Monday, November 30, 2020

Book Blitz! Frosting Her Christmas Cookies by Alina Jacobs ~ Excerpt and Giveaway! #FrostingHerChristmasCookies

Frosting Her Christmas Cookies

Frosting Her Christmas Cookies by Alina Jacobs
Publication date: November 17th 2020
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Holiday, Romance

Dear Santa, I do not want a Frost brother for Christmas.

In fact I do not want anything for Christmas—no annoying Christmas carols, no holiday family drama, and no last-minute presents.

And I certainly don’t want to be a bachelorette in The Great Christmas Bake-Off. Yes in the spirit of holiday commercialism, the bake-off is also a date-off and Jonathan Frost is the prize.

I should be hiding away with wine and snacks while waiting for Christmas to end. Instead I’m wearing a reindeer mascot costume and pretending I’m oh-so-excited to meet New York City’s most eligible billionaire bachelor!!! Just look at those blue eyes and six-foot-five tall frame!!! Don’t you want to take him home for the holidays?!?!!

Barf.

Unlike the other bachelorettes, I refused to debase myself and stroke some billionaire’s ego.

Instead, I threw a candy-cane dildo at his stupidly handsome face.

Then I laughed when he yelled at me.

Of course Jonathan couldn’t take the hint. He came around offering to put a little frosting on my Christmas cookies.

I attempted to shank him with a spatula.

He got offended and said that as a judge on The Great Christmas Bake-Off, he was just trying to help.

Sure

Not that I’m looking for holiday romance.

Christmas is already a stressful time of the year without adding a billionaire in the mix.

Between dodging bake-off sabotaging cousins, applying for a long-shot prestigious museum internship, and trying to survive being broke in Manhattan, I’m up to my black lipstick in my own special nightmare before Christmas.

And it’s making me wound tighter than a nutcracker.

So when Jonathan offers to put some frosting on my cookies—and a few other ornament shaped parts—his washboard abs and sexy smirk start to seem like the perfect stress relief.

Especially when he offers himself all wrapped up in a bow.

So no, dear Santa, I do not want Jonathan Frost, but I won’t say no to his Christmas package!

Frosting Her Christmas Cookies is a standalone holiday romantic comedy. If you love Christmas baking, hilarious holiday hijinks, and a big thick Christmas stocking, then pick up this full-length, steamy romance novel! There are no cliffhangers but there is a very merry (Christmas!) ever after!

Goodreads | Amazon

EXCERPT:

“Drinking alone?”

I stiffened. “I need it after dealing with you,” I said to Jonathan.

“I can’t have you in here ruining the atmosphere,” he said, spinning the barstool around to have me face him. “You’re like roadkill that dragged herself in here.”

“Ah yes, because a billionaire with delusions of adequacy is someone whose opinion I care about,” I shot back.

“I am way more than adequate,” he said, striking a pose. The glow from the expensive fixtures highlighted the slight bruise on his perfect face.

I smirked slightly.

“Like something you see?” Jonathan asked.

“Just that dildo-shaped bruise on your face,” I replied, sipping my drink. “Your company has our first meeting all over its feed. Better than the basic images you have up there now. At least people can laugh at the spit flying out of your mouth when you ran into my candy cane instead of dying from boredom at those images you’re posting.”

“You’re just jealous,” Jonathan retorted, eyes narrowing as he leaned over me. “I have one of the best marketing firms in the city working on my social media push.”

“Guess you can’t buy good taste,” I said, draining my drink.

“Says the woman wearing a reindeer costume,” Jonathan shot back. He reached out and hooked two fingers right at the neckline of the costume, pulling me forward slightly. “At first I thought you were wearing it under duress, but you’re still parading around in it. Like you said, you can’t buy taste.”

“Oh my god! Don’t touch my sister, creep!”

Now Lilith shows up.

Our friend Emma was hovering behind her.

Jonathan jerked his hand back then looked between Lilith and me wildly.

“Holy shit. Of course you’re creepy identical twins.”

Lilith and I glared in unison—or tried to. Lilith was dressed in her standard gothic garb, while I was bedecked for Christmas.

Jonathan turned on his heel to leave then looked over his shoulder at me. “I’d tell you good luck on the competition, but after your little stunt, everyone is going to put you in last place.”

About the author


If you like steamy romantic comedies with a creative streak, then I'm your girl! 

Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books... 

Sign up for my mailing list to get the free novella, AFTER HIS PEONIES, along with special bonus content, giveaways, and more! http://alinajacobs.com/mailinglist.html

Connect with Alina




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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? November 30, 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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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

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
by Robert Dugoni
I've been hearing wonderful things about this book. 

Girls of Brackenhill
by Kate Moretti
Narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen

What I recently finished

The Last of the Moon Girls
by Barbara Davis 
Narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen 

Take It Back
(Zara Kaleel #1)
by Kia Abdullah
Pub date 12/8

Coming Home to Christmas 
(Home for the Holidays #2)
by Steena Marie

What I am going to read next

Ask Him Why
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
I love her stories!

I really love my reading life!
What are you reading this week?

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Sunday, November 29, 2020

When You Had Power by Susan Kaye Quinn ~ My Thoughts #WhenYouHadPower

When You Had Power

When You Had Power by Susan Kaye Quinn
(Nothing is Promised #1)
ebook,  215 pages
Published November 24 by Twisted Space LLC

For better, for worse. In sickness and in health.

It’s a legal vow of care for families in 2050, a world beset by waves of climate-driven plagues.

Power engineer Lucía Ramirez long ago lost her family to one—she’d give anything to take that vow. The Power Islands give humanity a fighting chance, but tending kelp farms and solar lilies is a lonely job. The housing AI found her a family match, saying she should fit right in with the Senegalese retraining expert who’s a force of nature, the ex-Pandemic Corps cook with his own cozy channel, and even the writer who insists everything is stories, all the way down. This family of literal and metaphorical refugees could be the shelter she’s seeking from her own personal storm.

She needs this one to work.

Then an unscheduled power outage and a missing turtle-bot crack open a mystery. Something isn’t right on Power Island One, but every step she takes to solve it, someone else gets there first—and they’re determined to make her unsee what she’s seen. Lucía is an engineer, not a detective, but fixing this problem might cost her the one thing she truly needs: a home.

When You Had Power is the first of four tightly-connected novels in a new hopepunk series. It’s about our future, how society will shift and flex like a solar lily in the storms of our own making, and how breaks in the social fabric have to be expected, tended to, and healed. Because we’re in this together, now more than ever before. 


My thoughts about When You Had Power ~~ 

I love it when Susan Kaye Quinn branches off in her writing and swerves in a different direction. I know that whatever path she takes is going to mean a great adventure for me. When You Had Power, book #1 in her new Nothing is Promised series did not disappoint.

Lucia is a strong, capable women who has a very important job to do, but she also wants the love and security that family brings. When she notices problems in her new world, how does she know who she can trust?   

I immediately felt at home in this futurist world, set in 2050, and comfortable with the characters that quickly become a big part of Lucia's world. Susan does an excellent job creating a believable, exciting world that I can't even imagine on my own. I loved the first book in this amazing new series and can't wait for the rest of the stories! 

Book #2, You Knew the Price, comes out on January 19, 2021. 


About the author


Susan Kaye Quinn is a rocket scientist turned speculative fiction author who now uses her PhD to invent cool stuff in books. Her works range from young adult science fiction to adult future-noir, with side trips into steampunk and middle grade fantasy. Her bestselling novels and short stories have been optioned for Virtual Reality, translated into German, and featured in several anthologies.

She writes full-time from Chicago, inventing mind powers and dreaming of the Singularity.

Chat with her about our coming robot overlords on Facebook.

Find all of Susan's books on Amazon


Connect with Susan


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Saturday, November 28, 2020

Book Spotlight Giveaway! Before I Let You Go by Kelly Rimmer #BeforeILetYouGo

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.

I read and reviewed this book when it came out. I loved the emotional roller-coaster ride that I found myself on as I was reading this fabulous story. It was a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read for me! You can read my thoughts here.

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Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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Before I Let You Go

Before I Let You Go by Kelly Rimmer 
ARC, 384 pages
Published April 3rd 2018 by Graydon House

The 2:00 a.m. call is the first time Lexie Vidler has heard her sister’s voice in years. Annie is a drug addict, a thief, a liar—and in trouble, again. Lexie has always bailed Annie out, given her money, a place to sleep, sent her to every kind of rehab. But this time, she’s not just strung out—she’s pregnant and in premature labor. If she goes to the hospital, she’ll lose custody of her baby—maybe even go to prison. But the alternative is unthinkable.

As weeks unfold, Lexie finds herself caring for her fragile newborn niece while her carefully ordered life is collapsing around her. She’s in danger of losing her job, and her fiancé only has so much patience for Annie’s drama. In court-ordered rehab, Annie attempts to halt her downward spiral by confronting long-buried secrets from the sisters’ childhood, ghosts that Lexie doesn’t want to face. But will the journey heal Annie, or lead her down a darker path?

Both candid and compassionate, Before I Let You Go explores a hotly divisive topic and asks how far the ties of family love can be stretched before they finally break.


About the author

Kelly Rimmer

Kelly Rimmer is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of ten novels, including The Secret Daughter and The Things We Cannot Say. She’s sold more than one million books, and her novels have been translated into more than 20 languages. Kelly lives in the Central West of New South Wales with her family and fantastically naughty dogs, Sully and Basil.  ~ Goodreads

Connect with Kelly


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Monday, November 23, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? November 23, 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! 

I wasn't able to post last Monday so this is two week's worth of reading. I've been dealing with some health issues since the middle of October that ended up with me having surgery on November 12th. Everything ended up fine and I am on the mend.... it's just been a hard, stressful time. I wasn't up to posting on the 16th.

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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

Coming Home to Christmas 
(Home for the Holidays #2)
by Steena Marie

The Last of the Moon Girls
by Barbara Davis 
Narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen 

What I recently finished

My Name is Anton
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Pub date 12/1

Better Luck Next Time
(Asheville Brewing #2)
by A.R. Casella & Denise Grover Swank 

The Family Ship: A Novel
by Sonja Yoerg 
Pub date 2/23

When You Had Power
(Nothing is Promised #1)
by Susan Kaye Quinn
Pub date 11/24

What I am going to read next

Take It Back
(Zara Kaleel #1)
by Kia Abdullah
Pub date 12/8

I really love my reading life!
What are you reading this week?

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Saturday, November 21, 2020

Book Spotlight Giveaway! Anxious People by Fredrik Backman #AnxiousPeople

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.

So.... I've been a little MIA lately, have you noticed? Did anyone come looking for my Book Spotlight Giveaway last Saturday and couldn't find it? Sorry about that. I've been dealing with some health issues since the middle of October that ended up with me having surgery on November 12th. Don't worry, everything ended up fine and I am on the mend.... it's just been a hard, stressful time. I wasn't up to posting a BSG on the 14th.

But I'm back and this week's book is a great one. I have the ARC of Backman's newest book to offer this week. I loved this book and all of it's quirky, loveable characters. You can read my thoughts here
 

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Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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Anxious People

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Print and e-book, 352 pages
Published September 8th 2020 by Atria Books

This is a poignant comedy about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.

Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers slowly begin opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.

As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.


About the author


Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove (soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks), My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Beartown, Us Against You, as well as two novellas, And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer and The Deal of a Lifetime

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World, his first work of non-fiction, will be released in the US in May 2019. His books are published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children. Connect with him on Twitter @BackmanLand or on Instagram @backmansk. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Fredrik

Website Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Friday, November 20, 2020

Book Blitz! The Waltz of Devil’s Creek by Justine Carver ~ Excerpt & Giveaway! #TheWaltzOfDevilsCreek

The Waltz of Devil’s Creek

The Waltz of Devil’s Creek by Justine Carver
Publication date: October 20th 2020
Genres: Adult, Historical

Judith Campbell is dying, and she cannot take the painful truth about where her son came from to the grave with her. While on her deathbed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1994, Judith tells him the tragic story of his conception, and which of two men his birth father could be: the young man who professed his love to her, or the pastor who assaulted her. 

Set in the Deep South in 1947, The Waltz of Devil’s Creek digs into the dark crevices of racism and women’s rights during a heated political climate in an era of segregation. Combined with Judith’s lack of social stature, and at a time when reporting sexual assault was unheard of, every injustice is stacked against her from the very beginning. 

But there is a light in Judith’s young life: her best friend, Joseph Bird, who has loved her since childhood. Joseph stands up for Judith when no one else will and proves that even in the darkest of times, a light is always burning.

Goodreads | Amazon

EXCERPT:

The sound of trickling water hit the floorboards beneath me; I sucked in a sharp breath and froze.

Joseph’s eyes strayed downward; his brows crumpled in his forehead, and he gawked at me like I’d grown a third eyeball. “Are you…peein’?” he asked as if he couldn’t believe such a thing.

“No…I uh…” I couldn’t get the words out, but I sure knew what was going on. I gripped my belly with both hands and sat down on the edge of the bed, fluid dripping down my legs—I’d swore I’d never wear a dress again, but I couldn’t fit into pants anymore. “I think I’m gonna have a baby now, Joseph.”

His eyes darted back and forth from my face to the puddle on the floor; he looked as white as the sheet I’d just dressed the bed with.

“Oh, umm…what do you…oh shit, Judy, I don’t know what to do. I’ll go get—.” He started for the door to fetch my pa.

“Joseph, remember what we talked about,” I said, stopping him in his tracks. “You can do this.”

“I remember a brief conversation about who’s gonna deliver this baby,” he said with sarcasm. “But I also remember tellin’ you ain’t no way in hell I can do it. You gotta go to the hospital.”

The first wave of pain struck me like somebody done hit me across the lower back with a two-by-four. “Ahh! Oh no, Joseph, this…ahhh!” I gritted my teeth so hard that pain shot through my jaw and into the top of my head. “I can’t go to the hospital…please, you promised.”

“What?! I did no such thing!”

“Yes, you did! You said: ‘I swear on my life I’ll deliver the baby if nobody else is around to do it’—can’t go back on it now.”

He threw his hands up in the air. “Well yeah, I may’ve said that, but it was only to get you off my back about it—I can’t deliver a baby!”

“You’re gonna have to!” I cried out in pain again and fell back against the bed; I didn’t know why, but for a moment, I thought about how I’d just made the bed and was annoyed by the awful timing.

I heard my pa’s voice from the doorway—he was like the dead arisen, as I hadn’t heard him say much in so long. I clamped my jaw down again, eyes closed so tightly I saw spots dancing on the inside of my eyelids.

About the author

Justine Carver was born and raised in the Southern United States on a heavy dose of creek-wading, lightning-bug-catching, and Saturday morning cartoons. She is a full-time writer, all-the-time reader, and every now and then, she pulls her head out of the clouds long enough to remember how much better it is up there.

Connect with Justine

Website | Goodreads | Instagram

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Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Any Luck at All by Denise Grover Swank & A.R. Casella ~ My Thoughts #AnyLuckAtAll

Any Luck at All

Any Luck at All by A.R. Casella & Denise Grover Swank 
Asheville Brewing #1
Print & ebook,  377 pages
Published September 22nd 2020 by Denise Grover Swank

She might be wishing for the wrong kind of luck.

Georgie Buchanan doesn’t know the first thing about running a brewery—she doesn’t even like beer—so she’s out of her element when she and her siblings inherit their grandfather’s money pit. Her one hope for success lies with River Reeves, the handsome brewmaster who learned at her grandfather’s feet...if she can avoid falling for him.

River Reeves is having a rough week. Not only did he lose his friend and mentor, Beau Buchanan, but he’s just been betrayed by his former best friend and business partner. Still, things seem to improve when Georgie offers him his dream job—turning around Buchanan Brewery.

Great right? There’s one problem: his new boss is his dream woman, and she’s not the type to mix business and pleasure.


My thoughts about Any Luck at All ~~ 

I loved this story! Georgie and her siblings inherit the family brewery and none of them know what they are doing. Georgie did connect and bond with her grandfather before he passed away and, believe it or not, she wants to give the brewery a shot. 

But she desperately needs River's help—he really knows the business—and is the only one who can turn it around. But..... no mixing business with pleasure, right? That's when the fun begins! The chemistry between Georgie and River is fireworks! And the fun is watching them trying to NOT light the match that will set the fireworks off. 

There is also a huge, wonderful, zany cast of characters that kept me in stiches throughout the whole book. Oh, if only we all had friends like these! Some of the situations they got themselves into made me laugh out loud. 

Book #2, Better Luck Next Time, comes out on November 17th and I can't wait to go back and visit everyone again and see what they are all up to now. 


The last person she wants might be the second chance she needs.

Adalia Buchanan broke up with art, but it won’t break up with her. So she paints in secret, then destroys her work. Her mentor stole her art months ago, and she’ll never share her work again.

After he sold his brewery, Finn Hamilton’s life was supposed to be on an upward trajectory. Instead, he’s lost his way. When he stumbles upon Adalia destroying her painting, two thoughts come to mind: one, she looks like a Valkyrie with blonde hair swinging and paint flying from her blade, and two, she’s talented. Very talented.

Suddenly, she's no longer the sassy sister of his best friend’s girlfriend—she’s an intriguing, beautiful woman he’s dying to get to know better.

Too bad Adalia, who's infatuated with Pride and Prejudice, thinks he’s arrogant and conceited, a modern-day Mr. Darcy.

Then again, Elizabeth Bennett changed her mind about Darcy, so there may be hope for them yet...if they can survive an evil cat, a goat-obsessed artist, and their meddling families.

About the authors


New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became nomadic, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. 

She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn't lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.

You can find out more about Denise at www.denisegroverswank.com


A.R. CASELLA is a freelance developmental editor by day, writer by night. She lives in Asheville, NC with her husband, daughter, two dogs, and a variable number of fish. Her pastimes include chasing around her toddler, baking delicious treats, and occasional bouts of crocheting. Any Luck at All, co-written with New York Times bestselling author Denise Grover Swank, is her first book.

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Monday, November 9, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? November 9, 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

When You Had Power
(Nothing is Promised #1)
by Susan Kaye Quinn
Pub date 11/24
It's always a new adventure when I start one of SKQ's books.

The Last of the Moon Girls
by Barbara Davis 
Narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen 

What I recently finished

Muddy Bottom
by Ashley Farley
Great novella to start her new series!

The Moonlight Child
by Karen McQuestion

Little Wishes
by Michelle Adams
Pub date 11/17

What I am going to read next

The Family Ship: A Novel
by Sonja Yoerg 
Pub date 2/23
I love this author's stories and I'm so excited to read this one!

I really love my reading life!
What are you reading this week?

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