New Release! House of Belonging by Andrea Thome ~ an Interview and a #Giveaway!

House of Belonging

Andrea Thome | June 5, 2018 | Hesse Creek #3

Paperback ISBN: 978-09978504-4-4 | $14.95

Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9978504-9-9 | $2.99

Women’s Fiction

Renowned chef Laina Ming walked away from the culinary spotlight and an unhealthy relationship—one that still haunts her a year later. She’s trying to start fresh in the Rocky Mountains, opening a concept restaurant on the banks of the Roaring Fork River, where she hopes she’ll be able to express her passion for food and bury her heartache.

Horse rancher Logan Matthews moved to Aspen to be near his sister and her husband, grateful for his newfound family. Since a chance meeting with Laina the previous summer, Logan’s been enchanted. But she doesn’t want anything to do with him—which makes her all the more appealing.

Despite Laina’s efforts to protect her heart, Logan has been on her mind, too—and he has a way of turning up in the most unexpected places. Can they learn to trust one another and finally find the sense of belonging they’ve both been searching for?

    

I read Seeds of Intention, my first book my Andrea, and I loved it. I fell in love with the characters and the location of the story. You can read my thoughts here. I am excited to go back to that world again when I read House of Belonging. 

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Interview with Andrea

What will fans of “Walland” and “Seeds of Intention” like about “House of Belonging?”

I’m hopeful that fans who’ve read the first two books will enjoy revisiting some of their favorite characters, while learning a little bit more about Logan and Laina, who they’ll get to know in this third book. I’m excited about how the series as a whole comes together in this story.

What do you want new readers to know about your books?

I write my books for my friends. Which means I write them mostly for readers who are looking for an escape and want to spend the precious free time available to them with compelling characters in beautiful places. And it’s no secret at this point that I love a happy ending. I’m hoping to balance out some of the negativity in the world with something that makes people feel good.  

Why did you decide to set your newest book in Aspen, Colorado?

I consider all three of the books in the Hesse Creek Series to be destination love stories. The locations are as much characters in the book as the people are. I hope I was able to express my love for the beautiful, cultured, and still wild town that is Aspen. It remains one of my favorite places in the world.

One of the main characters in “House of Belonging,” Laina Ming, is a chef. Are you a foodie?

I’m not really a huge foodie, but I fancy myself someone who appreciates art, and in this case, food as art. My husband and I had the pleasure of experiencing Aspen’s Food and Wine event last summer, and I was blown away and obviously inspired by what the chefs created. It was fun to write about the food that Laina creates, and a blast to write my first “restaurant review.”  

You’re the photographer behind all of your book covers. Where was the image of “House of Belonging” taken?

The image on the front cover of “House of Belonging” was actually taken in Tennessee a long time ago. It’s a nod to the genesis of the series having been set there. I thought it bookended the series nicely, and the symbolism of the single empty swing juxtaposed perfectly with my characters finally finding their sense of belonging as a whole.

“House of Belonging” is the third and final book in the Hesse Creek Series. Is this an emotional finale for you?

Yes and no. I’ve loved living in the world of Walland for these three books, but I’m excited to have the freedom to create something new. That said, the Hesse Creek Series will always hold a very special place in my heart, no matter how many books I go on to write.

Which character will you miss writing about the most?

I could never pick just one; I’ve loved them all so much!  

What’s next for you?

I’m working on a brand new series, set in the Pacific Northwest. It centers around three brothers, and they are pretty interesting guys, so far.  I can’t wait to see where this first story leads me!

Praise for

The Hesse Creek Series

  

More information about the whole series.

