading but this comes and goes over the years. I went through a period where I maybe read three books over five years and yet this year alone I think I’ve read thirty books since July!”

As a young adult, her favorite books to read were dystopians.

“This is still what I love today,” she assured me. “Don’t get me wrong I love a good romance or self-empowering feminist tale, but I will always have a soft spot for dystopia. I think it’s the strength of the characters, how they keep on surviving. And I always wonder what I would do if I lived in a dystopia!”

She has an adult dystopia, Alone We Shall Prosper in the works for next year, as well as the second and third books in her The Girl From Far Away series.

Finally, I asked, “What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?”

“Just write. Even if you think you’re writing garbage, keep writing. Write the next chapter and the next. You can go back and rewrite stuff once you’re done but it’s much easier to edit a book than it is to write it in the first place! And get yourself some cheerleaders that will keep you going on the days you really can’t.”

Enter the captivating and compelling world created by Jennifer Austin – an exciting new talent in the world of young adult science-fiction and fantasy – with her debut novel The Girl from Far Away.

Ella Day, the first princess of a mirror Earth known as Biack, is struggling to deal with mounting pressures while living in the spotlight.

Jessica Durand, a teenage girl on Earth, has felt out of place her whole life and sought comfort in her regular dreams of Ella’s life.

But when Jess’s life falls apart around her, she ends up trapped on Biack – a world that she isn’t ready to accept as real – only to discover this world isn’t ready to accept that she’s real either…

In a world saturated with Marvel and DC comic stories, it’s hard to find a non-comic superhero tale for young adult readers – especially one that’s led by strong female characters. But The Girl from Far Away isn’t just a superhero story. It is a coming of age novel, dealing with friendships, relationships, and independence, set against a stunning backdrop of other worlds, advanced technology, myths and legends.

Innovative and imaginative, Austin is a thrilling storyteller, and readers are bound to be held captive by her inventive and touching story.

About the Author:Jennifer Austin was born in Kingston-Upon-Thames, grew up in Cardiff, and as an adult has studied, lived and worked in London, Bristol and more recently Dublin. Jennifer began developing the characters in The Girl from Far Away when she was five years old. The stories she once told in the playground have now found a home on pen and paper.

Website | Instagram | Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Once Upon a Mail Order Bride by Linda Broday – Spotlight and Giveaway

Long and Short Reviews welcomes Linda Broday who is celebrating the upcoming release of Once Upon a Mail Order Bride. Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post for a chance to win a set of books 1-3 of the Outlaw Mail Order Brides series.

When the West was wild and man’s law favored the few, these extraordinary women could be found…in the heart of an outlaw.

Accused of crimes he didn’t commit, ex-preacher Ridge Steele is forced to give up everything he knew and make his home with outlaws. Desperate for someone to confide in, he strikes up correspondence with mail-order bride Adeline Jancy, finding in her the open heart he’s been searching for. Upon her arrival, Ridge discovers Addie only communicates through the written word, but he knows a little of what trauma can do to a person and vows to stand by her side.

Addie is eager to start a new life with the kind ex-preacher and the little boy she’s stolen away from her father—a zealot priest of a terrorized flock. As her small family settles into life at Hope’s Crossing, she even begins to find the voice, and confidence, she’d lost so long ago.

But danger is not far behind, and her father will not be denied. While Addie desperately fights the man who destroyed her childhood, a determined Ridge races to the rescue. The star-crossed lovers will need more than prayers to survive this final challenge…and find their way back to each other again.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Ridge glanced at the woman sitting next to Josie with a black lace scarf covering her head and obscuring most of her face. She seemed to huddle deeper into the folds, as though wishing to escape his notice.

He started around the wagon to help his bride down and introduce himself when Luke Legend steered him away from the others.

Luke kept his voice low. “There’s something you need to know before you meet Adeline.”

His chest tightened. Was she disfigured? Was that the reason for the veil? “What’s that?”

“She can’t speak.”

Shock jolted Ridge. “What do you mean she can’t talk? Can’t for a medical reason? Did someone cut out her tongue?”

He’d heard how bad prison was and had once met a convict who shook and jerked all the time. Someone had used him as a test subject for a new device, rigged up with paper soaked in saltwater and something to do with zinc and copper.

A search of his memory brought no recollection of Adeline mentioning this in the few letters they’d exchanged.

“Nothing like that,” Luke assured him. “It’s more like she won’t try. The doctor at the prison said they kept her in isolation for the whole three years as part of her punishment. With no one to talk to, she seems to have forgotten how. Anyway, she’s going to require a lot of understanding.” Luke shifted and the silver conches running up the sides of his black pant legs flashed in the sunlight. “There’s more.”

