The Book Bag

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

The Novelists by Joanne DeMaio ~ My Thoughts #TheNovelists

Congrats Joanne

on the recent release of

The Novelists!

The Novelists by Joanne DeMaio

Series: The Seaside Saga #28

Women's Saga, 260 pages

Published September 2, 2026, by Joanne DeMaio

From New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio comes The Novelists, Book 28 of The Seaside Saga.

Maris and Neil. To many, they’re known as the novelists of Stony Point. But while Maris is tasked with completing Neil Barlow’s unfinished manuscript, there’s a problem. She’s stymied by the ending. It’s clear her old friend had something in mind—but what? In this New England beach town, Neil’s ghost is ever elusive.

Or is it? Because after a startling confession one evening, Neil unexpectedly returns to Maris—and Jason especially—in an entirely new way. A way that brings a stunning plot twist to Maris and Neil’s manuscript, as well as to Jason Barlow’s life.

And The Seaside Saga continues.

The Seaside Saga on Goodreads

The Seaside Saga on Amazon

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My thoughts about The Novelists ~~

(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—"Night fills the barn. Long, dark shadows stretch across Jason's studio."

The Novelists continues right where the previous book ended, dropping me into the world of Maris and Neil, as she continues writing Neil's story. Life goes on in Stony Point, as people are living their best lives as love, friendship, and drama continue. I love this community and all of the people who live there. I find myself completely wrapped up in their lives and enjoy each moment I get to spend with them.

And like always with this series, the ending leaves me wanting more and wondering where the story is going to go from here. I'm love getting the newest story in the Seaside Saga and quickly devour it, anxious for the next installment. I highly recommend this series and this author.

Book #29, Driftline, is set to be published on March 2, 2027.

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If you're new to The Seaside Saga, the reading order is below. Written like an ongoing TV show, it's a revolutionary series following the same tangled group of beach friends from book-to-book.

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About the author

Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea.

Joanne’s books include the New York Times Bestseller Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans, the first in her ongoing and groundbreaking Seaside Saga. These eleven (and counting) novels journey with a group of beach friends, much the way a TV series does, continuing with the same cast of characters and their storylines from book-to-book.

Joanne’s winter novels have also received much acclaim. These heartwarming standalones are set in the same snowy New England town. Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes became a USA Today Bestseller, and has been featured in national magazines and Six Flags theme parks.

In addition, Joanne’s debut novel, Whole Latte Life, won first place in a competition at BookExpo America and was named a Kirkus Reviews Critics’ Pick. Her other novels have appeared in Redbook, First for Women magazine, Southern Living, USA Today and more. ~ Author's website

Connect with Joanne

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

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Book Blitz! One Night Band Stand by Julia Kent ~ Excerpt and #Giveaway #OneNightBandStand @XpressoTours

One Night Band Stand by Julia Kent
(Get What You Need, #2)
Publication date: September 30th 2026
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Who accidentally has a one-night stand with her alumni band director?

Yep. Me.

I know what you’re thinking. Whoops! I slipped on some valve oil and accidentally landed on his baton during a rousing chorus of Stars and Stripes Forever.

That’s not quite how it went.

But the alumni band director is really, really skilled with that baton, if you know what I mean.

So what am I supposed to do now, as I walk into the morning’s rehearsal — three feet from the podium because of course I play piccolo — and find the guy I ghosted on this morning … right there, smiling at me like he remembers exactly what tempo I prefer?

He’s perfect. Too perfect.

He’s a widowed dad of two adorable little kids that — oh, by the way — he forgot to mention.

But I also haven’t mentioned the seventeen-year-old I live with, either. He’s not my boyfriend. I’m his guardian. He’s autistic and non-speaking, and he’s been my whole world since I was nineteen.

I want Mr. Band Director. He wants me. Nothing — not the secrecy, not the awkwardness, not the 500 miles between his life and mine — will make this chemistry stop.

Except for three pesky little things: the secrets we’re hiding from each other. Three very human secrets.

I’ve never felt so seen before. He gets me. I get him. But we’re buried in responsibilities and loyalties that get in the way. When I’m with him, I can play. Really play.

And not just music.

He can’t quit his job and move his kids to be close to me. I can’t uproot a fragile teen who needs round-the-clock care and is still mourning his parents. The odds are stacked against us.

