Monday, January 29, 2024

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? January 29, 2024 #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, it seems to be warming up a bit here, in the 40's this week. I know winter is not done with us yet, but it is almost February. How did that happen?

Yesterday we watched football all day. Our family has been huge Chiefs fans for forever, even in the losing years. It's so exciting to be on a winning streak now. My DIL is a big Lions fan so we were cheering for them as well. The Chiefs made it to the Super Bowl again!! Are you a football fan?

I made a big pot of chili—perfect football-watching food, in my opinion—and our son and 9 year old grandson came over to watch the game with us. And a Chiefs win? What a perfect afternoon. 

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

What I'm currently reading

The Guest
by B.A. Paris
eARC for review
Pub date ~ February 20, 2024

Trust Me: A Novel
by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Published August 2018
print from collection for a challenge

What I recently finished

The Housemaid's Secret
by Freida McFadden
Published February 20, 2023
e-book from my collection for a challenge

The Two-Family House
by Lynda Cohen Loigman
Published March 2016
print from my collection for a challenge

Ritual in Death
J.D. Robb
Published November 2008
audiobook from my collection

What I am going to read next

The Trouble with You
 by Ellen Feldman
eARC
Pub date ~ February 20

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!

Saturday, January 27, 2024

This OR That #Giveaway № 136 ~ Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenandore OR Sorority Sisters by Claudia Welch #BetweenEarthAndSky #SororitySisters

 

I have sooooo many books!

The This or That Giveaway! feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to cull my collection and to share some of the many books I have. I get to clear off some of my shelves to make room for more books and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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Between Earth and Sky
by Amanda Skenandore
Paperback ~ April 2018

On a quiet Philadelphia morning in 1906, a newspaper headline catapults Alma Mitchell back to her past. A federal agent is dead, and the murder suspect is Alma’s childhood friend, Harry Muskrat. Harry—or Asku, as Alma knew him—was the most promising student at the “savage-taming” boarding school run by her father, where Alma was the only white pupil. Created in the wake of the Indian Wars, the Stover School was intended to assimilate the children of neighboring reservations. Instead, it robbed them of everything they’d known—language, customs, even their names—and left a heartbreaking legacy in its wake.

The bright, courageous boy Alma knew could never have murdered anyone. But she barely recognizes the man Asku has become, cold and embittered at being an outcast in the white world and a ghost in his own. Her lawyer husband, Stewart, reluctantly agrees to help defend Asku for Alma’s sake. To do so, Alma must revisit the painful secrets she has kept hidden from everyone—especially Stewart.

Told in compelling narratives that alternate between Alma’s childhood and her present life, Between Earth and Sky is a haunting and complex story of love and loss, as a quest for justice becomes a journey toward understanding and, ultimately, atonement.

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Sorority Sisters
by Claudia Welch
Paperback ~ June 2012

In 1975, trying to find a place to belong, four young women found each other in the same sorority pledge class. Through parties and pranks; finals and skipped classes; boyfriends and break-ups, they forge a bond that takes them by surprise. No one expected it to last beyond college graduation. But some bonds are too strong to break. 

Now they’re sisters. And with sisters, it’s not about what happens. It’s about no matter what happens.

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Thursday, January 25, 2024

New Release! Echoes of the Past by Ashley Farley ~ My Thoughts #EchoesOfThePast @AshleyWFarley

Congrats Ashley
on the recent release of
Echoes of the Past!

Echoes of the Past by Ashley Farley
Southern Fiction, Sister Fiction, 295 pages
Published January 23, 2024 by AHF Publishing

After testifying against her husband in a harrowing human trafficking case, Julia Becker is thrust into the secluded world of Witness Protection. Faced with a future in isolation, she manages a daring escape, seeking refuge in a quaint small town in South Carolina's lowcountry. But rather than the serene haven she’d envisioned, Julia stumbles upon a new kind of peril.

Will Darby is his own worst enemy. His anger management issues have gotten into a world of trouble that could land him in prison for life. He’s under investigation for the tragic boating accident that claimed his wife’s life. His in-laws are seeking custody of his two young daughters. And an independent journalist is determined to tarnish his reputation. Amidst the chaos, he befriends an intriguing young woman who’s is grappling with her own shadows. She holds the power to either alleviate his legal troubles or become his damning witness.


