Category: blogging

Gingerbread & Jingle Bells
Caro Carson
Publication date: October 12th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

You never get a second chance at a first kiss…

Eve Richards has made every sacrifice to become a rising corporate executive in the big city–until this December. Her grandmother needs help running the family bakery, so Eve is finally taking her unused vacation to return to her small hometown to count cookies instead of corporate cash.

Eve isn’t the only person returning to town. Her childhood sidekick, the recipient of her very determined (but fairly disastrous) first-ever attempt at a kiss, has returned as well. Daniel Shepherd, the once-shy boy from England, is now the town’s swoon-worthy new veterinarian. Grandma’s obvious matchmaking attempts are as mortifying as the memory of the awkward kiss that ended their friendship so many years ago, but the more time Eve spends with Daniel, the harder it is to resist the temptation to take a second chance at that first kiss.

But Daniel has come back to Masterson to put down roots; Eve will be gone after the holiday rush at the bakery. Nothing good could possibly come from letting herself fall for the man who was once her best friend.

A kiss before Christmas could be the key. Will it be the sweet ending to their childhood story…or will Eve risk everything for the chance to turn her first love into a forever love?

A heartwarming wintery romance from a USA Today Bestselling Author and RITA Award winner, set in a wonderfully unique 1980s setting. Perfect for fans of sweet and sincere happily-ever-afters.

“Caro Carson writes books that touch the heart; they’re witty, wise, emotional and filled with intricately layered, fascinating characters.”
–NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne

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EXCERPT:

Eve clutched the apron to her chest, wishing she could rewind the conversation—and this time, keep her mouth shut. “Listen, the gingerbread giant is on the house. One-hundred percent discount. I don’t even work here. It was my goof. Please, don’t tell anybody about this. My grandmother always does everything right when it comes to the bakery.”

“I insist on paying for it. It’s even more festive now that you’ve fixed the damage.” He reached out to take the apron from her, admonishing her lightly in that posh British accent. “Besides, you cannot seriously think I would ever harm your grandmother’s reputation. She is kindness itself. She never charged me for a single cookie she gave me as a child.”

As a child? Eve searched his handsome face, its masculine angles appealing but unfamiliar. His smile lit his eyes, which were as warm and brown as rich gingerbread. Posh, British gingerbread…

“Oh, my goodness. I know you. You’re—”

“Jingle Bell!” the man shouted, as the brown dog came sprinting back into the kitchen.

Eve squealed in terror as she dove to save the freshly frosted giant, but with a stern sit and stay, the man stopped the dog in its tracks as if he were some kind of magician.

“My apologies,” he said. “She was a stray until quite recently. I’ve been working with her, but her instinct to steal food still overcomes her at times.”

“Daniel Shephard.” She pressed her hand over her hard-beating heart. “It’s me, Evie Richards. From fifth grade. I didn’t recognize you, now that you’re all…” She nodded toward his sharp black slacks, his narrow tie. Toward the broad chest that filled out a burgundy dress shirt. Up, way up, to those eyes. Hadn’t she been the taller one? “…all grown up, and—and tall. Do you recognize me?”

“Yes, of course.”

She dropped her hand. She liked to think she was a polished, worldly woman of business, but apparently, she didn’t look much different from a girl in cable-knit tights. She forced a chuckle. “I haven’t changed, huh?”

“We are standing in your family’s bakery. That’s quite the clue.”

“Right.” Her cheeks were warm. “This is such a coincidence, because I was thinking about you today with the snow flurries, and now here you are.”

Daniel crossed his arms over his chest and returned her gaze with an indulgent sort of smile, like he knew she was a little flustered as she tried to reconcile the boy she’d known with the man in her bakery.

He apparently was having no trouble seeing little Evie Richards in her. He didn’t look flustered in the least. Then again, he hadn’t been putting his foot in his mouth about discounts and patch jobs or yelping in terror at a dog.