“In her debut novel, author Thome writes with a winning charm and peppers her prose with a quirky wit...an enjoyably readable love story.” — Kirkus Review

“Thome’s followup to her well-received Walland takes readers on a gentle ride through a rustic Tennessee setting, perfect for cultivating romance as well as lush fields. Garrett and Willow’s relationship grows in a relatable fashion, with plenty of plot twists along the way. A cast of lovable if meddling friends are well drawn and highly endearing. The second book in the Hesse Creek series treats fans to new developments with old favorites, while also welcoming newcomers.” — RT Book Reviews

“Fans of Nicholas Sparks’ books will enjoy Andrea Thome’s writing. She manages to tell a classic romantic story that is interesting, vibrant, and surprising.” — Windy City Reviews

“Andrea Thome brings the glories of the intimate, nature-focused escape to the wonderful world of romance. Seeds of Intention is delightful escapist fare. This is one series that you are definitely going to want to own the physical copies of, because the covers are absolutely stunning.” — Hypable

“Seeds of Intention is a captivating, intricate love story with relatable, layered characters, well-drawn settings, and a satisfying ending. Andrea Thome is an excellent, graceful writer. Her characters are so real you’ll feel as though you’ve known them for years. Thome deftly builds the romantic tension and chemistry between Garrett and Willow, keeping readers engrossed until the end. A tasty treat for romance fans!” — NY Literary Magazine

About the author

Andrea Thome is a former broadcast journalist, having covered both sports and news during her career. In her novels, she explores some of her favorite travel destinations, from the foothills of the Smoky Mountains to the Colorado Rockies, painting rich backdrops that become characters themselves.

Thome lives in Chicago with her husband (a retired Hall of Fame baseball player and their two children. She spends her spare time traveling and pursuing her other passion—photography. See a sampling of her photography and learn more about her books at www.andreathome.com.

House of Belonging follows Seeds of Intention and Walland in the award-winning Hesse Creek Series.

Connect with Andrea

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads

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Book Blitz! Clutch by Lisa Becker ~ Trailer, an Excerpt and a Giveaway!

Clutch

Lisa Becker 

Publication date: Original 2015; Re-release 2018

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

** Now with five new bonus chapters **

Clutch is the laugh-out-loud, chick lit romance chronicling the dating misadventures of Caroline Johnson, a single purse designer who compares her unsuccessful romantic relationships to styles of handbags – the “Hobo” starving artist, the “Diaper Bag” single dad, the “Briefcase” intense businessman, etc.

With her best friend, bar owner Mike by her side, the overly-accommodating Caroline drinks a lot of Chardonnay, puts her heart on the line, endures her share of unworthy suitors and finds the courage to discover the “Clutch” or someone she wants to hold onto.

Goodreads | Amazon

Audiobook listeners can get a free copy of Clutch on Audible if you sign up for a 30 day trial!

Trailer

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I've read this amazing and fun story and you can read my thoughts here.

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Excerpt

Mimi Johnson was casually dressed in a brightly-colored blouse with enormous turquoise jewelry and equally-oversized glasses. Despite that largesse, the only thing truly bigger than her personality (and her bosom) was her handbag. Always perfectly matched to her clothing, shoes, and jewelry, she was like a walking Chico’s advertisement, if you added forty years, forty pounds, and a Virginia Slims cigarette. From her Mary Poppins-like bag, she pulled out a box, impeccably-wrapped in glossy pink paper with a white grosgrain ribbon bow. A cigarette teetered between her two fingers while she produced a lung-hacking cough.

“Open it… …sweetie. Open it,” she said to her seven-year-old great niece, Caroline, a beautiful and vibrant girl with long blonde hair and oversized blue eyes.

Alive with anticipation, sweet young Caroline eagerly took the box and smiled up at Mimi. She gingerly removed the ribbon, planning to save it for later. The glossy paper was of less interest and she ripped through it quickly. She opened the box and gently lifted out a hot pink purse, adorned with pale pink flowers and rhinestones. An enormous smile overcame her. Caroline nearly set her own hair on fire from Mimi’s cigarette as she bounded into her aunt’s arms.

“Oh, thank you, Aunt Mimi. It’s lovely.”

And that was when Caroline’s love of handbags began. From big and loud ones that would make Mimi proud to unimposing wristlets, from bowler bags to satchels; it didn’t matter if they were made of canvas or calf-skin leather, were distressed or embellished with metal studs. Hell, she didn’t care if you called them pocketbooks or purses. She just loved them all – almost as much as she loved Mimi.

By the time she was a junior in high school and well on her way to being class valedictorian, it was the hundreds of bags Caroline owned that helped her conceptualize her ticket out of her suffocating small Georgian town. She would design handbags. And it was Mimi who was her steadfast cheerleader.

“Caroline, sweetie… …you find something you love and you just hold onto it.” It had never mattered if Caroline was asking Mimi’s advice about a friend, lover, or career. The advice was always the same: “Find something you love and hold onto it.”

Mimi’s words ever-present in her mind, Caroline headed to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and spent four years in Los Angeles learning everything there was to know to pursue her passion. Then, right out of college, she spent three years working in the design and marketing departments of two of the world’s leading, high-end handbag designers.

She was schooled in beauty and how to accessorize the perfectly-coiffed women on the way to their Botox appointments. But Caroline was pulled by the nagging feeling that the very person who had inspired her career, Mimi, could never afford the bags she designed, even if Caroline used her generous employee discount on Mimi’s behalf. And God forbid Mimi would ever accept one as a gift, always preferring to give rather than receive. But Caroline believed there was no reason for anyone to be denied the ultimate in accessories. She saw an untapped market of designing beautiful and affordable bags, but she just wasn’t sure she was start-up potential. Again, it was Mimi who nudged her to learn the business side of things and apply to MBA programs. When Caroline was accepted to Harvard Business School, Mimi, of course, encouraged her.

“You’ve got this, sweetie. ,” she said. “It’s in the bag.”

•••

Caroline was sitting in Financial Reporting and Control on her first day of Harvard classes (and yes, the class turned out to be as boring as it sounded). That’s when she first eyed Mike, who was wearing a faded pair of Levi jeans, a washed-out vintage Rolling Stones T-shirt, and Converse sneakers. He oozed charisma. Turning her head away from him and back toward the front of the lecture hall, Caroline thought that if he were a handbag, he would be a grey leather tote – confident and dependable, but not trying too hard.

Mike surveyed the large lecture hall as he walked in, a Starbucks coffee cup in each hand. After descending the steps slowly, he took a seat next to Caroline and planted one of the white and green cups on her desk.

Flashing a wide, dimpled smile, which she mused he reserved for getting girls to drop their panties, he said, “Here. You look like you’re going to need this.”

“Thanks,” she replied in a suspicious tone, turning her head sideways to look at him and raising an eyebrow.

“I’m Mike,” he said, again flashing a smile and reaching out for a handshake.

“I’m Caroline. Thanks for the…”

“Latte.”

“Latte,” she confirmed. “Thanks. But just so you know, I’m not gonna sleep with you,” she said in an apparent attempt to establish up front she wasn’t taken in by his obvious charm.

“I know,” he replied matter-of-fact.

Before she could respond, Professor Beauregard, a stout man with excessive eyebrows, spoke up. “Please take note of where you are seated. I will send around a seating chart for you to mark your spot. This will be your seat for the remainder of the semester.”

“Looks like we’ll be seatmates,” Mike said, grinning at her.

“Looks like it.”

About the author

Lisa Becker is a romance writer whose previous novels include Click: An Online Love Story, Double Click and Right Click. The books, about a young woman's search for love online in Los Angeles, have been called, “a fast read that will keep you entertained,” “a fun, quick read for fans of Sex and the City,” and “hard to put down.” The first in the series was optioned for a major motion picture.

Her latest novel, Links, is a second chance romance that explores what happens when two high school classmates have a chance encounter after 15 years. #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken called Links, "Witty, heartfelt and emotionally satisfying. Everything I want in a second chance romance! Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down!"

Lisa’s writings about online dating have been featured in Cupid’s Pulse, GalTime.com, Single Edition, The Perfect Soulmate, Chick Lit Central and numerous other book blogs and websites.

As Lisa's grandmother used to say, "For every chair, there's a rush." Lisa is now happily married to a man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone!

Connect with Lisa 

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Hand painted, Secret Garden Envelop Clutch from ART + FASHION = ART TO WEAR Collection by Holly A. Jones, a Florida-based artist and designer who uses Miami attitude, bold colors and style and abstract botanical subject matter to create unique designs. Retails for $145.00. Ends June 14.

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Release Day!! So. Many. Books!

Oh! My! Gosh!

So many books are being released today that my TBR list is just exploding!! 

This is what my library is going to be like very soon. 

Here are a few of the books I'm super excited about. 

Let me know which ones you want to read. 

      

      

      

Check out the FictFact book release calendar for even more!

So many books! So little time!!

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? June 4, 2018

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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This is two weeks worth of reads since I didn't get a chance to post last week.

At the time this post is scheduled to go live, I will be undergoing knee surgery. We are hoping it will be a partial knee instead of a total knee replacement so send positive thoughts my way. Anyway, with the lead up to surgery and the busy, holiday weekend last week (4 days babysitting the 4yo grandson), my reading and blogging life has been in kind of a slump. It's been hard to concentrate, what with thinking about the surgery and also being in pain like I have been. It's been an eye-opener to find out how much I was relying on ibuprofen for pain management when I have had to go without it. this past week leading up to surgery.

I have a lot of reviews to catch up on as well as getting my reading mojo back. I apologize to any authors who are waiting on me. It's been hard to be upbeat and complimentary about the fabulous books I've been reading right now. I'll get back on track soon and will get all caught up.  

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

What I'm currently reading

Castaway Cottage

by Joanne DeMaio

Love Joanne's stories!

Before I Knew 
(The Cabots #1)
by Jamie Beck

(audio-book)
Just started this one.

What I recently finished

A Sister's Place

by Savannah Page

(audio-book)
Interesting look at sister dynamics.

The Season of Silver Linings 

(A Sweet Lake Novel Book 3)

by Christine Nolfi 

Another wonderful story! I love this series.

Ross Poldark 

(The Poldark Saga #1)

by Winston Graham

This was a book club pick. Not a big fan so I won't be reading any more in the series. 

Everything We Give 

(Everything #3)

by Kerry Lonsdale

Love this series!

Smyth Saves the Date 
(The Marrying Type Book 2)

by Laura Chapman
Great short story continuing this fun series!

Beach House Reunion 
(Beach House #5)

by Mary Alice Monroe
Loved my return to the Beach House.

What I am going to read next

The Space Between
by Dete Meserve
Super excited to start this one!

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Book Spotlight Giveaway! Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen

I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight 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. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

Black and Blue

Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
Hardcover, 293 pages
Published April 1st 1998 by Random House

For eighteen years, Fran Benedetto kept her secret. And hid her bruises. And stayed with Bobby because she wanted her son to have a father. And because, in spite of everything, she loved him. Then one night, when she saw the look on her ten-year-old son's face, Fran finally made a choice--and ran for both their lives.

Now she is starting over in a city far from home, far from Bobby. And in this place she uses a name that isn't hers, and cradles her son in her arms, and tries to forget. For the woman who now calls herself Beth, every day is a chance to heal, to put together the pieces of her shattered self. And every day she waits for Bobby to catch up to her. Because Bobby always said he would never let her go. And despite the flawlessness of her escape, Fran Benedetto is certain of one thing: It is only a matter of time... 

    

About the author

Anna Quindlen is a novelist and journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, nonfiction, and self-help bestseller lists. She is the author of eight novels: Object Lessons, One True Thing, Black and Blue, Blessings, Rise and Shine, Every Last One, Still Life with Bread Crumbs, and Miller’s Valley. Her memoir Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, published in 2012, was a number one New York Times bestseller. Her book A Short Guide to a Happy Life has sold more than a million copies.

While a columnist at The New York Times she won the Pulitzer Prize and published two collections, Living Out Loud and Thinking Out Loud. Her Newsweek columns were collected in Loud and Clear.

Connect with Anna

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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