Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romance. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 04, 2024

book review: Songlight by Moia Buffini

 


published September 3, 2024
buy on Amazon

Star-crossed lovers, against-all-odds friendship, and a brutally unforgiving world make this first in a trilogy utterly unforgettable.

We’re two songs joined. And there’s a word for that. A harmony.

Elsa is used to hiding the most important parts of herself—her feelings for Rye, her distaste for a world ruled by men, and, most crucially, her gift of songlight. She buries that secret deep inside. In Brightland, those with songlight are called Unhumans and are abhorred. Rye is the only other person Elsa has known with songlight, and their shared bond has brought them together.

Elsa’s world begins to fall apart one desperate, heart-wrenching day and she doesn’t know where to turn until a girl appears before her. But the girl isn’t really there—her songlight has been drawn to Elsa’s frantic grief.

Elsa lives in a remote seaside village; Nightingale, her new friend, lives in a city hundreds of miles away with her father, a government official responsible for rooting out Unhumans. The two never expected to connect via songlight. But when they do, and when they realize the extent of their power, they’ll be thrust in the middle of a war that threatens their very existence.

MY REVIEW:


Songlight (The Torch Light #1)Songlight by Moira Buffini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story was different than others. It is like Telepathy and in singing. Even able to "talk" to someone you have never met or lives miles away. How the world outcasts them and call them unhumans and is punishable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ebook to review.

View all my reviews



Moira Buffini

BornCarlisle, The United Kingdom


Moira Buffini (born 1965) is an English dramatist, director, and actor.

She was born in Carlisle to Irish parents, and studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths. She subsequently trained as an actor at the Welsh College of Music and Drama.

For Jordan, co-written with Anna Reynolds in 1992, she won a Time Out Award for her performance and Writers' Guild Award for Best Fringe play. Her 1997 play Gabriel was performed at Soho theatre, winning the LWT Plays on Stage award. Her 1999 play Silence earned Buffini the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for best English-language play by a woman. Loveplay followed at the RSC in 2001, then Dinner at the National Theatre in 2003 which transferred to the West End and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy.

Buffini wrote Dying For It, a free adaptation of Nikolai Erdman's classic, The Suicide, for the Almeida in 2007. She followed it with Marianne Dreams, a dance play with choreographer Will Tuckett, based on Catherine Storr's book. Her play for young people, A Vampire Story was performed as part of NT Connections in 2008.

Buffini is said to advocate big, imaginative plays rather than naturalistic soap opera dramas, and is a founder member of the Monsterists, a group of playwrights who promote new writing of large scale work in the British theatre. She has been described by David Greig as a metaphysical playwright. All her plays have been published by Faber.

Buffini is also a prolific screenwriter. In 2010 her film adaptation of Posy Simmon's Tamara Drewe was released followed by her adaptation of Jane Eyre for BBC Films and Ruby Films in 2011. The script appeared on the 2008 Brit List, a film-industry-compiled list of the best unproduced screenplays in British film. It received nine votes, putting it in second place. Buffini also adapted her play A Vampire Story for the screenplay of Neil Jordan's film Byzantium released in 2013.

She took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six for which she wrote a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Book Review: Summer on Blackberry Beach by Belle Calhoune

 


                                                                    Kindle Edition
                                            Expected publication: June 28th 2022 by Forever
                                                                   Buy on Amazon


A faux summer fling seemed like the perfect solution . . . until they start falling in love for real.

Teacher Stella Marshall’s summer break has just began, but the gossip is already sizzling: Luke Keegan’s back in town! Stella’s high school crush is all grown up and smolderingly sexy. She might even consider a fling with the former Navy SEAL, if she hadn’t already sworn off all romantic entanglements. But there isn’t a single thing she can do to stop the rumor mill whispering about her and Luke being together—unless . . .

A showmance! Luke never thought he’d propose a fake relationship, but it’s the only way to stop the runaway speculation about their love lives. Pretending to date a woman as stunning as Stella is easy. Not actually falling for her is the hard part. Luke isn’t sure he deserves a hometown happy ending, when members of his SEAL team never made it back at all. But there’s real attraction buzzing between him and Stella . . . and he knows she feels it too. Could their faux summer romance lead to true love?