She turned her back to him and picked up a wide box of cellophane wrap, taking two seconds to compose herself. Then she turned around like the brisk, efficient woman she was, ready to secure the giant cookie to its support board for the short trip to the veterinary clinic. “So, you’re back in town and going to the party. Who do you know at the vet’s office?”

Are you somebody’s date? Maybe he had a wife. She dropped her gaze to his hand.

He ruffled his dog’s ears affectionately.

Stop petting your dog. I want to see your ring finger.

“I am the vet, actually. Dr. Shephard, at your service.”

Author Bio:

Despite a no-nonsense background as a West Point graduate and U.S. Army officer, Caro Carson has always treasured the happily-ever-after of a good romance novel. After her military service, she worked in the healthcare industry with a Fortune 100 company, talking science with doctors who were rarely handsome bachelor Texans like the doctors in her books. Now a USA Today bestselling author and RITA™award winner, Caro is delighted to be living her own happily-ever-after with her husband (who actually is a handsome Texan) and their two children. They live in the great state of Florida, a location which has saved the coaster-loving theme park fanatics a fortune on plane tickets.

“Caro Carson writes books that touch the heart; they’re witty, wise, emotional and filled with intricately layered, fascinating characters.” –NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne

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We Are Not Like Them
Christine Pride & Jo Piazza
Published by: Atria Books
Publication date: October 5th 2021
Genres: Adult, Women’s Fiction

“Now these women, they can WRITE!” —Terry McMillan, New York Times bestselling author of It’s Not All Downhill from Here

“We Are Not Like Them will stay with you long after you turn the last page.” —Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me

Told from alternating perspectives, an evocative and riveting novel about the lifelong bond between two women, one Black and one white, whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event—a powerful and poignant exploration of race in America today and its devastating impact on ordinary lives.

Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia.

But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen’s husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband’s freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend.

Like Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage and Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things, We Are Not Like Them explores complex questions of race and how they pervade and shape our most intimate spaces in a deeply divided world. But at its heart, it’s a story of enduring friendship—a love that defies the odds even as it faces its most difficult challenges.

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EXCERPT:

If there’s a sound more magical than the Ebenezer AME church choir, I’ve never heard it. They’re opening with an exuberant medley of gospel, funk, and some Broadway-style riffs that feels more like a stadium concert than a church service. The choir calls everyone to their feet, and I rise, limbs loose, eager to abandon myself to the invigorating rhythm. It’s a packed house today, with some three hundred people filling the cavernous space, the energy palpable. There’s nodding and swaying, spontaneous shouts and murmurs. You don’t need an invitation to hug a neighbor, burst into tears, or sing along as loudly and proudly as Mahalia Jackson herself.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to church, but exultation is like muscle memory. For a blissful moment, I don’t feel stressed or self-conscious; I feel rejoiced. One of those rare moments when I understand what people mean when they say they’re filled with the Spirit. The sanctuary of this church is as close as I’ve ever been to feeling God. Back when I was a little girl, my insides wound up so tight I felt like I was suffocating, these gleaming pews on a Sunday morning were a kind of escape, from thinking about tests and grades and the kids who called me “Oreo” and said I talked so white when I used the SAT vocab words Mom had been drilling me on since kindergarten. I need this now, a cocoon from the outside world, even if only for an hour. A respite before I have to return to work, and to covering the story for which I’m now the lead reporter, the one about how my friend’s husband shot an unarmed Black kid.

When Jenny called yesterday I froze. Finally, before the last ring sent her to voice mail, I dashed into a conference room, slamming the door behind me. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say, but I needed to know she was okay.

We only talked for two seconds. But last night, as I reported live in front of the Twenty-Second District—Kevin’s district—I kept picturing her watching, her reaction, her biting furiously on her lip, as I spoke into the camera. “If Justin Dwyer doesn’t wake up from his coma, the officers involved—Kevin Murphy and Travis Cameron from here at the Twenty-Second—could be indicted for murder.”

