Thursday, August 29, 2024

Release Day! The Twin by Steena Holmes ~ On Tour and My Thoughts #TheTwin @steenaholmes @ZooloosBT @JoffeBooks

Happy Release Day!


Congratulation Steena
on the release today of
The Twin!
 
The Twin by Steena Holmes
Psychological Fiction, 313 pages
Published August 29, 2024 by Joffe Books

My twin brother is the person I’m closest to. But now he frightens me.

We both have the same white-blond hair and clear blue eyes. All our lives people have stared at us. So we had to be there for each other.

Bryce tried to protect me from our dad. But when he died, I thought I was finally safe.

After the funeral, Bryce takes me aside: “Since Dad’s passing . . . well, it’s been going on for a few years now. I’ve been keeping a huge secret from you.”

Now I’m lying bruised and broken on a cold floor in a dark room. How I got here is the question. And what they want from me is insane . . .


  
My thoughts about The Twin ~~

(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—"Death is a permanent fixture in my life, but I'm not ready to shake hands with that Angel and be welcomed into its embrace. Sometimes those decisions aren't ours to make."

I'm a huge fan of Steena Holmes and her stories and was so excited to read this one—another one of her fabulous thrillers. And this one did not disappoint. 

There were so many unexpected twists to this story, things I couldn't even imagine, that sometimes I was sitting in shock at the direction the storyline was going. I'm sure if I went back and read it again, I would look at some plot points in a whole different light. Twenty-twenty hindsight, right? I may just do that, now that I know the whole story. 

The climax to this story was pretty intense and I wasn't sure that it was going to end well. What an exciting ride this was. I loved The Twin and thoroughly enjoyed the intriguing characters and all the twists, turns, and secrets. I highly recommend it!

I received an ARC of The Twin and this is my honest opinion.

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About the author


New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author!

With 2 million copies of her titles sold world wide, Steena Holmes was named in the Top 20 Women Author to read in 2015 by Good Housekeeping. She continues to write books that deal with issues that touch parents heart, whether it is through her contemporary fiction or psychological suspense novels. 

To find out more about her books and her love for traveling, you can visit her website at http://www.steenaholmes.com 

2012 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE BOOK Award for her bestselling novel Finding Emma 

2015 USA BOOK NEWS Award for The Word Game, 

2015 USA BOOK NEWS finalist for The Memory Child.

For softer, sweeter stories with a hint of chocolate, a lot of coffee and communities you want to live in, look for her stories under the name STEENA MARIE.

Connect with Steena


Joffe Books’ Social Media



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Book Blitz! The Rebound Play by Kate O'Keeffe ~ Excerpt and #Giveaway! #TheReboundPlay @kateokeeffe4 @XpressoTours

 

The Rebound Play by Kate O’Keeffe
(Love on Thin Ice, #2)
Publication date: August 29th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Sports

If you get a second chance at love with your hockey star ex, should you take it?

Keira

What do you do when your NHL superstar ex skates back into your small town? Drop to the ground and hide behind the bleachers, hoping he doesn’t see you. But Lady Luck must be in a bad mood today because Dan spots me, my hood over my eyes, pretending I’m not there.

Mature? No.

Necessary? Oh, yes.

Humiliation washes over me, and the wall around my heart stands firm. Dan might be back, but I can’t afford to let him in again. Not after the heartbreak of losing him once before.

When he offers to coach my nephew, I reluctantly agree. Every smile he flashes at me, every kind word, threatens to crack my resolve. But I can’t go through that again. I have to protect my heart.

Dan

I want Keira back. End of story.

The Rebound Play is part of the Love on Thin Ice sweet hockey romcom series. It’s a second chance at love story about a jock and a nerd who get a second chance in this small town romance with all the sizzle and chemistry, but none of the spice.



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EXCERPT

“I get it. Hockey’s your world right now,” Troy replies. “Which is why coming back to your hometown to play is so perfect for you. I can work things out with your team management to get you the time off, and we’ve got an excellent PT. She’ll get that wrist back into shape before you know it.”

“I’ve got to admit—it’s tempting.”

And besides, there’s another reason for going back home, and it’s kind of a big one. Keira Johnson. My Kiki. Only she hasn’t been my Kiki for ten years now.

