It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 31, 2020

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!

Take care. Stay safe and healthy everyone. 

And remember to wash those hands!!

What I'm currently reading

First Frost
(Waverley Family #2)
by Sarah Addison Allen


Road Trip
by Andie M. Long & Laura Barnard
Narrated by Victoria Fitzgerald 

What I recently finished


Garden Spells
(Waverley Family #1)
by Sarah Addison Allen

The Ones We Leave Behind
The Paper Daughters of Chinatown
by Heather B. Moore
Pub date 9/1

One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
by Olivia Hawker
Narrated by Jackie Zerowski

What I am going to read next

The Beach Cottage
by Joanne DeMaio

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!

Book Spotlight #Giveaway! The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman #TheLightBetweenOceans

I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves, to share some of the many books I have, and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

I read this book a few years ago for my book club. We had a great discussion. And now it's a movie. I really need to watch it. Have you seen it?

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Paperback, 345 pages
Published April 2nd 2013 by Scribner

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel.

Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately.

But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

About the author

M.L. Stedman was born and raised in Western Australia and now lives in London. The Light Between Oceans is her first novel. ~ Goodreads

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 24, 2020

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!

**************************************

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

Happy reading!

Take care. Stay safe and healthy everyone. 

And remember to wash those hands!!

What I'm currently reading

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown
by Heather B. Moore
Pub date 9/1

One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
by Olivia Hawker
Narrated by Jackie Zerowski

What I recently finished

The Ones We Leave Behind
by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Pub date 9/8
An amazing story by one of my favorite authors!

No Place too Far
by Kay Bratt
Pub date 9/1

What I am going to read next

The Beach Cottage
by Joanne DeMaio

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!

Book Spotlight #Giveaway! Previously Loved Treasures by Bette Lee Crosby #PreviouslyLovedTreasures

I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves, to share some of the many books I have, and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

This book has a very special place in my heart. This wonderful author actually wrote me in as a character. What a thrill it was to see my name in this beautiful story. She made me a reliable, ethical lawyer. How awesome is that? You can read my thoughts about this book HERE.

Seriously though, I have been virtual friends with Bette for a very long time. She initially contacted me on Goodreads and asked if I would be interested in reading and reviewing one of her books. Well, after that first read, I was hooked on her amazing stories and have been an advance reader for everything she has since published. She is such a kind and generous person and creates heartwarming stories with characters you will fall in love. I hope you give her a chance and come to love her books as much as I do.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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Previously Loved Treasures

Previously Loved Treasures by Bette Lee Crosby
Serendipity #2
Paperback, 280 pages
Published May 5th 2014 by Bent Pine Publishing

From a USA Today bestselling author comes a heartwarming mystery that is rich with imagination and magic. In Previously Loved Treasures, Book Two of The Serendipity Series, recently widowed Ida Sweetwater and her granddaughter come together in a heartwarming mystery that is rich with imagination and magic.

Struggling to make ends meet, Ida turns her home into a boarding house and goes in search of used furniture. This quest leads to the Previously Loved Treasures shop and Peter Pennington, a delightfully strange proprietor who anticipates people’s needs. In addition to bargains, Peter hands out sage advice. When a pocket watch belonging to one of the residents goes missing for a second time he warns of danger—but will Ida’s granddaughter listen and will she heed his advice?

This is a story that resonates with Crosby’s heartwarming albeit quirky characters and the joy of a pay-it-forward philosophy.

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author and Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby brings the wit and wisdom of her Southern Mama to works of fiction—the result is a delightful blend of humor, mystery and romance along with a cast of quirky charters who will steal your heart away. ~ Author's website

Connect with Bette

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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One Night at the Lake by Bethany Chase ~ My Thoughts #OneNightAtTheLake

One Night at the Lake by Bethany Chase
Print and e-book, 289 pages
Published June 18th 2019 by Ballantine Books

Past and present collide in an atmospheric mystery about two best friends and the man whose lake house means something different to them both--from "a great new voice in fiction" (Emily Giffin).

