The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe - Review

Review by Deb Czajkowski

Ellen’s grandmother has one dying request: Will Ellen personally deliver Gran’s handwritten letter to Chet?  For her beloved Gran, of course she will!  But who’s Chet?

Even when Ellen can’t locate Chet at the address Gran so helpfully provided, Ellen remains resolute in her commitment to Gran to personally hand the letter to Chet.  Mailing it to MIA Chet simply won’t do.

Thus begins Ellen’s journey of discovery.  Discoveries, actually.  Where is Chet?  Who really is he, and why has he been so important to Gran to prompt this eleventh-hour letter?  Who is Ruth Goddard, the youthful Gran with surprising secrets?  And how well does Ellen really know herself, including a family connection that goes far deeper than Ellen ever imagined?

The dramatic first chapter is enough to get you into the book.  Then the real mysteries start to surface, bit by bit, pulling you continuously farther into Ellen’s journey and into the book.  I couldn’t wait to read each new chapter, always eager to learn more about Gran and the secret life she took with her to the grave.  And with each new finding, to watch Ellen’s own life unfold, a story as sweet as, well, a handful of blueberries.

The author, Mary Simses, skillfully unfolds Gran’s story, and Ellen’s, while making you feel like you are along for the ride and a part of each conversation and discovery.  This book is both an easy and satisfying read.  I highly recommend it.

 Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

 About the Author:

I grew up in Darien, Connecticut and started writing stories when I was eight. I always loved to write but was too afraid I could never make a living as a fiction writer, so in college I majored in journalism. I worked in magazine publishing for a few years and then went back to school to become a lawyer. After I graduated from law school and began working as an attorney, I enrolled in an evening fiction writing class at a university in Connecticut, not far from where I was living. From then on, I was hooked. I wrote a lot "on the side," at night and on weekends, and managed to get several short stories published in literary magazines. Finally, I took the big leap and wrote a novel. I now live in South Florida with my husband, who is also my law partner, and our fifteen-year-old daughter, who is quite a writer herself.

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Take Mum Out - Review

Review by Darcie Czajkowski

“Why d’you need a boyfriend? You’re a mum.” That’s what Alice Sweet’s thirteen-year-old son, Fergus, says when Alice comes home from a disastrous date. Alice agrees with her son, wondering if she shouldn’t be venturing into the dating world, even though she and her sons’ father broke up six years ago.

But Alice’s long-time friends, Viv, Kirsty, and Ingrid, think otherwise, each of them deciding to set her up on a date with a man of their choosing, a competition of sort. Alice gamely agrees, reasoning that her boys, Logan and Fergus, won’t be around forever.

First, there’s Giles, the intern at Viv’s work. He’s gorgeous and charming and those are good enough reasons to give him a chance. But what does he want with a woman who’s a staggering eleven years his senior? Is that his thing?

Then there’s Stephen, Kirsty’s clean-cut dentist who also happens to be a doting father to a young girl. He seems sweet if not a little aloof. But is he not interested in Alice or just ambivalent to dating in general?

Finally, there’s Charlie, Ingrid’s pick, whom she met at her gym where Charlie was writing an article on a thousand-calorie workout. His invitation to take Alice with him to Paris certainly piques her interest. But will his penchant for getting sloshed in the middle of the day send her running back to Edinburgh?

With each man so different from the next, which will Alice choose? Or will she choose none of them? Or perhaps someone else will catch her eye, like Pascal, the French owner of a shop in her neighborhood.

Fiona Gibson does a wonderful job of addressing the world of dating while raising two teenage boys mostly by herself. Gibson intermingles wit with spot-on dialogue, often times making me laugh out loud with Alice’s candid way of approaching life. Take Mum Out is an easy, comedic read, perfect for the beach or your next vacation. 

About the Author:

Fiona is an author and journalist who has written for many UK publications including The Observer, The Guardian, Marie Claire, Red, New Woman, Top Sante and Elle. She writes a monthly column for Sainsbury’s magazine and is a Contributing Editor at Red magazine.

Fiona lives in Scotland with her husband, their twin sons and daughter. She likes to draw, run 10k races, play her saxophone and lie in the bath with a big glass of wine, although not all at once.