My thoughts about Echoes of the Past ~~

(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—"I don't understand women. Females are as foreign to me as green Martians from out of space."

I have loved all of Ashley Farley's stories. I'm really thinking that this series is going to the top as one of my favorites. It really has everything, all wrapped up between the covers of the book. There is suspense, family drama, family dysfunction, family support, strong women, secrets, and plenty of love and compassion.

Echoes of the Past follows the lives of Will, one of the Darby siblings featured in the series, each who have their own issues to work through, and Julia, a wife and mother who finds herself in the Witness Protection Program. Plenty of suspense and drama there as people try to come after her. 

As these two characters come together and try to work out their problems, the rest of the family pulls together to try to heal the past that their parents put them through. I love seeing the growth and acceptance that we see the whole family experience.

This is a story that I devoured once I started reading. I loved everything about it. I highly recommend Echoes of the Past as well as this whole series! I've read and loved all of Ashley's stories so be sure to check out more of her books. 

I received a copy of Echoes of the Past from the author and this is my honest opinion.


Read my thoughts about Long Journey Home here.
Book #3 Songbird's Second Chance will be out April 16!


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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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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Book Blitz! Pity Pact by Whitney Dineen ~ Excerpt and #Giveaway! #PityPact @WhitneyDineen @XpressoTours

 


Pity Pact by Whitney Dineen
(Pity Series, #3)
Publication date: January 24th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

I always wondered who was crazy enough to apply to those reality dating shows…

Turns out, I’m that person. Paige Holland here—lifetime resident of Elk Lake, Wisconsin, and dedicated seventh-grade math teacher.

Unfortunately, if I don’t fall for one of the two guys who live right in Elk Lake I might have to move. This limits my choices to a substitute teacher I can’t stand or Tim, a guy I went through school with. It’s not that I can’t see being with Tim—he’s totes my type—but he’s so wounded from his divorce, he’s made it clear he’s only on the show to make his ex-wife jealous.

With one disaster after another being broadcast around the world, I’m seriously questioning why I thought a reality show was a good way to find love…

Goodreads | Amazon

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EXCERPT

Paige

Who in the world is the new woman walking into the ballroom? She must be someone special because all the cameras, except for the one pointed at Tim, turn in her direction. Staring at her, I realize she looks kind of familiar, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. I don’t generally hang out with highly polished and glamorous people, and this chick looks like she just walked off the pages of Vogue magazine.

Trina glides back across the ballroom with Tim trailing behind her. “We have a guest!” she announces with so much excitement, you’d think Jesus was here to bless the bread and wine.

On impossibly long legs and stilettos high enough to impress any of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the new woman glides toward the host. “Trina …” she croons.

“Thank you for coming tonight, Eva.”

Holy hell! Eva? As in Tim’s ex, Eva?

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” She turns toward the camera closest to her and offers the most blindingly fake smile I’ve ever seen. No wonder her acting career never took off.

Meanwhile, Tim is standing next to Trina as stiff as a toy soldier awaiting his execution.

Eva walks toward him and when she arrives, croons, “Tim, it’s so good to see you again. How have you been?”

His expression morphs from shock to pure loathing. It’s clear he’s trying to decide his best course of action because he doesn’t respond for several seconds. When he finally breaks his silence, all he says is, “Eva.”

“Daaaarling …” She sounds like she’s a long-lost Gabor sister in those old-time movies. “I was crushed when I heard what a hard time you’re still having with our breakup.” I want to punch this woman right in the face.

Tim cocks his head to the side before replying, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Eva.”

Striving for a look of innocence and failing, she says, “Trina told me you’ve been unable to move on because you’re still in love with me.”

“I never said love, Eva.” Oh goody, Trina’s decided to enter the fray. “I said that Tim wasn’t emotionally free of you.” Potatoes, potahtoes, am I right?

“I know it was hard on Tim when I left.” Eva bats her eyes like she’s holding back tears. “But I had no choice. He and I got married too soon and when Holden showed up, I knew I had to go to him.” Her lashes flutter like a llama with conjunctivitis.

“Do you have anything to say to that, Tim?” Trina wants to know.

Tim glares at his ex. “You only knew Holden for a week before you left me. We’d been together for four years.”

Eva looks at Tim with pity before dropping a bomb. “Tim, I knew Holden before I’d ever met you.”

The look of horror on his face says it all. He’s about to lose it—spectacularly.

I feel compelled to do something to save him from this humiliation, but I don’t know what. Without thinking, I step forward and declare, “Which makes you the villain, not Tim!” I sound like I’m playing a live-action game of Clue. It was the butler in the pantry with a butter knife!

Eva turns her head and sneers at me condescendingly. “Who are you?”

“I’m Paige Holland.” When that doesn’t seem like a self-explanatory enough declaration, I add, “I’m an old friend of Tim’s.”

“Then why haven’t I ever heard of you?” she wants to know.

“Why didn’t Tim know about Holden?” I retaliate.

“Are you saying you and Tim were having an affair while he was married to me?” That’s not what I was saying, but it does make me wonder if Eva had been cheating on Tim throughout their marriage.

Before I can accuse her of that, Tim steps forward and takes my hand. “Paige, please stop trying to help.”

Part of me knows I should listen to him, but I don’t. Instead, I spin around and yell—yell— “No, Tim! This bimbo is not going to come in here and act like the wounded party. She’s the one who cheated, she’s the homewrecker …” Talk about giving Midwestern Matchmaker their money’s worth, I’m full-on guaranteeing they’ll be picked up for another ten seasons if they can keep delivering the level of drama I’m offering.

“Timothy …” Eva says, “I want to know if you were cheating on me?”

“So would I,” Trina feels the need to add.

Tim exhales loudly. “Paige and I went to school together. That’s all. We didn’t become friends until I moved home.”

While true, that kind of hurts. I just told the world we were old friends and he relegated me to mere acquaintance status. But then he squeezes my hand and adds, “But we’re very good friends now.” Aaaaand I melt.

“I think you’re lying,” Eva tells him.

“I can see why a liar might tend to believe the worst in people,” he retorts.

Eva spins toward Trina. “You said he was a hot mess. You said the only reason he came on this show was to get even with me!”

Before I know what I’m doing, I rush at Eva with the intention of ripping every last hair out of her head. Tim pulls me back in the nick of time, and reminds me, “This is going to be televised, Paige.”

“Not if I can help it!” I tell him. And this is where I totally lose my mind…

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About the author

Whitney loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries -- not always in that order.

Whitney is a multi-award-winning author of romcoms, non-fiction humor, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to.

She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.

Gold Medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2017.

Silver medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016.

Finalist RONE Awards, 2016.

Finalist at the IRFA 2016, 2017.

Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards, 2017

Finalist Top Shelf Indie Book Awards, 2017

Connect with Whitney

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Monday, January 22, 2024

Book Blitz! Slightly Delayed and Somewhat Haphazard by Amber Laura ~ Excerpt and#Giveaway! @XpressoTours #SlightlyDelayedAndSomewhatHaphazard

 

Slightly Delayed and Somewhat Haphazard by Amber Laura
Publication date: November 16th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Miranda Monroe’s world just imploded. Not only did she just get dumped by her long-time boyfriend, but she got dumped in the most humiliatingly painful way imaginable. Very suddenly single, homeless, and heartbroken, she runs to the only person she knows will always be there for her.

Sam Church. Her best friend (and the man she’d once secretly been madly in love with).

Which is how she finds herself, emotionally spent and financially crippled, somehow agreeing to his outrageous offer: that she move into his guest bedroom. Temporarily, of course. Just until she gets back on her feet.

There’s only one problem. In the midst of mending her shattered heart, in the process of trying to find herself again (just who is Miranda Monroe?), her thoughts keep getting distracted, wandering in the most confusing and forbidden of ways…just down the hall from her.

Which is ludicrous. The most commitment-phobic person she’s ever met, Sam is off-limits to Miranda for all kinds of reasons. But mostly, because he’s her best friend—and she loves him too much to lose him. So why, suddenly, can’t she seem to stop fantasizing about him? Why can’t she stop hoping for something more?

Slightly Delayed and Somewhat Haphazard is a best-friends-to-lovers romantic comedy underscored with notes of healing fiction and the echoing sentiments of an adult coming-of-age novel.

Goodreads | Amazon

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EXCERPT

The story was outlandish.

At turns, both unbelievable and absurdly awful.

All the same, the story was true.

Leaning forward in her chair, her body braced as if for impact, Miranda Monroe watched as her words sank in. She canvassed the face before her. The high cheekbones tautening, those green eyes narrowing, clouding with confusion, with disbelief as they stared so questioningly back at her.

Waiting, Miranda carefully studied the face of Sam Church.

Her best friend and emotional benefactor. Her anchor.

He looked… gobsmacked, she decided. That was only to be expected. She turned her attention to the cocktail glass in front of her next; it was bleeding with condensation. Absently, Miranda stirred the quickly melting ice—but it was a lost cause. Especially since she had no intention of actually drinking her drink.

Probably should have been an odd choice, then, for her to end up at The Oasis Bar and Grill.

“That doesn’t—what are you talking about?”

Miranda smirked fatalistically as she peeked back up at Sam. “You know, I think those may have been my first words as well.”

“Noel got married.” His voice was incredulous.

“Mm. Yes. To Kourtney.”

“In New Hampshire?” He repeated.

“While on a business trip,” Miranda reminded him through numbed lips. All the same, the ache in her stomach intensified, restricted her breathing as she forced herself to relive the horror of those words again.

“Apparently,” she added, for good measure, “it seems that for the first time in his life, Noel decided to make an exceptionally grand gesture.”

Marry one woman while still dating (while still living with) another woman.

“Are you—are you okay?” A stupid question, to be sure, but Miranda couldn’t blame Sam for asking it. It was a hard situation for knowing what to say.

….

It was supposed to be her.

Miranda was supposed to be the one marrying Noel. (Granted, he hadn’t technically asked but it had been an unspoken though long-expected part of their future.) Four years; that’s how long they’d been together. Pictures of them dotted the walls and shelves of their apartment—a perfectly happy couple smiling back at the camera. Furniture they’d agonized over and purchased together filled every nook and cranny of the place—marking it theirs and theirs alone.

And then, in one instant, an instant in which she’d had no say, they simply, they simply weren’t dating anymore. She was left alone. He was left with someone else’s ring on his finger.

Tears misted Miranda’s eyes. A few slipped past her lids, inking down her face. She brushed them away impatiently, sniffed the rest back in place.

He’d never let on. Never let on that he’d fallen in love with his co-worker. Miranda’s teeth ground together as a picture of Kourtney floated before her eyes. Long, willowy frame; stylishly arranged dark hair always draped just so over her shoulder; large oval eyes with an open, honest face. The snake.

Miranda had liked Kourtney. She’d welcomed her into their home. Into their social circle. Stupid fool that she was, she’d thought nothing of her and Noel’s inside jokes or shared smiles. She’d chalked it up to professional camaraderie. Frankly, she’d enjoyed not having to listen to his lengthy stories about this client or that one—she’d enjoyed the reprieve from acronyms and talk of policies and procedures she knew nothing about. She’d been happy to let them carry on without her.

She just hadn’t realized then what that meant.

(This excerpt is an abridged version of what appears in the book.)

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About the author

7 Fun Facts about Amber Laura

1. If there’s creamer, I’m drinking coffee. And when I edit, there’s always creamer.

2. I do my best daydreaming on long car rides.

3. Some of my favorite stories came as follow-up answers to the question: “What if…?”

4. I’m the mother of a darling (if slightly overweight), 16-year-old cat. She’s kind of my mascot.

5. One of my favorite parts of writing is inventing new places—or traveling to spaces where I’ve not actually been. It’s magical and never disappointing.

6. Writing may be a solitary process, but then the characters always keep me company.

7. I’ve never quite figured out if I like to write by plot or the seat of my pants.

8. (Because I write, I don’t math.) When a scene isn’t coming together on a piece of writing, or a string of dialogue is falling flat, I like to close my eyes and picture the whole thing as though it were being acted out on a movie screen—and forty minutes later, I usually wake up!

Connect with Amber

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram


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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? January 22, 2024 #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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It's still weather-talk here. So bitterly cold. I haven't left the house in probably a week. Hubs is a sweetheart and goes out to get the mail for us so I don't even have to do that. 

I finally took down our Christmas decorations. That's something I just avoid as long as I can. I'd be content leaving them up all year. Is that bad? We did talk about leaving the lights up around the windows. They just look so festive and make looking out at the snow much more enjoyable. When you do take down your decorations?

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

What I'm currently reading

The Housemaid's Secret
by Freida McFadden
Published February 20, 2023
e-book from my collection for a challenge

The Two-Family House
by Lynda Cohen Loigman
Published March 2016
print from my collection for a challenge

Ritual in Death
J.D. Robb
Published November 2008
audiobook from my collection

What I recently finished

The Housemaid
by Freida McFadden
Published April 26, 2022
e-book from my collection for a challenge

Stranger in the Lake
by Kimberly Belle
Published June 9, 2020
print from my shelves for a challenge

The Asylum
by Aaron Paul Lazar
Published April 11, 2019
audio-book from my collection

What I am going to read next

I'm not sure. Maybe this one. 
Or I might try to knock off another challenge read. 

The Guest
by B.A. Paris
eARC for review
Pub date ~ February 20, 2024

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!

Saturday, January 20, 2024

This OR That #Giveaway № 135 ~ Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman OR Mercy Snow by Tiffany Baker #CoverOfSnow #MercySnow

 

I have sooooo many books!

The This or That Giveaway! feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to cull my collection and to share some of the many books I have. I get to clear off some of my shelves to make room for more books and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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Cover of Snow
by Jenny Milchman
Paperback ~ Published January 2013

Waking up one wintry morning in her old farmhouse nestled in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Nora Hamilton instantly knows that something is wrong. When her fog of sleep clears, she finds her world is suddenly, irretrievably shattered: Her husband, Brendan, has committed suicide.

The first few hours following Nora’s devastating discovery pass for her in a blur of numbness and disbelief. Then, a disturbing awareness slowly settles in: Brendan left no note and gave no indication that he was contemplating taking his own life. Why would a rock-solid police officer with unwavering affection for his wife, job, and quaint hometown suddenly choose to end it all? Having spent a lifetime avoiding hard truths, Nora must now start facing them.

Unraveling her late husband’s final days, Nora searches for an explanation—but finds a bewildering resistance from Brendan’s best friend and partner, his fellow police officers, and his brittle mother. It quickly becomes clear to Nora that she is asking questions no one wants to answer. For beneath the soft cover of snow lies a powerful conspiracy that will stop at nothing to keep its presence unknown . . . and its darkest secrets hidden.

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Mercy Snow
by Tiffany Baker
Paperback ~ January 2014

In the tiny town of Titan Falls, New Hampshire, the paper mill dictates a quiet, steady rhythm of life. But one day a tragic bus accident sets two families on a course toward destruction, irrevocably altering the lives of everyone in their wake.

June McAllister is the wife of the local mill owner and undisputed first lady in town. But the Snow family, a group of itinerant ne'er-do-wells who live on a decrepit and cursed property, have brought her -- and the town -- nothing but grief.

June will do anything to cover up a dark secret she discovers after the crash, one that threatens to upend her picture-perfect life, even if it means driving the Snow family out of town. But she has never gone up against a force as fierce as the young Mercy Snow. Mercy is determined to protect her rebellious brother, whom the town blames for the accident, despite his innocence. And she has a secret of her own. When an old skeleton is discovered not far from the crash, it beckons Mercy to solve a mystery buried deep within the town's past.

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So, did you notice what I did here? Both books have 'snow' in the title. Since that is totally what we are dealing with here right now, I thought it was appropriate --- and a little funny. 

😊😉😊

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