The Book Bag

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Summer Fun With Sweet Romance Giveaway!

Find Onboard for Love

by Cami Checketts

Amazon Kindle

(Free for Kindle Unlimited or Prime Members)

Print - Goodreads

Alicia Noir's ex-husband, Trav, has always valued his race car more than his family, just like her dad who died in his race car. When their eight-year old son pulls them into the cruise vacation of a lifetime, she has to find a way to resist Trav's charm, his well-formed chest, and especially his unending kindness.

Will vacation reignite their love or is their romance destined to crash and burn for the final time?

The Billionaire Beach Romances are each stand-alone novels set in fun vacation spots.

Don't miss the series:

Shadows in the Curtain

Shadows in the Curtain is FREE

until June 19th for US and Canada residents.

Happy reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Destination Wedding by Deanna Lynn Sletten (Audiobook) ~ My Thoughts

Destination Wedding

Destination Wedding by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Narrator Aundrea Mitchell

Audible Audio, 5 hours and 27 minutes
Published April 20th 2017 by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Life is full of surprises…

Claire Martin's life is perfect, or at least she tells herself it is. She owns a successful clothing boutique, has a steady, dependable boyfriend, and a beautiful grown daughter who is about to be married. Sure, Claire's husband of twenty years left her for a younger woman four years ago, but that is all in the past. Now, Claire is looking forward to her daughter's Bahama wedding and spending a week in paradise. The only thing Claire dreads is her ex-husband and his wife will also be on the island. Claire is determined to make the best of it, though. What Claire doesn't realize is ignoring her ex-husband for the week is going to be impossible.

James Martin's life is a mess. His wife of less than four years has made him the most miserable man on earth and now they are in the middle of a messy divorce. He's happy that he can forget her for a week as he goes off to the Bahamas to attend his lovely daughter's wedding. Jim is embarrassed to admit to his daughter and his ex-wife, Claire, that he made the biggest mistake of his life when he left her for another woman, so he makes up a story as to why his new wife didn't come along. When he and Claire are unexpectedly forced upon each other, Jim soon realizes what he's lost and he begins to wonder if he can find a way back into Claire's heart.

My thoughts about Destination Wedding (audio) ~~

(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—"Clare Martin discreetly glanced at her watch with one eye as she watched her customer with the other turn this way and that in front of the three-way mirror. Clare had to be out of the shop in five minutes or else she'd be late meeting with her daughter, and she didn't want to be late. Today was important."

I just love Deanna's books and I have gradually been 're-reading' them by listening to them on audio. Destination Wedding is a wonderful story about love, lost love, and rekindled love.

This was the first audiobook that I have listened to by this narrator. It took me a little bit to get used to her intonation and speaking mannerisms, but once I got settled into the story, it was very enjoyable.

Below, you can read my thoughts about Destination Wedding, which I originally posted on May 7, 2014.

I am always so excited when Deanna has a new book out. I know I am going to be taken away on a wondrous, emotional journey. In Destination Wedding we get to travel to the Bahamas and experience the sun, sand, and surf.

'No setting could have been more perfect for a wedding celebration.'

But then, on the flip side, we also get to experience all the drama that goes with a wedding; glitches in the plans, divorced parents trying to be civil to each other, and getting to know the new in-laws. You know the divorced couple is going to have a hard time getting along as they try to put their past hurts behind them. But can they?

'The grass hadn't been greener on the other side. In fact, it had been brown, prickly, and downright nasty.'

I love the settings in all of Deanna's books. She writes so beautifully and with so much description that I feel like I am there with her characters, enjoy the scenery as much as they are. One spot in the book in particular that I loved was when Claire enters her room at the hotel and sees it for the first time. I felt like I was looking at that beautiful room just as Clare was seeing it.

Destination Wedding is the perfect book for reading this time of year. This is the wedding season, is it not? And how can you go wrong with a book set in the Bahamas? Deanna has done it again, writing another fabulous story, with wonderful characters, and a great setting! I loved my little escape to the beach!

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And be on the lookout for Deanna's newest book,

One Wrong Turn.

It releases June 20th and I loved it!

Stop by her website to enter

the One Wrong Turn giveaway!

Ends June 20th so hurry!!

About the author

Deanna Lynn Sletten writes women's fiction and romance novels that dig deeply into the lives of the characters, giving the reader an in-depth look into their hearts and souls. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime.

Deanna's romance novel, Memories, was a semifinalist in The Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Books of 2012. Her novel, Sara's Promise, was a semifinalist in The Kindle Book Review's Best Indie Books of 2013 and a finalist in the 2013 National Indie Excellence Book Awards.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her northern Minnesota home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing in the boat on the lake in the summer.

Connect with Deanna

Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Release Day: Scythe of Darkness by Dawn Husted, an Excerpt, and a Giveaway!