MY REVIEW:


Summer on Blackberry Beach (Mistletoe, Maine #2)Summer on Blackberry Beach by Belle Calhoune
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stella Marshall was supposed to get married but her fiance broke up with within days of the wedding. Claiming he was in love with his ex. Who he married and had a child with.
Luke Keegan comes back into town after being wounded in the military and the person who Stella had a crush on in high school.
They both decide to have a fake relationship to keep other away and to stop having people set them up on dates.
Stella is not to trusting of men at the moment and Luke has a lot of baggage thinking it is his fault 2 men died on his watch in afghanistan.
These 2 were so funny and you knew they would end up falling for each other but getting to that journey was the fun part. Stella has a sister getting married and Stella is trying to help her with the wedding and then they have an 11 year old sister, turning 30 lol. She is quite a spunky thing and very nosy and gossipy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the book to reveiw.

View all my reviews



                                                                       Belle Calhoune


Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, The United States
November 16

Genre
Romance, Spirituality, Fiction



URL
https://www.goodreads.com/BelleC


Belle Calhoune writes heartwarming, inspirational romance novels set in small, cozy towns. Married to her college sweetheart and living in southern Connecticut, she is the mother of two girls. Born and raised in Massachusetts, she is one of five children. Growing up across the street from a public library allowed her to become an avid reader who aspired to be a romance writer. When she isn't writing, she enjoys reading, spending time in Cape Cod, traveling and enjoying time with friends and family.
Belle hopes her books will provide readers with inspiration, entertainment and an escape from day to day life.

Sunday, February 28, 2021

Book Review: Desert Flower- Rose by Judith Keim

 

                                                      Kindle Edition, 247 pages
                                                    Published January 28th 2021
                                                     Buy on Amazon

Three talented women brought together by a man’s love…
When Rose Macklin is asked to help Alec Thurston, the one man she’s ever truly loved, by coming to Palm Desert, California, she doesn’t hesitate. He’s dying of cancer and needs her help overseeing the sale of his hotel, the Desert Sage Inn, to another hotel group. With her marketing skill and as the owner of a very successful blog, she’s his perfect choice to make the sale a smooth transition while ensuring the new owners will maintain the reputation and image of the upscale property after the sale. She arrives to find Alec has summoned two other women to help with the project. Lily Weaver was once Alec’s assistant, and Willow Sanchez was like a daughter to him. They join forces to help him, lovingly accepting his nickname for them—the Desert Flowers, similar to the well-known Charlie’s Angels of TV fame.
When Rose is assigned to work alongside Hank Bowers, an independent consultant to the hotel company’s team, she shudders at his reputation as an outgoing guy who always uses sports analogies and is certain they won’t get along. But Alec counsels her to give Hank a chance and, later, as they work together as a team, Rose is left to wonder if falling for one another is part of Alec’s secret plan even if one of Hank’s grown daughters fights the idea.
A series for those who love stories about strong women facing challenges and finding love and happiness along the way.

                                                      MY REVIEW:


The Desert Flowers - Rose (The Desert Sage Inn Series Book 1)The Desert Flowers - Rose by Judith S. Keim
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Judith Keim did it again, Another great book that will leave you with some tears and wanting the rest of the books right away,
Three talented women brought together by a man’s love…
When Rose Macklin is asked to help Alec Thurston, the one man she’s ever truly loved, by coming to Palm Desert, California, she doesn’t hesitate. He’s dying of cancer and needs her help overseeing the sale of his hotel, the Desert Sage Inn, to another hotel group.
Lily Weaver was once Alec’s assistant, and Willow Sanchez was like a daughter to him.
When Rose is assigned to work alongside Hank Bowers, an independent consultant to the hotel company’s team, she shudders at his reputation as an outgoing guy who always uses sports analogies and is certain they won’t get along.
This is the first book of her new series so go out and grab it now before the next one comes out, you won't be disapponted.
Thank you to Judith for giving me an ARC to read.

View all my reviews



                                                                          Judith S. Keim


Born in Elmira, New York, The United States

Website
http://judithkeim.com/

Twitter
judithkeim

Genre
Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Influences
Susan Mallery,Nora Roberts, Barbara Delinsky, Susan Wiggs





Judith Keim enjoyed her childhood and young-adult years in Elmira, New York, and now makes her home in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and their two dachshunds, Winston and Wally, and other members of her family.

While growing up, she was drawn to the idea of writing stories from a young age. Books were always present, being read, ready to go back to the library, or about to be discovered. All in her family shared information from the books in general conversation, giving them a wealth of knowledge and vivid imaginations.

A hybrid author who both has a publisher and self-publishes, Ms. Keim writes heart-warming novels about women who face unexpected challenges, meet them with strength, and find love and happiness along the way. Her best-selling books are based, in part, on many of the places she's lived or visited and on the interesting people she's met, creating believable characters and realistic settings her many loyal readers love. Ms. Keim loves to hear from her readers and appreciates their enthusiasm for her stories.