But who ever let that get in the way of love?

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT

There are naked boobies in my bed, and they are not my wife’s.

What have I done?

My body goes cold and hot, skin pulsing against the sheets, blood pooled in morning wood. Wood that rests against my not-wife’s thigh. My eyes widen. My beard itches around my lips, lips that feel raw, my tongue a bit overused at the tip, like I just had sex with –

I cheated on my wife.

I cheated on my wife.

My beautiful, amazing wife who tells me she loves me ten times a day. Who laughs at my stupid music jokes. Who smiles like she’s actually interested in my high school band stories. Who —

Told. Laughed. Smiled.

Past tense, Jared. Two years, two months, four days of past tense.

— is dead.

Stacey’s dead. Right. Damn it.

I close my eyes, jaw tight, inhaling slowly, my nose cold inside, the physicality of it breaking through panic. The unreality of her death still shatters my sleepy self every morning like a car alarm I can’t fully disable, one blissful second of not-knowing, then the loop of grief.

That sour taste. The shock. The anger. The pain, physical and emotional.

Stacey is dead.

Which means I’m not cheating. I’m just in a hotel room with a very naked, incredibly alluring woman who isn’t my wife.

So then who the hell is this in my arms?

She’s cute. Warm. Soft.

So soft.

The arm Ms. Not-Wife is sleeping on went numb in my sleep. I haven’t moved it one millimeter, shoulder locked, neck doing that isometric thing as her weight presses into my bicep. It should be uncomfortable. It isn’t, and somewhere in sleep my hand found her arm and started stroking it. I just realized it’s doing this. My hand likes her.

My cock sure does, too.

I really like the softness. Naked softness takes the liking up several notches.

Another clue this isn’t my wife: I’m on the bathroom side of the bed.

Ms. Not-Wife’s hair is blonde and straight, spread across my arm. Stacey’s was darker, curly, and Stacey had to pee constantly, especially after giving birth to our oldest, Molly. Every apartment, every house, every hotel, every guest room, every beach rental for nineteen years: Stacey got the bathroom side.

The woman in my bed is not Stacey.

The HVAC unit hums on an E-flat that’s four cents flat. Not concert E-flat. An E-flat that vibrates like it’s committing a felony against freon. It is the most passive-aggressive sound in Indiana, and that’s saying a lot, because have you ever gone to a church picnic in this state? Those ladies are lowkey brutal.

The print above the bed is a seashore painting, a Thomas Kincade knockoff, something a lifelong southern Indiana resident thought would evoke Cape Cod but instead makes me think Dungeons and Dragons on acid. It goes with the burnt-orange carpeting somehow. I half expect a Jello-O egg mold as part of the continental breakfast downstairs in the bar where I picked up… this woman.

I actually approached a woman at a hotel bar, and she chose to sleep with me.

Me.

Not-Wife’s hand is on my chest. She has short nails, no polish, the thumb hooked into the dip below my collarbone like she put it there on purpose. Her thumb knows what it’s doing, which is more than I can say for the rest of me. Her ribcage moves into my ribcage every four or five seconds and back out, long even breathing so constant I’ve started matching it without meaning to.

Waking her up means having to talk, and I don’t know what you say after you pick up a woman in a hotel bar and now you’re both naked under the sheets, vulnerable and freaking out a little, yet liking it.

A lot.

Not-Wife smells like vanilla and sex and the chemical-linen scent of every business hotel pillowcase put into circulation since 1994. The bar lighting was bad last night, so I’m seeing things this morning I couldn’t see then: a mole on her cheek. Long dark lashes against it. A dimple at the corner of her mouth that’s there even when she’s not smiling.

She’s gorgeous.

Morning-gorgeous, unadulterated. Her face was not-yet-defined last night, just a woman who was blonde and smiling under bad bar lighting. She has lips I kissed last night, a tongue that danced with mine and tasted so good, and her breasts are smashed against my side like little pets curled up, seeking warmth.

I have forgotten how nice this is.

A person breathing into your neck. A warm softness against your body. Your bare skin against theirs. I took this for granted for too many years, and once it was gone I felt the absence like a phantom limb.

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About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2.5 million books, with 5 New York Times bestsellers and more than 23 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French, German, Dutch, and Italian, with more titles releasing in the future.

From single dads to cinnamon roll heroes to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire she met in a romantic comedy).

She lives in New England with her husband, three children, and a Havanese dog named Walter. She is the only person in the household with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls (Walter gets a pass).

She loves to hear from her readers by email at julia@jkentauthor.com, on Twitter @jkentauthor, on Facebook at @jkentauthor, and on Instagram @jkentauthor. Visit her at http://jkentauthor.com

Connect with Julia

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook

Bookbub | Amazon | Newsletter

One Night Band Stand Blitz Giveaway

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Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Release Day! It's Only Love by Kay Bratt ~ My Thoughts #ItsOnlyLove

Happy Release Day!

Congrats Kay

on the release today of

It's Only Love!

It's Only Love by Kay Bratt

(Hart's Ridge #17)

Saga Fiction, 398 pages

Published September 29, 2026 by Red Thread Publishing Group

Wade Barrett's dog came home but he didn't. Everyone believes Wade drowned.

Walker Barrett never has.

Eight months after his brother vanished off Florida's Gulf Coast, the discovery of a single piece of evidence reopens a case everyone else has long since closed. Determined to uncover the truth, Walker follows a trail of secrets that leads far deeper than he ever imagined.

When private investigator Sam Gray agrees to take the case, it quickly becomes clear that someone has worked very hard to keep the past buried, and they're willing to do whatever it takes to keep it that way. With Sheriff Taylor Gray helping uncover the truth, the investigation soon exposes hidden betrayals, broken loyalties, and secrets someone would kill to protect.

Josie Colburn likes her life simple. Running the marina keeps her busy, and keeping people at arm's length keeps her safe.

Then Walker arrives.

Grieving, stubborn, and searching for answers, he's the last complication she needs. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore the connection growing between them and the danger closing in around them.

Someone knows exactly what happened to Wade Barrett. And when the truth finally surfaces, Walker and Josie may lose more than either of them is prepared to give.

It's Only Love is the seventeenth novel in the bestselling Hart's Ridge series—a gripping blend of mystery, romance, family secrets, and the unforgettable characters readers have come to call friends.

Loosely inspired by a real Florida disappearance that captured national attention, It's Only Love explores the secrets we keep, the lies we tell, and the lengths we'll go for the people we love.

My thoughts about It's Only Love ~~

(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 lines—"The smell of grilled fish drifted through the open windows of Daniel and Tula's home, mixing with the familiar scents of saltwater, sunscreen, and whatever tropical candle Tula was obsessed with this month."

I don't know how Kay Bratt does it but she just keeps creating amazing stories, with each one more exciting than the last. It's Only Love is over the top! She really outdid herself this time. And the cliffhanger at the end? OMG!

A missing man, declared dead, get Taylor and Sam to drop everything to help solve the case. Walker, the man's brother, doesn't believe the story about his missing brother and wants it investigated further. Secrets are uncovered and people's lives are in danger.

One of the many things I love about this series are the multiple storylines that the reader gets to enjoy. Not only is there the crime in each book that needs to be solved, but then there are also all the other storylines in the story. We get to know all of the characters better and learn about their lives and what they are going through. I've come to think of these people as my friends.

The Hart's Ridge series is an amazing set of stories, with memorable characters and interesting plotlines. I highly recommend It's Only Love. I love this whole series—it just keeps getting better and better.

And the author just keeps writing this series. Yay for us!!

Book #18, I'm Losing You, is expected to be released on January 26, 2027!

I received an ARC of It's Only Love from the author and this is my honest opinion.

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Read my thoughts about Hart's Ridge, Lucy in the Sky, In My Life, Borrowed Time, Instant Karma, Nobody Told Me, Hello Goodbye, Starting Over, Blackbird, Hello Little Girl, So This is Christmas, Every Little Thing, Now and Then, Tell Me Why, Ticket to Ride and Working Class Hero.

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About the author

Kay Bratt; Writer, Rescuer, Wanderer

As a writer, Kay used writing to help her navigate a tumultuous childhood, followed by a decade of abuse as an adult. After working her way through the hard years, Kay emerged a survivor and a pursuer of peace--and finally found the courage to share her stories. She is the author of more than a dozen full length books, with ten of those published by Lake Union Publishing. Kay writes women's fiction and historical fiction, and her books have fueled many exciting book club discussions. Her works have been translated into German, Korean, Chinese, Czechoslovakian, and Estonian.

