Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Release Day! My Darling Husband by Kimberly Belle ~ My Thoughts and an Excerpt #MyDarlingHusband

 Happy Release Day!


Congrats Kimberly
on the release of
My Darling Husband!

My Darling Husband by Kimberly Belle
Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological 352 pages
Published December 28 2021 by Park Row
Trade paperback on sale March 8, 2022

Bestselling author of Dear Wife and The Marriage Lie, Kimberly Belle returns with her most heart-pounding thriller to date, as a masked home invader reveals the cracks in a marriage.

Everyone is about to know what her husband isn’t telling her…

Jade and Cam Lasky are by all accounts a happily married couple with two adorable kids, a spacious home and a rapidly growing restaurant business. But their world is tipped upside down when Jade is confronted by a masked home invader. As Cam scrambles to gather the ransom money, Jade starts to wonder if they’re as financially secure as their lifestyle suggests, and what other secrets her husband is keeping from her.

Cam may be a good father, a celebrity chef and a darling husband, but there’s another side he’s kept hidden from Jade that has put their family in danger. Unbeknownst to Cam and Jade, the home invader has been watching them and is about to turn their family secrets into a public scandal.

With riveting twists and a breakneck pace, My Darling Husband is an utterly compelling thriller that once again showcases Kimberly Belle's exceptional talent for domestic suspense.


Purchase My Darling Husband


My thoughts about My Darling Husband ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"The Interview—Juanita Moore: Mr. Lasky, thank you for speaking with me today, and sharing your story with Channel 7 Action News. I know rehashing what happened to your family can't be easy for you to talk about."

Kimberly Belle has done it again! She has penned another amazing thriller that had my heart racing. Who wouldn't be super stressed when a masked man invades your home and keeps you and your children hostage? And as I was reading this book, I felt like I was there with Jade, just trying to keep the kids safe and figure out a way to escape. Whew! 

I have loved all of Ms. Belle's stories and this one has to be right up there at the top as one of my favorites. It will keep you on the edge of your seat as, in the midst of all the drama, the real truth of Jade and Cam's lives comes out. Things are not what they seem. 

My Darling Husband is a book that you will not be able to put down once you start, so be prepared! I highly recommend it! 

I received My Darling Husband from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion of the book.

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Excerpt

Jade
3:18 pm

I see the black figure in the shadows, and my first thought is of the kids, an immediate, full-throttle alarm that comes on like a freight train. This is parenthood in a nutshell: utter terror for your children’s welfare, always. It’s something Cam and I never thought about back when we were trying to get pregnant—the overwhelming insecurity when the doctor settled our babies into our arms, the unrelenting worry whenever they’re not near. I spot movement and I reach for them at the same time—instant and instinctual. My brain identifies a person, a male-sized form that does not belong here, and I shove their little bodies behind mine.

A man, looming in my garage. Breathing the same air.

I don’t move. I can’t. No fight. No flight. I just stand here, transfixed, dumbstruck, stock-still.

I think of my phone, buried under the mail and trash in my bag. I think of the panic button on the alarm pad in the house, on the other end of a breezeway and tucked safely behind a locked door. I think of my keys, next to my phone. Even if I managed to get us out of this garage, where would we go? I’d never make it inside the house, and the backyard is fenced, the gates either electronic or secured with a complicated, child-safe latch. There’s nowhere to escape.

“Don’t move. Stay quiet and I won’t hurt you.”

The voice is so frighteningly close. Hoarse, rattling in air hot with my sticky fear, and I don’t believe a single word. Especially not when he steps closer, and I get a better look. The man is wearing a mask. He’s holding a gun, a stubby black thing in a fist. Head-to-toe black, every bit of him covered, even his hands. His fingertips.

Run. I scream the word in my head, urging myself on. Grab the children and run.

Now.


A chill races down my spine. The hairs soldier on my skin.

This man is here to hurt me. To hurt us.

And still I can’t move.

So this is it, then. This is how my body responds when faced with sudden fright, with this hot, sluggish horror—like when your fingers brush over a strange lump under your armpit and you realize your life has veered sideways. Some people run. Others scream. Me, I just stand here, paralyzed by the mounting terror.