Jenny was calling again by the time I reached my car to head home after the broadcast. Of course she’d been watching. She said she always watches my broadcasts. I couldn’t bring myself to answer this time. She’d know if I sent it straight to voice mail, so I stared at the phone as it rang and rang and then waited for a message that never came. I spent the rest of the night pacing my apartment.

So when Momma called last night, as she’s done every single Saturday since I’ve been back, to ask if I was finally coming to church, I gave her an answer that surprised both of us.

“Yep, I’ll be there.” I needed church. I needed something.

As the choir winds down, everyone is flushed and primed for Pastor Price, who lumbers up to the cherrywood pulpit. The imposing figure of Christ looms behind him, but even Jesus himself is no match for Pastor Price. He’s divinely exultant in his vibrant purple robes, his dark skin gleaming against the rich fabric, the lines of his strong jaw clenched as he prepares to give his flock the holy word.

“It’s a beautiful morning to praise the Lord, ain’t it!” Pastor’s baritone thunders up to the rafters. He hasn’t aged a bit since I was a kid, even though he must have rounded seventy. He’s led this church for more than forty years, and in that time has become the de facto leader of all the Black churches in Philly.

“Don’t you dare,” Momma murmurs, barely moving her mauve-painted lips. Suddenly I’m seven years old again and about to get a slap on the thigh for not paying attention to the word of the Lord. Back then, when she scolded me.

I allow myself the quickest peek at the phone. Jenny. Again. I wish she’d leave a voice mail. I need to know what she’s going to say first, to figure out how I feel. Especially after she went on TV shouting that her best friend was Black. On one level, it’s such a laughable cliché—Me, a racist? Some of my best friends are Black—but, on a deeper level, it gnawed at me. Here I was worrying that I was the one betraying her by covering this story, and then she goes and uses our friendship and my “Blackness” as a shield, a defense. It brought back something she’d said years ago that I’d decided to let go since we were having such a good time and I didn’t want to rock the boat. I was home from Northwestern on my first winter break, and she and I went club-hopping on Delaware Avenue. We were beyond excited to be together again following our first and longest time apart since we were five years old. I wanted Jen to notice that I was different—three months at college and I already felt more sophisticated and grown. But I was also scared she wouldn’t notice, and that that would mean I was the same ole Riley after all. But Jen was too busy gushing about two new friends she’d made, fellow waitresses at Fat Tuesday. She talked about these girls with the breathless infatuation of someone with a new crush. “They think it’s so cool that my best friend is Black.” Jenny rolled her eyes as she said it, but it was still clear that it was some sort of weird badge of honor for her, like I was a trendy accessory—otherwise why mention it at all?

Author Bio:

Jo Piazza is an award-winning reporter and editor who has written for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the New York Daily News, New York Magazine, Glamour, Marie Claire, Elle and Salon. She has appeared on CNN, NPR, Fox News, the BBC and MSNBC. Her novel, The Knockoff, with Lucy Sykes became an instant international bestseller and has been translated into more than seven languages.

Jo received a Masters in Journalism from Columbia, a Masters in Religious Studies from NYU and a Bachelors in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed If Nuns Ruled the World and Celebrity Inc: How Famous People Make Money.

She currently lives in San Francisco with her husband and their giant dog.

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Christine Pride is a writer, editor and 15-year publishing veteran. She has held editorial posts at various imprints, including Doubleday, Broadway, Crown, Hyperion, and, most recently, as a Senior Editor at Simon and Schuster. Christine has edited and published a range of bestselling books, with a special emphasis on inspirational stories and memoirs. We Are Not Like Them, written with Jo Piazza, is her first book. She lives in New York City. You can follow her on Instagram at @cpride.

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I am so excited that FOREVER by Ivy Nelson is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes an awesome giveaway courtesy of Ivy, & Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, check out the giveaway info below.

About the Book
Title: FOREVER (Diamond Doms #9)
Author: Ivy Nelson
Pub. Date: September 28, 2021
Publisher: Ivy Nelson
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon
Kindle Unlimited members will be able to read this for FREE!

