This OR That #Giveaway Week 21 ~ Love at First by Kate Clayborn OR Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews #LoveAtFirst #SpringFever

 

I have sooooo many books! 

The This or That Giveaway! feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. It's a way for me to cull my collection and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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I'll bet you thought I had fallen off of the face of the earth. Or....maybe nobody missed me? 😏

Anyway, our family has been dealing with the declining health of my MIL and she ended up passing away last week. She just celebrated her 90th birthday in May so it wasn't unexpected but it happened quickly. And then we had to deal with getting rid of her 90 years of accumulated stuff. Oh my! So I was busy with all of that and pretty much offline for a couple of weeks. 

But I'm back and here we go again with another 

This OR That Giveaway! 

Good luck!

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Love at First is a sweet, emotional, character-filled story that I just loved. You can read my thoughts here.

Love at First

by Kate Clayborn

ARC ~ Pub date February 2021

Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar...

No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance...

A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore.

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You can never go wrong with a story by MKA. I know I'm in for a treat when I start one of her books. Spring Fever is another great read! You can read my thoughts here.

Spring Fever

by Mary Kay Andrews

Mass market paperback ~ Pub date June 2012

First husbands

Annajane truly believes she is over her ex-husband, Mason. They've been divorced for four years, she's engaged to a terrific new guy, and she's ready to leave the small North Carolina town where she and Mason had so much history. She is so over Mason that she has absolutely no problem attending his wedding. But when fate intervenes and the wedding is called to a halt as the bride is walking down the aisle, Annajane begins to realize that maybe this happened for a reason. And maybe, just maybe, she wants Mason back...

Second chances

But there are secrets afoot in this small Southern town, and soon Annajane discovers that change can bring out the worst in people-even her own friends and neighbors-and uncover family scandals. Happiness could be hers for the taking...and the life she once had with Mason could be in her future. But first Annajane must find out what she's really made of, and what really matters most.

"A winsome love story and compelling family drama; an idyllic small-town setting and surprising twists and turns."-Booklist

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Release Day! The Therapist by B.A. Paris ~ My Thoughts #TheTherapist #NetGalley

  Happy Release Day!

The Therapist

The Therapist by B.A. Paris

Domestic Thiller, 320 pages

Published July 13th 2021 by St. Martin's Press

The multimillion-copy New York Times bestselling author B.A. Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in The Therapist--a powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret.

When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem… 

My thoughts about The Therapist ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"My office is small, perfect and minimalistic. It's decorated in calming shades of gray, with just two chairs; a cocoon-style gray one for my clients and a pale leather one for me."

BA Paris has done it again. She has created an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep you guessing and enthralled until the very end. As with her other books, The Therapist grabbed me from the very first chapter and kept me in it's clutches until the very last page. I am never disappointed in her stories. 

This is a book full of relationships, most of them strained and troubled. Alice has to work hard to try to find the good ones and to try to figure out who she can trust—who is on her side and who isn't? And then there are all the secrets. What aren't her neighbors telling her? 

I totally loved the mystery, suspense, and secrets of this story. The Therapist is a spell-binding thriller that I know you will love as well.

I received a copy of The Therapist from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

B A Paris is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, Bring Me Back and The Dilemma. Having sold over a million copies in the UK alone, she is a New York Times bestseller as well as a Sunday Times bestseller. Her books have been translated into 40 languages. Having lived in France for many years, she and her husband recently moved back to the UK.

Her fifth novel is out in 2021 ~ Goodreads

Connect with B A

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? July 12, 2021 #IMWAYR

      

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are! 

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We had a busy weekend with lots of family time, pizza, Legos, sleepovers, baseball games, and Arts in the Park. I loved it and marvel about how different this summer is from last summer when we were all sheltering in place because of COVID. So far, things are good in our state but I hope cases don't start to go up again. How is it where you live? 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. 

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

Love, Laughter & Happily Ever After

20 authors! 20 stories!

Pub date 7/20

I've been asked to read/review Sophie-Leigh Robbins' story – Take a Hike. Looks like a fun anthology!

Devil's Creek

(Bittersweet Hollow #2)

by Aaron Paul Lazar

Narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor

What I recently finished

Secrets of the Chocolate House

(Found Things #2)

by Paula Brackston 

Snow In Summer

(Yellow Wood #2)

by Laura Kemp

What I am going to read next

Death Becomes You

(Rachel Emery #2)

by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Pub date 8/10

I read and loved book 1, The Truth About Rachel and am excited to continue the series. 

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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This OR That #Giveaway Week 20 ~ Easter Bunny Murder by Leslie Meier OR Honey-Baked Homicide by Gayle Leeson #EasterBunnyMurder #HoneyBakedHomicide

 

I have sooooo many books! 

The This or That Giveaway! feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. It's a way for me to cull my collection and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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This week, I've got two different cozy mysteries. Both are from very popular series. I have to admit that I have not read either of these series. Have you? 

Easter Bunny Murder

Lucy Stone #19

by Leslie Meier

Hardcover ~ Pub date January 2013

Spring has sprung in Tinker's Cove, and Lucy Stone has a mile-long to-do list. From painting eggs with her grandson, to preparing the perfect Easter feast, to reviving her garden after a long, cold winter, she hardly has time to hunt for a killer with a deadly case of spring fever... 

Lucy has always loved covering the annual Easter egg hunt for the Pennysaver. Hosted by elderly socialite Vivian Van Vorst at Pine Point, her luxurious oceanfront estate, it's a swanky event where the grown-ups sip cocktails while their children search for eggs that are as likely to contain savings bonds as they are jelly beans. But when Lucy arrives with her three-year-old grandson, VV's normally welcoming gates are locked, and a man dressed as the Easter Bunny emerges only to drop dead moments later… Lucy discovers that the victim is Van Vorst Duff, VV's grandson, and soon learns that not all is as it seems at idyllic Pine Point, where the champagne and caviar seem to be running dry. 

Always a social butterfly, VV has been skipping lunch dates with friends, and her much-needed donations to local charities have stopped with no explanation. Maybe she's going senile, or maybe her heirs are getting a little too anxious to take over her estate… As Lucy gathers a basketful of suspects, she's convinced someone's been hunting for a lot more than eggs, and she'll have to chase the truth down a rabbit hole before the killer claims another victim…

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Honey-Baked Homicide

Down South Café Mystery #3

by Gayle Leeson

Mass market paperback ~ Pub date December 2017

The owner of a delightful Southern cafe tastes the sharp sting of suspicion in this delectable comfort food mystery . . .

It's fall in Winter Garden, Virginia, and business at Amy Flowers' Down South Cafe has never been better. So when struggling beekeeper Stuart Landon asks Amy to sell some of his honey, she's happy to help. The jars of honey are a sweet success, but their partnership is cut short when Amy discovers Landon's body outside the cafe early one morning.

As Amy tries to figure out who could possibly have wanted to harm the unassuming beekeeper, she discovers an ever-expanding list of suspects--and they're all buzzing mad. She'll have to use all of her skills--and her Southern charm--to find her way out of this sticky situation... 

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New Release! A Cup of Silver Linings by Karen Hawkins ~ My Thoughts #ACupOfSilverLinings #NetGalley

A Cup of Silver Linings

A Cup of Silver Linings by Karen Hawkins

Series: Dove Pond #2

Magical Realism, 352 pages

Published July 6th 2021 by Gallery Books

From New York Times bestselling author Karen Hawkins comes another book in her Dove Pond series—and this time Ava’s famous tea leaves spell trouble ahead.

Ava Dove—the sixth of seven daughters of the famed Dove family, and owner of Ava’s Landscaping and Specialty Gourmet Tea—is frantic.

Just as she is getting ready to open her fabulous new tearoom, her herbal teas have gone wonky. Suddenly, the tea that is supposed to help people sleep is startling them awake with vivid dreams; the tea that infuses romance back into tired marriages is causing people to blurt out their darkest secrets; and the tea that helps people find happiness is making them spend hours staring into mirrors.

Meanwhile, living four doors down the road from Ava, sixteen-year-old Kristen Foster’s life has just crashed down around her. After her mother’s death, Kristen’s grandmother Ellen has arrived in town to sweep Kristen off to a white mansion on a hill in distant Raleigh. But Kristen has had enough ‘life changes’ and is desperate to stay with her friends in her beloved hometown of Dove Pond. But to do so means Kristen must undertake a quest she’s been avoiding her entire life—finding her never-been-there-for-her father.

With the help of an ancient herbal remedy book found in her attic by her sister, Ava realizes that Kristen holds the key to fixing her unstable tea leaves. So Ava throws herself into Kristen’s search, even convincing Kristen’s grandmother Ellen to help, too. Together, the three embark on a reluctant but magical journey of healing, friendship, and family that will delight fans of Alice Hoffman, Kate Morton, and Sarah Addison Allen. 

My thoughts about A Cup of Silver Linings ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"Standing beside her daughter's open grave, Ellen Foster dug her fingernails into her palm as the annoying sound of a kazoo wafted through the wintery, pine-scented air."

I absolutely loved the first book in the series, The Book Charmer, and anxiously waited for book 2 to come out. This one did not disappoint and I love it just as much!

I am truly fascinated by the idea of inanimate objects being magical or mystical—whatever you want to call it—coming to life or offering healing and insight to the people and things around them. This Dove Pond series does just that, with books that communicate with the librarian and tea that knows just what people need. 

In A Cup of Silver Linings, Ava mixes up a bad batch of tea and things really start going wrong for her, and for others in the community. As she struggles to right the wrong that has happened, a young girl, Kristin, has had her whole world turned upside down. Can the books, the tea, and the community come together to make it all right again? 

I really love this whole series and hope that this author has many more stories to tell. I'm pretty sure the ending of this story sets up the beginning of the next book. Yay! 

I highly recommend A Cup of Silver Linings, as well as The Book Charmer, if you like a touch of magical realism in your reading world. 

I received a copy of A Cup of Silver Linings from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

The Book Charmer

Book #1

Read my thoughts here

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About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Hawkins writes novels that have been praised as touching, witty, charming, and heartwarming. A native Southerner who grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee where storytelling is a way of life, Karen recently moved to frosty New England with her beloved husband and multiple foster dogs. 

The Dove Pond books are a nod to the thousands of books that opened doors to more adventures, places, and discoveries than she ever imagined possible. 

To find out more about Karen, follow her at: FACEBOOK • TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • PINTEREST

If you'd like to keep up with Karen's crazed and hectic schedule, win free books, find out about her coming releases, or just want to engage in some easy on-line snooping, sign up for Karen's amazing newsletter! ~ Goodreads

Connect with Karen

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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