The kids, too. They stare at him with big, frightened eyes. A little hand grabs my pants leg.

“Please,” I somehow manage to squeak, but I can’t finish. Please don’t touch the children. Please don’t shoot us. The words are too horrifying to say out loud.

He moves closer, his gait smooth but there’s something sinister in the way he’s walking across the concrete floor. He’s like an animal on the hunt, joints loose, ready to pounce. All dangerous, coiled energy lurking just below the surface.

“Take my car.” I hold out my bag, a stupidly expensive designer thing from a couple years ago. “The keys are in here somewhere, and so’s my wallet. I—”

“I don’t want your purse. Don’t want your car, either.” His voice is deep and scratchy, the kind that sounds filled with cigarette smoke.

My stomach spirals, and I search his face for more, but the parts of him I can see—his lips, his eyes—are closed off. I search for something recognizable, something human I can appeal to, but there’s nothing. It’s like searching for meaning on a covered canvas.

Still, I take in every detail I can see and commit them to memory. Just under six foot, medium build, broad shouldered. Caucasian. I know this from his eyes, olive green and flecked with amber, the pink patch of skin around his mouth. His teeth are white and straight, the kind of straight that comes from braces.

“Do you want money? I don’t have cash, but take my card. My pin is 4-3-0-8.”

“Jade. Shh.”

My name on his tongue tightens a knot of panic in my gut, and I scurry—finally—backwards, putting some distance between me and this man, pushing the kids behind me and towards the door.

Stay calm.

Don’t panic.

Whatever happens, do not let the gunman in the house. That’s how people get killed. That’s how entire families end up in a pool of blood. As soon as you let the gunman into the house, you’re already dead.

Excerpted from My Darling Husband @ 2021 by Kimberly S. Belle Books, LLC, used with permission by Park Row Books.


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About the author

Kimberly Belle

Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of seven novels, including her latest, My Darling Husband (December 2021). Her third novel, The Marriage Lie, was a semifinalist in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller, and a #1 e-book bestseller in the UK and Italy. She’s sold rights to her books in a dozen languages as well as film and television options. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Belle divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam.

Connect with Kimberly


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Monday, December 27, 2021

Book Blitz! Imperfect by Holly Carr ~ Excerpt and #Giveaway! #Imperfect

 

Imperfect by Holly Carr
Publication date: August 2nd 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

She isn’t looking for love. He’s running from it.

A workplace crush is supposed to be light-hearted. Frivolous, even. Just some daydream inspiration to make the hours go faster, or to fill in twenty boring minutes.

Sam isn’t ready to develop actual feelings for someone. Not with Logan still looming so large in her heart, and especially not when the subject of her infatuation is her new employer.

Alex doesn’t plan to fall in love ever again. Not after what happened with Victoria.

But fate seems determined to begin an unwanted love story, and a tentative romance blossoms as Alex and Sam battle the malicious sabotage of a rival company.

That is, until Alex’s evil ex-wife re-enters his life, threatening to take custody of their daughter.

Sam’s determination to help the desperate man stand up for himself brings the two would-be lovers closer, but Victoria’s antics only highlight to Alex the dangers of leaving himself vulnerable.

Can Sam convince him to set aside eleven years of stanch celibacy and give into his feelings?

And just how did he get that mysterious scar on his face?

This contemporary romantic suspense novel is perfect for readers with a soft spot for a hesitant love story, a single dad, and a relatable heroine.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords

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EXCERPT:

Sam stood just inside the door to Dimitri’s office, leaving it ajar so she could see though the gap. She peered down the hallway so she could warn Alex if their unauthorised presence were pending discovery. Unable to relax, she repeatedly lamented her decision to accompany him. All that stopped her from abandoning her post and returning to the party was her fear she’d be caught on the way, thus making it more likely Alex would also be busted.

She’d uselessly checked the clock on her phone twice already. It made no difference, as Alex hadn’t specified a time limit. He wasn’t going to suddenly give up just because their breaking and entering had totalled ten whole minutes. But it gave her something to do, and she sorely needed a distraction to take the edge off her panic.

She periodically turned to watch Alex, hoping he would either find something soon or give up. He was going through Dimitri’s desk, skimming papers, and meticulously putting them back in the same order. So far, nothing out of the ordinary had shown up.

