Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Release Day! Falling for You Again by Kerry Lonsdale ~ My Thoughts @kerrylonsdale #FallingForYouAgain #TheFirstFall

Happy Release Day!


Congrats Kerry
on the release today of
Falling for You Again!

Falling for You Again by Kerry Lonsdale
Audiobook narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb
Romance, Contemporary, 271 pages
Published July 8, 2025 by Lake Union Publishing

Fate reunites a young woman with her ex-husband in a delightful and inspiring novel about family, old loves, and marriage on a dare by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kerry Lonsdale.

Furniture artisan Meli Hynes still abides by her uncle’s truism: the only lasting love story is the one between artists and their creations. Having already given marriage a shot—for all of twenty-four hours during a Las Vegas fling—Meli made her choice. The wood-crafting shop that is her family legacy will always come first.

But when her uncle decides to sell to a competitor, Meli’s promised inheritance goes belly-up. She’ll do anything to muddle the deal. Including a marriage of convenience to an unforgettable and very practical old friend—the competitor’s son, Aaron. With a controlling family of his own, and every bit as impulsive as Meli, Aaron is in. After all, this isn’t the first time he and Meli got hitched on a whim.

The rules of the ruse are simple: public displays of affection and live together as happy newlyweds. The hardest rule of all? Never let real feelings get in the way of what they plan to be a purely professional second time around.



My thoughts about Falling for You Again ~~

(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—"'Love is too fickle, Meli, to waste on someone who will leave you,' Uncle Bear once said to me when I'd asked why he wasn't married."

Family estrangement, drama, second chance romance, best gal pals, business deals—Falling for You Again pretty much has it all. And Kerry Lonsdale has done it again. She has created a world and group of characters that I fell in love with. I enjoy her stories so much and immerse myself completely when I start one of her novels.  

Meli runs on the day of her wedding and runs right into an unexpected, impromptu wedding. The newlyweds come up with a list of rules and attributes that they would want in any future relationship. But is it possible to find someone as perfect as they think they need? 

Right after I read the book, I listened to the audiobook. Even though I knew what was coming, it still was a wonderful story and I savored every minute of it. The narrator does an amazing job, her voice was so easy to listen to. 

Falling for You Again is a fun, romantic tale of finding love again, after having it the first time. I love this story so much. I highly recommend Falling for You Again. This is the perfect summer read for everyone!

I received a copy of Falling for You Again from the author and this is my honest opinion.


Get the companion novelette 
The First Fall
FREE
What really happened in Maui?

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About the author


Kerry Lonsdale is the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Amazon Charts & #1 Kindle bestselling author of standalone and series-based emotionally charged domestic drama with over twenty-seven foreign language translations. She lives in Northern California with her husband, college-aged kids, and two cats.

Hang out with Kerry inside her private Facebook group, Kerry's Tiki Lounge.

Connect with her in Instagram: @kerrylonsdale

Get her latest books news right in your inbox: Kerry's newsletter

Connect with Kerry



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Monday, July 7, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? July 7, 2025 #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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How can it be July already?? We had a pretty uneventful 4th, a cookout with some of my kiddos, and I didn't have to host. Yay me! Then we had our 11yo grandson for the rest of the weekend. I have to keep reminding myself that he is 11 and not a 'little' kid anymore. He's getting to be so grown-up!

And now.... on to another week!

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

What I'm currently reading

The Vacation Rental
by Katie Sise
e-book from my TBR list for a challenge
Published May 2024

The Ice Twins
by S.K. Tremayne
print from my TBR shelf for a challenge
Published January 2015

Good for You
by Camille Pagán
audio-book from my TBR list
Published March 2023

What I recently finished

Wayward Girls
by Susan Wiggs
print ARC for review
Pub date ~ July 15

The Lake Escape
by Jamie Day
eARC for review
Pub date ~ July 15

Falling for You Again
by Kerry Lonsdale
audiobook from NetGalley for review
Pub date ~ July 8

What I am going to read next

Now and Then
by Kay Bratt
eARC for review
Pub date ~ July 25

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Thursday, July 3, 2025

Virtual Book Tour Spotlight! Find My Daughter by Jennifer Chase ~ Book Excerpt #FindMyDaughter @JChaseNovelist @pumpupyourbook


Find My Daughter by Jennifer Chase
Crime Thriller 384 pages
Published February 17, 2025 by Bookouture

She hears footsteps approaching, then the clunk of a heavy lock. Her body is numb in the cold but she stands, determined to fight. A blinding light overpowers her, and the world goes black…

When Detective Katie Scott finds a woman dying in the car garage, blood pooling around her, she reaches her just in time to hear her utter the words: find my daughter.

