#BlogTour THE SURROGATE by Penelope Ward #AllTheStars #OurReview #MustRead https://amzn.to/3TbWaFZ  #OneClick

Title: The Surrogate
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Age Gap/Widower/Found Family
Forbidden/Enemies to Friends to Lovers
Release Date: February 26, 2024
BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE novel…

ABBY:

I’m falling for the father of the baby I’m carrying.
The problem is: it’s not my baby.
And the broody widower is not looking for a long-term partner.
As a surrogate, the deal was that I’d only be in England long enough to give birth.
At first, the man seemed as pretentious as his name: Sigmund Benedictus.
He and I butted heads.
Sig challenged my intentions, accused me of just wanting to do this for the money.
Gradually, he learned to trust me.
He even became protective.
Over time, our heated animosity turned into fiery chemistry.
I was falling in love with him.
But my time here had a limit.
I needed to protect my heart from the devastatingly gorgeous older man who’d end up breaking it.

SIG:

When my in-laws told me they wanted to use my dead wife’s eggs to conceive a grandchild, I wasn’t immediately on board.
They swore that on her deathbed Britney told them it was what she wanted—but only if I fathered the baby. Her parents insisted they would be the ones to raise it.
Against my better judgment, I agreed.
I vowed to keep my heart out of it, though.
I’d continue to pretend it wasn’t happening and live the empty, single life I’d become accustomed to the past five years since Britney died.
And despite the fact that a certain younger American named Abby Knickerbocker had awakened things inside me that I thought were long dead…
I most certainly wouldn’t fall in love with the surrogate.

PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

AGE GAP

WIDOWER
BRITISH HERO
FOUND FAMILY
SLOW BURN
FORBIDDEN
ENEMIES-TO-FRIENDS-TO-LOVERS

AUTHOR BIO

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

AUTHOR LINKS
OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

OUR REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I adore this story! So swoony! I completely fell in love with both Abby and Sig!

Sig is still in love with his dead wife and not at all interested in moving on from that. He is floored when his in-laws tell him that Brittany’s last wish was to use her frozen eggs to give them a grandchild.

Abby is a family friend who offers to carry the child for them, but she becomes so much more for Sig. Abby is such a good person, you can’t help but want the best for her as she tries to do her best for others.

The story is a little slow burn but once it starts burning it is Hawt!! My new favorite book by this author!!

-5+ Stars- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Diane-

#NewRelease THE OTHER EMILY by Barbara Freethy https://barbarafreethy.com/products/the-other-emily #Thriller #Suspense

Happy Release Day to The Other Emily! I’m so happy for this new mystery/thriller to be out in the world and for you all to read it. It might just keep you up past your bedtime. 😉
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In this heart-stopping psychological thriller, Emily Hollister’s seemingly perfect life unravels when she becomes the target of someone intent on taking over her life.

“I know what you did.”

The anonymous note starts an ominous game of cat and mouse. Soon, Emily finds herself trapped in a web of gaslighting and manipulation. Someone is lurking in the shadows, observing her every move, and insidiously replacing her in her own existence.

With no one she can trust, Emily turns to a stranger for help, an ex-soldier with his own baggage to carry, but is he who he appears to be?

As the danger escalates, Emily fights to put an end to the terrifying charade. With all the skeletons in her past, unmasking her tormentor is no easy task, but if she fails, she may find herself erased from her own life.

#NewRelease #newreleasebooks #newbook #pubday #mysterythriller #thrillerbooks #psychologicalthriller

OUR REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An action packed, complete page turner!!

Wowzer! Tons of suspense and mystery right from the start. The Other Emily is an action packed, complete page turner that I could not put down.

Emily’s world is turned upside down when she receives an anonymous note.

“I know what you did.”

The story is a super psychological thriller, edge of the seat, don’t know who to trust, twist after twist kind of thing!

“You’re in real trouble, Emily. This woman is using your name, taking over your life, stealing your voice, and she’s not stopping there. We need to find this other Emily.”

Every SINGLE character is a suspect!! Emily’s friends, family, coworkers, even the guy who is helping her!!!

“I feel like I’m seeing evil in every person I speak to, everyone who walks by me, gives me a glance.”

I am a fan of romantic suspense and this book just went to the top of my favorites in that genre!

-5+ Stars!- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Diane-

🎬Grab your copy here>>>https://barbarafreethy.com/products/the-other-emily
🎬Grab your copy at other online retailers here>>>https://books2read.com/TOE-Freethy

#BlogTour OUT OF LOVE by @JewelE_Ann #NewRelease #6Stars #OurReviews #MustRead Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/OutOfLove

OUR REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow! Wow! Wow! What an amazing story. I didn’t want to put it down from the first word to the last! It is an absolute Must Read.

“I had this feeling … a terrible unexplainable feeling that he wasn’t simply going to break my heart, he was going to shatter it beyond repair.”

Out of Love is a sort of spin off from the Jack and Jill series, but definitely a standalone.

The heroine, Livy Knight is the daughter of Jackson Knight, one of the main characters from that series. She is an out on a limb, rule breaker often leaps before looking kind of person. She is intrigued by the mysterious Slade Wylder and his dog, Jericho and does all she can to discover more about them.

“Love was supposed to heal all wounds, not rip apart souls.”

Out of Love is awesome whether you are continuing from the Jack and Jill series or jumping right in on its own.

-5+++ Stars!-

-Diane-

Out of Love by Jewel E. Ann is now live! 

Conspiracies. Corruption. Serial killers.

You name it–I’m fascinated by it. My mom always blamed my overly curious and highly suspicious mind on my dad.

My incredibly overbearing dad.

Mr. No One Is Good Enough For My Daughter has been terrifying my dates since I turned fifteen.

College is my chance to be free from his control and date any guy I want.

I’m absolutely certain he would hate Slade Wylder–almost as certain as I am that I do too.

Since when have I shied away from trouble?

Slade fascinates me. He lives in a house I’m certain is haunted. His dog is trained as well as any guard I’ve ever seen. Rumor on campus is that he deals drugs. It would explain a lot.

But it doesn’t explain why he saves me from my darkest moment.

It doesn’t explain why I can’t stop thinking about him.

And the explanation I finally discover is far more dangerous than any rumor.

  

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mF4w6N

Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/OutOfLove    

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2E0ltHb

Excerpt

Out of Love – Excerpt 

After their kissy-huggy greeting ended, they walked toward the house with Jericho in tow. I waited for him to glance back at me. He saw me. There was no way he passed me a few seconds earlier on the street and didn’t see me. Yet, he made no attempt to acknowledge me. 

Until … 

My boy Jerry stopped abruptly and turned like he caught whiff of my scent. All the warm fuzzies filled my chest. A dog gave me more feels than any man had given me in a long time. Maybe ever. 

Jericho liked me. Hell, maybe he loved me. 

He protected me. 

He smiled when he saw me—tongue out, tail in a low wag. I continued my way up the sidewalk, feigning surprise when he trotted toward me in spite of Slade barking his own command. 

“Hey, Jerry.” I squatted down to give him double the love Miss Sophisticated gave him … and I had a treat in my pocket because part of me anticipated—hoped for—a chance encounter. “Oh, buddy … I love you too.” I closed my eyes and turned my face side to side while he showered me with kisses.

Slade cleared his throat. 

I opened my eyes—noticing his friend must have gone inside. “Sorry.” I stood, sliding a treat into Jericho’s mouth along the way. “I know it’s hard for you to know he likes me more.” On a shrug, I bit my lips together to keep my shit-eating grin under control. 

“Inside,” he said to Jericho while looking at me. 

Jericho turned and headed to the back door. 

“If you have a job to do … Jerry can hang with me tonight. I’m alone this evening.” 

“Jericho. And he doesn’t need a babysitter.” 

“Maybe I do.” 

His brow tensed a fraction, contemplation settling into a slight frown for a few seconds, before he whistled and Jericho came running. “Send him home when your friends get back.” 

Why was the only word that sat on the tip of my idle tongue? Why protect me? 

“What are you going to do?” Okay, apparently “why” wasn’t the only word on the tip of my tongue after all. Six other words were in line first. 

“Does it matter?” 

Letting my gaze settle over his shoulder to the firehouse and images of Miss Sophisticated waiting for him, I lifted a single shoulder. “No. Just curious. Is she your girlfriend?” 

“Does it matter?” 

“I hate you.” I rolled my eyes. “Worst communication skills ever.” 

“Good. Hate me. I prefer it.” 

I recoiled. I didn’t really hate anyone. It wasn’t my personality to be hateful, vengeful, or hold grudges. Why did Slade Wylder want me to hate him? It was a joke. I hated his lack of sharing information. 

“If you’re selling her some shit that will ruin her life, may I suggest you rethink that? Not cool, Wylder.” 

“Noted.” 

Tipping my chin up, I gave him several tiny nods. “Okay then. I’ll take Jerry to my house and spoil him. Maybe he comes back to you … maybe he doesn’t.” 

Slade let his gaze slide down my body, a slow and easy trip. He didn’t do that when we met. Somewhere along the way, he decided it was okay. I wasn’t sure what reaction he desired from me. 

Maybe nothing. 

Maybe he did it out of pure selfish desire. 

“I’m only allowing this because I love Jerry.” 

Curious eyes met mine, slightly squinted. 

I smirked. “Stripping me with those eyes of yours.” 

Moments … 

I collected moments in my mind, my heart, my soul, like Aubrey collected rare coins—my mom dying, my dad spending a few years thoroughly drunk. Mostly bad moments—permanent scars. 

That moment I tucked into my memory forever as one of the first truly great moments.  

Wylder …

The corners of his mouth quirked into pure sin. If Satan was hot as fuck, his name would have been Slade Wylder, and I would have been in a whole helluva lot of trouble. 

Meet  Jewel E. Ann


Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today best selling author a with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance. 

Connect with Jewel

Website: https://www.jeweleann.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7505427.Jewel_E_Ann

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jewel-E-Ann/e/B00IJYHDIG/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjeweleann

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/485996228236493

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjeweleann/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JewelE_Ann

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jewel-e-ann

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jeweleannauthor/

#BlogTour ENGAGEMENT and ESPIONAGE by @ReidRomance #RomCom #CozyMystery More than #5Stars #OurReview Amazon: https://amzn.to/3auZzqI

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Engagement and Espionage, an all-new quirky and swoon-worthy romantic comedy featuring fan favorites Jenn and Cletus Winston from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is available now!

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OUR REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A new series by Penny Reid? Lets click now and ask questions later!!

Engagement and Espionage is the first story in a new cozy mystery series. The story itself is a standalone but a spin off of the Winston Brothers series. I think it helps if you’ve met Cletus and Jenn in Beard Science.

“I can’t say that he doesn’t or does have the ability to not do something such as, but not including, however similar to, should the need arise, and only under duress or not.”

“Cletus.” I rolled my eyes heavenward. “That sentence made no sense.”

The story has mystery, murder, mayhem, chickens and plenty of humor. I was worried that there wouldn’t be any romance but I had no complaints. There was lots of Swoony Cletus in there.

“… a very unladylike display of ravenous enjoyment, and moaned again.

It’s the sausage. Folks are always ravenous for my sausage.”

I am in love with this new series and can’t wait for more of these stories. And as soon as the audiobook releases I’m jumping in for a read!

-5+ Stars!-

-Diane-

Jennifer Sylvester made her deal with the devil . . . and now they’re engaged!

But all is not well in Green Valley. A chicken choker is on the loose, 61 dead birds most “fowl” need plucking, and no time remains for Jennifer and her devilish fiancé. Desperate to find a spare moment together, Jenn and Cletus’s attempts to reconnect are thwarted by one seemingly coincidental disaster after another. It’s not long before Cletus and Jenn see a pattern emerge and the truth becomes clear.

Sabotage!

Will an undercover mission unmask the culprit? Or are these love-birds totally plucked?

‘Engagement and Espionage’ is the first book in the Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries series, is a full-length cozy mystery, and is a spin-off of Penny Reid’s Winston Brothers series. This novel is best read after ‘Beard Science,’ Winston Brothers #3.

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Download your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3auZzqI
Apple Books: https://apple.co/33ONMAK
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/engagementespionage
Nook: https://bit.ly/3dvV8hf
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2wxWreY
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3aqIT3h

Add ENGAGEMENT AND ESPIONAGE to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2UoVpea

Excerpt:

“Don’t stop.” She reached for my belt again, this time completely undoing it, the button of my pants, and my zipper at world-record speed.

Her phone buzzed. Then it chimed. Then it buzzed and chimed two more times. Then it rang again. Reba.

Cursing, Jenn pulled the phone from her pocket, once again her face illuminated, murderous rage in her eyes. Her finger moved to the power off button. She blinked, hesitating. Her eyes widened, her body stiffened, and she gasped.

“Cletus!”

Something about her tone, like she was horrified, and maybe a little afraid, cut through the heavy haze of lust inertia, and my hands stilled. Shaking myself, it took me a few moments to realize she was showing me the phone screen, and another few to bring the content of the text messages into focus.

Momma: Jennifer Anne Sylvester, pick up your phone. If you’re with Cletus, I need his help. Please.

Momma: ALL THE CHICKENS AND ROOSTERS ARE DEAD! PICK UP YOUR DAMN PHONE!

Momma: I’m calling you in a second, pick up the phone. Mr. Badcock’s chickens are dead. All of them. I got here and he’s running around, deranged, yelling about his dead chickens! I called the police and they’re on their way. Please, please, please pick up the phone!

At some point, I must’ve taken the phone from Jenn and stepped away, because I glanced up upon reading the messages for the third time, finding the phone in my hand and Jenn fixing her skirt.

“This is nuts.” Her big eyes searched mine imploringly. “Who could have done this?”

I shook my head, having not yet managed to fully shift head gears—you know, from that head to the one on my neck—and my gaze dropped to the wet patch on the front of her dress just visible in the swath of light. My erection throbbed.

So we’re . . . not having sex?

“Why? Why would they do it? And WHO?” She snatched her phone back, her tone bewildered, distracted, and distraught. She was distraught because of the dead chickens, like any normal person would be.

I was distraught also, but my distress had nothing to do with farm animals.

“We have to go.” Jenn grabbed my hand and began walking toward the direction of the hall. Meanwhile, it took me until her hand found the door handle to realize my zipper and belt were still undone.

“This is crazy.” She paused as I zipped up, her tone halting and distracted. “Poor Mr. Badcock. And those poor chickens.” A sound of distress escaped her throat. “This is terrible.”

It was terrible.

And I was going to hell.

Because all I could think was, Talk about a cock block.

Meet Penny Reid:
PennyReid
Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

Connect with Penny:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennyReidWriter/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lakzsD
Twitter: @ReidRomance
Mailing List: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/
www.pennyreid.ninja

#NewRelease BOSS IN THE BEDSHEETS by @kCanterbary #OneClick #Readitnow geni.us/BITB #OurReviews #6Stars

#NewRelease BOSS IN THE BEDSHEETS by Kate Canterbary

OUR REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Boss in the Bedsheets was AMAZING!! No unnecessary drama, yay! Just a great completely ‘unputdownable’ story from start to finish.

Kate Canterbary writes the absolute BEST grumpy, growly heroes and Ash is the best of the best! He is super grumpy, growly, bossy… but the SWEETEST grump ever!!

“… scowling and frowning, his growls, his moods, his unnecessary jabs. He was precious under all that grump and I lived for the prize of an ooey gooey center…”

And Zelda is awesome. She is thrown in with Ash by fate and running from something but she is a bright ‘moonbeam’ and absolutely no shrinking violet, doormat heroine.

“Why do I have the impression I’ve hired the Mary Poppins of tax and audit?”

Zelda hit me with a slight smirk. “Not sure if I’m practically perfect in every way but it’s possible.”

Oh and did I mention HOT? Scorching HOT, just take my word and one click.

If I could give this story a hundred stars I would!! The story is a standalone. You don’t have to know that Ash is Magnolia’s brother. Just dive in blind.

-All The Stars!-

-Diane-

SYNOPSIS:

 

Mr. Santillian,

Despite the fact I’m currently living out of your guest room and sleeping with you most nights, I am writing to announce my resignation effective two weeks from today.

In other words, I’ll locate someone who is both obscenely overqualified and willing to devote their days to the handful of tasks you are able to wrench from your perfectionist, micromanaging grip. It may be difficult to find a Nobel laureate genius looking for basic filing work on such short notice, but I’ll do my best.

Don’t worry about your sister’s wedding this weekend. I still plan to attend as your date, assuming you’ve finished hating me by then.

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Zelda

 

Ms. Besh,

Resignation not accepted.

I’ll see you at home.

Ash

 

 

BOSS IN THE BEDSHEETS  is a full-length steamy contemporary romance standalone.

LINKS:

 

If you read from Barnes & Noble, Kobo, or Apple Books, please be sure to preorder and download your copy. This title won’t be available there after release day!

👔 Amazon: https://geni.us/BITBAm

👔 Apple: https://geni.us/BITBAB

👔 B&N: https://geni.us/BITBbn

👔 Kobo: https://geni.us/BITBk

👔 Add it to your TBR on Goodreads: https://geni.us/BITBGR

#BlogTour UPSY DAISY by @ChelsieEWrites #DaisyPayton #Standalone #OneClick @SmartyPantsRom #6Stars #OurReview

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College, cookies, capers, Oh my!

Upsy Daisy, an all-new first love college romance from debut author Chelsie Edwards, is now available in Kindle Unlimited!

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OUR REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don’t even know how to express how much I absolutely adored this book! The writing, the feels, the storytelling were so perfect I dove into the story and just never wanted to come up for air.

“They moved like a pair of homonyms—the same kind of fine, sounding two different ways, and it was patently unfair to every female in observation distance.”

The story takes place at Nashville’s Fisk University and I loved that it was set in the 1970’s when I was a teen myself.

I was so excited to read that Daisy Payton’s was getting a story in the Smartypants series, but a little worried that the characters were so young. As an older reader, I’m not a huge fan of college romance as a rule but this story has none of that immature juvenile feel.

“She was a manic kind of beauty.

The kind of beautiful that stole a man’s breath and sanity all at once. The kind of beauty that made men warriors, that made them fools. This girl was dangerous.”

I can’t wait to read more stories in this series and really look forward to more books by this author. I’m definitely a fan now.

-6 Stars!!-

-Diane-

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Daisy Payton has everything.

Exceptional grades.

Impeccable clothes.

Model family.

But perfection comes at a high cost, and Daisy is wilting. Determined to use college as her chance to bloom anew, she’s focused on only one thing, leaving the Payton name behind and forging her own path—even if she has to tell the teeniest of fibs to do it.

Trevor Boone has nothing.

Abandoned as a child.

Raised by distant relatives.

Constantly reminded he’s a burden.

Trevor’s lived at the edges of opulence for years, having all he’s ever desired dangled just out of reach. But his ambition is finally about to pay off and nothing will distract him from his goal—finishing college top of his class and starting life, on his own terms.

When Daisy and Trevor meet it’s clear from the start that they’ll tempt each other to distraction, can they learn to put their ambitions aside and fall or will they lose it all?

‘Upsy Daisy’ is a full-length romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #1 in the Higher Learning series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

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Download your copy TODAY!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2G2FwlO

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2syOT9y

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/38ov97L

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/30Dm34u

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2RyfwUJ

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Excerpt

My room was small with pale yellow walls, one window on the far wall, two closets, two raised beds, and a single dresser. I’d beaten my roommate there and claimed the bed closest to the window. We’d made quick work of the cleaning and had gotten a good way through the decorating and hanging my clothes before Dolly flopped on the bed and called me to sit next to her.

I knew what was coming next. It was one of my favorite Dolly speeches. It was the “Today You Become a Woman” speech. My conservative guess was I’d become a woman twenty-three times in the last few years. It’d happened when I’d gotten my driver’s license, when I’d gotten asked to the junior prom, when I’d gone to the senior prom, graduation day … you get the drift. Dolly was good with marking milestones with big speeches.

She’d begin gently but I knew it wouldn’t stay gentle for very long, she would poke and pry and try to get me to cry and suddenly I was tired and ready for her to go.

“Do you like your room?” she asked innocuously.

I nodded, because I knew she hated when I nodded. Instead of reacting she simply stared and stared until I said, “Yes, it’s nice, a bit small for two people but I’m sure my roommate will be nice and we will make do,” I said it more hoping than knowing.

Dolly smiled, and then after a moment said, “Don’t be angry with your father …”

I stared at her confused, waiting for her to go on. She seemed to be struggling for words and so I patted her leg reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’ll write him a letter. Or better yet, I think I saw a pay phone at the end of the hall, I’ll call him and tell him I’m not angry he couldn’t make the trip.”

She sighed. “No, Daisy, I know you’re not angry over that.”

There was another pause and she took a deep breath. “Daddy wanted to surprise you. He thought you might be more comfortable in your own room here since you have your own room at home.”

I continued to stare at her. “He called in a favor with one of his friends at the Alumni Association and they made special accommodations for you … someone will be by to collect the extra bed—”

“No,” I said more forcefully than I intended. I wasn’t angry with Dolly.

Although she had kept this from me until now, so maybe I should’ve been. In fact I definitely should’ve been.

“Dolly, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I knew it would make you upset. There is no use trying to change what’s done.”

“No use? Would make me upset? I am way past upset. I don’t want special accommodations. I don’t want my own room. I don’t want to be treated differently,” I hollered.

“Daisy, calm down. This isn’t the end of the world.”

How could I explain that it wasn’t the end of the world, it was a continuation of the same world.

And that was the problem.

I wanted to be Daisy Payton here, not Daisy Payton.

Because Daisy Payton played a mean game of spades, and knew how to cornrow in every direction. She had a natural head for figures, and could even do three digit multiplication in her head. She loved the Temptations and could cut a rug on the dance floor with the best of them. She could bake better than your eighty-five-year-old granny. She studied geography for fun. She got a four-point-oh during the worst year of her life. She was good with potted plants but terrible in the garden; weeds were foes she could not defeat. She’d been kissed twice. Once was awful and once was amazing, so amazing that she did it again, and then again—so really four times, but three of the kisses happened in one session. And she wanted opportunities to roll that fifty-fifty dice again to find out how the next kiss would be.

But Daisy Payton?

Daisy Payton had a powerful father. (That poor man.)

Daisy Payton was a rich girl. (She’s not but it doesn’t matter if people think you are.)

She had a dead brother, who got murdered in Vietnam. (What a useless war.)

Daisy Payton had a mother who was there and then *poof* was gone from breast cancer. (Poor Daisy.)

Daisy Payton went from rich girl to poor girl. Poor little rich girl that everyone looked at with pity.

And she hated it.

She hated that everyone, everyone thought they knew her.

She hated the assumption that if they hurt with her, or worse, for her, then it made the pain better, as if that made it the entire community’s pain; when it absolutely didn’t.

She hated that she still read and reread the letters from her brother. Some of the pages had wrinkles from being crumpled in fits of anger because oh, she was so angry when he left. And then she felt guilty and stupid and horrified that she’d almost destroyed his letters when they were all that was left. Some were starting to show signs of age, yellow in some spots and the ink fading in others, and she hated that too because how could so much time have passed without him?

And she hated that her mother had been helping her shop for homecoming dresses and was buried before Thanksgiving. It had spread so fast.

No junior prom dress shopping. No junior prom.

She barely remembered her senior year.

She hated that her friends and family and perfect strangers spoke to her in hushed tones and assumed she was broken.

She hated that they were right.

Because the ache inside her was relentless. It constantly missed her brother. It constantly missed her mother. It would not abate. It could not be moved. She was thoroughly, horribly, broken and all that brokenness was put up for examination by an entire town. That just couldn’t happen here.

For the whole of her life, the whole of Green Valley had treated her differently, and she absolutely hated it.

But she wasn’t in Green Valley now. And Daisy Payton had a plan.

About Chelsie Edwards

Chelsie Edwards’ mother declared her a smarty-pants at 4 years old; now she gets to be one professionally. She manages project timelines by day and book timelines by night. She resides in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and has no dogs, fish, or birds, but her neighbors cat “Buddy” keeps her company by sunbathing on her porch. Her debut novella is scheduled to be released Spring 2020 on Smartypants Romance and will chronicle Daisy and Trevor’s journey.

TF

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#BlogTour CARPENTRY AND COCKTAILS by @NoraEverly @SmartyPantsRom #MoreThan5Stars #OurReviews #OneClick

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Carpentry and Cocktails, an all-new heartwarming small-town romance from Nora Everly, is now available in Kindle Unlimited!

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OUR REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Where has this author been all my life??? I absolutely loved this book. With beautiful lyrical writing it had all the h’s… heart, heat and humor in a story that grabbed me from the start and entertained me till the end.

“I could tell she was protecting a soft spot and it made me want to discover it so I could be the one to keep her safe.”

Everett Monroe is quiet, a bit nerdy, and a lot swoony! He is willing to do anything for Willa including taking some pretty good advice from a couple of teens.

“You just back off for now, and she’ll come to you. I guarantee it. Just be all sexy and protective from afar. Trust me, she’ll love it. All us girls do. Act broody and hovery, like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. But without the creeptastic qualities.”

Willa Hill had run away and married her bad boy boyfriend as a teen but is now back in Green Valley trying to get her life back on track. I was rooting for Willa to find her inner strength and discover all the goodness in herself instead of listening to those who constantly put her down like that jerk ex-husband and her horrible mother.

Carpentry and Cocktails is a complete standalone but I know I need more of the Monroe brothers (and their mom!)

-5++Stars!!!-

-Diane-

Everett Monroe can’t keep his eyes off his gorgeous tenant.

He’d like to put his hands on her too, but she’s prickly, closed-off, and gives new meaning to the word disgruntled. In other words, she’s his perfect match and he’ll do anything to make her see it too.

Willa Hill has finally left her teen runaway past behind and wants a fresh start—alone. Men are nothing but trouble and she’s had enough man-trouble to last a lifetime.

Too bad her irresistibly sexy, nerdy-hot landlord doesn’t agree.

When their mutual yearning becomes a white-hot fling and passion crosses carefully drawn, albeit one-sided boundaries, Everett finds himself in love and Willa finds herself in a pickle.

Because, unfortunately, when she returned to Green Valley, her problems came too.

When the past she escaped crashes into the future she finds herself wanting more than anything, will Willa stay in Green Valley?

Or will she run away again?

‘Carpentry and Cocktails’ is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #5 in the Green Valley Library series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

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Excerpt

We had danced together before, the night I’d first met her. Months ago, I’d been at Genie’s with Wyatt to have a few beers and shake off the day. Instead, I’d danced all evening with the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Every time I remembered holding her close, I had to fight against getting hard. Since that night, I had been half in love with her. The physical half was all in—I was attracted to her something fierce. The mental half didn’t know enough to start the fall, even though everything I learned about her drew me in and each day made me fall a little further. She was skittish with a fiercely sharp wit; she had been hurt. I could tell she was protecting a soft spot and it made me want to discover it so I could be the one to keep her safe.

But she had kept her distance from me—well, as much as she possibly could while living in the apartment in my basement—and we hadn’t touched again, not once. Having her crash into my arms just now was heady stuff. Her scent, the feel of her body, the warm press of her against me—she made me feel intoxicated, and I had yet to order a single drink. My heart was in danger, but I couldn’t make myself stay away.

“My sister…I’m sorry—” she stammered as she started to step back.

I tugged her closer instead of letting her get away. “Don’t apologize. Dance with me?” My hands drifted around her waist as I started moving us backward toward the dance floor.

“Oh, I don’t know if we should.” Hesitation flashed briefly in her eyes, but she acquiesced and followed me across the floor as I turned to hold her hand, giving it a gentle tug of encouragement.

Leaning to the side, I whispered in her ear as we walked. “It’s just a dance, Willard.” I pulled back and grinned down at her with a wink. Her gorgeous eyes—big and light blue like the summer sky—widened as she opened her mouth to say something, but I twirled her under my arm instead of letting her speak. Country music blasted through the bar, fast and wild. It left no room for hesitation. I yanked her into my arms. “Okay?” I shouted over the music.

My mother loved to dance; she taught all us boys how. A gentleman always takes his lady dancing. And maintains a respectful distance. I took a small step back, placing my hand on Willa’s upper back as our fingers linked together. With a step forward, she closed that distance to press against me once more. My lips curled up in a grin as her hand tightened in mine and her arm slid around my neck, hand drifting through the back of my tied-back hair. She wasn’t as immune to me as she pretended to be and I wouldn’t dare test that by stepping away from her again, even if it wasn’t gentlemanly. If she wanted me close, then that’s where I’d be.

Her gorgeous eyes twinkled in the lights as she smiled up at me and her body relaxed in my arms. “Okay, Everett. I’ll dance with you,” she breathed. Her voice was much too quiet to hear over the blaring music, but my focus on her gorgeous mouth allowed me to understand her words.

Quick, quick, slow—our easy Texas two-step was the same as everyone else’s on the floor but with her in my arms, this felt like so much more than a simple dance. I led her across the floor, spinning her out and pulling her back. I wanted to make her laugh again, like I did during our last dance so many months ago. I wanted her to want me as much as I wanted her. We had almost shared a kiss that night but were interrupted before anything could happen. She had the prettiest lips; full and soft and always pink. If I never kissed Willa before I died, it would be one of my greatest regrets. I had faith the right moment would present itself. As the song came to an end, I took both of her hands to spin her under my arms before dipping her low over my knee. Her ponytail brushed the floor as her neck arched back. She laughed, lifted her head and my heart skipped a beat as her eyes shone into mine with unbridled delight. Her sexy laugh tickled over my skin like I wished her hands would do and I felt the fall I was so afraid of coming even closer.

“God, you’re such a good dancer. Where’d you learn to dance like this, Everett?” she asked, slightly breathless and totally adorable as she beamed up at me. It seemed that dancing with Willa was one of the keys to get her to respond to me. I filed that fact away for future contemplation as I pulled her up and into my hold once again.

My smile turned sideways as I was about to admit my nerdy momma’s-boy truth to her. “From my mother,” I shouted over the music. “She loves to dance. My father tries, but he isn’t very good at it, so she taught all us boys how. We used to take turns two-stepping with her all over the living room.”

“That’s the sweetest thing ever,” she said. Score one for the nerds!

“One more?” I didn’t want to let her go yet.

“Sure, I have time for one more before I have to get back to work.”

With its slower beat and romantic lyrics, Lady Antebellum’s “I Run to You” changed the energy between us. The rise and fall of her chest as she sighed against me filled me with need as her forehead briefly rested on my shoulder and our fingers linked. I loved it that she was so tall. At six-foot-six I towered over most women, but Willa fit me just right. My need grew urgent as I wrapped my arm around her waist and my hand met the soft swipe of her skin, bared by the tied hem of her Genie’s tank top. Smooth and warm, it tempted me into thoughts inappropriate for our location. I inhaled a sharp breath to regain control. Dipping my head low, I took in her sweet scent as my cheek rested against hers—so soft. Her curly hair tickled my chin as my senses filled with nothing but her. Having her next to me felt right and I didn’t understand why. My heart raced out of control and I wondered just what it was about her that made me react so intensely.

She reminded me of a Palomino horse; all long legs, flowing light blond hair, and pale skin kissed with adorable freckles. Willa was some kind of wild, and totally free. I shut my eyes and pictured her running across her momma’s land up in the hills above town with her gorgeous hair flying behind her like a gold cloud, her laughter trailing through the air. God, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I grit my teeth as my control started slipping away again. I was in danger of making a fool of myself. I was in danger of a lot of things, and a broken heart was at the top of that list.

“I love this song…” she whispered in my ear as she pulled away. Her head lifted from my shoulder as her hand trailed down my arm. She linked our fingers and I resumed leading her around the floor, rather than the slow sway we’d fallen into when the song started.

“Mm hmm,” I muttered as I gazed into her eyes and smiled faintly, at a loss for words.

She studied my face. “Everett, why do I always feel like when you’re looking at me, you really see me?” she murmured.

“I do see you. Sometimes you’re all I see,” I confessed, hoping it wasn’t too much, too soon.

Lowering her head, she tucked her blushing cheek into the side of my neck and sighed against my skin, leaving goosebumps in the wake of her breath. I continued leading her across the dance floor with my heart beating like crashing thunder bolts in my chest. I should be careful; I didn’t want her to end up being just another girl I fell for who didn’t want me back. Story of my life.

About Nora Everly

Nora Everly is a lifelong bookworm. She started reading the good stuff once she grew tall enough to sneak the romance novels off the top of her mother’s bookshelf and it has been non-stop ever since.

Once upon a time she was a substitute teacher and an educational assistant. Now she’s a writer and stay at home mom to two small humans and one fat cat.

Nora lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and her overactive imagination.

NENENENENE

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#BlogTour BATTER OF WITS by @KSorensenBooks #MoreThan5Stars #OurReview #Standalone @SmartyPantsRom #KU #OneClick https://amzn.to/30wAA1J

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“Heartfelt, hilarious, with a dash of angst…Karla Sorensen shines with the perfect feel-good read!” –Author Catherine Cowles

Batter of Wits, an all-new funny and heartwarming romance from Karla Sorensen, is now available in Kindle Unlimited!

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OUR REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just adored this story!! It is fun and sweet, but still deep and emotional. There is a family love curse (or is it hate curse?)

“Hate at first sight,” my brother mused. I shrugged. “I guess.” Grady laughed under his breath. “Maybe the Buchanan curse works opposite on women. Instead of love at first sight, you get the hate.”

Grace arrives in Green Valley with no plan for what she wants to do. She gets caught up in a family ‘love curse’, a kissing booth for the town’s Headless Chicken festival, gossip at the local Piggly Wiggly, and a bit of a web of secrets.

“How did you find a word that described the realization that your life just shifted irrevocably, like the key turning—smoothly and unimpeded—in a lock that nobody had been able to find before that exact moment?”

In Batter of Wits we get a touch of a forbidden relationship, but how long can it stay secret if our couple keep getting caught kissing (and more)? There is everything I love about small town romance with so many great characters populating this story.

“My heart felt too big for my body, too big for the room, my house, the town.”

The romance is sweet, HOT, and Swoony with a capital S! Sign me up for more stories in this series and by this author!! Keep them coming!!

-5++ Stars!!!- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Diane-

Hate at first sight couldn’t possibly exist, right?

That’s what Grace Buchanan thought, before her useless car stranded her on the side of a deserted road just inside the Green Valley city limits.

When Tucker Haywood—tall and handsome and full of southern charm— shows up to help, her reaction to him is the strongest thing she’s ever felt in her life, and it makes no freaking sense.

It doesn’t make much sense to Tucker either. Not why she hates him, or why he finds her so intriguing. He knows well enough that Grace is moving to Green Valley for a fresh start, not to distract him when he’s got no room for something like her in his life.

The complications between them are endless, but that doesn’t stop her definitely not love-at-first-sight feelings from changing into something else entirely.

Grace and Tucker are about to learn the hard way that in Green Valley, hating someone has never tasted so sweet.

‘Batter of Wits’ is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #5 in the Donner Bakery series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

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Excerpt

When I looked down, her hands were fisted on the countertop, shaking from the effort of keeping them still.

“I’d take a picture of that,” I told her, voice low and charged.

She tilted her chin up toward me. “Of what?”

In the low light of the apartment, her eyes glowed like melted gold.

“Your hands.” I licked my suddenly dry lips. “I feel like they’re telling me something that I can’t figure out.”

Grace peered down at the fists she was making, and her fingers relaxed, the skin no longer white around her knuckles.

“What are they telling me, Grace?” I begged.

She ducked under my arm and I exhaled heavily. Without the heat from her body against mine, I took a second to get myself under control. When I turned, she was handing me her camera.

“Go ahead,” she said.

I tilted my head. “You want me to take your picture?”

Grace studied the camera, carefully removing the lens cap and pulling it up to her eyes. She aimed it at my face, and I wondered what she saw. If I looked like I was one thread away from snapping, because that’s how I felt.

I’d never felt like I was one quick step away from freedom, but here, I was. One nudge over the edge of the cliff, and she’d have me free falling without a parachute. I’d never, ever wanted it so badly.

When I heard the click of the shutter, I rubbed the back of my neck. “Can I see?”

She ignored me, pulling the camera away so she could look at the digital image on the back. Her lips curved in a secret little smile.

“What do you see?” I asked.

Her chest expanded on an inhale. “Frustration.” Her eyes met mine. “Want.”

Words lodged in my chest, and I couldn’t tear them loose.

I held my hand out and she passed the camera to me. With a rough swallow, I squinted at the tiny viewfinder once it was at eye-level. Grace came into my eye line, holding my gaze with such directness that I fought the urge not to throw the camera across the room simply because it was between us.

It was her turn to ask. “What do you see?”

My finger pushed the slick button on top of the camera, and her mouth curled in surprise that I took a shot.

I pushed the button again as she took a step closer.

“You’re not answering me,” she said lightly.

“Because I can hardly think straight when you’re looking at me like that.” My admission was rough and hard, out before I could stop it.

She took another step, within reach now, and one of her hands slid up my forearm.

One more picture, the sound of the shutter snapping between us like a shot.

Somehow, I set it down on the counter without smashing it.

“You can’t lie to a camera,” Grace said quietly, watching her hand on my arm before the other landed on my heaving chest. “It captures things as are they are, good or bad or ugly or beautiful.”

I slid an arm around her waist and tightened my grip until she was flush against me. My other hand pushed up the back of her neck and into her hair.

“This is insane,” she breathed, dropping her forehead onto my chest.

“No, it’s not.”

Grace lifted her head and pinned me in place. “Tucker, seventy-two hours ago, I hated you. You can’t tell me this doesn’t feel a little nuts.”

I couldn’t stop my smile. “You didn’t hate me. Not really.”

One eyebrow lifted. “Wanna bet?”

About Karla Sorensen

Karla Sorensen has been an avid reader her entire life, preferring stories with a happily-ever-after over just about any other kind. And considering she has an entire line item in her budget for books, she realized it might just be cheaper to write her own stories. It doesn’t take much to keep her happy…a book, a really big glass of wine, and at least thirty minutes of complete silence every day. She still keeps her toes in the world of health care marketing, where she made her living pre-babies. Now she stays home, writing and mommy-ing full time (this translates to almost every day being a ‘pajama day’ at the Sorensen household…don’t judge). She lives in West Michigan with her husband, two exceptionally adorable sons and big, shaggy rescue dog.

KS_CROPPED

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#NewRelease MISSING IN ACTION by @KCanterbary #Live #OneClick #KU #AllTheStars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ https://geni.us/miaam


Former Navy SEAL turned covert agent Wes Halsted spent his days—and weeks and months—being someone else. But with his cover blown and his injuries requiring months of recuperation, he must learn how to be himself again. 

Only…he’d rather save his issues for another day and get to know a stressed-out, suited-up businessman instead. 

Tom Esbeck has everything under control. Meal plans, workout plans, project plans, five-year plans. A plan for everything and everything according to plan. 

Except there’s no plan for a surprise—and shirtless—encounter with the built-for-sin spy he’d crushed on years ago. 

But crushes—and spies—burn out fast. 

MISSING IN ACTION is a full-length steamy contemporary romance standalone with strong ties to the Walsh Series. 

OUR REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have one big problem with any Kate Canterbary book and this one is no exception… I just want more!! More of the most amazing gruff, growly, grumbly hero, more of the most fun and entertaining banter, more of the best, happiest tears, and more of the hottest, swooniest romance!

“I damn near swooned. Wrist to the forehead, breathy sigh, buckling knees swoon.”

Wes Halsted is a bit of a complete mess. After a deep cover operation that has gone terribly wrong, he is recovering at his brother Will’s house. He should be using the time to get himself together and figure out what comes next, but cannot resist everything that is Tom Esbeck.

“He only climbed mountains and ran an architecture firm and whipped up sesame sauces and wore suits like a revelation. Nothing about him was inconsequential.”

MiA can be read as a standalone, but why wouldn’t you want to catch up on all of the Walsh family and friends? Don’t even think about it, just one-click now.

-6 Stars!-

-Diane-

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#OurReviews RIVEN KNIGHT by @DevneyPerry #6Stars!! #OneClick #MustRead #OurReviews

Genevieve Daylee didn’t expect to be standing in front of a judge on her twenty-seventh birthday. But ever since her life became entangled with a former motorcycle gang, she’s learned not to expect anything but trouble.

Her mother, a woman she once admired and adored, is gone, leaving behind a trail of secrets and lies. She’s living in a tiny apartment above a garage owned by her brother, a man who loathes her very existence. And the father she met beside her mother’s grave is as much of a stranger as Isaiah Reynolds, the broken man with soulless eyes standing beside her in front of the judge.

Isaiah is her protector from the murderer at large in Clifton Forge. Though he’s more like a riven knight in dented armor than a prince on a white stallion. She knows next to nothing about him, other than he works as a mechanic. As of tonight, he’ll be sharing her bathroom.

And, according to the judge, Isaiah is now her husband.

OUR REVIEW:

This Book is the second book in this series. Since the first book you could tell this wouldn’t be a book you thought it would be. Devney Perry knows best how to write gripping, awesome love stories.

This book is about Genevieve and Isaiah whom we met in Gypsie King. We were left wiyh alot of unanswered questions and Devney answered them all perfectly.

These two are so broken from their pasts and watching them form a relationship while taking on some heavy shit was awesome. They go through many ups and downs. Secrets they hide come back and we say Wow I didnt see that coming, and thats true alot of this story isn’t something we can predict.

When these two finally acknowledge their love for each other its just beautiful. Watching them heal and scale walls around each other is just amazing.

It was nice seeing the gang and watching them

-6 Stars!!-

-Natasha M.-

Release Date: January 21st, 2020
Purchase Details: www.devneyperry.com/books/riven-knight