She’d already voiced her opinion it was unlikely anything so important would be written down on paper, and Alex had admitted she was probably right. Short of hacking his desktop, this was almost certainly a futile exercise. He’d confided that he was holding out hope because Dimitri was somewhat ‘old school’. There was potentially an interesting hardcopy stashed somewhere.

Finishing with the drawers, Alex started on the single tray of documents on top of the desk. Dimitri’s workspace was unencumbered by the clutter littering Alex’s. Being well past retirement age, Sam suspected he didn’t have as much to do with the day to day running of his company as Alex did.

I wonder how much work it would take to make Alex’s desk look like that, she thought. Probably more than she’d care to contemplate. Even if she managed it, the lack of visible tasks would only serve to make him anxious anyway. He was too used to having three people’s work to do.

Her head whipped back to the door when she heard a bell ring in the distance. ‘Someone’s getting out of the lift,’ she whispered urgently.

Alex looked up, startled. He was only about halfway through the tray, and she saw his eyes dart back to the pile, eager to keep looking. He spoke distractedly, more engrossed in his task than their conversation. ‘I’ll just finish looking at this and we’ll …’ A sick pallor washed over his face as he looked up at Sam again, who was frozen in shock.

They had both realised their predicament at the same time. Her self-appointed position as ‘lookout’ was completely useless. The only way out was the lift or the stairs beside the lift. If someone was coming this way, they were going to be caught red-handed.

Sam couldn’t believe they had both been that stupid. Alex’s eagerness combined with her discomfort had blinded them to the obvious. They’d trapped themselves. Their only hope was that whoever it was didn’t plan on coming in this direction.

Watching the hall nervously, she saw shadows coming from around the distant corner, and her heart sank as she realised the voices were getting closer. There was no doubt about it, they were coming this way.

Swiftly closing the door, she confirmed this fact to Alex. He uselessly put the papers back into the tray. No one would ever know he’d been through them if they could just somehow not be caught.

Their mere presence made his intentions obvious though. Even without the physical evidence of disorder, what other reason could they have for being here?

Sam answered her own question as she watched Alex stride around the desk looking grim. He appeared to be mentally preparing himself to face the music, but maybe they didn’t have to.

It’s crazy, she thought. Too crazy, but I can’t think of anything else.

It was a risk on a lot of levels. They’d still be ‘busted’ in a way, and she was sure Alex wasn’t going to like it, but it was all she could come up with on short notice. ‘Take off your jacket and undo your tie,’ she whispered.

Alex’s look of bleak determination turned to confusion. The request certainly didn’t fit the situation, but she didn’t have time to ease him into it gently.

‘If we can’t get out before they come in, we need a different reason to be here. Take off your jacket, and undo your tie and some buttons,’ she whispered again, more urgently this time, beginning to untie her skirt.

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About the author


Holly Carr was born in Victoria, Australia, where she still lives today with her husband and a cat with no sense of personal space. She graduated from Deakin University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts (Public Relations), majoring in Literary Studies.

Holly first began writing creatively while she was at university, only setting aside her incomplete manuscript due to time constraints. It took ten years before she finally sat down to write again, and her first completed novel ‘IMPERFECT’ practically wrote itself. She enjoyed the experience so much she has already begun work on another.

When she takes a break from writing, she enjoys occasional visits from her grown-up son, pole dancing, eating far too much Mexican food, and pretending to know a lot about wine.

You can get the first two chapters of her forthcoming novel ‘UNLUCKY’ for free at her website www.hollycarr.com.au, or follow her on Facebook @hollycarrauthor and Instagram @holly_ylloh_holly.

Connect with Holly

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? December 27, 2021 #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

Reckless Girls
by Rachel Hawkins
Pub date ~ January 4

Last Summer
by Kerry Lonsdale
Narrated by Cristina Panfilio
 
What I recently finished

No More Lies
by Kerry Lonsdale
Pub date ~ May 10

No More Words
by Kerry Lonsdale
Re-read this one to prepare for book #2. So good!

What I am going to read next

Spirit Women
by Rolando Garcia

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Saturday, December 25, 2021

Merry Christmas from The Book Bag!