Katie doesn’t waste a second gathering her team and pulling the case file for the missing child, Anna Braxton, a teen with sparkling blue-eyes and an even brighter future. Staring at the blank investigation board, Katie won’t rest until she fulfills Anna’s mother’s dying wish.

Searching the Braxton’s impeccable family home, Katie finds Anna’s journal, filled with teenage secrets. Buried among the pages, she thinks she finds a lead—a strange man reached out to Anna, just days before she went missing…

But the case takes a terrifying turn when Anna’s best friend also vanishes. Hours later, a girl’s body is found in the embers of a house fire, her yellow satin dress devastatingly beautiful amongst the ashes. Is it Anna, her best friend, or another girl?

One thing is certain: a monster has the closeknit community of Pine Valley in a chokehold, and Katie must get one step ahead of the killer before any more precious young lives are taken. But at what cost?

Find My Daughter is available at Amazon.

  


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Book Excerpt

PROLOGUE

Darkness shrouded the old cellar, causing a continuous chill to trickle down her spine. The dirt floor felt cold against her bare feet and her hands were dry as she rubbed them together. She could smell the musty remnants of what had been stored there in the past and the earthiness of being underground. The four walls seemed to be old stone or brick and they crumbled beneath her fingernails as she tried to claw her way out—but to no avail. Her exhaustion ultimately took over and she sat still, alone with her overwhelming fears. She had been left isolated and abandoned—in the pitch-black.

She hadn’t heard the man in hours, or maybe it was days—she wasn’t sure. In her bones, she knew this time he wasn’t coming back. The plastic-bottled water and peanut butter sandwiches were almost gone; her mouth was constantly dry. Her memory seemed to play tricks on her. How long had it been since she’d gone to the casting call for young aspiring models? She hadn’t told anyone where she was going, not her mom or even her best friend. She’d wanted to wait until she got the job to tell them the great news. It had been exciting; she dreamed of being a model and actress.

Her hands touched the dress she had been given to model—a yellow silk sheath wrap that made her feel beautiful, grown-up, as if she was finally someone who mattered.

She didn’t know how many times she had crawled up the wooden stairs to the small opening into the cellar, checking to see if he had left it open. But it was always the same—bolted shut. She had memorized each stair, which ones were sturdy, which were creaky and unstable. There were nine steps in total.

As hard as she tried, she couldn’t remember how she got there or what the house looked like. Even if she had a cell phone, she wouldn’t have been able to describe where she was—or even what town she was in. She felt a million miles away from home.

But she wasn’t giving up. Though weakened from lack of proper food, she dropped to her knees once again and crawled slowly toward the stairs. Her knees were bruised and scraped from the dozens of times she had attempted to escape—hoping that each time would be successful and she would be free.

As she paused at the first stair, feeling the familiar outlines in the darkness, she used her hands to steady her ascent; each time a stair ahead. Her knee pressed against the first stair, then the second, and the third. The creaks and groans were a disturbing symphony that reminded her of her situation: she was a prisoner in an empty basement and no one was coming back for her.

She stopped halfway to the top; her breathing quickening; feeling lightheaded. Her stomach grumbled. Her hope dwindled. Each time she’d gathered the strength to go up the stairs, it had turned out to be disheartening. She was never going to be free again. How stupid and selfish she had been, thinking she would become a model. She wondered if any of the other girls ended up like this. Or was she the only one whose fate was sealed?

Looking up toward the opening, she thought she heard footsteps. Yes, she had heard something. They were faint, but steady. He was coming. She froze. Her knees and hands were almost numb—her fingers hurt. Should she go back down or keep going?

What did she have to lose?                                   

The footsteps were getting closer. They sounded like a pair of work boots hitting old hardwood floors. There was a strange echo to the movement, which was now above her. She could hear the creaks of the uneven planks; a mismatched harmony.

The distinct jingle of keys, then the rattle of a heavy lock.

She was going to stand her ground and push past the man to make her escape. It was all she had.

She could barely breathe.

The heavy creak of hinges.

Her body numb. She tried to stand up, ready to fight.

The doorway opened a crack at first, then wider, and finally pushed all the way open.

The blinding light overpowered her. Trying to escape it, she fell backward, flailing her arms in an attempt to catch her balance. She couldn’t focus on anything. She felt every step hit her back and ribs as she tumbled down to the dirt basement. Her head struck the floor. She lost her breath and closed her eyes.

Excerpted from Find My Daughter by Jennifer Chase, Bookouture, 2025. Reprinted with permission.

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About the author


Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today Best Selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master's degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  

Connect with Jennifer




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Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Release Day! ~ Fog and Fury by Rachel Howzell Hall ~ My Thoughts #FogAndFury @RachelHowzell

Happy Release Day!


Congrats Rachel
on the release today of
Fog and Fury!