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The Book of Why - Review

Review by K.T Sullivan

Harry, named in honor of Harry Houdini, is a self-help author. His speeches are in the book. Most focus on introspection and motivation. He is consumed by both. He’s grieving the loss of his wife. He believes he is full of faith and doubt. Her dog, Ralph, is his constant companion. He is better at offering advice and inspiring people from afar than relationships. He lives on Martha’s Vineyard in the winter. Very few people and rarely any visitors are around. A woman arrives at his door, bleeding and hurt from a car accident. With no way to get around, she stays with him. Eventually she becomes his partner and house sitter when he leaves to promote his books. There’s little romance, just two people in search of a companion.

This book is told in the first person and shifts through different times in Harry’s life. His parents, wife, writing, and speaking to audiences, Harry doesn’t stay still. There are a lot of quotes and speeches based on his books. They are the best parts of the book. These are my two favorite quotes. “Whatever you’re afraid of will find you.” “Do you believe the universe is friendly or unfriendly?” The answers to these thoughts should be used as a guide through life. Interesting and thought provoking book.

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Nicholas Montemarano’s latest novel, The Book of Why, is recently out in paperback from Little, Brown. It was also published in the UK, Russia, and Brazil. He is the author of a previous novel, A Fine Place (2002), and the short story collection If the Sky Falls (2005), a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice. His short stories have appeared in Esquire, Zoetrope: All-Story, Tin House, The Southern Review, AGNI, The Gettysburg Review, The Antioch Review, DoubleTake, The Washington Post Magazine, and many other publications. His fiction has been reprinted in The Pushcart Prize and cited as distinguished stories of the year in The Best American Short Stories four times. He is the recipient of fellowships from The National Endowment for the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, the Edward F. Albee Foundation, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, Montemarano now lives in Lancaster, PA, where he teaches at Franklin & Marshall College.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Twitter 

Bad Girls Don't Marry Marines - Tour & Giveaway

Bad Girls Don’t Marry Marines

Rock Canyon Romance #3

By: Codi Gary

Releasing May 20^th, 2014

Avon Impulse

Blurb

Bad girls finally have their day in Codi Gary newest sexy, fun contemporary romance from the town of Rock Canyon.

The bad girl who stole his heart…

Valerie Willis has done it all: tattoos, one-night stands, even strip-poker. And now, she can add getting a messy public divorce to that list. Back in her hometown of Rock Canyon, Val just wants to bury her head and wait for the scandal to pass. But when she suddenly finds herself at a single’s weekend face-to-face with former flame Justin Silverton, hiding from her heart - and the sexy Marine - won’t be that simple.

Is just too good to let go…

It’s been ten years since Justin kissed Val, but he still remembers the way they just seemed to…fit. Since then he’s served his country and helped his father keep their ranch intact, but he never forgot Val or her wild ways. So when a twist of fate brings him the chance to chase her across state lines and spend a weekend winning her heart, Justin’s all in. Because when he sees something he wants, he fights for it. And he’s ready to fight for the right to call this bad girl his one and only. 

Link to Follow Tour HERE 
Series Goodreads Link HERE 

Purchase book at:

Amazon * B&N * iTunes

Did you ever wonder who an author would cast if their book was turned into a movie?  Here’s who Codi Gary’s lineup would be:

As Caroline Willis-Rachel Bilson

As Valerie Willis-Odette Annable

As Ellie Willis-Marie Avgeropoulos

As Edward Willis- Sam Neil

As Justin Silverton-William Levy

As Everett-Justin Hartley

As Fred Silverton-Mark Harmon

As Dorothy Love-Carol Burnett

As Kyle Jenner-Ryan Hansen

About the Author:

An obsessive bookworm, Codi Gary likes to write sexy small-town contemporary romances with humor, grand gestures, and blush-worthy moments. When she's not writing, she can be found reading her favorite authors, squealing over her must-watch shows, and playing with her children. She lives in Idaho with her family.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

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3000 Facebook Likes Giveaway!!!

 

Yay!!!  We’ve made it to 3000 Facebook likes!

To celebrate we are giving away a Thirty One brand Zip-Top Organizing Utility Tote in Swiss Dot filled with a bunch of fun swag!  It’s the perfect bag for books, school, airplane carry on, the beach … the uses are endless!  This giveaway is open internationally!

Thank you all so much for getting us to this point.  We could never do it without all of you amazing people!  xoxo

Link to check out my Thirty One website HERE!

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The One & Only - Review & Link To Giveaway

About the book:

Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.

But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.

Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One & Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.

Praise for the Emily Giffin:

“Emily Giffin ranks as a grand master. . . . She has traversed the slippery slopes of true love, lost love, marriage, motherhood, betrayal, forgiveness and redemption that have led her to be called ‘a modern-day Jane Austen.’ ”—Chicago Sun-Times

“Giffin’s writing is true, smart, and heartfelt.”—Entertainment Weekly
 
“[Giffin] excels at creating complex characters and quick-to-read stories that ask us to explore what we really want from our lives.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 
“A dependably down-to-earth, girlfriendly storyteller.”—The New York Times
 
“Giffin’s talent lies in taking relatable situations and injecting enough wit and suspense to make them feel fresh.”—People
 
“When it comes to writing stories that resonate with real women, bestselling author Emily Giffin has hit her stride.”—San Francisco Chronicle

Buy the book

Amazon Paperback * Amazon Kindle

Review by Marlene Engel

In Walker, Texas football is more than a sport, it’s a way of life.  For Shea Rigsby it’s no different.  As far back as she can remember, she’s lived and breathed football.  She can recite all of the Heisman trophy winners and can rattle off stats like some woman can name designer handbags.  As a lifelong resident of Walker and a Walker University alum, her loyalty to the town runs deep.  So much that she chose to stay in Walker, post-graduation, and take a job at the university’s athletic department.  Being able to work alongside legendary football coach, Clive Carr, was an added perk.  Growing up with Coach’s daughter as a best friend, Shea has always had much respect and admiration for him.  So much that, per his advisement, she ventures out of her comfortable confines of working at the university to follow her dream as a sport’s reporter.  But along with this new position, unexpected events arise and Shea discovers shocking truths about the very people that she trusts the most.

Captivating, thought provoking and emotional, The One & Only is a brilliantly written novel about self-discovery and facing one’s fears.

As a huge fan of Emily Giffin, and one who’s read all of her novels, I was very excited for the opportunity to review this book.  Ms. Giffin writes with such emotion and focus to detail that the characters take on a real life persona.  She has the ability to take you on an emotional rollercoaster of highs and lows.  And just when you think you know what’s going to happen next, she throws in another twist.  Another amazing book by such a brilliant author!

About the author:

Emily Giffin is the author of six New York Times bestselling novels: Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You’re With, Heart of the Matter, and Where We Belong. A graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law, she now lives in Atlanta lives with her husband and three young children.

Connect with the author:

Facebook * Twitter * Website * Goodreads

Head over to Chick Lit Central to enter to win a copy of this book!

Luscious Leanna's Sweet Treats Giveaway!

Love Melissa Foster's LOVE IN BLOOM series?

Enter to win an autographed copy of READ, WRITE, LOVE,

LUSCIOUS, LEANNA'S SWEET TREATS 
(as featured in READ, WRITE, LOVE & her upcoming Seaside Summers series!) 

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**Produced with Al's Backwoods Berries**

Also Available on Amazon.com

Luscious Leanna's Sweet Treats are introduced in READ, WRITE, LOVE (The Remingtons, Book 5) and continued in the SEASIDE SUMMERS series.

Also Available on Amazon

NEWLY RELEASED........
Book #5 The Remingtons, Love in Bloom Series #14

Bestselling author Kurt Remington lives to write. He spends twelve hours a day in front of his computer, rarely leaving the seclusion of his beach-front property, where he’s come to finish his latest thriller—that is, until free-spirited Leanna Bray nearly drowns in the ocean trying to save her dog. Kurt’s best-laid plans are shot to hell when he comes to their rescue. Kurt’s as irritated as he is intrigued by the sexy, hot mess of a woman who lives life on a whim, forgets everything, and doesn’t even know the definition of the word organized.

Leanna’s come to the Cape hoping to find a fulfilling career in the jam-making business, and until she figures out her own life, a man is not on the menu. But Leanna can’t get the six-two, deliciously muscled and tragically neat Kurt out of her mind. She tells herself she’s just stopping by to say thank you, but the steamy afternoon sparks a wild and sexy ride as Kurt and Leanna test the powers of Chemistry 101: Opposites Attract.

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2 Winners

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The Best Medicine - Review & Giveaway

 Review by Marlene Engel

Evelyn Rhoades believes that important decisions in life should be approached scientifically.  When her friends talk her into joining an Internet dating site, it’s only natural for her to construct a list of requirements for potential dates.  After all, as a plastic surgeon she’s used to prioritizing things in order of importance.  Why should this be any different? 

Things change when she gets called to do a consult for a sexy, young patient named Tyler.  Just the sight of him makes blood rush to places that have been dormant for some time.  Just because he’s tall, with broad shoulders and a perfectly symmetrical face shouldn’t give her the right to think naughty thoughts about him. 

With Bell Harbor being the small town that it is, it was no surprise that Evelyn seemed to bump into him everywhere she went.  And Tyler wasn’t shy about trying to convince her to give him a shot.  But one thing’s for sure, he didn’t fit any of the criteria that was on the carefully constructed list of hers.  Will she throw caution to the wind and give Tyler a chance?  Or are her requirements ones that she’s not willing to bend on?

The Best Medicine is the second book in the Bell Harbor series.  It’s chock full of zany, lovable characters that make up this laugh out loud, funny story.  As with the first book in the series, I couldn’t put this one down.  The very first sentence draws you in and holds you until the very end.  I can’t praise Tracy Brogan enough for her brilliant writing and incorporation of such gut busting humor. 

Purchase the book at:

Amazon * Barnes&Noble

About the Author:

Past or present, Tracy Brogan loves romance. She read her first swashbuckling adventure at age sixteen and knew right then she was destined to become a novelist. She now writes fun and breezy contemporary stories about ordinary people finding extraordinary love, and lush historical romance full of political intrigue, damsels causing distress, and the occasional man in a kilt.

Tracy is a Romance Writer of America® RITA Finalist for Best First Book, and a two-time Golden Heart Finalist. She's the best-selling author of Crazy Little Thing and Highland Surrender. She resides in Michigan with her husband, their children, and their overly indulged dogs.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

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A Game Of Brides - Blurb

 A Game Of Brides

A Great Wedding Giveaway Novella

Megan Crane

Emmy Mathis is sure of three things:

     1.  Her sister Margery’s three-week wedding extravaganza at their grandmother’s Marietta, Montana home will be over-the-top ridiculous.

2.   She’d much prefer to stay home in Atlanta in a pair of sweats.
3.   And she absolutely, positively, won’t feel even a hint of a spark for Griffin Hyatt, grandson of her beloved grandmother’s best friend and the architect of the most embarrassing night of her life ten years ago.

But Emmy is dead wrong about number three. The moment she and Griffin lock eyes again, the

passion that’s always smoldered between them flames. And they aren’t kids anymore, so why should they deny the desire that sears through them both?

Is this no more than a wedding fling between two people with too much chemistry and an overload of history, or can Emmy try to build a new life from the ashes of their past? And if Griffin is truly really free of his fiance, why is he a finalist in the town’s Wedding Giveaway? Emmy can’t answer those questions, but she does know that Griffin has the power to burn her like no one else.

Still, how can Emmy walk away from the one man she’s always loved now that she knows what she’s been missing?

Purchase the book at:

Amazon

 USA Today bestselling author Megan Crane writes women’s fiction, chick lit, work-for-hire YA, and a lot of Harlequin Presents as Caitlin Crews.  She also teaches creative writing classes both online at mediabistro.com and at UCLA Extension's prestigious Writers' Program, where she finally utilizes the MA and PhD in English Literature she received from the University of York in York, England. She currently lives in California, with her animator/comic-book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals. 

Connect with the author at:

Website-MeganCrane * Website-CaitlinCrews * Twitter * Facebook

  

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Against The Cage - Book Tour & Giveaway

AGAINST THE CAGE: Worth the Fight Series

Loveswept Contemporary Romance

Written by Sidney Halston

Releasing May 27, 2014

Blurb

In her Loveswept debut, Sidney Halston turns up the heat as a sexy cage fighter shows a former bookworm how delicious a few rounds between the sheets can be.

For Chrissy Martin, returning to her Florida hometown always seems to bring bad luck. The day starts with a breakup text, followed by a jailhouse phone call from her troublemaker brother. Now a routine traffic stop has ended with her accidentally punching an officer . . . in a delicate place. Then Chrissy realizes that the hot cop on the receiving end of her right hook is none other than the man from her teenage fantasies.

Jack Daniels knows how to take a hit. After all, when he’s not chasing reckless drivers, he’s kicking ass in a mixed martial arts ring. So what takes his breath away isn’t the low blow, but the woman who dealt it: a gorgeous knockout with legs Jack wouldn’t mind being pinned under—who just so happens to be his best friend’s nerdy little sister, all grown up. Soon their instant chemistry leads to a sizzling affair, but Jack and Chrissy are fighting an uphill battle if they want to make love last beyond the final bell.

Purchase book at:

Amazon * B&N * iTunes

Author Guest Post

Top 5 most influential books

My father bought me my first book and I fell in love with books at a young age. The first romance novel, I read was Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon, I think I was fifteen-ish. Sheldon’s books have been the most influential books for me. I consumed all his books in no time.  If Tomorrow Comes, Windmill of the Gods, Bloodline…all of them. They were so well written and so enticing, that I could only aspire to write books half as good as these. All his heroines were strong, independent, driven women. Something that is sometimes lacking in books nowadays with all the alpha-male character (I’m not complaining because I LOVE me an alpha-male). I have vivid recollections of certain scenes from his books, that I love and haven’t yet to read anything like it. These books are still not dated. I know, because I have since re-read them and they’re still just as good. And, to think…they were written by a man! The man was a genius.

 Other than Sheldon, my high school teachers were very big on reading books you love instead of forcing you to read the regular school stuff (although I did read my share of Shakespeare and other school-sanctioned books), but I remember reading One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and that got me away from romance for a few years and I began to reading lots of great, inspirational books like all of Marquez’s books as well as Isabelle Allende and some autobiographical books, like Frank McCourt. Then, after not picking up a romance novel in years, I kept hearing about a little book called Twilight. I didn’t fall right into the Twilight bandwagon, I have to admit. I actually read it after all the books were already out and a week before the movie came out. I read the first two chapters twice, before I could move past it. But once I got into it, oh boy, did I get into it. I read all four books in less than a week, and as soon as it ended, I read them again. I was in a daze for months when it ended. That is what got me back into the romance genre and haven’t moved away since. Then there are the clichéd classics, but cliché or not, I love them and they have been so influential to me: Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights. I read one of these at least once a year…just because.

Then of course, there is the obvious: Fifty Shades of Gray. It’s not my favorite book, but I can’t deny it has been influential in my life—big time. FSOG took a lot of the taboo away from woman and sexuality. It made it okay, mainstream, even, to read books that were steamier and whose plot had a lot to do with sexual topics and even certain kinks that most people didn’t talk about in the open. So, for that, it has been very influential because it paved the way for lots of other books that I’ve absolutely loved.

Since reading is what inspires writing, at least it is to me, these books didn’t so much influence the plot of my books, but made me want to write and I can only hope that I do my favorite others proud.

About the Author:

Sidney Halston lives her life by one simple rule: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started” (Mark Twain). Or even simpler: “Just do it” (Nike). And that’s exactly what she did. At the age of thirty, having never written anything other than a legal brief, she picked up a pen for the first time to pursue her dream of becoming an author. That first stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing. Halston lives in South Florida with her husband and children.

Connect with the author at:

Goodreads * Twitter * Facebook * Website

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The Substitute Bride - Blurb

Blurb

Once upon a time, Marly Akers had believed that, for better or worse, people made their own luck…

Marly wonders how she could ever have believed it. Jilted and pregnant, she’s come back to Marietta with her tail between her legs, the blow to her ego huge as she begins working at her family’s small newspaper, the Copper Mountain Courier and sharing a tiny apartment with her disapproving mom.

Things can’t get any worse.  Or maybe they can. Drake Everett, who secretly captured her teenaged heart and then publicly trampled on it, decides to make her re-acquaintance.  Though Drake isn’t the sharp, funny, cocky, arrogant rich boy of yore.  These days he seems sharp, funny…and supportive and decent, and Marly realizes she could fall for him all over again…if she listens to her heart. But what about her reporter’s head, which has sniffed out a story that paints Drake as the love-rat she’s always known…?

About the Author:

Since the day Harlequin bought her first novel, Kathleen has published more than 30 titles with them- everything from hot, sexy contemporaries to dark, brooding suspense. Read in more than 30 countries and 29 languages, she's a five-time finalist for the prestigious RWA RITA Award, a winner of the Maggie Award, and a three-time finalist for Romantic Times' Reviewer's Choice.

Kathleen comes from a family of writers, poets, and journalists- though she may be the one shameless romantic in the bunch. A true Cancer, she values home and family above everything and wouldn't dream of ditching a single friend, memory, gift, or love letter. Consequently, her office is a mess, full of books, colored cut glass, photo albums, Madame Alexander dolls, and a cockatiel who whistles the theme from "The X Files." She is addicted to Mozart and Elvis, Dancing With the Stars, Dorothy Dunnett novels, and sugar-free Popsicles.

Connect with the author at:

Website * Facebook * Twitter

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