I just wanted to pop on quick to wish
everyone a very Merry Christmas!


May your life be blessed!


Monday, December 20, 2021

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? ~ December 20, 2021 #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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We are getting new carpeting on the stairway and two bedrooms upstairs on Tuesday. And you know when you have a spare bedroom, it becomes a junk room. So much stuff in there! Our kids came over this weekend to help us clear out the rooms and bring most everything downstairs. Hopefully, we'll think twice about whether we keep the stuff or not. 

On Sunday, we took our 7yo grandson to see the Clifford the Big Red Dog movie. I'm so glad I have young kids in my life so I have an excuse to see all the fun movies! 

I just about have all the wrapping done and will be making a few more batches of caramel corn before the weekend. Then I'm ready for some family time. I love this time of year! 

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

What I'm currently reading

No More Lies
by Kerry Lonsdale
Pub date ~ May 10

Last Summer
by Kerry Lonsdale
Narrated by Cristina Panfilio
 
What I recently finished

My Darling Husband
by Kimberly Belle
Pub date ~ December 28

Daisy Jones & The Six
by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Tea at Five
by Matthew Lombardo
Narrated by Kate Mulgrew

What I am going to read next

My Wife Is Missing
by D.J. Palmer
Pub date ~ May 10

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Saturday, December 18, 2021

This OR That #Giveaway Week #42 ~ Two By Two by Nicholas Sparks OR Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia #TwoByTwo #MexicanGothic

I have sooooo many books!

The This or That 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. It's a way for me to cull my collection and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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Two By Two
by Nicholas Sparks
Hardcover ~ Pub date October 2016

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with an emotionally powerful story of unconditional love, its challenges, its risks and most of all, its rewards.

At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a lovable six year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expansive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that.

But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear...and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down. In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new and baffling reality. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying and rewarding—one that will test his abilities and his emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined.

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Mexican Gothic
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Hardcover ~ Pub date June 2020

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

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Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Book Spotlight! Columbus and Caonabó: 1493–1498 Retold by Andrew Rowen ~ Excerpt #ColumbusAndCaonabó


Congrats Andrew
on the recent release of
Columbus and Caonabó!

Columbus and Caonabó: 1493–1498 Retold
Andrew Rowen | November 9, 2021 
All Persons Press | Historical Fiction | 
Hardcover | 978-0-9991961-3-7 | $32.95 
Ebook | 978-0-9991961-4-4 | $12.99
Paperback | 978-0-9991961-5-1 | $19.95 (releasing in 2022)

Author Andrew Rowen retells the history of Columbus’s invasion of Española on his second voyage from a bicultural perspective in the historical fiction novel Columbus and Caonabó: 1493–1498 Retold, releasing on Nov. 9, 2021—the sequel to his lauded 2017 bicultural presentation of Columbus’s first voyage, Encounters Unforeseen: 1492 Retold.

Columbus assured Spain’s Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand that he’d conquer “Española” with little opposition from its inhabitants, but he soon discovered the promise ominously false. A historical novel, Columbus and Caonabó: 1493–1498 Retold dramatizes his invasion of the island on his second voyage and the bitter resistance mounted by its Taíno peoples, led by the Taíno chieftain Caonabó. Based closely on primary sources, the story is told from both Taíno and European perspectives, including through the eyes of Caonabó and Columbus.

Chief Caonabó opposes any European presence on the island and massacres the garrison Columbus left behind on his first voyage. When Columbus returns, the second voyage’s twelve-hundred settlers suffer from disease and famine and are alienated by his harsh rule, resulting in crown-appointed officers and others deserting for Spain. Sensing European vulnerability, Caonabó establishes a broad Taíno alliance to expel the intruders, becoming the first of four centuries of Native American chieftains known to organize war against European expansion. Columbus realizes that Caonabó’s capture or elimination is key to Española’s conquest, and their conflict escalates—with the fateful clash of their soldiers, cultures, and religions, enslavement of Taíno captives, the imposition of tribute, and hostile face-to-face conversations.