Good Lord, what else? What did that prison do to her?

“Someone’s hunting her.”

A wave of fury crashed over Ridge. His voice held a sharp edge. “Who? And for what reason?”

“Don’t know, but Adeline does. I was waiting for her at the prison and overheard two men talking about her. One said the best time to grab her was when she came out, and that the money for the job would keep them well off.” Luke grinned. “I took her out the back way.”

“Dammit!” Ridge studied the faint bruises on his friend’s jaw that said he’d had to fight to keep Adeline safe. Anger rose. Ridge clenched his fist. Whoever wanted to harm her would now have to deal with him.

“When they realized what we’d done, they chased us. I was barely able to get her onto a train to Fort Worth.” Luke paused. “Wish I knew more.”

“Makes two of us.”

“The question is…do you still want to marry a hunted woman? One who might never speak?”

Here was an excuse if he wanted to take it. It was unlikely that anyone would fault him for it. Only one thing wrong with that—he wasn’t happy the way he was. He needed more from life than merely existing from one day to the next. And what about Adeline? His rejection might finish the process of destroying her. Plus, she needed protection—and that was something he at least knew how to give.

“Yes, I’ll marry her—if she’ll have me.”

Luke slapped his back. “Then I’ll introduce you and we’ll plan a wedding.”

Ridge took some nervous breaths and matched Luke’s stride as they moved toward the wagon. Luke helped her down. She didn’t lift her head. Ridge, well over six feet, towered above the slim, petite woman.

Adeline wore a simple dress of blue calico that hugged in all the right places. Ridge grew warm thinking about running his hands over those curves. The strands of blond hair poking from the heavy black scarf were golden in color, deep and rich.

Luke put an arm around her. “Miss Jancy, meet your bridegroom, Ridge Steele. I personally vouch for his character. I’ve fought by his side and know he’s a good man to have around. He’ll fight for you until you’re strong enough to do it yourself.”

She stood rooted in silence. Ridge wished he could see her face.

“That’s a promise, Miss Adeline.” Ridge cursed his suddenly raspy voice. She struck him as a wounded, exhausted little wren, battered by heavy storms. “Thank you for coming. I’m only an outlaw, a wanted man with little to my name. But everything I have is yours—if you want it.”

She lifted her head and removed the black scarf. Kissed by the sunshine, her hair curled around her shoulders and flowed down her back. Emerald eyes stared up at him, framed by thick dark lashes and a jolt raced through him.

Here stood the brave, determined woman he’d seen under a Fort Worth night.

Ridge sucked in a breath. He’d been right in thinking she’d be pretty in the daylight. By God, she was beautiful. Although the others stood there, they’d somehow melted away. Adeline was the only person he could see. Shoulders squared, her determined gaze bored into him and her chin raised a notch. Despite everything, she had fight left in her. He’d probably find out how much if he didn’t watch it.

Did she recognize him as well? Her expression didn’t indicate if she did. But then it’d been dark that night, and his Stetson had shielded most of his face.

He brought her hand to his lips and cleared his throat. “Miss Adeline, I’d be honored if you’d be my wife. Will you accept my proposal?”

One jerk of her head confirmed her answer.

“Is tomorrow too soon? Or would you rather wait a few days?”

Panic crossed her face. Taking the paper and pencil Luke handed her, Adeline wrote, “Tomorrow.”

***
Excerpted from Once Upon a Mail Order Bride by Linda Broday. © 2020 by Linda Broday. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author:I’m a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance books and short stories. Here in the Texas Panhandle, I reside on ancient land that carries the voices of those who’ve gone before on the wind. If I close my eyes and get real still, I often hear them whispering stories in my ear.

My love of history and the Old West was born from watching TV westerns and visiting museums and libraries. I’ve always been an avid reader and books opened up entirely new exciting worlds that seemed limited only by my imagination.

Cowboys have always fascinated me and I often think I was born 150 years too late. I love writing about those men, their ladies, and the struggles they endure in trying to carve out a small place to call home. Western romance is my passion and I feel truly blessed. Humble roots and the love of family have become focal points in my stories. I sincerely hope readers enjoy what I strive to bring to life on the printed page.

I’m a mother, grandmother, and now a great grandmother. In my family, I’m the storyteller and the one who records our history. I come from a long line of poor but prideful people. That’s okay. I’m happy with that. This is my legacy.