Happy Release Day!

Title: Scythe of Darkness

Author: Dawn Husted

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Release Day: June 13, 2017

For Mia Hieskety, surviving high school meant focusing on exams and attending the occasional party. After breaking up with her boyfriend, who she didn’t even like, dating was off the agenda. That is, until Thanatos came along.

Mia finds herself lured by the mysterious new student with two-toned eyes. Determined to find out who Thanatos is, what he is, and why he seems so interested in her, she accompanies him to his home where a sinister world awaits.

Discovering the truth, a supernatural connection that intertwines with her past, Mia’s life is at risk—and she doesn’t know who to trust.

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I absolutely LOVE this cover!!

And I have already read the first three chapters and love this story. It's going to be a must read for me!

Purchase from Kobo

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Excerpt from Chapter One

THE COMPULSION TO FIND HIM made me slightly crazy.

My knees shook, vibrating my full-size bed; my headboard tapped the wall like Morse code. Restlessness overtook my feet. I wished my parents would leave already.

The same moment I tossed another knife, a knock jolted the door. “Mia, we’re going. Sure you don’t want to come? Fresh air,” my mom urged in her counselor voice, an unfortunate result from all the years as adviser at my little brother’s school.

I flung my third knife, whipping it next to the others. Knife throwing calmed my nerves, and mine were buzzing like phones during study hall. Adding to my angst, the anniversary of my kidnapping loomed around the corner.

I slid off the bed, and breathed in a steady breath before opening the door. She flashed a toothy grin, trying to hide the meaning behind her inquiry. I knew what she wasn’t saying: not accompanying them to the county fair was out of character. “Are you feeling okay? Is this about Trip?”

Trip and I broke up last week, but I wasn’t thinking about him in the slightest.

“Mom, really. I’ve a ton of homework … a chemistry test, never mind the essay.” Only eight months left of my junior year. I’d filled out Berkeley’s mandatory questionnaire last week, but the essay portion remained unfinished.

I avoided her eyes. She was good at telling when I was lying. I needed to move, not look her in the face. I stepped from view and plucked the scarlet handles out of the bullseye, one by one. I didn’t want her to think I was up to something. My unusual talent had left a few painted-over scars in the door.

Mom slipped her face further around the side, and squinted as if trying to read my thoughts. Thick dark-brown strands of hair slid over her bronze shoulder. My hair was cursed with no thickness whatsoever, but had instead acquired my dad’s double cowlick. “All right. Love you, Mia,” she replied, then gave me a kiss on the forehead, probably hoping I would change my mind, and left.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

If I went with my family to the fair and ran into him again, my mom would surely be watching over my shoulder, making the interaction doubly weird. She had this uncanny ability to wiggle herself into my measly social life whenever possible.

A little voice in the back of my head—not an actual voice, but something—like a mental itch I couldn’t scratch—compelled me to find Eye Guy. And what better place than at the fair, the same place I first ran into him two days ago? The day I’d smashed a basket of nachos all over his shirt by accident. Did I know him somehow?

Eye Guy wasn’t from my school; I would’ve seen him in the halls. Who was he? He had two different-colored eyes—heterochromia iridium—which was why I dubbed him, Eye Guy.

I snatched my backpack off the round chair in the corner of my room, stuffed my chem book inside, plus the binoculars and the camera Uncle Shawn had given me.

My eyes slid shut and I listened for the sound of the front door closing.

Wham.

Scurrying over to my window, I watched the three of them walk toward the street. My eight-year-old brother, Bennie, yanked back-and-forth on my parents’ hands toward a waiting car. They were catching a ride with neighbors.

With a lightness in my chest, my pulse raced. It was now or never.

I rushed down the stairs two at a time. The aroma of popcorn wafted past my nose, as I swung off the mahogany banister and darted into the kitchen for a little to-go snack, and then out into the garage to grab my bike.

Old boxes of memories lined the edges of the bay, allowing just enough space for our only vehicle. I inched in between the hood of the old van, squishing a box with my butt, me popping out the other end. The bike was important; I needed a faster mode of transportation so I could hustle home before my parents returned.

I glided down Ponderosa, the uneven pavement vibrating from my seat all the way up to my neck, and turned left onto Birmingham—a roundabout way to bypass my parents. Beneath an old bridge, homeless huddled in the dark corners; a few stragglers glared at the lights and sounds singing in the distance, blocks away.

The top of the water tower dotted the sky, beyond the overgrown trees and shingled roofs. The sun clung to life in the clouds, streams of lavender highlighting the horizon.

I peddled faster.

Ten minutes later, I arrived at the water tower. A white sign with red letters warned KEEP OUT along the fence. I looped my fingers through the chain-links and whipped my head side-to-side. People weren’t allowed on government property. But being that I was only seventeen, obtaining a mark on my record for breaking and entering wasn’t as big of a deal.