As battles are lost, Caonabó’s wife Anacaona anguishes and considers how to confront the Europeans if Caonabó is killed. The settlers grow more brutal when Columbus explores Cuba and Jamaica, and his enslaved Taíno interpreters witness them forcing villagers into servitude, committing rape, and destroying Taíno religious objects. Chief Guarionex, whose territory neighbors Caonabó’s, studies Christianity with missionaries and observes the first recorded baptism of a Native in the Americas but ultimately rejects his own conversion. All brood upon the spirits’ or Lord’s design as epidemic diseases ravage the island’s peoples. Isabella and Ferdinand are disturbed when Columbus initiates slave shipments home, but they deliberately acquiesce—and the justification for the European enslavement of Native Americans begins to evolve.

The novel is the sequel to Encounters Unforeseen: 1492 Retold, which portrays the lives of the same Taíno and European protagonists from youth through 1492.

There are forty-two historic or newly drawn maps and illustrations woven into the narrative, including portraits or sketches of Columbus, Caonabó, Isabella, and Anacaona. A Sources section cites authorities and discusses interpretations of historians and anthropologists contrary to the author’s presentation and issues of academic disagreement.


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Excerpt

Alone, Anacaona relished the solitude and serenity of her garden. But the question that had scorched her thoughts for weeks returned to engulf her, as its answer burned due—how should she rule if Caonabó perished? She begged Yúcahu’s guidance and ambled aimlessly about the garden, mesmerized by the beauty of Haiti’s blossoming trees, shrubs, and cacti, which glowed radiant in the sunlight, and desperate for their wisdom.

Anacaona minced beneath the shade of the magnolia trees, both sturdy and pretty, which reminded her of the wives just departed—straightforward, loyal, and dependable. They were the backbone of the garden, and the broad tapestry of their white petals and reddish fruits spoke of the ascendance of beauty and goodness over grotesqueness and evil. She was taken by the size and strength of the supporting limbs. But Yúcahu warned that a woman didn’t rule by those qualities.

She came to the garden’s pond abutting the riverbank, gazing sadly upon the lilies floating within. Their pink-and-white flowers shone with beauty, as the magnolias, but they lay apart, out of reach but for wading. Anacaona was taken by their separation and isolation. But Yúcahu observed that isolation alone was a fragile solution, as the pale men weren’t shy to trespass, even across an ocean.

She strolled among the orchids, patient for revelation. They were far more alluring than the magnolias and lilies, yet far more delicate, bewitching greater desire and adoration, but, as young girls, easily destroyed in conflict. Her own beauty rivaled them. Prior to marriage, she’d well known how to bring men to pant before her, and she was taken by the orchids’ power to smite. But Yúcahu warned that the power to smite wasn’t enough without the power to destroy.

Tiring, Anacaona sat among the cacti, which were resolute, forbidding, and vicious, ascendant when the sun was most brutal, warning aggressors away, and piercing them if they trespassed too close. Without forethought, her eyes passed over the pretty pink blossoms cloaking the delicate limbs of a Bayahibe bush, which emanated gracefully from an inner torso, largely shrouded unseen behind the many blossoms. It had been a wedding gift from Higüey’s Cayacoa, her husband’s friend, and its trunk was as cactus, covered with needles.

Roused, Anacaona fell to her knees upon her nagua to peek beneath the branches to the bristling trunk, sensing Yúcahu’s design to have brought her before it. The bush was both alluring and vicious, perhaps not as enticing as the orchid or even the lily, or as sturdy as the magnolia or other cactuses, but neither delicate nor destructible. She grasped that it was sublimely endowed to draw the unsuspecting close and then stab. Yúcahu intimated that it flourished as a beautiful woman might rule, alluring enemy to friendship, warming if friendship were reciprocated, piercing if not, and never truly befriending, with barbs ever vigilant and poised to preserve her people’s civilization.

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About the author


Andrew Rowen has devoted ten years to researching the history leading to the first encounters between Europeans and the Caribbean’s Taíno peoples, including visiting sites where Columbus and Taíno chieftains lived, met, and fought. 

His first novel, Encounters Unforeseen: 1492 Retold (released 2017), portrays the life stories of the chieftains and Columbus from youth through their encounters in 1492. His second, Columbus and Caonabó: 1493–1498 Retold (to be released November 9, 2021), depicts the same protagonists’ bitter conflict during the period of Columbus’s second voyage.