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Not Such An Innocent Angel by Beth D. Carter


Not Such An Innocent Angel by Beth D. Carter
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Eden works as a nurse in Dove Hollow Hospital, taking care of the human companions for the supernatural creatures of the Shade. When a human male is brought in, wraith touched, his pleas for help tug at her heartstrings. In an effort to save his life, she calls in a favor from the powerful vampire, Gideon Marks.

At first Gideon is reluctant to turn the man Eden is fascinated with, but when he discovers it’s the businessman Jacob St. Cross, he quickly changes his mind. Now, Jacob has to navigate a world he knew nothing about, as a creature he thought only myth.

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When Jacob is brought to the hospital where Eden works she feels an immediate connection to the man. Wraith-touched and suffering from unspeakable pain, Eden knows Jacob will die in a matter of days and she desperately wants to give him as much peace as is possible. Gideon and Eden had been dancing delicately around each other for decades – but he’s the only one she feels she can turn to in order to save Jacob. The entire situation is complicated, but can the three of them work it out?

I thoroughly enjoyed this amazing paranormal short story. I thought the author did a really good job explaining the various paranormal elements (vampires, seraphs and wraiths – oh my!) and I thought the balance between world-building and progression of the plot was handled exceptionally well. Readers who enjoy a strong sense of paranormal but still retains plenty of regular plot and romance progression should find this story as satisfying as I did.

I also was seriously impressed with the three main characters. Eden, Gideon and Jacob were all individual characters and fairly well-rounded (albeit a little stereotypical) but it was the chemistry and connection between them that I really loved. The author kept the connections between these three deliciously balanced too and I really commend how inter-connected they were. Eden and Gideon had a decade or more of flirting and dancing around their attraction, Eden and Jacob had that delicious first flush of attraction and instant chemistry, and Jacob and Gideon had a seriously smoking hot new-vampire sizzle and connection that nearly burned right off the page. So at no stage did I feel like one of the three was an added extra or slightly superfluous to the ménage and they each added plenty of chemistry and steam to the relationship.

I found the plot was really well handled and quite solid and there was ample time for the relationship between the threesome to develop. The sex – when we finally got there – was deliciously hot and explicit and well, well worth the wait. It’s not often I say this – but I really *really* hope that the author comes back to this world and writes more stories. I’d be totally all over a sequel – or a series of Eden, Gideon and Jacob saving the world one battered woman at a time. I’d also absolutely read any further stories written in this world and running along a similar vein. I will absolutely be keeping an eye out on this author and live in hope.

With a great plot and interesting characters this is a seriously smoking hot and sexy short story. Recommended.

The Great Thanksgiving Escape by Mark Fearing


The Great Thanksgiving Escape by Mark Fearing
Publisher: Candlewick
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

It’s another Thanksgiving at Grandma’s. Gavin expects a long, boring day full of pesky toddlers, but his cousin Rhonda has a different idea: make a break for it to the swing set in the backyard! Gavin isn’t so sure, especially when they encounter vicious guard dogs (in homemade sweaters), overly affectionate aunts, and worst of all, the great wall of butts. Can they avoid all the obstacles and find some fun before turkey time?

Sometimes there is such a thing as too much family togetherness.
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This picture book had an excellent sense of humour that was displayed in both the dialogue and descriptions of what the characters were doing next. I couldn’t stop chucking as I read it, especially when it came to the parts about Gavin and Rhonda dodging well-meaning but slightly overbearing relatives who hadn’t quite caught on yet that these two kids were trying to escape the loud, festive house where everyone was gathered for Thanksgiving.

The ending felt a bit abrupt to me. I would have liked to see more details about how the adults in this family reacted not only to Gavin and Rhonda’s secret plan to sneak past everyone but also to how their mission turned out. There was so much more room here to develop the plot and sneak in a few more jokes about what Thanksgiving is really like for kids who find it overstimulating.

Speaking of being overstimulated, I really enjoyed this book’s take on why Gavin and Rhonda were the only members of their large, extended family to react this way to a day of togetherness. It left plenty of room for multiple interpretations of their motives and why they both yearned for peace and quiet so strongly. This meant that I could read this to kids who are simply a little shy, kids who have official medical reasons for disliking noise and large crowds, and to kids who simply want to learn to be more empathetic when they meet someone who is different from them in some way. There truly was something here for everyone!

The Great Thanksgiving Escape was a heartwarming read that should be read by anyone who gets a little overwhelmed by large gatherings or wonders why some folks react that way.