The weight of my bike became heavier the higher I lifted; the aluminum frame fumbled from my grasp, slamming the wheels to the ground on the other side.

Now it was my turn.

Plop.

I stood at the bottom, gazing up. A shoulder-width ladder looped from the concrete to a narrow balcony that rounded the center of the bulbous top. The water tower looked like an upside-down ear syringe. The red bold letters painted around the tank had begun to fade, but I could still make out the city name: Gaige, Texas.

I halted mid-step. The feeling of a hundred butterflies fluttering down my chest gathered in the pit of my stomach. I lurched forward, gripping the metal ladder for support. The butterflies metamorphosed into thundering dragonflies, their wings beating against my insides.

I squeezed the ladder, my nails digging into my palms. Why had the sudden pain erupted? I wanted it to stop!

The little voice in the back of my head told me to climb. Logically, it didn’t make sense, but somehow, I knew Eye Guy couldn’t be too far away. The right side of my brain advised me of the odds of spotting some random stranger in the chaotic mass of the fair. But I had to try.

I climbed through the pain, finding it hard to breathe.

At the top, I fell over onto the balcony.

The dragonflies in my stomach fluttered away. What was happening?

Breathing in, I shucked off my backpack and grabbed the binoculars. Immediately, I began searching the enormous, far-off crowd. Drums thundered from the streets filled with thousands, and voices clamored into the distance. Triangular tangelo flags waved. Flashes of blue lights glimmered sporadically above the sea of heads. A band’s music boomed from the stage, and the whine of guitars faded in the background.

I reached for the popcorn, remaining fixated on the hordes of people. I stuffed a handful in my mouth without looking away.

A magnetic-like pull, stronger than before, honed my focus to the outer edge of the fair.

Ten heartbeats later, I spotted him; for the first time luck was on my side.

Near the outside, behind the Pig Race tent and in front of the Mirror of Mazes, Eye Guy walked slowly through a group of girls sporting short shorts and spaghetti strap shirts. I watched him in reverence as he squeezed through. He wore a long-sleeve plaid shirt and black gloves, just like two days ago.

Why would he dress so warmly? It was September.

But, I had to admit, he pulled it off. My eyes locked on his back as he meandered through the mass. I tossed another handful of popcorn in my mouth then dropped the binoculars and snapped a few photos. My hands shook, making it hard for the camera to focus. Calm down Mia.

I grabbed the binoculars again and zeroed in. The range of vision was as if I was standing right next to him.

He halted mid-step to chat with a tall blond in a red leathery outfit, a girl as unique and pretty as him but with a body much curvier than mine. Her heels matched her flashy wardrobe, and the dark eyeliner that mapped the outside of her eyes resembled that of a rabid raccoon. My toes wiggled against my rubbery flip-flops.

It was apparent Eye Guy and she knew one another by the way they stood inches apart—he with his arms crossed. I narrowed my eyes. The girl’s hand remained poised on her hip as she scanned the crowd; her serious expression left an unpleasant taste in my mouth. Then his eyes narrowed in midst of their conversation. He unfolded his arms as a group of scrawny kids my brother’s age bounced into a trashcan, toppling it over, spilling rotten contents out next to his boots.

His attention turned back to the girl. Her lips moved too fast for me to make a measly attempt at trying to read them—especially since I lacked skills in that department. But the manner in which his lips pressed together as his square chin jutted downward, one word stood out: Mia.

Unless he said ‘me’ and not ‘Mia.’

The binoculars thudded against my chest, and I froze. Had I seen that correctly? Did he really say my name?

“Of course not.” Many words could appear to look like my name: many, milli, mile, melon if the -lon was left off. Maybe they were simply discussing dinner plans, or whatever other hundred things that I hadn’t thought about. I bet he didn’t have a clue who I was. How would he?

I raised the binoculars back up slowly.

The second I found him again, his face snapped upward—up into the shadows where I was hiding; I jerked back, my hands lost grip and the binoculars slipped from my grasp, whacking the railing.

Was I seeing things?

I grabbed the binoculars and looked again, but he was gone. The girl too. I swam over every head, every face, but he was gone.

And just like that, the magnetic pull faded.

About the author

Dawn Husted is the author of Scythe of Darkness, a YA urban fantasy novel. She graduated with a BS from Texas A&M University. When not writing, she’s either camping or dreaming about camping. She’s a member of SCBWI, and lives in southern Texas with her husband and two kids.

Her romanticism of the supernatural is well-crafted in Scythe of Darkness. This gripping YA weaves fate and destiny in a new unsuspecting way. Find out more at dawnhusted.com.

Connect with Dawn

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

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Release Day: The Map That Leads to You by J.P. Monninger

Happy Release Day!!