This is the moment that Leah Tessaro has been waiting for: her boyfriend, Ollie, is taking her and her best friend, June, to his family's lake house for a week of lazy summer bliss, boating and barbequing. Leah can feel in her bones that this vacation will be the moment he finally proposes. And she can't wait to share that joy with June, whose presence will make everything feel more real.

Seven years later, the moment June Kang has been dreading has finally arrived: her fiancé, Ollie, is taking her to his family's house on New York's Seneca Lake. But this is not an ordinary house, on an ordinary lake; it is haunted by June's long-buried memories of her lost friend, Leah, and by all that Leah meant to the man June loves more than anything.

Alternating between the two women's vibrant voices, one in the present and one trapped in the past, Seneca Lake explores a complex tangle of friendship, loyalty, and betrayal, all driving toward one question: what exactly happened to Leah on that hot summer night?

   

My thoughts about One Night at the Lake ~~

(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—"I dream about her all the time, you know. It's always the same dream."

Leah and June are best friends. Leah is hoping that Ollie will propose. Then seven years later Ollie is taking his fiancé, June, to his family's lake house for the weekend. It's the first time that June has been to the lake since the night that changed everything. Who is to blame for what happened? We find out about that weekend and what everyone is going through now by June's and Leah's alternating timelines and perspectives, as the tragedy of the past slowly unfolds.  

I actually read this book a while ago but I still think about it and what happened to these three people that one night on the lake. This is definitely a story that will stick with you, just like it did me.

I received a copy of One Night at the Lake from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

A native of Virginia's Blue Ridge mountains, Bethany Chase headed to Williams College for an English degree and somehow came out the other side an interior designer. The craftsmanship and creativity that surround her in the design world are a continual inspiration for her novels, which include USA Today Bestseller The One That Got Away, Results May Vary, and the forthcoming One Night at the Lake (June 2019). She lives with her husband and son in New Jersey. ~ Amazon

Connect with Bethany

Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Book Blitz! The Promise Kept by Maggie Mae Gallagher ~ Excerpt and #Giveaway! #ThePromiseKept

The Promise Kept

The Promise Kept by Maggie Mae Gallagher
(Echo Springs, #2)
Publication date: August 19th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Cybil Roe gave her heart away thirteen years ago only to have it wind up shattered. With painstaking determination, she has rebuilt her life into something to be proud of today. Yet all her future plans are upended when the only man she has ever loved returns to Echo Springs. Nor does it help that he seems bound and determined to draw her back into his life. Cybil vows to stay away from him, no matter what seeing him all the time does to her resolve.

Miles Keaton wiped the dust of his hometown off his shoes years ago, never expecting that life would lead him back to the place where he had begun. Coming home to Echo Springs, to Cybil, to start a new law practice and a new life is a risk he never thought he’d take. She hates him – with good reason. Years ago, he walked away when she needed him the most. But now is he back, and intends to argue the case of his life, one more important than any he has debated in a courtroom, because she is the one woman he cannot live without.

Can Miles convince Cybil to take a second chance on him, or will a secret she has kept all these years destroy any future they might have?

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

iBooks | Kobo

PLUS! Book 1 - The Fixer Upper - is only 99¢ for a limited time!

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Excerpt

“Oh, yes. Right there,” she murmured.

Cybil sighed at the strong hands kneading her tense shoulders. Golden sunshine warmed her skin. Azure waves lapped against the pristine, ivory sand not fifteen feet from where she lounged on a luxurious padded chaise. Her tanned skin glistened in the sun. The coconut scent from her suntan lotion wafted on the gentle breeze and mingled with the salt from the ocean waves. The simmering heat of the tropics caused perspiration to bead on her forehead and evaporate with the light wind. The sunglasses perched on her nose shaded her gray eyes from the radiant sunlight.

It was without a doubt a perfect day.

The light breeze played with the loose tendrils of her inky hair while the sexy-as-sin Pablo—he of the broad, tanned shoulders, gorgeously thick black hair, and soulful eyes—massaged her shoulders with his long, talented fingers. The man had the most wonderful, gifted hands and knew precisely where to exert the most pressure. And those thumbs of his were singularly skilled at ferreting out every ache and pain.