#judithkeim

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Release Blast: The Secret One by Ruth Cardello

 

Release Date: October 13

In this steamy third book in New York Times bestselling author Ruth Cardello’s Corisi Billionaires series, a trip to Italy could jump-start a lasting relationship—but only if all that’s hidden comes to light.

When Christof meets a beautiful mechanic on the side of the road, he knows they’re meant to be. His family, however, needs him and his mediation skills in Italy, where decades of secrets and betrayal could cost them everything. His mother is convinced a fiancée would help smooth things over. But he’d be nuts to ask a woman he just met to participate in such a farce.

Men always find something about McKenna they want to change—her independence, her success, the grease that clings to her after a satisfying day in the garage. So when she starts falling for a handsome billionaire, she doesn’t believe it will last. Their engagement is fake, but the sparks that fly when they’re together are too real to resist.

If Christof and McKenna trust themselves and each other, Italy will jump-start a love as intimate as it is intense. If not…their relationship isn’t the only one on the line.
Grab Your Copy HERE:
Meet Ruth Cardello

Ruth Cardello hit the New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers Lists for the first time back in 2012. 

Millions of sales are evidence that her books are akin to potato chips, addictive from the first one. She has created a multi-series billionaire world with a combination of escapism and realism that has gained her a faithful following of readers.

Ruth Cardello was born the youngest of 11 children in a small city in northern Rhode Island. She spent her young adult years moving as far away as she could from her large extended family. She lived in Boston, Paris, Orlando, New York--then came full circle and moved back to New England. She now happily lives one town over from the one she was born in. For her, family trumped the warmer weather and international scene. 

She was an educator for 20 years, the last 11 as a kindergarten teacher. When her school district began cutting jobs, Ruth turned a serious eye toward her second love- writing and has never been happier. 

When she's not writing, you can find her chasing her children around her small farm or connecting with her readers online.

Connect with Ruth Cardello


Hosted By:

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Release Day: Well This Sucks by CoraLee June and Carrie Gray

 

🔥🔥 𝗛𝗢𝗧 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 & 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗬🔥🔥

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗟𝗲𝗲 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗞𝗨!

𝐺𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑓𝑜𝑟 $1.99 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒! 𝐹𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑤 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐷𝑖𝑒𝑔𝑜 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦!

I treat eating pancakes on patios like it’s a personality trait.

Brunch is my jam. I like the beach, shopping, carbs, and reading naughty books on the train during my commute. I wear pink. Lots of it. If Tinder were an Olympic sport, I’d take home the gold. I can rock stilettos like they’re a pair of Nike joggers. I’m basically basic.

I’m in the prime of my life. I’ve got my dream job as the head of marketing, and I’ve been steadily dating myself for the better half of the last decade. I’m thirty, flirty, and thriving.

Or at least I was, until some jerk had the audacity to turn me into a vampire.

I don’t do blood and doom and gloom. I sure as hell don’t like sleeping in a coffin, avoiding garlic bread, and these ridiculous vamp politics. And don’t get me started on Diego. He’s vampire royalty and a pain in my butt. A very sexy pain in the butt. When he’s not driving me crazy with all his rules, he’s turning my panties into Niagara falls.

I absolutely refuse to live the rest of my immortal life in some wannabe nineties grunge music video.

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐒.

Sᴛᴀʀᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ!

*Limited time price of $1.99 until 9/22.*

➡️ Amazon: https://books2read.com/u/bOxKJW

➡️ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3aTH1RG

 

The authors are giving away a gift box including a signed paperback and swag. Stop by to enter!

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCoraleeJune/

http://www.facebook.com/authorcarriegray

 

Coralee June is an international bestselling romance writer who enjoys engaging projects and developing real, raw, and relatable characters. She is an English major from Texas State University and has had an intense interest in literature since her youth. She currently resides with her husband and two daughters in Dallas, Texas, where she enjoys long walks through the ice-cream aisle at her local grocery store.

Follow CoraLee June!

Website: www.authorcoraleejune.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/coralee_june

Instagram: http://instagram.com/authorcoraleejune

Reader Group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thezonecoraleejune/?ref=br_rs

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17427078.Coralee_June

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/cjune4

   

I have always loved to read. In kindergarten, I was the weird kid sitting in the reading nook by myself instead of trying to get more snacks. I’m excited to be putting my own voice on the page and watching a story I helped create come to life. I still love to read, but I also really like snacks.