The Map that Leads to You

The Map That Leads to You by J.P. Monninger

Hardcover, 400 pages
Published June 13th 2017 by St. Martin's Press

A romantic, vivid novel that takes place in the tender time of a young woman’s life: Heather has graduated from college and is traveling around Europe with her two best friends. She’s left school responsibility behind and adult responsibility is looming, but this is her one, ONE last summer to be free. Heather doesn’t expect to even meet Jack, let alone fall in love with him.

Jack is an enigmatic Vermonter a few years older than she is, who is following his grandfather’s journal to various cities around Europe. But in the same way that forces are bringing Jack and Heather together, life and duty are pushing them apart. And Jack has a secret that is going to change absolutely everything.

Advance praise for The Map That Leads to You

"Romantic and unforgettable." –Nicholas Sparks

"JP Monninger has written a beautiful novel about the joys of friendship, the risk of romantic love and the power of a secret to unravel a future that appears to offer every possibility of happiness. This is a story about the people who make us who we are, what we keep and lose along the way, and who we decide to become when we design the map of our lives leaving an open path for surprise and wonder." –Adriana Trigiani

"Monninger's writing spoke to the part of my soul that yearns to be a free-spirit. I fell in love with this story again and again." –Jamie McGuire

“Breathtaking. Heartbreaking.” –Kristin Pidgeon, Penguin Bookshop

“So compelling…It brought me to tears.” –Stephanie Crowe, Page and Palette

About the Author

JP Monninger, author of The Map that Leads to You, is an award-winning writer in New England and Professor of English at Plymouth State University.

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Monday, June 12, 2017

The Beach at Painter's Cove by Shelley Noble ~ My Thoughts #TheBeachAtPaintersCove #TLCBookTours

The Beach at Painter's Cove

The Beach at Painter's Cove by Shelley Noble

Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (June 13, 2017)

From the New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Beach comes another heartwarming story of four generations of women who reunite in their crumbling family mansion by the sea for a dramatic summer filled with love, family, secrets and sisterhood.

The Whitaker family’s Connecticut mansion, Muses by the Sea, has always been a haven for artists, a hotbed of creativity, extravagances, and the occasional scandal. Art patrons for generations, the Whitakers supported strangers but drained the life out of each other. Now, after being estranged for years, four generations of Whitaker women find themselves once again at The Muses.

Leo, the Whitaker matriarch, lives in the rambling mansion crammed with artwork and junk. She plans to stay there until she joins her husband Wes on the knoll overlooking the cove and meadow where they first met. Her sister-in-law Fae, the town eccentric, is desperate to keep a secret she has been hiding for years.

Jillian, is a jet setting actress, down on her luck, and has run out of men to support her. She thinks selling The Muses will make life easier for her mother, Leo, and Fae by moving them into assisted living. The sale will also bring her the funds to get herself back on top.

Issy, Jillian’s daughter, has a successful life as a museum exhibit designer that takes her around the world. But the Muses and her grandmother are the only family she’s known and when her sister leaves her own children with Leo, Issy knows she has to step in to help.

Steph, is only twelve-years-old and desperately needs someone to fire her imagination and bring her out of her shell. What she begins to discover at the Muses could change the course of her future.

As Issy martials the family together to restore the mansion and catalogue the massive art collection, a surprising thing happens. Despite storms and moonlight dancing, diva attacks and cat fights, trips to the beach and flights of fancy, these four generations of erratic, dramatic women may just find a way to save the Muses and reunite their family.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

My thoughts about The Beach at Painter's Cove ~~

(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—"Summer 1962 The Painter's Cove Gazette—Muses by the Sea, ancestral home of the Whitaker family and renowned artist colony, was the scene of a public garden party last week where local residents were invited to meet and greet those artists currently in residence."

The Beach at Painter's Cove is a wonderful story, full of very interesting characters, one of them being the estate, Muses by the Sea. The estate in the book plays as big of a part in the story as the rest of the characters. And there are some really great characters. I fell in love with so many of them. I especially enjoyed Leo, or Grammy as so many of them call her, and Fae. What amazing old women they are, so caring and quirky.

Issy has to drop everything to rush home to the Muses to keep her nieces from being sent to foster care. Once she is there, there are other people and things that need her attention. The story is beautifully woven between the present and the past. And can the past help save those in the present?

I loved everything about The Beach at Painter's Cove; the place, the characters, the history, and the family ties, even if some of them appear to be broken.

I received a copy of The Beach at Painter's Cove for the TLC Book Tour in exchange for my honest opinion.

About the author

Shelley Noble is a former professional dancer and choreographer and has worked on a number of films. She lives at the Jersey shore where she loves to visit lighthouses and vintage carousels. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America.

Connect with Shelley

Website | Facebook | Twitter