Just the thought of my high school girl—the girl I left behind—has my pulse kicking up a notch or ten.

Keira is the girl I’ve never been able to forget.

Sure, there’ve been other girls. It’s been a long time and I’m no saint. Women tend to throw themselves at you when you’re an NHL player, particularly when you’re known as the pretty boy of the team. Those puck bunnies, as they’re sometimes called, simply come with the territory—and it’s fun territory, believe me.

Of course, the fact that my kid brother is the current heartthrob on the hit Netflix fantasy show, It Came One Winter, doesn’t exactly hurt, either.

But here’s the thing: Most of the women I meet are only interested in me because I’m Dan Roberts, center for the Chicago Blizzard, brother to the guy they love to watch on TV. Relationships for me tend to last a few weeks, a month, tops. My lifestyle means it’s hard to hold down a relationship. And besides, those women aren’t interested in plain Dan Roberts, the hockey-obsessed kid from Maple Falls, who worked his butt off to make it to the NHL.

So, my heart has been safe, never forgetting my first love. Keira.

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About the author

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Kate O'Keeffe writes exactly what she loves to read: laugh-out-loud romantic comedies with swoon-worthy heroes and gorgeous feel-good happily ever afters. She lives and loves in beautiful Hawke's Bay, New Zealand with her family. When she's not penning her latest story, Kate can be found hiking up hills (slowly), traveling to different countries, and eating chocolate. A lot of it.

Visit kateokeeffe dot com to sign up to her newsletter and you'll receive a FREE romcom.

Connect with Kate

Website | Goodreads | Facebook

Bookbub | Instagram | Twitter



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Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Blog Tour! Blazing Upheaval by Karen Charles ~ Excerpt #BlazingUpheaval @karenra24229683 @pumpupyourbook


Blazing Upheaval by Karen Charles
Published July 25, 2024 by BookBaby
Thriller, 172 pages

In the heart of the tumultuous Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, a dedicated teacher finds herself thrust into a hazardous situation. Struggling to navigate the chaos and reach safety on the freeway, she faces dangerous obstacles that jeopardize her life. An unexpected rescue during a brutal attack plunges her, her family, and two other families into a chilling series of enigmatic events and escalating violence.

As the city grapples with unrest, they are entangled in a web of mysteries swiftly building in intensity. In the turmoil, their bonds of family, loyalty, and love are put to the ultimate test. The tension mounts relentlessly until an unforeseen revelation, coinciding with the cataclysmic Northridge earthquake, irrevocably changes their lives forever.

This gripping true-story thriller delivers suspenseful twists and heart-pounding moments, weaving a narrative of family resilience, solidarity, and enduring love in the face of daunting circumstances. It is a tale that illuminates the strength found within the human spirit when confronted with extraordinary challenges.



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Excerpt

With renewed focus, her heart pounding against her ribcage, Tiffany emerged from the fray. She realized she was only a few blocks from the I-5 freeway, her haven of safety. She pressed the gas pedal, her car surging ahead with newfound urgency.

Tiffany came to an abrupt stop at the red light at the intersection where she would make a left turn onto the freeway entrance. Loud yelling frightened her. Three men surrounded her car. They bounced it up and down. Alarm gripped her racing heart as she understood the hatred in their eyes. They pulled on the locked doors. They pounded on the windows. She felt shock and disbelief as she realized the rioters wanted to harm her! She was helpless! She was trapped! 

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About the author


Karen Charles transforms real-life narratives into gripping fiction thrillers. Her novels intricately weave the threads of truth into a tapestry of suspense, intrigue, and riveting storytelling. 

An educator by profession, she is renowned for her thriller "Fateful Connections," which unfolds against the backdrop of 9/11. "Blazing Upheaval" promises to deliver another chilling, heart-pounding experience. 

Karen and her husband reside on the serene shores of a beautiful bay in Washington, where she draws inspiration for her compelling narratives. Explore her insights and musings on the writer's life through her blogs on "My Life As A Writer" at www.weaveofsuspense.com.

Connect with Karen


Sponsored By


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Monday, August 26, 2024

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 26, 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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Still doing a bit of reading from my shelves and enjoying my own books. 