Fog and Fury by Rachel Howzell Hall
Mystery, Thriller, 395 pages
Published June 24, 2025 by July 1, 2025 by Thomas & Mercer

She’s a new PI in a beautiful seaside town. It’s dirtier than it looks—and more dangerous too—in a twisting novel of suspense by the Anthony Award–nominated author of These Toxic Things.

After ten years on the force, LAPD cop Sonny Rush relocates with her elderly mother to peaceful Haven, California, to join her godfather’s burgeoning PI business. What crimes could possibly happen in a town nicknamed “Mayberry by the Sea”? Sonny’s first case: find Figgy, a missing goldendoodle last seen sporting a Versace collar. At least scouting out a dognapper gives Sonny a chance to get to know her new neighbors.

Forty-eight hours in town and Figgy’s disappearance entangles Sonny in an unwelcome reunion with her ex, one of Haven’s wealthiest citizens. And when the body of a teenage boy is found along a popular hiking trail, Sonny is drawn into a web of strange beyond anything she ever saw in LA.

Then comes a local’s warning: question everything. Haven hides secrets that could destroy its idyllic façade. Or destroy Sonny first.

  

My thoughts about Fog and Fury ~~

(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 lines.)

First line—"The forest smells like dead things. Like old shoes stuffed with dying roses or a locker room in the middle of a candle store."

Rachel Howzell Hall is a new-to-me author but put a thriller in front of my face and I'm all in. I thoroughly enjoyed my stop in the peaceful little community of Haven. Only one letter removed from Heaven, right? 

Well, Sonny found more than she bargained for when she is assigned the case of a missing dog. What secrets are being hidden? And who is hiding them? There is definitely a 'small-town' feel to the place—that is until a possible murder is on the table. Looks like there's no escape from the big crime that Sonny was trying to get away from with her move to Haven. The plot is a page-turning adventure with took me to places I was not expecting to go.

Fog and Fury has an interesting cast of characters and I'm excited to see what Rachel has in store for Sonny and the other people of Haven. I will be anxiously awaiting the sequel.

I received an ARC of  Fog and Fury and this is my honest opinion of the book.

Mist and Malice (Haven Thrillers Book 2) is expected to be published May 2026. I know I'll be watching for it!

About the author


Rachel Howzell Hall is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fourteen novels, including the romantasy and Good Morning America Book Club selection, The Last One. She is also the author of bestselling thrillers, including What Fire Brings, What Never Happened and These Toxic Things. She is a two-time finalist of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for And Now She’s Gone and the Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestseller We Lie Here.

Rachel has been nominated for a number of mystery awards, including the Anthony, Strand and International Thriller Award, the Lefty, Barry and Shamus. She is also the author of the Audible Originals bestseller See How They Run, and the Thriller Award- and Audie Awards-nominated How It Ends, Rachel is a New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister with James Patterson. She’s also received acclaim for They All Fall Down and for her Detective Elouise Norton series. 

Her shorter works have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Shattering Glass and Unoccupied Earth. “Breakdown in the Right Lane,” was published in Alta Magazine and was selected as a Distinguished Story in Best American Mystery & Suspense for 2023. Her short story, “Clout Chaser,” was a nominee for the British Crime Writers Association’s Short Story Dagger Award.

Rachel is a former member of the board of directors for Mystery Writers of America and was a featured writer on NPR’s acclaimed Crime in the City series and the National Endowment for the Arts weekly podcast; she has also served as a mentor with Sisters in Crime, Pitch Wars and the Association of Writers Programs. ~ Author's website

Connect with Rachel


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Monday, June 30, 2025

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? June 30, 2025 #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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Again with the weather. We have been having some beautiful thunderstorms (I love thunderstorms) and lots of rain. Saturday night was a little hairy though. We were under a tornado watch all night and there were actually tornados that touched down north of us. The videos from that storm are unbelievable. I haven't heard of anyone getting hurt, which is a blessing. We got quite a light show and rain last night, with it starting up again this morning. I know 'we need the rain' but we don't need flooding. 

I feel like I am in slow motion with my reading and not getting anywhere as far as finishing books. I usually have a print book going, as well as an e-book. And I always have an audiobook queued up for when I'm working around the house. Maybe I need to limit myself. Focus, Susan, focus! 

How about you? Do you ready multiple books at the same time?

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

What I'm currently reading

Wayward Girls
by Susan Wiggs
print ARC for review
Pub date ~ July 15

The Lake Escape
by Jamie Day
eARC for review
Pub date ~ July 15

Falling for You Again
by Kerry Lonsdale
audiobook from NetGalley for review
Pub date ~ July 8

What I recently finished

Fog and Fury
Rachel Howzell Hall
print ARC for review
Pub date ~ July 1

What I am going to read next

The Ice Twins
by S.K. Tremayne
print from my TBR shelf for a challenge
Published January 2015

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways! 

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