I grew up in Chicago but recently moved back to the Dallas area where I live with my husband and son.

I have my Bachelor of Science in Biology. I spent a year researching chimpanzees and gorillas while I was in Chicago and then I spent another two months on a chimpanzee sanctuary trying to convince headstrong chimps to cooperate. Pro tip - grapes are a pretty hot bargaining tool. They work wonders with my toddler too.

Follow Carrie Gray!

Friday, September 18, 2020

Release Blitz: The People We Meet Along the Way by Beth Rinyu

The People We Meet Along The Way
Beth Rinyu
Publication date: September 17th 2020
Genres: Romance, Women’s Fiction

Would you be able to grant the same forgiveness to someone else that you’re so desperately seeking yourself?

Jillian O’Rourke’s marriage died long before her husband’s tragic accident. Years of battling with infertility and demanding careers melted their once solid relationship. Bearing the burden of guilt over his death, Jillian gets lost in despair and a series of what ifs. But one chance encounter with a stranger, changes everything. Now being faced with newfound knowledge and a painful decision, Jillian must push past her anger, learn to forgive and open her heart in ways she never could’ve imagined. As she comes to grips with the devastation of her past, she learns to embrace the possibility of a future she never thought possible. A bittersweet story of love, forgiveness, and the unexpected destiny that is sometimes handed to us in life from the people we meet along the way.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“I just wish you didn’t hate me so much.” I concentrated on the coffee in my cup as I swirled the wooden stirrer round and round.

“I don’t hate you,” I said, focusing my attention back to him. “I hate what we did. I hate that I let it define who I was for so long, and I hate that I hurt someone I cared about so much because of it. But I don’t hate you—you were just one of the many cracks in my life.”

He creased his forehead. “I don’t understand.”

I gazed at him long and hard, finally fearless of the shame the man staring back at me conjured up inside of me. He held no control over me, and he never had. I stood up and pushed my chair in as he sat there waiting for an explanation. “And I wouldn’t have expected you to. Goodbye, Jonathan.”

Author Bio:

Ever since I can remember, I have always enjoyed Creative Writing. There was always something about being able to travel to a different place or become a different person with just the stroke of a pen - or in today's world a touch of the keyboard. I love creating deep characters who you will love or love to hate.

My life is not as interesting as my books or the characters in them, but then again whose life is? My happy place is a seat by the ocean with my feet in the sand or on the busy streets of New York City. You will more than likely find one of these places as the setting for most of my books.

Blog / Facebook / Instagram / Amazon / Bookbub


GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

XBTBanner1

Friday, September 11, 2020

Blog Tour: Machiavellian by Bella Di Corte






Machiavellian
Bella Di Corte
(Gangsters of New York, #1)
Publication date: May 8th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
I hungered to be seen.
There were three things I knew about Capo Macchiavello:
He was gorgeous.

He was reclusive.
He was considered one of New York’s most savage animals.
And he wanted me as his wife. A simple arrangement – you do for me, I do for you. Nothing owed, no expectations. Except for one: never leave.
Life was never that simple, though. By the age of twenty-one, I was parentless, jobless, and homeless, and I had come to learn the hard way that nothing was ever free. Even kindness comes with strings.
Capo might’ve been the only man to ever see me, but I had made a vow to myself: I would never owe anyone anything. Most of all, the man I called boss.
I killed to stay hidden.
Mariposa Flores thought she owed nothing to no one, but she owed everything…to me, the ghost the world had once called The Machiavellian Prince of New York.
Machiavellian is the first of three books set in the savage world of the Gangsters of New York series.

Goodreads / Amazon / Bookbub


                                       MY REVIEW:

Machiavellian (Gangsters of New York, #1)Machiavellian by Bella Di Corte
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I hungered to be seen.

There were three things I knew about Capo Macchiavello:

He was gorgeous.
He was reclusive.
He was considered one of New York’s most savage animals.

And he wanted me as his wife. A simple arrangement – you do for me, I do for you. Nothing owed, no expectations. Except for one: never leave.

Life was never that simple, though. By the age of twenty-one, I was parentless, jobless, and homeless, and I had come to learn the hard way that nothing was ever free. Even kindness comes with strings.

Capo might’ve been the only man to ever see me, but I had made a vow to myself: I would never owe anyone anything. Most of all, the man I called boss.

I killed to stay hidden.

Mariposa Flores thought she owed nothing to no one, but she owed everything…to me, the ghost the world had once called The Machiavellian Prince of New York.