Andrew is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and Harvard Law School and has long been interested in the roots of religious intolerance.

Connect with Andrew


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Monday, December 13, 2021

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? ~ December 13, 2021 #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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Well, winter has finally set in. We really have enjoyed unseasonably nice weather so far and the first part of December was so nice. On Friday a big snow storm hit with 9-10 inches of snow being dumped just south of us. We lucked out and got considerable less but this storm closed all of the surrounding schools. Thoughts and prayers go out to all who were in the path of the recent devastating tornados. 

My daughter invited me over to her house on Sunday to sit with her while we watched my son-in-law and his daughter bake Christmas cookies. And yes, we did taste test some of the cookies, I guess you could say that we were the 'quality control'. 😉 It actually inspired me to come home and make some of my annual caramel corn. We'll see how long that inspiration lasts.

Is there something that you always make or bake at Christmas time and it just wouldn't be Christmas without it?

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

What I'm currently reading

Daisy Jones & The Six
Taylor Jenkins Reid

Tea at Five
by Matthew Lombardo
Narrated by Kate Mulgrew
 
What I recently finished

Matters of the Heart
by Ashley Farley
Pub date ~ January 4, 2022

Mistletoe and Wedding Bells
by Ashley Farley

Show Me the Way
by Ashley Farley

Festive in Death
by J.D. Robb
Narrated by Susan Ericksen

What I am going to read next

My Darling Husband
by Kimberly Belle
Pub date ~ December 28

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Sunday, December 12, 2021

Mistletoe and Wedding Bells by Ashley Farley ~ My Thoughts #MistletoeAndWeddingBells


Mistletoe and Wedding Bells by Ashley Farley
Women's Fiction, Christmas, 275 pages
Published October 27, 2020 by Leisure Time Books

Merriment and mayhem collide for a chaotic holiday season at the Inn at Hope Springs Farms.

General manager, Stella Boor, is ready to marry her man and live in the home of her dreams. But she can do neither until she wins permanent custody of her six-year-old half sister, Jazz. Meanwhile, Jazz’s mother, Naomi, is determined to make trouble for Stella at every turn. When tension mounts, Stella results to drastic measures in order to protect her baby sister.

Event planner, Presley Ingram, is keeping the ultimate secret. She’s planning a surprise wedding for Stella and Jack for Christmas Day. As passion ignites with her new lover, Presley pauses to consider if she’s planning Stella’s dream wedding. Or her own.

Head chef, Cecily Weber, will wed the love of her life on Christmas Eve. But when her fiancé shows an irresponsible side she’s never before seen, Cecily begins to have second doubts. Is she suffering from pre-wedding jitters? Or will she be forced to choose between marriage and the success she’s worked so hard to achieve?

Join three intriguing young women in their search for happily ever after.


My thoughts about Mistletoe and Wedding Bells ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"The sound of bells ringing in the distance silences the crowd. Families with young children migrate to the edge of the stone terrace, looking out into the inky darkness toward the mountains."

Mistletoe and Wedding Bells is the perfect story to read right now. It's full of Christmas, weddings, friendships, and love. I just finished reading books 1-3 of this amazing series to prepare for book #4, which comes out in January. This was a wonderful way to read these books. I became totally immersed in Stella's life and the interesting world and people of Hope Springs. Stella unexpectedly inherits her father's property and we get to watch as she struggles with trying to make it a success. Friendsand enemiesare made as she pour her heart and soul into the place. 

The women of the Hope Spring Inn bond together and help each other through the tough times. It was wonderful watching relationships develop, some for the good and somenot so much. I came to feel like I was a part of the group and enjoyed my time at the Inn so much. 

I absolutely love this series and highly recommend it. I'm excited for book #4 to hit the shelves!

Books #1 and #2 of the Hope Springs series.

Book #4 ~ Pub date January 4!

About the author

Ashley Farley

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her bestselling Sweeney Sisters series has touched the lives of many.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she's lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, a piece of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, where she still calls home. Through the eyes of her characters, she captures the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kindhearted folk with lazy drawls that make the area so unique. For more information, visit www.ashleyfarley.com ~ Goodreads

Connect with Ashley


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