Russel Adler has one job while Elijah Barrett is away. Keep Holly Barrett and her best friend safe from those out to collapse Club Solitaire. There’s just one problem, Holly’s best friend is a pain in the ass. A gorgeous, irresistible, pain in the ass.

Forever is the conclusion to the Diamond Doms series. Cover Reveal and full description coming soon.

Haven’t started the series yet? Get all the books now! Each one can be read as a stand alone.

Forever Excerpt
Gemma stood near the dungeon entrance and watched as Russell approached a kneeling woman. When he crouched down and cupped her chin, she cursed herself for being unable to look away.

His intense stare at the bar had unnerved her and intrigued her at the same time. Something in his eyes made her want to ask a million questions and get to know him. His demeanor had changed when he found out she was married to Matthew.

That made her curse her family all over again. Yes, they were legally married. No, they were not in love or even sleeping together. In the best of times, they were friends. But most days, they were strangers who didn’t even live together anymore. They had their own lives, and that was how they liked it. If their world hadn’t exploded—literally—she might have been divorced by now, and maybe she would be the one being strapped to the cross by the gorgeous silver fox across the dungeon.

She shook her head and went to find a place to sit. There was no sign the two even liked the same things in the bedroom, and here she was fantasizing about him. Get a grip, Gemma. You’ll be back in London before you know it.

At least she hoped so. She wasn’t sure what the future looked like after the harrowing experience of barely escaping death and Matthew shoving her onto a plane against her will. And now, nobody could locate Matthew. She wanted to reach out to Kendall, but he had been adamant about her not contacting anyone for fear that the people trying to kill them might find her.

She shuddered and took one more look at Russell and the woman he was with. Just in time to see him unfurl a single tail whip. A loud crack echoed through the room and she pushed open the door and left the dungeon.

About Ivy Nelson:
Ivy Nelson is an emerging contemporary romance author, hopeful romantic, and passionate advocate, who is versed in all things steamy, sultry, and sensual. It all started back when she read her first steamy romance novel at the age of fourteen. From that point forward, it became her favorite genre—one she wanted to write in herself someday. Sylvia Day’s writing style cemented that passion, and gave her just the inspiration she needed to be an author herself. In December of 2018, Ivy published her debut novel, Power Desired at the age of thirty-two.

Most recently, Ivy completed the “D.C. Power Games” series and the fourth book in her popular “Diamond Doms series” titled “Pressure”. In a not-so-distant past, she was a student affairs professional at a university and earned her political science degree, which explains her politically-driven romance debut.

When she isn’t penning steamy scenes or attending writing/kink/BDSM conferences, you can find this contest-winning karaoke singer and bookworm passionately supporting human rights or growing her Sims 4 empire. She is also a wine aficionado and certified whiskey taster (no really, she has the certificate to prove it). All that aside, Ivy loves spending quality time with her amazing son and husband of three years at their home in Houston, TX.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC, International.
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All month long, libraries and library partners across Canada are raising awareness of the valuable role libraries play in Canadians’ lives.

More than just a place to find books, libraries promote cultural awareness, engage in the community, provide educational programs, support freedom of expression and so much more.

2021 Theme: One card, one million possibilities

When we moved to the location we are at one of the things that was a must for me was having a library close enough that I could walk to especially because we wanted kids. Thankfully our little city has two libraries that we have access to. At the time I was thinking this would be a perfect place where we could go and borrow items from the library because I didn’t know all the things that they could do and offer its residents.

Once my son was born I instantly got him a library card. Then as he got older we took part in storytime (at both branches) (we loved the lady who put this together weekly. I still have all the little crafts they made during each storytime. This lady was super creative and the crafts she assembled went perfectly with the story.) From there we took advantage of the summer reading program and every holiday-themed sessions. We practically lived at the library until my son started high school.

We are very fortunate to have this awesome library that offers so many things to kids, families, seniors etc. Apart from storytime, they over so many educational sessions, author events, book clubs and so much more. Hopefully, once this pandemic ends I will be able to go back and take part in some events.

Does your library offer these kinds of things?

Today International Bestselling author Sara Snow and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for WOLF REBORN, the first book in her new PNR series which releases November 12, 2021! Check out the awesome cover and enter the giveaway!

On to the reveal! 

About the Book:

Title: WOLF REBORN: Book 1 of the Wolf Reborn Series (A New Adult Paranormal shifter romance story)

Author: Sara Snow

Pub. Date: November 12, 2021

Publisher: Sara Snow

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

Kindle Unlimited members will be able to read this for FREE!

I have the chance at a perfect afterlife. Now if only my two fated mates weren’t making it a living hell…

As an Enchanted, I might not be able to shift like other wolves, but I’ve saved countless lives through the visions I receive. And in the end, saving others cost me my life.

That sacrifice buys me a one-way ticket to my LAST chance at happiness: an afterlife in the God Realm.

Sounds great, right?

Wrong.

The problem is, the perfect afterlife for me includes settling down with my fated mate. And whoever he is, he’s probably back down on Earth wondering where the hell I am.

When I actually find my fated mate, the gorgeous but scarred white wolf Lucian, in the God Realm with me, I learn that the wolf of my dreams, my other half, the wolf that was created to complete me… 

…wants absolutely nothing to do with me.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, a second fated mate shows up out of nowhere… and he’s not even a werewolf. Just my luck. 

It turns out my two mates can’t stand each other. And while Lucian may not want me himself, he doesn’t want Remir to have me either. Seriously?

All I know is, if either one of these two hotheads rejects me, my one last chance at a perfect afterlife could turn
into an eternal hell—or worse…

“Wolf Reborn” is the first book of the Wolf Reborn series, the next New Adult shifter paranormal romance in the bestselling world of Luna Rising.

Grab the FREE prequel story HERE!

Excerpt:

“Yes, I had planned to. Will you? Would you like to go with me?”

The words rushed out of my mouth before I could stop them, and Lucian stopped to look at me, his left brow arching. He didn’t answer right away, and he didn’t hide—or couldn’t hide—the indecision in his eyes. 

“I don’t think so.”  I blinked rapidly, trying to hide my shock. “Ah, okay.”

My heart plummeted. “Why not?”

“It’s not my thing. I haven’t been to one of those things in ages.” 

“A party?” I asked with narrowed eyes, and he continued walking.  

“Yes.” 

I followed him as he made his way through the garden until we found an open space with a fountain, the ground covered in auburn leaves. There was no one else there, except for a few small birds drinking from the water. 

“You give me serious loner hermit vibes,” I said, and Lucian paused where he’d been stretching his hand out to remove a leaf from
the water’s surface. 

“Your vibes are correct,” he laughed softly and threw the leaf to the ground. “But, maybe I’ll attend this one.” 

“Really?”

“Yes, since you’ll be going and because you asked so nicely.” 

Most of the time, he was a serious man, but whenever he got like this—playful, teasing—it tugged at my insides in the best way.

I crossed my arms and smiled. “Are you deciding to go because I’m gorgeous, and surely someone is going to hit on me?”

His face went blank, and my arms fell to my side as he closed the space between us in seconds. The pleasant aura he’d had around him since we arrived vanished, and his eyes changed to black. I knew then, as my wolf whimpered, that Lucian’s wolf had pushed himself to the forefront.

About Sara Snow:

Sara Snow was born and raised in Texas, and she moved to the Washington, D.C. area after high school. She’ll always be a Texas girl at heart, though! Now she lives in Northern Virginia with her family and her adorably fierce Yorkshire Terrier, Loki. In fact, Loki inspired her to write her best-selling series “Luna Rising” (although he’s still more of a beta than an alpha!). When not eagerly working on her next book, she loves to geek out at Marvel movies, play games with her family and friends, and travel around the world (when there isn’t a pandemic, that is!).

No matter where she or what she is doing, she can rarely be found without a book in her hand.

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Giveaway Details:

1
winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC, International.

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