This OR That #Giveaway Week 35 ~ Love at First by Kate Clayborn OR Honey-Baked Homicide by Gayle Leeson

  

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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Love at First

by Kate Clayborn

ARC ~ Pub date February 2021

Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar...

No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance...

A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore.

Love at First is a sweet, emotional, character-filled story. You can read my thoughts here.

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Honey-Baked Homicide

Down South Café Mystery #3

by Gayle Leeson

Mass market paperback ~ Pub date December 2017

The owner of a delightful Southern cafe tastes the sharp sting of suspicion in this delectable comfort food mystery . . .

It's fall in Winter Garden, Virginia, and business at Amy Flowers' Down South Cafe has never been better. So when struggling beekeeper Stuart Landon asks Amy to sell some of his honey, she's happy to help. The jars of honey are a sweet success, but their partnership is cut short when Amy discovers Landon's body outside the cafe early one morning.

As Amy tries to figure out who could possibly have wanted to harm the unassuming beekeeper, she discovers an ever-expanding list of suspects--and they're all buzzing mad. She'll have to use all of her skills--and her Southern charm--to find her way out of this sticky situation... 

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

This OR That #Giveaway Week 21 ~ Love at First by Kate Clayborn OR Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews #LoveAtFirst #SpringFever

 

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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I'll bet you thought I had fallen off of the face of the earth. Or....maybe nobody missed me? 😏

Anyway, our family has been dealing with the declining health of my MIL and she ended up passing away last week. She just celebrated her 90th birthday in May so it wasn't unexpected but it happened quickly. And then we had to deal with getting rid of her 90 years of accumulated stuff. Oh my! So I was busy with all of that and pretty much offline for a couple of weeks. 

But I'm back and here we go again with another 

This OR That Giveaway! 

Good luck!

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Love at First is a sweet, emotional, character-filled story that I just loved. You can read my thoughts here.

Love at First

by Kate Clayborn

ARC ~ Pub date February 2021

Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar...

No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance...

A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore.

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You can never go wrong with a story by MKA. I know I'm in for a treat when I start one of her books. Spring Fever is another great read! You can read my thoughts here.

Spring Fever

by Mary Kay Andrews

Mass market paperback ~ Pub date June 2012

First husbands

Annajane truly believes she is over her ex-husband, Mason. They've been divorced for four years, she's engaged to a terrific new guy, and she's ready to leave the small North Carolina town where she and Mason had so much history. She is so over Mason that she has absolutely no problem attending his wedding. But when fate intervenes and the wedding is called to a halt as the bride is walking down the aisle, Annajane begins to realize that maybe this happened for a reason. And maybe, just maybe, she wants Mason back...

Second chances

But there are secrets afoot in this small Southern town, and soon Annajane discovers that change can bring out the worst in people-even her own friends and neighbors-and uncover family scandals. Happiness could be hers for the taking...and the life she once had with Mason could be in her future. But first Annajane must find out what she's really made of, and what really matters most.

"A winsome love story and compelling family drama; an idyllic small-town setting and surprising twists and turns."-Booklist

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Release Day! Love at First by by Kate Clayborn ~ My Thoughts #LoveAtFirst

Congrats Kate

on the release today of

Love at First!

Love at First by by Kate Clayborn

Print and e-book, 320 pages

Published February 23, 2021 by Kensington

A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore.

Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar . . .

No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance . . . 

My thoughts about Love at First ~~ 

(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 line.)

First line—"The first time Will Sterling saw Nora Clarke, he could barely see at all."

This story drew me in from the prologue. There was a lot going on and the reader is introduced to the two main characters right from the start. I instantly felt a connection to them both and knew I wanted to find out more about their lives and their future connection. 

I didn't realize from that very endearing beginning that I would be introduced to a lot of interesting, quirky characters. I loved the community that surrounded Nora and then, eventually Will. Speaking of Will, he just wants to fulfill his uncle's will and get out of the apartment he inherited asap. Well, life might just have other plans. Did his uncle know what Will really needed even though he didn't know him? Or was this all a big mistake? 