God, she had needed this getaway—away from the cold, the snow, the dreaded holidays, and nonstop work.

She muffled a moan.

Cybil couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this relaxed. She could still taste the lime and salt from her frozen margarita. And she was a breath away from suggesting to Pablo that they take the massage indoors to her beachside bungalow. The thought of those hands massaging other regions of her body left her achy and needy. It had been so long since she had been with a man. Since this was a vacation, she didn’t have to worry about getting attached. Cybil moaned as he dug into a knot on her left shoulder.

Pablo lowered his face. Cybil shivered, heady anticipation humming along her skin. Was he going to nibble on her ear? Suggest naughty, decadent delights to be had if they retreated indoors? She was ready and willing for anything the guy had in mind.

“Purrr.” A cold, wet nose pressed against the side of her cheek where it met her ear, amplifying the sound. The purr increased in tenor. Something tickled her nose.

Cybil cracked an eye open. A pair of golden eyes stared at her with expectation and determination, with a side of feline disdain that she had yet to acknowledge him.

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About the author

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Maggie grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Maggie never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.

Maggie is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes erotic romance under the name Anya Summers. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the United States Midwest with her two furry felines.

Connect with Maggie

Website | Goodreads | Facebook

Twitter | Instagram | Newsletter

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Bagging Alice by Laura Barnard ~ Audio Release! Get Excess Baggage #FREE

Bagging Alice

Available now on audio!

Bagging Alice by Laura Barnard

(Babes of Brighton #3)

Alice is used to taking photographs for a living – not having intimate pictures of herself posted for all the world to see, thanks to a disgruntled ex-boyfriend. Now her clients are cancelling appointments, and she’s almost out of cash. What else could go wrong? Oh yeah, her room mate has scarpered leaving Alice completely out of luck.

Enter Tom ‘man whore’ Maddens. Having disappointed his father one time too many, he moves to Brighton, ready for a new start. And where better to begin it than in Alice’s newly-vacant spare room? And if he tries to seduce her at the same time? Well he’s just living up to his reputation isn’t he?

But then he didn’t bank on actually falling for her. Will his reputation as a commitment phobe put a stop to any sparks between the pair? Or can Alice put aside her trust issues and take a leap of faith for Tom?

Get Bagging Alice HERE!

Laura is celebrating the release of Bagging Alice on audio by offering Excess Baggage, book #1 in this series for FREE!! 

Get Excess Baggage HERE until August 22nd!

Excess Baggage by Laura Barnard

(Babes of Brighton #1)

Stuck in a dead-end relationship, Erica Bennett finds herself daydreaming of her first holiday romance. She was fifteen, it was exciting, new and full of possibilities…and Jack Lawson was hot as hell. That kind of thing leaves a mark.

So when her friends suggest a girls holiday to Luna Island, it’s exactly what she needs to take her mind off things. What she doesn’t expect is to spot Jack – a much older, hotter version of him – across the hotel lobby.

Their attraction is still there and it isn’t long before sparks fly, but fifteen years is a long time. They aren’t the same people they were back then and besides, it’s only a week, right?

Is it a second chance at something real or will their excess baggage ruin their shot at love after they leave Luna Island?

Love Uncovered by Laura Barnard

(Babes of Brighton #2)

Independent woman to her core, Brooke Archer has always been happy to hit it and quit it with the men in her life. But when her beloved Nan suffers from poor health, Brooke realises just how precious life is and decides it’s time to face her daddy issues and seek out her estranged father. Without so much as a name or photo, and a cagey Mum withholding vital information, it’s going to be no easy task.

Nicholas Parker is a relationship guy and always has been. Abandoned by his mum when he was seven he craves love and security. But finding a woman who can conquer his trust issues is no easy feat. Brooke is exactly the kind of woman he doesn’t need.

Pulled together by some invisible force, can Brooke and Nicholas overcome their differences to uncover true love?

Find the whole series on Goodreads.

About the author

Amazon Best Seller Laura Barnard lives in Hertfordshire, UK and writes quirky British romantic comedy. In her spare time she enjoys drinking her body weight in tea, indulging in cupcakes the size of her face and drooling over hunks on Pinterest.

She enjoys wearing yoga pants and reading fitness magazines while sitting on the sofa eating chocolate. She's a real fan of the power nap, loves setting her friends up together and of course READING!

She writes not to get rich or famous, but because she LOVES writing. Even if one person tells her they enjoyed her book it makes the midnight typing worth it!​

Connect with Laura

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

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Until I Find You by Rea Frey ~ My Thoughts #UntilIFindYou #NetGalley

Until I Find You

Until I Find You by Rea Frey
316 pages
Published August 11th 2020 by St. Martin's Griffin

Celebrated author Rea Frey brings you her most explosive, emotional, taut domestic drama yet about the powerful bond between mothers and children…and how far one woman will go to bring her son home.

The Set-Up

Soon, Rebecca Gray won’t be able to see. Diagnosed in her twenties with a degenerative eye disease, each day her world grows a little darker. She’s moved to the suburbs to raise her son, Jackson. In the wake of her husband's death, it should be a quieter, easier way of life.

It won’t be.

The Moment That Changes Everything

When Bec awakes after fainting in the park, she makes promises to start taking better care of herself. When her son begins to cry, she approaches the crib.

Reaches in.

Picks him up.

But he’s not her son.

The Search

There’s nothing Bec won’t do to find Jackson. But she’s a blind woman in a world where seeing is believing. The police think she’s confused. Her friends don’t see any differences. Relying on the conviction of her instinct and the power of a mother’s love, Bec must push the limits of her world to uncover what happened to her baby boy…and bring him home for good.

     

My thoughts about Until I Find You ~~ 

(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—"Someone's coming. My feet expertly navigate the familiar path toward the path without my cane. Footsteps advance behind me."

I can't even imagine a life like Rebecca's—a blind, single mom who is still mourning the death of her husband. Just being able to raise a child alone is hard, but then to not be able to see that wonderful child and the world around him would make it even harder.

Things start happening in Bec's world, things that make her think that someone is messing with her or out to get her. Is she just being paranoid? Then one day, when she picks up her son out of his bed she discovers it isn't him. It's someone else's baby. Why won't anyone believe her?

I loved and hated this story—loved it because of the complexity of what was happening to Bec and her son and all the clues thrown out as to 'who done it', and hated it for those very same reasons. I suspected everyone at some point and I never knew who Bec could trust. Just when I thought I was on the right path to the 'bad guy', the author would take me in a different direction. There were several times I just wanted to scream at everyone to take Bec seriously! She knows her own baby! Why won't they listen to her?

Until I Find You got me pretty worked up and stressed out for Rebecca—and I loved every minute of it! This is a book that will easily draw you in and keep you intrigued to the very end.

I received a copy of Until I Find You from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

Rea Frey is the author of Not Her Daughter, Because You're Mine, and her upcoming release, Until I Find You.

She is also the founder of Writeway, where aspiring authors become published authors. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Rea

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 17, 2020

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!

**************************************

Take care. Stay safe and healthy everyone. 

And remember to wash those hands!!

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

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

No Place Too Far
by Kay Bratt
Pub date 9/1

One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
by Olivia Hawker
Narrated by Jackie Zerowski

What I recently finished

The Outsiders
by S.E. Hinton


Until I Find You
by Rea Frey

The Night Swim
by Megan Goldin

Read my thoughts HERE.

What I am going to read next

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown
by Heather B. Moore
Pub date 9/1

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!

Book Spotlight #Giveaway! Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris #BehindClosedDoors

I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves, to share some of the many books I have, and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

I read this book when it first came out in 2016. I love all of this author's books and this one is fantastic. You can read my thoughts HERE.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris
Mass Market Paperback, 295 pages
Published February 26th 2019 by St. Martin's Press
(first published August 9th 2016)

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You might not want to like them, but you do.

You’d like to get to know Grace better.

But it’s difficult, because you realise Jack and Grace are never apart.

Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. And why there are bars on one of the bedroom windows.

Sometimes, the perfect marriage is the perfect lie.

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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