Look out—we are supposed to have some nasty weather this afternoon, into the evening, and overnight. Tornados possible, if not just 70+ mph winds. And rain. Reed Timmer, the tornado guy that hubs follows has located his crew to our area. Hope he's disappointed in our weather. 😉

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

What I'm currently reading

What We Saw at Night
by Jacquelyn Mitchard
print from my TBR shelves
Published January 2013

Missing Daughter
by Kiersten Modglin
e-book from my collection
Published November 2021

Don't Forget Me
by Rea Frey
audio-book from my collection
Published January 2024

What I recently finished

The Twin
by Steena Holmes
eARC for blog tour
Pub date ~ August 29

The Night Child
by Anna Quinn
print from my TBR shelves
Published January 2018

Swim Back to Me
by Ann Packer
print from my TBR shelf
Published January 2011

What I am going to read next

True Confessions of an Ambivalent Caregiver
by Cindy Eastman
print ARC from publisher
Pub date ~ September 17

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Thursday, August 22, 2024

Book Blitz! Breaking the Ice by Whitney Dineen ~ Excerpt & #Giveaway! #BreakingTheIce @WhitneyDineen @XpressoTours

 



Breaking the Ice by Whitney Dineen
(Love on Thin Ice, #1)
Publication date: August 22nd 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Sports

What do an entitled billionaire and small-town ice-skating coach have in common?

Ellie

My life is not turning out like I thought it would.

My mom’s arthritis has gotten so bad that I had to move in with her. I’m making ends meet by giving ice skating lessons at the arena in Maple Falls. I’d be in serious trouble had the Harts not given me that job.

Which makes it impossible to say no when they ask me to let Troy’s obnoxious billionaire brother stay in the cabin on my mom’s property during the charity hockey event they’re running.

Zach

First the tabloids call me out for being a cheapskate and then Yolanda Simms takes to national television to tell everyone what a vicious heartbreaker I am?

Yeah, my life has been better.

My brother thinks I can fix my bad press by coming to Maple Falls and donating big to his new charity endeavor. Too bad he didn’t mention the woman who owns the cottage I’ll be staying at hates me with a passion.

He also didn’t mention she’s everything I’ve ever looked for in a woman…

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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EXCERPT

Zach

I’ve learned a lot of things from being a billionaire in my thirties, but so far, the most essential is that you can’t have thin skin. Everyone wants a piece of you and when you’re not giving them the time or attention they think they deserve, they set out to tear you down. Case in point, Yolanda Simms, the entertainment reporter for KBIZ and the most annoyingly fame-seeking woman it has ever been my displeasure to know.

Yolanda and I went out three times, which is a record for me as I barely have a minute for myself. Given my busy schedule, you might be wondering why I would spend my precious free time with such a person. When I first asked her out, I didn’t see her for who she truly was. I may have also had a hidden agenda.

I’d recently been called out by a national tabloid for not putting my money where my mouth was. As in, they didn’t think I donated enough to charity. And while supposedly no press is bad press, I really don’t like people thinking of me the way I was being portrayed.

I figured if I wined and dined Yolanda—who had previously flirted with me outrageously every time she saw me—she might spread the word that I was a decent guy. Self-serving? Yes. But I’m not the villain the press would have you think I am, and I wanted a chance to prove it.

Unfortunately, Yolanda got ahead of herself regarding our friendship and decided to announce on air that she and I were in an exclusive and committed relationship. As we had never so much as kissed, I took exception to her declaration.

“Zachary!” my assistant Anabelle yells out. Before I can ask her what she wants, she says, “Your brother is on line three.”

I have five brothers, so I ask, “Which one?”

Instead of answering, I overhear her tell someone else, “Mr. Hart has no comment on Ms. Simms’ allegations.” Great, another day fending off the aftermath of Yolanda’s interview on The View. She told Whoopi Goldberg I was an egomaniacal alpha-male.

I hesitantly reach over to the landline on my desk. “This is Zach.”

“Hey, big bro,” my younger twin says. In my mind’s eye, I see his lopsided grin, which, even though we’re fraternal twins, is remarkably like my own. MacElroy, aka Mac, is four minutes younger than me and has four times the personality. “It’s starting to look like you’re wading through a herd of cows in a rainy field.”

“What does that even mean, Mac?” My brother recently bought a sustainable farm in Oregon and his metaphors have taken on a rural sort of charm.

“Where there are cows there are cow pies. Need I explain that a rainy field full of heifers is full of wet …”

“Manure. Got it.” Gross.

“Why don’t you set the world straight and tell them the majority of your charitable donations are given anonymously?” he wants to know. The man definitely cuts to the chase.

“You do know the definition of anonymous, don’t you?” I condescendingly inquire.

“Yes, Zach. What I don’t know is why you don’t just come clean about what a good guy you are.”

“Because if I bragged about doing good deeds, they wouldn’t feel like good deeds,” I tell him for the hundredth time.

Shifting in my chair, I stare out of my home office window onto Wilshire Boulevard below. You’d think all the short skirts and tanned legs would be one of the benefits of living in Southern California. Yet no matter how good the view is, wealthy Beverly Hills women are not my type. They’re simply too high maintenance, not to mention too self-involved.

“I’m just saying…”

“Let it go, Mac.” Removing my feet from the edge of my giant mahogany desk, I ask, “Did you call for any other reason than to bust my butt about Yolanda? Because if not, I have work to do.”

“What are you buying today?” he wants to know. “Another office building? A high-rise? Malibu?” While I like to have a diversified financial portfolio, as a real estate developer, I am obviously partial to buying property.

“I’m giving a speech at Pepperdine,” I tell him. Tongue in cheek, I add, “I call it ‘One House, New House, Big House, You House.’”

“Ah yes, a nod to your childhood love of Dr. Seuss.” Releasing an exaggerated yawn, he asks, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re becoming kind of boring?”

You tell me that at least twice a week,” I remind him. “Now, why are you calling?”

Instead of putting me out of my misery, he wants to know, “When was the last time you strapped on a pair of skates and played a game?”

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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 | Instagram | Twitter


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Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Release Day! By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult ~ My Thoughts #ByAnyOtherName @jodipicoult

Happy Release Day!

Congratulation Jodi
on the recent release of
By Any Other Name!
 
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
Historical Fiction, 544 pages
Published August 20, 2024 by Ballantine Books

Two women, centuries apart — one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare's plays — are both forced to hide behind another name to make their voices heard.

In 1581, Emilia Bassano — like most young women of her day — is allowed no voice of her own. But as the Lord Chamberlain's mistress, she has access to all theater in England, and finds a way to bring her work to the stage secretly. And yet, creating some of the world's greatest dramatic masterpieces comes at great cost: by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her own out of history.

In the present, playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. Although the challenges are different four hundred years later, the playing field is still not level for women in theater. Would Melina — like Emilia — be willing to forfeit her credit as author, just for a chance to see her work performed?

Told in intertwining narratives, this sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire asks what price each woman is willing to pay to see their work live on — even if it means they will be forgotten.


My thoughts about By Any Other Name ~~

(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—"Many years after Melina graduated from the Bard College, the course she remembered the most was not a playwriting seminar or a theater intensive but an anthropology class."

By Any Other Name was an interesting read and nothing like I have ever read. I know when I start one of Jodi Picoult's books that I am going to be learning a lot about a subject I knew little to nothing about. This time it was all about Shakespeare and two women who were wrapped up in his works. 

This story is told in two time periods. One it set back in the 1500's around the hard life of Emilia Bassano. Her life was not at all easy and being a very talented writer, but a women, her work would not be recognized for its worth. Then in the present day, Melina Green, has written a screenplay centered on the life of Emilia but runs into roadblocks because she is a woman. Has nothing changed in all these years?

I enjoyed this story for the struggles of the two women even though I am not really much of a fan of Shakespeare. There is so much more to this story, focusing on the lives of these two amazing women. And once again, I came away from a Picoult book knowing so much more that I did before I started. 

I received a copy of By Any Other Name rom the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

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About the author


Picoult is the recipient of many awards, including the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction, the Alex Awards from the YALSA, a lifetime achievement award for mainstream fiction from the Romance Writers of America, the NH Literary Award for Outstanding Literary Merit and the Sarah Josepha Hale Award. She holds honorary doctor of letters degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of New Haven. She is a patron of the Carole Shields Prize for Fiction which is awarded to female fiction writers.

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 29 novels, including By Any Other Name, Mad Honey, Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, The Storyteller, Lone Wolf, Sing You Home, House Rules, Handle with Care, Change of Heart, and My Sister's Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page.

