Monday, October 31, 2016

Book Spotlight: Perfect Prey by Laura Salters


Perfect Prey 

Perfect Prey by Laura Salters
Published October 18th 2016 by Witness Impulse
Kindle Edition, 226 pages

"Laura Salters is a vibrant new voice." --C L Taylor, Internationally bestselling author of The Lie

When best friends Carina Corbett and Erin Baxter are assigned to cover a Serbian music festival for their magazine, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. And it is, until Erin vanishes into thin air on their last night in the country. Terrified, Carina launches a desperate search, discovering that the details of her friend’s disappearance are eerily similar to another tragic incident ten years before. Could history be repeating itself?

Frantic to find Erin, Carina takes off on a journey deep into the Serbian criminal underbelly, and uncovers a world more sinister than she ever dreamed . . .

A twisting, edge-of-your-seat suspense perfect for fans of Jamie McGuire.


About the author


Laura Steven is an author, journalist and screenwriter from the northernmost town in England. Her first novel, Run Away, was published by HarperCollins in 2015, and Perfect Prey is due out in summer 2016 – both under the pseudonym Laura Salters.

While juggling various freelance gigs and an MA in Creative Writing, you're most likely to find Laura at Mslexia HQ (where she works in advertising), on stage performing, eating donuts, or penning TV pilots, radio dramas and feature screenplays – sometimes all at once.

As a features writer with very little sense of self-preservation, there isn't much Laura won't do in the name of a good piece – past assignments have included skydiving from 15,000 ft, learning professional blackjack, walking across the roof of a football stadium, and travelling to a Serbian fortress to cover a music festival. She also once paraglided off a mountain, but that was entirely accidental.

Connect with Laura



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Release Day! The Vows We Make by Sonya Loveday and an Excerpt

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Happy Release Day!!

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Now available on Amazon.
Click here to purchase
Or read for free on Kindle Unlimited.

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The Vows We Make
Book 4 of The Six Series
Mark and Paige's story.

Some vows can be deadly.....

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Mark and Paige are living in sin—that's what any man of the cloth would say. All they want is to get married, but they refuse to exchange vows without their best friends—the Six. As they wait to hear back from them, Mark and Paige can't help but feel they've been put off… forgotten.

When the threat of an enemy stalking them is brought to light, the call is made to bring them into the secretive world of Cole Enterprise.

Slotted for recruitment by the very agency that stole their chance at a normal life, Mark and Paige have to adjust to their new path as secret agents in a war they didn’t even know existed.
What neither fully understands is that nothing will ever be the same… and some vows are deadlier than others.

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CHANGE WAS ALL AROUND ME. Everything was different. My life. My dreams. All of it.

Maybe some of it was for the best. Maybe it would push Mark and me to make more of ourselves than we would have on our own.

Crossing my arms tightly, I stepped out onto the dock and made my way to where Mark stood looking out over the water.

Coming back to the cabin and being around our friends after such a long absence from both had enveloped us in something like a constrictive hug. Both needing it, while desperately trying to come to terms with it.

“Hey,” I said, stepping up beside him and sighing when he pulled me into his arms.

I leaned back, turning my head slightly to fit into the crook of his neck. His cheek brushed against my hair and he asked, “Can you believe this place?”

I snorted. “No. But then again, we are talking about Jared’s parents, so…”

“True. It still feels the same here though,” he answered, watching the water ripple along the surface with the wind.

Arriving at the cabin, or what used to be the cabin, had sort of floored us all. No one knew what to say when we’d got our first glimpse of the new and improved place.

What used to be one story with a kitchen, living room, and six bedrooms with bathrooms was gone. Its replacement was two stories, ten bedrooms with full bathrooms, a massive open-floor kitchen/living room, a movie theater room, and a game room. Grant and Nadia had gone all out to make the cabin a place where all of us could live together, for an unforeseeable amount of time.

“It’s like they just knew…” I said, leaving the rest of what I was thinking unsaid. It wouldn’t do any good to dwell on the things none of us could change.

“How are you holding up with all of this?” Mark asked.

I sighed deeply and closed my eyes. “Honestly? I don’t know how to feel right now. It’s like this huge war being waged right here,” I said, poking my finger against my chest. “I’m happy to see everyone. We’re here together—just like we wanted—but for all the wrong reasons. I’m missing classes and work. I don’t know what to do with myself. My life is literally on hold at this point.”

He hugged me tighter. “Tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it. If you want to leave, we’ll go. They can’t hold us here.”

I snorted. “Can you imagine the look on all of their faces if we just walked out with our suitcases behind us? No. I love you for that though. It’s nice to hear you’d do that to make me happy.”

He kissed the top of my head. “I’d do anything to make you happy, Paige.”



Wedding rings, engraved

The Vows We Make is Amazon Exclusive!
Don't have a Kindle? No problem!
All you have to do is download the Kindle App
to your tablet or phone!


Purchase now on Amazon—only 99¢ 
On November 1st the price goes to $2.99


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P13 - Copy

Sonya Loveday, first and foremost is a reader, an avid one. It is of that love that brought her to purchasing her first laptop in 2009, and then publishing her first novel, Casted, in 2013. Not long after the completion to the Casted Series, Sonya tried her hand at Contemporary Romance. Thusly, the Six were born with The Summer I Fell.

In 2015 Sonya joined forces with best friend and fellow author Candace Knoebel. Together the duo created the Game of Hearts Novels. The series has two published titles: Love Always and Runaway Heart. Knoebel and Loveday will be releasing the third book in the series in 2017.

For more information about releases and appearances, 
follow Sonya on Facebook


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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? October 31, 2016


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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Happy Halloween!


It's Halloween! I don't know what you are doing for Halloween but we will be waiting at home for the grandkiddos to come over in their cute, cute costumes. They 'trick' us by running from the front door to the back door several timesmore candy that way. Ha! But we love it!

I have been so busy, especially in my reading life. I seemed to have overcommitted myself as far a reading goes and have spent October trying to get all the wonderful books in. My favorite authors need to slow down their writing so I can catch up! I had last Wednesday off work since I had to work on Saturday and I literally spent the whole day reading. Whew! I am feeling better about my reading world now though.  

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

What I'm currently reading/listening to

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The Murder Game
by Julie Apple (aka Catherine McKenzie)

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Two from Isaac's House: A Story of Promises
by Normandie Fischer 
(audiobook)
I need to take a road trip so I can really get into this wonderful story.

What I recently finished

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Come This Way
by Michelle Schlicher
Love this author's stories! My thoughts will be posted later this week.

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Orphan Number 8
by Kim van Alkemade 
Book club pick, we had a great discussion.

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The Round House
by Louise Erdrich
Another book club pick. Check out my giveaway HERE.

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Three & Out (Queen of the League #3)
by Laura Chapman
Love this series! Check out my thoughts HERE

What I am going to read next

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The Christmas Surprise (A Holiday Novella)
by Samantha March

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?


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Saturday, October 29, 2016

Book Spotlight Giveaway! The Round House by Louise Erdrich


I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight 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. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures. And sometimes, I find great books on Amazon that I just love to share with you.

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This week I am sharing a copy of The Round House by Louise Erdrich. My book club read it this month and we had a very good discussion about it. It takes place around the area where we live and deals with the Native American population, which is a huge part of the culture of South Dakota. This was a very interesting story and I am happy to share it with one of you. 

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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The Round House

The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Hardcover, 323 pages
Published October 2nd 2012 by HarperCollins

One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked. The details of the crime are slow to surface as Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and thirteen-year-old son, Joe. In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed. He tries to heal his mother, but she will not leave her bed and slips into an abyss of solitude. Increasingly alone, Joe finds himself thrust prematurely into an adult world for which he is ill prepared.

While his father, who is a tribal judge, endeavors to wrest justice from a situation that defies his efforts, Joe becomes frustrated with the official investigation and sets out with his trusted friends, Cappy, Zack, and Angus, to get some answers of his own. Their quest takes them first to the Round House, a sacred space and place of worship for the Ojibwe. And this is only the beginning.


About the author


Louise Erdrich is the author of fifteen novels as well as volumes of poetry, children’s books, short stories, and a memoir of early motherhood. Her novel The Round House won the National Book Award for Fiction. The Plague of Doves won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and her debut novel, Love Medicine, was the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. Erdrich has received the Library of Congress Prize in American Fiction, the prestigious PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. She lives in Minnesota with her daughters and is the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore.

Connect with Louise


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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Wishing on Snowflakes by Joanne DeMaio ~ My Thoughts


Wishing on Snowflakes

Wishing on Snowflakes by Joanne DeMaio
Print and e-book, 460 pages
Published: October 4th 2016 by Joanne DeMaio

From New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio comes a keepsake collection, bundling two of her prior wintry novels to settle in with as the snow falls.

So turn the page and open the decorated door onto a storybook New England town ... where candlelit homes and cozy shops are aglow with comfort and joy. And where wishes on snowflakes really do come true.

Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes: Vera Sterling, while restoring a historical house and old Christmas barn in her cherished Connecticut hometown, finds herself falling for tragedy-scarred Derek Cooper. When a blizzard strikes, will all be made right on a stormy winter's night? An enchanting novel about love, family, and the delicate power of snowflakes.

Snow Deer and Cocoa Cheer: Along the snow-dusted streets of quaint Addison, Jane March and Wes Davis open their hearts to the magic and possibility of the season. A charming tale about a greeting card designer who's lost her jingle, and a jilted mailman whose cold winter heart is about to thaw.


Purchase Wishing on Snowflakes


I am a huge fan of Joanne DeMaio and have read all of her books, from her very first one. I just love her stories. And I love reading Christmas stories. Joanne has taken two of her holiday stories and has now combined them into one book, just in time for the season. And I am absolutely in love with this cover! I have previously reviewed both of the stories in Wishing on Snowflakes and you can read my thoughts below.

If you are like me and enjoy reading some holiday cheer, you are going to want to grab this one and you will fall in love with her books, just like I did.


My thoughts about Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes ~~
(originally posted October 28, 2013)

I can't tell you how much I look forward to the 'next' book by Joanne. Her books caught my eye when her first one, Whole Latte Life, was published. It had a different cover back then and that's what captured my eye. (I'm such a cover lover.) BTW, I love the new one just as much! And then when I read the story inside that beautiful cover, I was swept away into a wonderful world with fabulous characters, people and a place that I just fell in love with.

I am always excited to hear that Joanne is working on her 'next' story. I can't wait to see where she takes me as a reader. Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes did not disappoint! This one is a little bit different from her other books, for the fact that it is set in winter time, not summer time at the beach. Snowflakes takes place around Christmastime and who doesn't love a good Christmas story? I know I do!

Vera is struggling in her life in the 'big' city and decides to spend some time back in her hometown, until she figures out what path she should take. It isn't easy but she finds a place for herself and starts to make a house a home. In cleaning up the place, she clears out the Christmas Barn for a big sale and that's when things start to change for her. I just love the magic that happens at Christmastime!

Vera's father is a meteorologist and we get an education on weather and the formation of snowflakes. I have always loved catching snowflakes and watching their design as they melt away. I loved the significance of snowflakes to the story.

'There's nothing random about the shape of a snowflake that tumbles from the clouds. And that's the beauty of looking at them up close. Each delicate flakes tells a unique and complex story about its form and pattern.

That's all she wants, really. Some of that distinct snowflake structure in her own life. A structure that brings what looks like random choices and arbitrary wishes together in a very certain pattern.'


This is a wonderful, enchanting, beautiful story about people helping people and being there for them when they need help, even if they don't realize they need it. I really believe that Christmas time is a magical time and Snowflakes takes us to that place, with those magical feelings.

And...... I love what Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes comes to mean in the story. You'll have to read it to see what I mean.

'Because snowflakes can grant very special wishes ... if only we believe.'

My thoughts about Snow Deer and Cocoa Cheer ~~
(originally posted October 21, 2015)

Snow Deer and Cocoa Cheer is the perfect story to get you in the mood for the holidays this year. The story start off in the fall, in October, right about this time of year. And we go through Halloween and Thanksgiving and then right up to Christmas, right along with all the wonderful people who live in Addison. I was able to take a trip back to the lovely town of Addison where I got to reconnect with the community and the people I had come to love.

Jane goes back home to recuperate after she breaks her arm and where she is going to try to save her career. She is a greeting card maker who seems to have 'lost her jingle'. Her mother is there to support her and to try to help Jane find her way back.

'You asked me how I did it, how I captured that old-fashioned Christmas magic in my art. It's simple, really: You must live it. You must immerse yourself in the season, and our little town of Addison will surely put it on display.'

Wes is just biding his time until he can leave his old life behind. His fiancé called of their wedding and instead of facing the questions from everyone at Christmas, he decides to head to the west coast. Who knows? Maybe he can start a new life there and be happy.

Snow Deer and Cocoa Cheer is a heartwarming story that shows us how beautiful the holidays can be when you are surrounded by those who love you. Joanne does such a fabulous job with her words that the reader can't help feeling all of the holiday joy and emotions that Jane, Wes, and all of the other people of Addison feel as they experience the love of the community. Her descriptions are so perfect that I had no trouble 'seeing' the wonderfulness of Addison.

'Curls of snow rise from colonial chimneys, icy frost laces the landscaping, and tree branches lose the last of red and yellow leaves in early morning sunlight.'

I am always so excited when there is another Joanne DeMaio story to read and I am never disappointed. I love her stories and I love my trips back to the worlds she creates.

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. Currently at work on her next novel, Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut.

For a complete list of books and to learn more about the author, visit Joannedemaio.com. She also enjoys hearing from readers on her Facebook Page.

Connect with Joanne


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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Three & Out by Laura Chapman ~ My Thoughts, a Sale, and a Giveaway!

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Three & Out

Three & Out by Laura Chapman
Series: Queen of the League #3
Print and e-book
Published: October 25th 2016

After rushing to the altar and moving across the country, Harper Duquaine (or is it MacLaughlin, now?) is in uncharted territory. What once seemed like a promising opportunity to advance her husband’s career while giving her some much needed independence and adventure has proven to be a bust. By the time fall rolls around again, she’s back in a boring job by day and overstocking her inventory of crocheted scarves by night. Not even the prospect of a new football season holds much excitement.

At least that’s what she thought. Harper suddenly finds herself the manager of not one but two fantasy football teams—each with its own set of drama. Between the added pressure of her new marriage, an unexpected career prospect, and the hiccups created by people from her past and present worlds, Harper quickly finds herself going from bored to overwhelmed.

Can she hold up under the pressure, or will Harper learn the hard way that the turf isn’t always greener on the other field?


Purchase Three & Out



Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks


My thoughts about Three & Out ~~

(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—'Ding. I'm up. Time to draft the first player for my team. Who you pick first is an important decision if you want your fantasy football team to thrive.'

Football in the fall! One of the many reasons I love Three & Out and the whole Queen of the League series. But you don't have to be a football lover to enjoy these stories. You will fall in love with Harper and Brook, just like I did.

Each story in this series takes Harper and Brook further in their relationship. And we get to be there to watch them grow and mature, as they deepen their commitment to each other. Oh sure, they have their ups and downs, just like any other normal couple would but they eventually figure out what is important and we get to be there when they make up.

This whole series is just so wonderful and I think each book just gets better and better. I can't wait to see what comes next! Great job, Laura—I loved visiting Harper and Brook's world again. I hope we get invited back again real soon!

And Go Big Red!!  


To celebrate the new release, for a limited time,
you can pick up the first two stories
in the series for only 99¢ each.


In Laura Chapman’s Queen of the League series, Harper Duquaine joins a fantasy football league to prove she can hang with the guys. Only problem: she doesn’t know a sleeper from a keeper (or any of the other lingo thrown her way). Her competitive streak soon emerges, and she catches the interest of her top two competitors. With a slew of conflicting advice in her real and fantasy worlds, Harper must figure out how to play the game and come out a winner.

First & Goal (Queen of the League, #1)


Purchase First & Goal

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks


Going for Two


Purchase Going for Two


Join Laura Chapman for a day of fun and prizes as she celebrates the release of Three & Out, the third book in the Queen of the League series.



$10 Amazon card
2 - First & Goal audiobooks from Audible
2 - The Marrying Type audiobooks from Audible

About the Author

Laura  Chapman

Laura Chapman is the author of First & Goal, Going for Two, Three & Out, and The Marrying Type. Her holiday novellas Making Christmas and What Happens at Midnight will be released on November 8, and are now available for pre-order. A native Nebraskan, she loves football, Netflix marathons, and her cats, Jane and Bingley. Connect with her online on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube and on her website at www.laurachapmanbooks.com.

Connect with Laura



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On Tour: Inheriting Edith by Zoe Fishman #TLCBookTours #InheritingEdith.

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Inheriting Edith

Inheriting Edith by Zoe Fishman
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks October 18, 2016

A poignant breakout novel, for fans of J. Courtney Sullivan and Elin Hilderbrand, about a single mother who inherits a beautiful beach house with a caveat—she must take care of the ornery elderly woman who lives in it.

For years, Maggie Sheets has been an invisible hand in the glittering homes of wealthy New York City clients, scrubbing, dusting, mopping, and doing all she can to keep her head above water as a single mother. Everything changes when a former employer dies leaving Maggie a staggering inheritance. A house in Sag Harbor. The catch? It comes with an inhabitant: The deceased’s eighty-two-year old mother Edith.

Edith has Alzheimer’s—or so the doctors tell her—but she remembers exactly how her daughter Liza could light up a room, or bring dark clouds in her wake. And now Liza’s gone, by her own hand, and Edith has been left—like a chaise or strand of pearls—to a poorly dressed young woman with a toddler in tow.

Maggie and Edith are both certain this arrangement will be an utter disaster. But as summer days wane, a tenuous bond forms, and Edith, who feels the urgency of her diagnosis, shares a secret that she’s held close for five decades, launching Maggie on a mission that might just lead them each to what they are looking for.

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Purchase Inheriting Edith


My thoughts about Inheriting Edith ~~ 

(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—'A beach house, thought Maggie, her head spinning like the revolving glass door that deposited her back onto Eighteenth Street.'

I was totally enchanted by this story from the very first page. I was immediately very comfortable with the author's writing and I felt an instant connection to the main character, Maggie. I truly cared about her and I needed to make sure she and her daughter were happy and in a good place. Their lives kept me turning the pages.

Life hasn't been easy for Maggie but she suddenly gets what she considers a fortune dropped in her lap. There is just one stipulation—she also gets the elderly woman with Alzheimer's who comes with the house. Maggie suddenly has to take on the responsibility of caring for this woman, as well as being a single parent to her little daughter.

Inheriting Edith is a story of secrets, friendship, forgiveness, letting go, and holding on. I highly recommend this book as this is one I could have devoured in one sitting.

About the author

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Photo by Karen Shacham

Zoe Fishman is the author of Driving Lessons, Saving Ruth, and Balancing Acts. Her books have been translated into German, Italian, Dutch and Polish. She’s the recipient of many awards, including Target’s Breakout and Emerging Author Picks, a New York Post Pick, and has been featured on NBC’s “Atlanta & Co.” as well as in Publishers Weekly and The Huffington Post.

She is currently at work on her next novel, as well as teaching writing at The Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. Zoe lives in Atlanta with her husband and two sons.

Connect with Zoe





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