As a rescuer, Kay currently focuses her efforts on animal rescue and is the Director of Advocacy for Yorkie Rescue of the Carolinas. As a child advocate, she spent a number of years volunteering in a Chinese orphanage, as well as provided assistance for several nonprofit organizations that support children in China, including An Orphan's Wish (AOW), Pearl River Outreach, and Love Without Boundaries. In the USA, she actively served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and neglected children in Georgia, and spear-headed numerous outreach programs for underprivileged children in the South Carolina area.

As a wanderer, Kay has lived in nearly three dozen different homes, on two continents and in states from coast to coast in the USA. She's traveled to Mexico, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Philippines, Central America, Bahamas, and Australia. Currently she and her soulmate of more than 25 years enjoy life in their forever home on the banks of Lake Hartwell in Georgia, USA.

Kay has been described as southern, spicy, and a little sassy. Social media forces her to overshare and you don't want to miss some of the antics that goes on with her and the Bratt Pack.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and then buckle up and enjoy the ride. You can find a full list of her published works at www.kaybratt.com -- To be notified when new books are released, please sign up for my monthly email newsletter at www.kaybratt.com ~ Goodreads

Connect with Kay

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Book Blitz! Hook, Line, and Murder by GG Calpo ~ Excerpt and #Giveaway #HookLineAndMurder @XpressoTours

Hook, Line, and Murder by GG Calpo
(The Sweet TOOTH Murder Mystery)
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Publication date: February 9th 2026
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery, Mystery

What does Meg, a retired kindergarten teacher, do when the killer of her husband and only child still walks free a year after dirt had covered their graves? Go rogue, of course!

When the detective responsible for Meg’s nightmares takes over the murder investigation of her former student, Meg hunts the killer down with help from her friends. Their cozy lunches at Sweet Buns Café turn into tactical meetings while these retired grade school teachers get themselves in trouble better suited to those in their twenties. And to put the icing on their cream scones, someone is after Meg. Is it the killer? Or has Meg uncovered secrets better left buried with her loved ones?

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

iBooks | Kobo

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EXCERPT

The day was beautiful, with clear skies and a mild snap in the air. It was cold yet warm with the right amount of heat from the sun, making it the perfect spring day. Motorboats and sailboats dipped in and out of the water, out by Poet’s Bay. And at the edge of the harbor were the fishermen, alone or in groups of two or three, a rod in their hands and their tackle boxes opened beside them. We rounded the corner, almost done with our walk, when we saw mothers dragging their children away and fathers covering the eyes of the children in their arms. Pushing against the stream of parents scrambling away were others whose eyes were fixed on the man by the harbor’s edge. A man on whose fishing line dangled a catch with, what I thought were, red fins and a red tail swaying lazily around the hook.

Red? In the salt waters of Poet’s Bay? As I stood there trying to figure out what I was seeing, Barbara shoved her way into the crowd. I followed, my curiosity getting the better of me. Murmurs of “Good morning” and “Good to see you, Mrs. B” trailed behind me, changing to “You sure you want to see this, Mrs. B?” and “I wouldn’t go any further if I were you, Mrs. B.” We fetched up to the front and looked down on the ground before us while the fisherman beside us puked his guts out.

It wasn’t a fish he had caught.

Instead, on the ground was a hand. Just a hand. Nothing else.

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About the author

GG Calpo is a retired lawyer and accountant who traded contracts and numbers for the far more enjoyable chaos of fictional crime. Now she writes cozy whodunits featuring warm-hearted golden-aged sleuths who’ve seen it all, heard it all and will investigate a murder with zero hesitation. She loves stories where the stakes are personal, family and friendships are paramount, with characters who refuse to follow the outline and endings that pull the rug out.

When not plotting twisty crimes—on paper only, of course—she spends her time reading, crocheting blankets and sweaters for her five grandchildren, watching mystery TV shows and taking long walks in her neighborhood. She lives in Central New Jersey with her husband and two corgis, Whiskey and Nugget.

Connect with GG

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook

Hook, Line, and Murder Blitz Giveaway

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Monday, September 28, 2026

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? September 28, 2026 #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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Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week.

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading