Release Day! Class Reunion: Keep Your FRIENDS Closer by Gail Ward Olmsted ~ My Thoughts #ClassReunion

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Gail

on the release today of

Class Reunion!

Class Reunion: Keep Your FRIENDS Closer by Gail Ward Olmsted 

(Raising the Bar #2)

Women's Crime Fiction, 264 pages

Published October 1, 2026 by Black Rose Writing

She befriended me. She betrayed me. Now, she needs me.

A phone call from jail pulls attorney Lennon Gallagher back into a past she's spent years trying to escape. Complicated doesn't begin to describe the bond between Lennon and the caller, a former law school classmate. Now, Erin stands accused of the very violence Lennon has spent her career fighting against. It's a conflict of interest, but isn't everyone entitled to competent and effective legal defense?

What starts as a plea for help spirals into a murder trial that threatens to incinerate Lennon's professional reputation as well as her upcoming marriage. Guided by her best friend, seasoned lawyer Miranda Quinn, Lennon digs for the truth, only to find a mountain of evidence that points to Erin's guilt. The cost of loyalty is high, and the stakes are even higher as Lennon questions if Erin was ever truly her friend.

But does that make her guilty of murder?

A story of friendships, true and false, and going the extra mile for the ones we love.

My thoughts about Class Reunion ~~

(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 was the last one to leave the office on Friday afternoon. My co-workers had all bailed early to get a head start on the long holiday weekend."

I first met Lennon in book one of this series, Class Action, when she was a law student trying to navigate a tough situation. Now in this book, she once again finds herself in a predicament that she has little control over. 

Her former law school classmate calls her for help and the circumstances go against all that Lennon is fighting for in her practice. Can she set all that aside and help out a friend in need? And then when it becomes a murder case, Lennon is even more conflicted. This is not her area of expertise. 

I really enjoyed Class Reunion. I loved reconnecting with Lennon and seeing how she has grown since law school. I loved being a part of her life and loved the character development that the author brought to the table. I hope there are more stories about Lennon and her life as a lawyer. 

I highly recommend Class Reunion: Keep Your FRIENDS Closer for anyone who loves legal drama with a side of personal satisfaction.

I received an ARC of Class Reunion and this is my honest opinion.

Class Action: What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You

(Raising the Bar #1)

Read my thoughts here

Working Class: No Rest for the WICKED coming in 2028!!

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About the author

Gail Ward Olmsted was a marketing executive and a college professor before she began writing fiction on a full-time basis. A trip to Sedona, AZ inspired her first novel Jeep Tour. Three more novels followed before Landscape of a Marriage, a biographical novel featuring landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a distant cousin of her husband's, and his wife Mary. Miranda Fights is the third book in the Miranda Quinn Legal Twist series. 

Olmsted enjoys writing about quirky, wonderful women in search of a second chance at a happy ever after. When not writing, she loves being on the water, especially in a kayak. She is well known for her blonde brownies, and coffee is her love language. For more, visit her on Facebook at gailolmstedauthor. ~ Amazon

Connect with Gail

 Facebook | Goodreads | X 

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Book Blitz! Family is Family by E.D. Hackett ~ Excerpt and #Giveaway #FamilyIsFamily @XpressoTours

Family is Family by E.D. Hackett
(A Blue Spruce Hills Novella)
Publication date: October 1st 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

She’s living the dream, but it’s not her own. Can this devoted divorcee pave her own path despite her irresponsible ex?

Violet McFadden is a helper at heart. Tired from co-parenting four teenage girls and co-owning a bookstore with their disorganized father, this dedicated forty-five-year-old can’t seem to get five minutes to herself. And she’s worried when her rent skyrockets, fearing their struggling business is doomed.

An upcoming Thanksgiving 5k road race may temporarily save the store, but the conscientious shopkeeper knows deep down that she’d rather be teaching children than managing the shop. As time marches on, an unexpected snowstorm, urgent teenage fires, and her own overprotective motherly drive keep her firmly rooted in the past.

Will Violet keep only her former spouse’s dream alive, or will she choose herself and her true calling?

Family is Family is a heart-warming standalone piece of the multi-author women’s fiction Blue Spruce Hills Novella Series. If you enjoy characters who are never too old to start over, complex families, and tight-knit communities, then you’ll adore E.D. Hackett’s charming story.

Buy Family is Family to rekindle soul-inspiring goals today!

Goodreads | Amazon

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EXCERPT

At five o’clock, I closed the shop to dash to Ivy’s scrimmage. When I arrived, I found Reid surrounded by two of our four daughters. Forcing my most enthusiastic smile, I climbed over familiar faces, settling between my seventeen-year-old daughter, Willow, and my twelve-year-old daughter, Daisy.

Reid gave a small smile and a slight wave before scooting closer to Daisy to make room for my large satchel.

“You missed it, Mom,” Willow said. My eldest tilted closer, her long strawberry-blonde hair hanging to her elbows, framing the freckles dotting her makeup-free cheeks.

I leaned forward, keeping my eyes on Ivy. “Missed what?”

“She opened the game with a three-pointer.”

My stomach dropped. I should have been there, and I knew she knew I wasn’t. My thoughts moved to Reid and how he had put us in this situation with his wanting a divorce, but still wanting me to help with the store. He was the one who had wanted out and needed a change, yet here I was, missing out on another important moment in my daughter’s life.

I glowered at him, but he was on his feet, clapping for Ivy’s friend who had just hit a free throw.

I turned my smile on and waved to Ivy, who looked away with irritated eyes. Shoot. She definitely knows I wasn’t there.

“How was your day?” I asked Willow.

“Great. I had practice with Riley, and she thinks I’ll be ready for pit auditions for the musical.” Riley O’Connor had been teaching my girls piano for nearly a decade.

Willow, the most studious of the four, worried me with her need to overachieve. Maybe it was because we had left her in charge of her sisters when we reopened the business after Covid five years ago. She was twelve, and Daisy, the youngest, was just seven.

“That’s wonderful! Good luck with auditions. Next week?” I raised my eyebrows at her.

“Yeah. Oh, and Riley asked if Daisy’s lesson could be rescheduled. I can’t remember the day.”

“Sure, I’ll call her.” I looked at Daisy, immersed in her coloring book, first outlining the images and then lightly shading the inside. The spitting image of her father, I recognized the Roman nose and always rounded eyebrows, emoting an element of surprise regardless of the situation.

Across the gym, Ivy guzzled water, and Mari, my fourteen-year-old, strolled across the backside of the opposite bleachers. “Where’s Mari going?”

“Probably to see Dillon.” Willow tipped her head as my eyes followed her to a tall, athletic-looking boy with a curly mop of acorn-hued hair.

“Who’s that? I haven’t heard that name before.” I watched my daughter return his hug, and her nose pressed into his shoulder.

Willow rolled her eyes. “Mom, where have you been? They’ve been talking for a while.”

The sight of Dillon’s rather full goatee prickled my skin, and I raised my eyebrows. “How old is he?”

“A junior. He’s in Ivy’s classes.”

Leaning back, I tried to get Reid’s attention, but he was absorbed in his phone screen, looking at who-knows-what.

“A junior?”

“Mom, he’s harmless.”

“Does he drive?”

“Not that I know of, but I don’t keep tabs on him.”

“He’s closer to your age than hers. She’s a freshman. He probably drives. I don’t like it.” I held up my hands to rephrase my sentiment. “I’m sure he’s a nice boy, but he’s too old for her.”

Willow shrugged. “Mom, he’s new to school this year. He’s probably figuring out where he fits in.”

I touched her leg and gazed into her eyes. “You would tell me if he wasn’t good for her, right?”

“Yes. Believe it or not, he’s in honors classes and plays varsity soccer. Ivy and I have done our research. He’s harmless. Nothing is going on between them. They’re just talking.”

I rolled my shoulders, slightly releasing all the tension from the day as I watched Mari walk toward us. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t jump to conclusions when I didn’t have all the info, and I needed Reid and me to be on the same page.

Knowing him, with his carefree decision-making skills and impulsivity, he probably hadn’t even noticed this man-boy with our daughter.

He needed to pay attention, or we might find ourselves in a sticky situation with Mari and her social life in the future.

About the author

E.D. Hackett is an only child who always wanted a sister. You'll find themes of sisters and mother-daughter relationships in almost all her novels, where she concocts complex relationships wrapped in forgiveness. Edy lives in New England, where the beaches, lobsters, and quirky cafes are characters of their own.

She has two children (three if you count the dog), and in her spare time, she dreams about living in Ireland.

Edy is an Enneagram Two (The Helper) or maybe a 5 (The Investigator) and is growing a book coaching side hustle (The Story Keeper Book Coach) to help aspiring authors navigate the indie publishing world.

Connect with E.D.

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook | Newsletter

Family is Family Blitz Giveaway

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