Picoult lives in New Hampshire with her husband. They have three children.

Connect with Jodi

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Monday, August 19, 2024

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 19, 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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August must be a slow month for book releases, or else I was very disciplined about six months ago and didn't request very many review books. I feel like I've had a real lull in the books I 'have to read' this month—you know what I mean—books with deadline. So I've been able to read whatever I've been in the mood for. It's been a nice break and it feels good to get a few books off of my TBR shelves. 

Schools all around us are starting back up with the university students slowly descending on our town. Their classes start next week. When I worked at the university library, I always loved it when the students were back on campus. And then that leads us into fall, my favorite season, and football!  

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

What I'm currently reading

The Twin
by Steena Holmes
eARC for blog tour
Pub date ~ August 29

Swim Back to Me
by Ann Packer
print from my TBR shelf
Published January 2011

Don't Forget Me
by Rea Frey
audio-book from my collection
Published January 2024

What I recently finished

The Women
by Kristin Hannah
print borrowed from my neighbor
Published February 2024

The Bookstore Wedding
by Alice Hoffman
e-book short story from my collection
Published August 2024

The Bookstore Sisters
by Alice Hoffman
e-book short story from my collection
Published November 2022

A Friend in the Dark
by Samantha M. Bailey
audiobook from my collection
Published March 2024

A Heart Beyond
by Grace Greene
eARC from author
Pub date ~ September 3

By Any Other Name
by Jodi Picoult
eARC from NetGalley
Pub date ~ August 20

What I am going to read next

The Night Child
by Anna Quinn
print from my TBR shelves
Published January 2018

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Thursday, August 15, 2024

Sunday Money by Maggie Hill ~ My Thoughts #SundayMoney @maghil @shewritespress

  

Sunday Money by Maggie Hill
Young Adult, Historical Fiction 224 pages
Published May 14, 2024 by She Writes Press

It's 1971, but for Claire Joyce and girls’ basketball, it might as well be 1871. Stilted rules (three-bounce dribbling, two roving players for full-court games, and uniforms that include bloomers) set their play unfairly apart from the boys’ basketball Claire’s older brother John has trained her in.

Basketball is the only constant in Claire life, and as she enters her teen years the skills she’s cultivated on the court—passing, shooting, and faking—help her guard against the chaos of an alcoholic mother, an increasingly violent younger brother, and the downward spiral her beloved John soon finds himself unable to climb out of. Deeply cut from the cloth of the Catholic Church, Brooklyn’s working class, and the limited expectations her world has for girls, Claire strives to find a mirror that might reflect a different, future self. Then Title IX bounces on the scene. Suddenly, girls’ basketball becomes explosive, musical, passionate, and driven—and if Claire plays it just right, it just might offer a full ride to a previously out-of-reach college.

Sunday Money follows Claire as she narrates her way through 1970s Brooklyn, hustling on and off the court and striving to break free of the turmoil in her home and the rulebook “good” girls are supposed to follow.

  

My thoughts about Sunday Money ~~

(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 line—"August 1975 ~ I'm sitting in the bleachers of Immaculata's gymnasium in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Took a Greyhound to get here before the semester begins, to try out for their famous basketball team."

Sunday Monday took me back to my youth, when basketball for girls was just becoming a thing, officially. I remember playing basketball in school with 'modifications' because we were girls and couldn't be expected to play like the boys. Oh my!

Clare is a good player with a lot of things going on her personal life and with her family, as well as working hard to improve her basketball skills. As she works to 'make the team' she also has to navigate everything else. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Sunday Monday as it took me back in time but I also enjoyed watching Clare come into her own and work for what she wanted in life. This is labeled as a young adult story but it will also resonate with anyone who has struggled and persevered

I received a copy of Sunday Money from the publisher and this is my honest opinion of the book.

About the author


Maggie Hill’s essays and non-fiction have been published in The New York Times, The New York Daily News, and Scholastic professional magazines. Current publications include Lakeshore Literary Review (2023 Pushcart Prize nominee), Cleaver Lit Mag, Embark Literary. She has been the recipient of several artist fellowships and residences, including Yaddo and Ragdale. 

Sunday Money, a coming-of-age novel, is on sale now. ~ Author's website

Connect with Maggie



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