I don't know what it is about mob romance stories but they always hook me in right from the beginning. She was his butterfly and he was her boss. She knows he is in the wrong business but he also owns the restaurant she has always stared through the windows. When they get married in Italy to meet his family she is in for a shock to how much she loves them. Especially his grandfather. They share a bond over his garden. I can not wait for more books for this series although they are about different characters but I am hoping that they still will include these 2.


View all my reviews




Author Bio:
Bella Di Corte has been writing romance for seven years, even longer if you count the stories in her head that were never written down, but she didn’t realize how much she enjoyed writing alphas until recently. Tough guys who walk the line between irredeemable and savable, and the strong women who force them to feel, inspire her to keep putting words to the page.
Apart from writing, Bella loves to spend time with her husband, daughter, and family. She also loves to read, listen to music, cook meals that were passed down to her, and take photographs. She mostly takes pictures of her family (when they let her) and her three dogs. 
Bella grew up in New Orleans, a place she considers a creative playground.
She loves to connect with readers, so don’t hesitate to email her at belladicorte@gmail.com if you’d like to reach out.


GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
  • $10 Amazon gift card 
XBTBanner1


Friday, September 04, 2020

Cover Reveal: SNOWMAN by AC Netzel





Release Date: November 12





New York real estate developer, Summer Sloane, was just handed a career-changing assignment… persuade three small business owners in the middle of nowhere to sell their properties to make way for a condo complex. Salivating at a juicy promotion, corner office, and impressing her hard-to-please father, she travels to wintry Arid Falls to dazzle the locals and get their signatures on the dotted line.





Little did she know she was stepping into a living, breathing Christmas town crammed with excessively cheerful, fruitcake-loving, over hair-gelled locals who are a few logs short of an open fire—a place even Hallmark would envy.





Her confidence is shaken when she meets charismatic lumberjerk, Nick Snow—the owner of a bait and tackle shop, guardian of a feisty eight-year-old, and her biggest obstacle. 





With advice from her chiropractor-addicted best friend, Val… Summer ignores her growing affection for the town brimming with Christmas crackpots—and her undeniable attraction to the handsome, kind-hearted Lumberjerk… who sends naughty tingles in all the wrong places. 





Can Summer get her signatures and return home with her heart intact, or will the eccentric Christmas town and the man who gets her blood boiling and pulse racing change her mind?





~A little sweet, a little heat, a little offbeat~





Lace-up your snow boots… this is not a clean romance.





Pre-Order Your Copy Here!





Add to your Goodreads TBR List!








Meet AC Netzel 



I’m an accidental writer, a wife, and mother. I’m basically lazy at housework and discovered that writing books was a great way to get out of it. 





I’m in love with love and want to spread the joy, make you laugh, and swoon. If you’re smiling when you’re done reading my books, I’m a happy author. 





I like to write about women with a little snark, their relationships with the men they love, and the friends they keep. I may seem a little cynical when you first meet me… but the truth is I’m a Happily Ever After Girl.


A little sweet, a little steamy, a little snarky Romance Author.





My work:


The Casual Rule (Can be read as a standalone)


The New Rule (The Casual Rule 2)


The Only Rule (The Casual Rule 3)


The Casual Wedding (The Casual Rule 3.5—Allie’s story)


Snowman (Coming 11/12/20)





Connect with AC Netzel


Join me in my Facebook Reader Group: The Casual Room.


Get inside info on what I’m working on, bonus content, giveaways, and just hang out and chat. This is NEW to me and I’m excited to learn about you (and you learn about me).










Hosted By:




#acnetzel  #wildfiremarketingsolutions

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Release Blast: RESTRAINED by Nicole Dykes












Release Date: August 27








Grief can hold us back. Sorrow can make us stop enjoying our lives for fear of being too happy when what we truly want is never possible.





Lola Sterling has deprived herself of living for a long time. Remaining laser-focused on everyone and trying to fit their pieces back together.





But can someone from the past repair her?





Could he help her heart break free from the painful restraints put there from a devastating loss?





Can the Sterling family ever come back from the tragedy?





Time will only tell.









Grab Your Copy Here:



Free in KU












Meet Nicole Dykes




Nicole Dykes is a wife and professional assistant/mom to two gorgeous girls. 





Currently residing in Kansas, she’s a lover of coffee, Kansas City Chiefs, and all things romance. 









She currently has over 20 published books with her Monroe and Adamson series being the most popular. 





She enjoys cranking up the angst level, making her readers cry, and turning those tears into the coffee the fuels her writing.





Connect with Nicole Dykes








Hosted By: