Review ~ No Holly for Christmas by Julie N Ford

A story about how fate will carry us where we need to go whether we are willing passengers or not.

After being jilted not once, but twice by the only woman he’s ever truly loved, Brian McAlister has all but given up on relationships. Then, on special assignment for the DA's office, he steps into the middle of a politically sensitive murder case where he crosses paths with a beautiful ex-socialite-turned-social-worker, Holly Cavanaugh Winter. 

Widowed, practically penniless, and reduced to shopping at Walmart, Holly is dreading the approaching holiday season. However, her angst isn't due to her husband's untimely death the previous December 25th, but to a secret that could reveal itself unless she can find a way to avoid the coming Christmas. To make matters worse, she unwittingly stumbles into the throes of Brian’s case and the manhunt for a killer who now has his sights set on her.

His case unraveling, Brian finds himself tasked with keeping Holly and her two daughters safe while bringing an assassin and the powerful man who hired him to justice.

GOODREADS * AMAZON

Jewelz Review~

This is not your typical Christmas story. Nor is it your typical romance novel. . At first I felt like I was reading a typical "socialite meets Mayberry" type novel, but this isn't that book either. I enjoy a good romantic suspense, and this was a fun book for me to read. It has a lot of different elements that combine to make a story that kept me reading and neglecting my home for a full day.

Holly Winter, Southern socialite with the "perfect" life, has found herself widowed with two daughters to raise on a hospital social worker's modest income. Moving back to her hometown and living a decidedly middle-class lifestyle is not what she had planned. But, she didn't anticipate getting caught in the middle of a DA investigation or becoming the target of not one, but two men who want her dead.

Brian McAlister likewise finds himself in a situation he dislikes, but he can't say "no" to his mother and so he's filling in at the DA's office while his father deals with the effects of a heart attack. He's decided he'll never fall in love again and he definitely never wants to have a family, but there's no denying the connection he has with Holly. And he can't exactly stay away from her being as it's his fault her life is in danger.

The ups and downs, twists and turns of this story kept me reading even when I really should have taken a break. Both Holly and Brian have backstories that pull at your heartstrings and keep you hoping that they'll get a happily ever after - they deserve it after all they've been through. But, there are so many things working to keep them apart it seems that fate just might have a different plan.

Truly a book I enjoyed reading. While there were times I got frustrated, those twists and turns are what make an exciting book that keeps you reading until all is said and done. I will definitely be looking into the other Magic City books.

FYI ~ minor language, violence

Honest Disclosure ~ I received a review copy

FREE for a limited Time - Prejudice Meets Pride by Rachael Anderson

 

 Don't miss this fabulous freebie! Grab your copy of Prejudice Meets Pride by Rachael Anderson today!! 

 

Prejudice Meets Pride by Rachael Anderson After years of pinching pennies and struggling to get through art school, Emma Makie’s hard work finally pays off with the offer of a dream job. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to make a cross-country move to Colorado Springs to take temporary custody of her two nieces. She has no money, no job prospects, and no idea how to be a mother to two little girls, but she isn’t about to let that stop her. Nor is she about to accept the help of Kevin Grantham, her handsome neighbor, who seems to think she’s incapable of doing anything on her own. Prejudice Meets Pride is the story of a guy who thinks he has it all figured out and a girl who isn't afraid to show him that he doesn't. It’s about learning what it means to trust, figuring out how to give and to take, and realizing that not everyone gets to pick the person they fall in love with. Sometimes, love picks them.

   

Hope of Israel by Thomas Papa

As Miriam is drawn to Elisha, sensing that he is a holy man, she is forced to face the disappointments of her past as they collide with the hope for her future. Struggling with the conflict of life's failed expectations, Miriam's faith is tested even further when Elisha promises her a great blessing. "Do not lie to me!" Miriam pleads, knowing that a lifetime of sorrow lives behind the very thought of such a promise. Yet the blessing proves true. 

Joy and happiness fill the void of emptiness, and nothing can take that from her. Or can it?

Hope of Israel shares with us Miriam’s journey and how, when all she holds most dear to her is taken away, she does not abandon her faith but instead runs to it.

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Author Bio~

As a young man I read a story that had as its main character a young boy who at one point in his journey had to climb to the top of a mountain. I do not remember the title or the author or anything else about this story except for the images that came to my mind as I read of this boy's solitary climb up the side of that mountain. I remember seeing in my imagination the boulders that stood as obstacles and the rocks that slipped from under his feet causing him to stumble. I also remember the cliff face that stood as the last challenge before he arrived at his destination and how it required multiple attempts to scale that wall. Then, I remember the view in my mind as he reached the top and peered out from where he now stood. He was able to see out into places that he could not see before, but he was also able to look down and see where he had come from.

Now, every time I am out driving or hiking or anything else that takes me near a mountain, a hill, or mesa, I envision what it would be like to climb that mountain and what I would see when I reached the top. At times I have even stopped in my travels and made that climb, while at other times I have only envisioned what it would be like. All this in part because of the adventures of a character in an unknown story that I read in my youth.

I love where my mind takes me when I read.

In many ways, writing Hope of Israel: Miriam's Journey was like climbing that mountain. There have been boulders and cliff walls to climb, and at times I have even slipped and fallen because of the loose terrain. However, as I look out from where I now stand, looking back along the path I have traveled as well as to the unknown that will come tomorrow, I am grateful for what I can now see.

I am a computer programmer by trade. I have degrees in Math Education and Computer Systems Engineering. At one time I was even recognized as a Maroon and Gold Scholar Athlete at Arizona State University for the sport of Baseball. But more importantly I am a father of six and have been married for twenty-plus years. Now I am honored to be able to add Author to my achievements.

Official Book Tour: Shadow Tech Goddess

Beware the woman who does not exist, yet is everywhere. Paymaster Stenstrom and his Countess-in-Waiting, Lady Gwendolyn of Prentiss, are paid a bounty of riches to perform a simple task, and then everything changes. The weight of the Universe comes down upon them. Paymaster Stenstrom learns he is in the gaze of the destroyer of universes, the Shadow tech Goddess, and also that he is in a race with sinister forces hoping to curry her favor and bring about the end of all things. It is a race he and Gwendolyn must win. They will investigate ancient places hidden in plain sight and travel to long lost worlds unseen in ages. They will feel fear such as they have never known and walk in a Garden of Horrors where all is revealed and Stenstrom comes to know the truth of his place in the universe. The Shadow tech Goddess silently watches the doings from her throne in the Hall of Mirrors, seeing all, collecting information, and her verdict might finally be cast one way or the other.

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Ren Garcia is a Science Fiction/Fantasy author and Texas native who grew up in western Ohio. He has been writing since before he could write, often scribbling alien lingo on any available wall or floor with assorted crayons. He attended The Ohio State University and majored in English Literature. Ren has been an avid lover of anything surreal since childhood, he also has a passion for caving, urban archeology and architecture. His highly imaginative "League of Elder" book series is published by Loconeal Publishing

  

Connect with the Author here: 

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Book Blitz for Saving Lord Whitton’s Daughter

Susan was born and raised a California girl but is grateful to have lived on the Oregon coast and in the Rocky Mountains of northern Utah. She’s now enjoying living with her husband in the incomparable beauty of the Redwood forest, nestled against the rugged coast of Northern California.

Susan raised a tribe of children, making ends meet as a registered nurse and lactation consultant, and now her tribe members have tribes of their own and she just doesn’t get to see enough of them. She loves to travel and is thrilled with a good movie or a great book, but writing is her passion. She writes almost anything, especially epic fantasy and romance. Saving Lord Whitton’s Daughter is her first Regency Romance.

Susan would love to hear your comments. Please review her book at your favorite retailer, and at Goodreads, and/ or drop her a note at: stietjen.author@gmail.com.

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Lady Bethany would rather die a spinster than submit to marriage—and thus reveal the horrible secret she has harbored for more than a year

Lord Locke is far too immersed in his service to the Crown for romance, but Lady Bethany is in dire circumstances.

Indebted to Bethany’s late father and his close friend, the earl offers a perfect solution for both of them: a marriage in name only.

Perfect, if only they weren’t so irresistibly drawn to each other—and if Bethany hadn’t found herself falling in love with a man even more mysterious than his reputation. Perfect, until she unwittingly learns he’s protecting her from a threat to her life.

To Mark, Bethany is just another assignment, a woman he’s convinced is hiding something. His offer of marriage was meant only to make it easier to safeguard her.

But when the simple threat turns to attempted murder and treason, Mark realizes that Bethany has stolen his heart and he can do nothing less than throw himself into a race against time to save her, whatever the price.

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Snippet:

Marcus Ashburn enjoyed the feel of Polly’s collected gait, along with the warm breeze and the sea-green meadow’s splendor. Whitton’s lands and livestock were excellent, despite the estate’s insolvency.

Lord Matthew and Mr. Nicolas would be beyond ecstatic when they met with him later this afternoon to discuss his success with Lady Bethany.

His smile vanished, however, when he ruminated deeper about the future Lady Locke. He’d visited Whitton many times over the years, almost always when Lady Whitton was in London and Lady Bethany either off riding horses or climbing trees. He barely remembered the girl from their meeting at Almack’s last year, and although she was extraordinarily beautiful then, she’d seemed too young to take seriously. He might never have met her again if not for the twins.

Lord Matthew and Mr. Nicolas had come to him several weeks ago in a panic. It had shocked him to learn of Whitton’s financial ruin, but not nearly so much as their having uncovered a credible threat to Lady Bethany’s life. They’d begged for help with protecting her, a more difficult request than he could have imagined. Besides needing to keep her unaware of the diplomatic connections Lord Whitton and Lord Christian had entertained, she must be spared the obligations of a typical arranged marriage. Short of explaining why, Lord Matthew alluded to her inordinately independent nature, while Mr. Nicolas hinted she had difficulty trusting men.

The three of them had tossed more than one idea about but none that worked. Then Mr. Nicolas pointed out that Lady Bethany shunned marriage as much as he did, and what if Locke could take her under his wing? Offer her a marriage in name only?

The proposal took root and was about to become a reality. A marriage of convenience. A woman who wanted as little from him as he would from her. It would leave him as free to focus on his duty to the Crown—a commitment that had consumed his life for a decade—as it left no room for romance, which he’d avoided as if his life depended on it, as indeed, it did. With no strings attached, and when this menace was eliminated, he could easily let Lady Bethany go, especially if she changed her mind and wanted more of him than he could give.

Or so he had thought. If only he hadn’t found the lady nearly irresistible, far more exceptional than the twins had warned him. She bore the Montgomery stamp: dark brown hair, the most fascinating emerald green eyes, finely sculpted features. He’d wanted to stare at her heart-shaped face, her small nose, and lips that were much too quick to smile. Luscious lips that deserved to be kissed.

He recoiled from the unbidden pleasure the idea planted inside him, the realization that his defenses might have met their match. The reason he’d wanted to escape her and her mother as quickly as possible. The longer he looked at Lady Bethany, the more he wanted to touch her.

No, that would never do. He needed to keep her at arm’s length. Thankfully, he’d be far away from her most of the time, carrying on unhampered, intent on the affairs of the Realm.

And with his heart safely out of reach.

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12 Days of Christmas Book Blog Tour ~ Day 12 ~ Caitlyn's Christmas Wish by Author Laura L. Walker

Laura L. Walker grew up in a large family in the beautiful Gila Valley of southern Arizona. From the time Laura was young, ideas for stories bombarded her brain. She would spend hours drawing her characters on paper and fantasizing about their adventures. Life became more serious, however, when Laura met her own hero while at college in northern Arizona and they later became the parents of six children. In between spurts of grocery shopping, sewing costumes or quilts, transporting kids to practices, and making dinner, Laura still enjoys putting her imagination to good use. Laura is the author of two LDS contemporary romances, Pierced by Love and The Matchup. Caitlyn’s Christmas Wish is her first e-novella.

Q & A With The Author:

5. What is the hardest thing you've ever done?

Even though I've lived through several difficult events, I would have to say the hardest thing for me is raising my six children. I love them all to pieces and wouldn't trade them for the world, but each of them has presented unique challenges to me. As their mother, collectively, I feel exhausted at times but am especially proud when they accomplish or pull through something that was hard for them.

6. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?

True story: My favorite all-time movie is The Sound of Music. As a tween, I was absolutely enthralled with that story (and to this day, I can't even explain why). Maybe it was the songs Julie Andrews sang, maybe it was her character or the gorgeous scenery . . . I'm not sure. For me, all of the story elements in that movie combined to make the perfect story for me. I watched it so many times on television that my adult brothers now will not allow their wives to watch it. This is something I only found out about a few years ago when I was sitting at a table with my sisters-in-law. I was stunned and felt so bad that I ruined it for them.

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Just when former model and single mother Caitlyn Drevier Reel has finally put her life back on track after a divorce and six-month stint in rehab, she is surprised to receive an invitation from her ex-in-laws to spend Christmas with the family. After all, she reasons, her ex-husband Grant is constantly on the road with his band and it's only fair to allow them to get to know her young son, Brody. What Caitlyn isn't prepared for, however, is the spark of attraction she feels for Ridge, Grant's older brother, or the sense of belonging to their wonderful family once again. Ridge, who is recovering from his own personal heartache, seems to feel the same about her. As they work together to ensure the success of the Winter Festival that his parents have organized for their small Wyoming town, Caityln begins to envision a bright future. But will Grant's unexpected arrival keep her Christmas wish from coming true?

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Top Ten List:

1. my hubby and children 
2. red roses 
3. chocolate chip cookies 
4. swimming pools 
5. writing 
6. clean and uplifting romances 
7. music 
8. quiet (when the music is finished and the kids have gone to bed) 
9. pumpkins 
10. Thanksgiving and Christmas

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Disaster at Roosevelt Ranch by Elise Faber

Release Day Blitz: Disaster at Roosevelt Ranch by Elise Faber

    

Disaster at Roosevelt Ranch by Elise Faber

I slept with the wrong twin. And all I got for it in return was a broken heart. Oh yeah, and a baby on the way—there’s that too. But I’m determined to make it on my own. I don’t need a man, thank you very much. Not rich, charismatic, and decidedly flighty Rex Roosevelt, and especially not his twin brother, Justin. No matter that the gorgeous former military doctor makes my heart beat a little faster . . . and all spots lower than that pay careful, careful attention. None of that matters. The Roosevelt men are dangerous and I’m steering clear. The trouble is, Justin refuses to leave me be. And deep down, I don’t want to avoid him. Deep down, I want to be even closer.

Available Now!

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~Excerpt~

I had never thought of a plus sign as a bad thing. Of course, I’d never had one show up on a stick I’d peed on. Kudos to me, that changed today. My knees wobbled, and the idiotic white piece of plastic rattled as I set it on the scarred Formica countertop. Brown eyes—mine—stared back at me accusingly in the mirror. “You’ve done it now.” A baby.

~Jewelz Review~

I happen to love a good cowboy romance, and Disaster at Roosevelt Ranch is definitely a good cowboy romance. At first, I wasn't too sure about the whole twin thing, but it worked. Kelly and Justin are perfect together - they're both broken, but together they are able to fill in each other's cracks. I loved that their story wasn't a perfect fairy tale, but it did have a wonderful HEA. Justin had to work to fix his mistakes - and I bet he's as grateful for Esther's interference as Kelly was.

Overall this was a wonderful love story with elements of redemption woven throughout. There is amazing chemistry between Kelly and Justin and the supporting characters are fabulous as well. Henry and Esther are probably my two favorites, but Melissa and Rob are great as well. Vince and Rex have some lessons to learn - and every story needs a bad guy or two to make it believable.

I look forward to the upcoming Roosevelt Ranch books - will Rex find true love? What about Vince? And then there's Henry - he needs someone, too!

FYI ~ adult language, open door intimacy
Honest disclosure ~ I received a complimentary copy in connection with this blog tour
   

Author Bio ~ Elise Faber

Aside from writing bestselling romances, Elise's passions are chocolate, Star Wars, and hockey (the order depending on the day and how well her team, the Sharks, are playing). She and her husband also play as much hockey as they can squeeze into their schedules, so much so that their typical date night is spent on the ice. Elise is the mom to exuberant boys and is thoroughly addicted to Dancing with the Stars.
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