The cute purple cover makes one think that this is going to be a light, fun, quick chick-lit read. But, oh, Love at First is so much more, so much depth. There are so many emotions in this story—friendship, loyalty, conflict, protectiveness, disagreements, fun, laughter, love, frustration. I loved the abundance of wonderful characters and loved the interactions between all of them. And remember I mentioned quirky—loved the quirkiness.  

This is the first book I have read by this author but I know it won't be the last. I enjoyed it so much and I'll be on the look out for her future stories. 

I received an ARC of Love at First from the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

Kate Clayborn is the critically acclaimed author of six novels. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Bookpage, and more. 

By day she works in education, and by night (and sometimes, by very early morning) she writes contemporary romances about smart, strong, modern heroines who face the world alongside true friends and complicated families. She resides in Virginia with her husband and their dog.

Connect with Kate

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? February 15, 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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It's been super, super cold here this past week. One digit temps and minus temps overnight. And that's not even taking into account for the wind-chill temps. Unbelievable! Because–you know–in South Dakota, we have wind! It was -22 when I got up this morning. Brrrrr!

Otherwise, an uneventful week. Same ol' same ol'. Pick up groceries, prescriptions, don't go anywhere else. Because of the cold.... and of course, COVID! We did get take out for Valentine's Day. There's a local Chinese place in town that we just love so we picked up from there to treat ourselves. Yum!!  

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

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

You Knew the Price

(Nothing is Promised #2)

by Susan Kaye Quinn

Pub date 2/18

Molly Miranda: Thief for Hire

(Molly Miranda #1)

by Jillianne Hamilton

Narrated by Alison Stinnett

I won this from a new-to-me author so I'm not sure what to expect. Have you read her books? 

What I recently finished

Obsession in Death

(In Death #40)

by J.D. Robb

Narrated by Susan Ericksen

The Children's Train

by Viola Ardone

Love at First

by Kate Clayborn

Pub date 2/23

What I am going to read next

Too Good to Be True

by Carola Lovering

Pub date 3/2

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? February 8, 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, my Chiefs lost the Super Bowl last night, but as my son put it, he's waited his whole life for them to be this good and they won last year, so he's good. And we're excited to see what next year brings for them. 

Weather-wise—it's in the single digit temps for the highs here and will be for the entire week, if not longer. These are the times that I really appreciate that I'm retired and don't have to go out, unless I want to. Brrrrr!

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

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

Love at First

by Kate Clayborn

Pub date 2/23

Obsession in Death

(In Death #40)

by J.D. Robb

Narrated by Susan Ericksen

What I recently finished

The Paris Library

by Janet Skeslien Charles

Pub date 2/9

What I am going to read next

The Children's Train

by Viola Ardone

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!

   

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? February 1, 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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So, I'm having a little pity party this week, sorry. 

The last several weeks have been full of medical issues—for hubs and one of my sons. Our son ended up in the hospital a week ago, with a burst diverticula. Three night's stay but no surgery at this point. 

My husband has a totally messed up back, caused by a sledding accident 12 years ago, compounded by genetics and other incidents that wrecked havoc on his spine. He had several MRIs done on his spine last week and we meet with the orthopedic doctor later this week. Surgery may be suggested, which scares me to death. He's dealing with another issue, along with the back issues, which will probably require surgery as well. He took really good care of me after my two surgeries so I guess it's payback time for me.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse than 2020.

So we're just sitting here waiting for our time to come up to receive the vaccine. Maybe then we will feel a little more comfortable about traveling and seeing family again. I miss ((((hugs)))) sooooo much!

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

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

The Paris Library

by Janet Skeslien Charles

Pub date 2/9

Obsession in Death

(In Death #40)

by J.D. Robb

Narrated by Susan Ericksen

What I recently finished

The Four Winds

by Kristin Hannah

Pub date 2/2

The Guest Book

by Sarah Blake 

What I am going to read next

Love at First

by Kate Clayborn

Pub date 2/23

Something a little lighter after the couple of historical fiction stories I just finished.

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!