19 December 2022

One Bossy Date by @nicolesnowbooks Book Blitz! #nicolesnow #OneBossyDate #XpressoTours⁣ @XpressoTours⁣⁣

 

One Bossy Date
Nicole Snow


Publication date: December 15th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

An accidental date brings together two instant enemies in this hilarious and steamy grumpy boss romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow.

Never sweat the small stuff, they say.
How about when you wake up with a giant stranger showering in your hotel room?
There’s nothing tiny about Brock Winthrope.
He even roars like a lion when he sees me. I scream back. And after narrowly avoiding a murder scene, we’ve got trouble.

He says he’ll fix our reservation blunder since he’s the manager (he’s not).
He thinks I’ll smack his resort with the rotten egg review from hell (I might).
I’ve never seen a man so grumpy groveling his heart out to wow me (it’s working).
Oh, but it gets better.

Brock whisks me away on an amazing “date” and things get heated.
I’m still dreaming about obnoxiously hot kisses under the stars months later when fate strikes.
I wasn’t supposed to see him again.
Not at this dumpster fire marketing job I desperately need.
Not when I crash into him—literally.
Definitely not when I find out he’s the crankyface billionaire CEO signing my checks.

Cue the freaking out.
The stormy glares.
The tension thicker than quicksand.
The hopeless promises to “just do my job” without choking on Mr. Grumpmuffin’s attitude.
What’s worse than one messy date with your radioactive boss?
One more.

Expect enemies-to-lovers fireworks! Delightful banter, slow-burn sweetness, plus one office beast who finally learns how to smile for the lady who ignites his world.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

I push my face to that crack of light, trembling.

There’s definitely a low hissing sound like water. The shower, I think, thousands of little rainfall droplets splashing against a hard surface.

Could it really be a maintenance guy who skipped on giving notice?

Could it be that easy?

But at three o’clock in the flipping morning without any notice?

It could be a burst pipe or a malfunction, though.

My toes scrunch. I place my hand on the door, ready to throw it open and accept my fate.

I wind up cracking it another couple inches.

The shower roars louder.

At first, I can’t see through the glassy part of the stall.

But when the silhouette moves in the steaming fog—

Holy shit.

Okay. Deep breath.

So, the staff wouldn’t be showering in my bathroom. We can rule out innocent mistakes.

A minute ago, I was determined to be Miss Danger incarnate, but all the adrenaline that moved me this close to certain death evaporates.

The lamp in my clammy hand feels like it weighs a ton.

I really, really don’t want to do this.

But what’s the other option?

Just up and wait for Mr. Shower Psycho to come slaughter me in bed? Or run for the front door screaming and pray he doesn’t catch up while I wait for the private elevator to this floor?

Yeah, no.

I’m out of time and options. It’s go time.

So I throw the door open, clasping the lamp like a bat.

I played softball years ago. I’ve got this.

If only anything on Earth could prepare me for what I find.

…are hot serial killers a thing?

Because this guy is a certified GQ model.

A six-foot-plus wall of muscle surrounded by steam. He must like his showers scorching hot.

It takes a few seconds to peer through the haze, and I can’t make out much more until he moves.

Believe me, I see enough.

His whole body is toned and tight and chiseled by a mad sculptor dead set on crafting the perfect man.

His large hands lather foam over biceps bigger than my head.

I have to unglue my eyes as he stands beneath the spraying water with his eyes closed, smiling like he enjoys his own touch a little too much.

With a body like that, I’m sure the narcissism comes naturally.

My gaze slides down his broad chest, diamond-cut abs, and sculpted pelvic bone to—

Oh, no.

Heat throbs under my cheeks. I hate that I bite my lip, but I’ve never seen a man who’s part stallion before.

Moby Dick has nothing on this well-endowed freak.

For a second, my brain rabbits, wondering what it would feel like to wrap my hands around something that enormous—if I could even close them.

Let alone do anything else.

Every part of this man is made to punish.

All rough strength and hard edges and a literal battering ram jutting out between his legs, half-hard from the steam, I guess.

But back to that whole serial killer thing…is he a convict?

Did Hawaii have a supermax jailbreak recently I didn’t hear about?

My body squirms at the thought, still hideously stuck on Goliath and his stupid scary, stupid hot good looks that are making me—what else?—stupid.

There’s no other word for it when my arm turns to mush and the crystal lamp slips out of my sweaty hands.

It shatters against the floor a second later like someone throwing a box of ornaments.

“Oh, crap,” I whisper, totally paralyzed.

Everything happens in slow motion.

Goliath’s eyes pop open and his head whips around. He glares at me like a tiger rudely awakened from a nap.

Uh-oh.

With my one and only weapon in pieces on the floor, there’s no hoping he doesn’t see me now.

Raw instinct takes over.

I scream before I even realize I’m doing it.

I scream so loud my throat hurts, but my voice has no off switch.

I scream for dear life for ten solid seconds until my own ears ring and I’m winded.

Then I stumble backward, doubled over and breathless.

Maybe screaming bloody murder was good.

Maybe, by some miracle, someone will hear me up here and send help.

Except the presidential suite is the only room on this floor, and you have to use a card in the elevator to get up here.

So unless there’s an employee diligently working graveyard shift one floor down…

I’m so screwed.

Amazingly, Goliath isn’t out of the shower yet.

That means I still have time.

I need to run like hell for the elevator while I have a head start.

Sucking in a deep breath, I straighten up, willing my legs to move.

I’m about to turn and run but the shower door swings open so fast it’s dizzying.

My lethal Adonis steps out, snapping a towel from the shower rack. He whips it around his waist faster than I can blink.

My gaze follows his movement.

Again, I hate that he’s so hot.

I hate that I’m losing time as I spin around for the door, practically leaping for it.

“Stay or it’s going to be much worse!” he bellows, his voice rolling thunder.

Nicole Snow is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. She found her love of writing by hashing out love scenes on lunch breaks and plotting her great escape from boardrooms. Her work roared onto the indie romance scene in 2014 with her Grizzlies MC series.

Since then Snow aims for the very best in growly, heart-of-gold alpha heroes, unbelievable suspense, and swoon storms aplenty. With over a million books sold, she lives for the joy of making two people fight with every bit of their soul for a Happily Ever After.

Current fan favorites include her Enguard Protectors series, accidental love novels, plus long beloved MC romance thrillers like the Grizzlies and Deadly Pistols.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub


GIVEAWAY!

$10 Amazon gift card + signed copy of One Bossy Date

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Guiding the Grouch by @shannahatfield Book Blitz! #shannahatfield #GuidingtheGrouch #XpressoTours @XpressoTours⁣

 

Guiding the Grouch
Shanna Hatfield


(Summer Creek, #5)
Publication date: December 15th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

He’s a billionaire set on escaping the holidays and his demanding family.
She’s a single mom with a sunny smile who keeps her heart safely hidden.
When she makes him her personal Christmas project, what could possibly go wrong?

Gabe Gatlin would do anything to evade the obligatory family holiday hobnobbing that is nothing more than one horrible business event after another, all wrapped up with a gaudy Christmas ribbon. Then the opportunity arises to explore a property in the small town of Summer Creek, Oregon, and gives him the idea to run away for the holidays. This year, he’s skipping Christmas. All he has to do is hide out until January in the quirky little town where the residents have dubbed him Grinchy Gabe. But when a delightful woman starts making his sleigh bells jingle, he might find it impossible to avoid losing his three-sizes-too-small heart.

Single mom and waitress, Dani Latham, has two priorities: give her son the stable life she never had, and spread joy to her friends and neighbors in Summer Creek. When a stranger with a grinchy attitude sits at her table, she makes it her personal mission to make him smile. As she guides him into a flurry of Christmas festivities, she starts to wonder if this grounch’s heart will ever return to normal size. And even worse. . . if it does, who is going to save hers from breaking when he leaves?

Will a little Christmas magic and wonder bring these two lonesome people together?

Discover the joys of the season mixed with humor, holiday fun, and moments that tug at your heartstrings in this sweet contemporary Christmas romance.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

As he listened to three more calls from Monique, they got progressively more annoying. The call from just an hour earlier ended with her making threats to “have Daddy fire you” if he didn’t come home and fulfill his holiday obligations.

“Maybe I don’t want to be there,” Gabe said, unaware of his dark glower or that he spoke aloud as he scrolled through a dozen of Monique’s infuriating text messages. “Maybe I’ll skip every holiday from now until the end of time. Maybe I actually despise Christmas and all the hoopla of the stupid, stupid season!”

“Well, aren’t you a grouchy one,” a teasing voice spoke from beside him, “I believe you could use a dose of Christmas cheer before you whip out the phone book and begin alphabetically listing all the people you hate. Or is it loathe?”

Gabe had no idea about her reference to the phone book, and he didn’t care. Irritated at being interrupted, he glanced up and stared at the server.

The stunning woman smiling at him could have been an angel as the overhead lights created a halo around her golden hair. Hers was a rare beauty. The kind that didn’t need makeup to enhance it, although she wore a light coat of mascara and lip gloss. She was of medium height and willowy, with high cheekbones, a generous mouth, and hazel eyes that twinkled with mirth. If she lived in New York City, he had no doubt she’d be in high demand as a fashion model. What was a woman with her looks and seductive voice doing in such a backwater place taking food and drink orders?

He envisioned her in a ruby-red velvet evening gown, strolling on his arm to a symphony performance. The picture in his mind was so real, so clear, he felt the oddest sense of knowing this woman deep in his soul.

Dumbfounded by his thoughts, Gabe felt like someone had sucked the air right out of his lungs.

The woman slid the menu closer to him “Chef Owen is one of the best in the Pacific Northwest. You can choose anything and know it’s going to be wonderful. Take a look at the menu. I’ll be right back.”

The angel strode across the room, walked behind the bar, and disappeared through a doorway before he could engage enough brain cells to utter a single word to her.

Gabe picked up the menu, but it might as well have been written in hieroglyphics based on his sudden inability to read. It was like his brain had just decided to take a vacation and left him in the lurch.


USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.

Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.

To learn more about Shanna or the books she writes, visit her website http://shannahatfield.com or find out more about her here: linktr.ee/ShannaHatfield

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest / Bookbub / Newsletter


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$25 Amazon gift card

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Roast Date (Barks & Beans Cafe Cozy Mystery) by Heather Day Gilbert Book Tour!

 

About Roast Date

 

Roast Date (Barks & Beans Cafe Cozy Mystery) 

Cozy Mystery 7th in Series 

Setting - West Virginia 

WoodHaven Press (December 20, 2022) 

Number of Pages ~250 

Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09Z8NYHX9

BOOK SEVEN in the bestselling BARKS & BEANS CAFE cozy mystery series!!

Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java...and where murder sometimes pays a visit.
 

After much cajoling, Macy gives in to her neighbor, Vera, and agrees to come to her book club's Christmas party so she can share about the cafe. While public speaking isn't Macy's thing, she wants to brighten Vera's lonely holiday season...and she can sell a little house blend on the side.

 

When a lively book discussion spirals into a public roast of the mayor—who happens to be sitting in their midst—things get uncomfortable. Soon afterward, the mayor shows up dead in Vera's bathroom, and no amount of gingerbread cookies or eggnog can restore Vera to the club's good graces. 'Tis the season for Macy to find the murderer, or else Vera might be taking a long winter's nap in a jail cell.

 

Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown...with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes.

The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series in order: Book 1: No Filter Book 2: Iced Over Book 3: Fair Trade Book 4: Spilled Milk Book 5: Trouble Brewing Book 6: Cold Drip Book 7: Roast Date

Award-winning novelist Heather Day Gilbert enjoys writing mysteries and Viking historicals. She brings authentic family relationships to the page, and she particularly delights in heroines who take a stand to protect those they love. Avid readers say Heather's realistic characters—no matter what century—feel like best friends. When she's not plotting stories, this native West Virginian can often be found hanging out with her husband and four children, playing video games, or reading Agatha Christie novels.

Author Links 

 Purchase Link - Amazon 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS 
December 19 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 19 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

December 19 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

December 20 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 20 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

December 20 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 20 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

December 21 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

December 21 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

December 21 – Lady Hawkeye – AUTHOR GUEST POST

December 21 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 22 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

December 22 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

December 22 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

December 22 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT

December 23 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

December 23 – The Book Diva’s Reads – AUTHOR GUEST POST

December 23 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT

December 23 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT



(1) First 3 softcovers in series (or ebooks for international winner)

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?


 

18 December 2022

Winter Dragon by @olenanikitin Book Blitz! #WinterDragon #olenanikitin #XpressoTours @XpressoTours⁣

 

Winter Dragon
Olena Nikitin


(Season’s War, #2)
Publication date: December 18th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

“When a Chaos mage fights, only blood and scorched earth remain.”

Mage War Chronicles

Some victories are more costly than others, and Ina was the one that paid the price.

Determined to rescue her dragon, the newly appointed royal witch embarks on a gruelling journey through the wintery Grey Mountains. The weather is not her only obstacle, as the enemy forces gathered in the kobold mines have only one goal.

To capture the Chaos mage and deliver her to the heart of the mountain.

With the help of Sa’Ren, Ina arrives at Castle Liath almost unscathed, but her joy is short-lived, as its granite walls hide a shocking revelation.

With blossoming love shattered by a possessive dragon’s claim and an impossible mission to fulfil, will the mysterious Blessing of the Mountain help or hinder her efforts to protect Cornovii?

Immerse yourself in the second book of Season’s War, where passion mix with cruelty and the world-changing power is buried deep in the ancient tomb guarded by the stern Mountain God.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

A flash of movement caught her attention. Next to the stables in the small courtyard, Ren danced with his sword. That was the only way she could describe his fluid, graceful movements as he glided around the small space. Relieved to see he’d recovered from their ordeal and fascinated by his technique, Ina grabbed the poker from the fire and clumsily followed his moves. Despite feeling embarrassed at her lack of skill, she followed the more straightforward combinations. If I can’t work my magic, it would be helpful to know a trick or two.

Ina had never trained in combat, as her mother and great aunt wanted her to comport herself as a lady, and by the time she started university, enough people had belittled her inability to work any branch of Order magic that all confidence to try it was gone. The few attacks the witch could manage, she had learned from her mercenary friends in the tavern. Not that she would ever start a tavern brawl—not on purpose at least—but after getting caught up in two fights in Gruff’s place, Janik, the bloody idiot, taught her how to disable any drunk man who saw a woman as an easy target. Ina pictured her former associate as she thrust the poker forward, pleased at how satisfying it felt.

‘Die!’ she shouted, preparing to kill the wardrobe when the door snapped open, and Ren charged into the room.

Despite his laboured breathing and heavy perspiration, the warrior’s eyes were focused as he looked around the small room, sword drawn and ready to strike the enemy. As he noticed Ina, alone, her poker pointed towards the wardrobe, he stepped closer and turned to the potential danger.

‘Ina? Move back. I’ll deal with this,’ Ren said slowly.

‘But Ren—’ she tried to say, but he raised his hand to silence her.

‘Step away from the wardrobe,’ he said, crossing the small room, not a single plank creaking beneath his feet.

Ina rolled her eyes and stepped aside. The warrior yanked the door open, revealing an empty interior and a few spiders running away from the sudden light. Still, it wasn’t good enough. Ren poked and prodded the back panel before he turned around to Ina.

‘My lady, who was attacking you?’ he asked, and despite the calm tone of his voice, Ina noticed how on edge he was.

‘Why does everyone always assume someone’s trying to kill me?’ She could not resist but answer his question with one of her own.

Ren just raised his eyebrow. ‘I saw through the window you were stabbing something and heard a commotion in your room, and you shouted, “Die!” when I was running up here. Care to tell me who was it and where they are now?’

Putting it like that, Ren had a point, and now it was her turn to explain. Pink shades of embarrassment blossomed on her cheeks as she started. ‘My magic is gone, for now. I can’t even start a fire, and I don’t know how long it will take to get it back. I saw you practising, and I wanted to learn.’ Ina tried to hide the poker behind her back. ‘That was what you saw in the window, and I may have tripped over the furniture a few times.’

Ren blinked several times, looking at her with disbelief. ‘You’re trying to tell me you practised Jian kata… with a poker?’ Something broke in him, and the warrior doubled over, laughing. He struggled to calm down, and gasping between bouts of laughing intertwined with cough, Ren stuttered, ‘But why, my lady?’

Ina huffed with exasperation. She was proud of her new moves, but Ren seemed to find it a joke. ‘I wanted to learn how to defend myself when my magic is depleted or blocked. I would like to know other ways to fight instead of always relying on magic and my Chaos. Right now, even a simpleton with enough strength could take me down. I don’t like it, Ren.’

Ren approached and reached behind her, taking the poker from her hand. ‘I will teach you, if you’d like.’ His eyes were smiling, and he behaved as if teaching her couldn’t make him happier.

Olena Nikitin is our pen name. We are an enthusiastic couple of writers who are fascinated by the fantasy/paranormal romance genre and decided to write a book we would love to read

Behind the Pen name:

Olga - is Polish, armed with a wicked sense of humour and typical Slavic pessimism she is the wicked witch from the East. She has written stories since childhood, initially mostly about her work. As an emergency physician, she always has a story to tell and often not much time to write.

Mark is a typical English gentleman whose charm, refined taste and an impressive collection of books were tempting enough to make Olga leave her homeland. Don't tease him too much; this man has an impressive sword collection and he knows how to use it. He also can fix everything, including Polish syntax in English writing.

See more on our website: www.olenanikitin.uk

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GIVEAWAY!

$30 Amazon gift card

Signed copy of Winter Dragon

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Dear Holden by @kathleenmaree.author Book Blitz! #DearHolden #kathleenmaree #XpressoTours⁣ @XpressoTours⁣

Dear Holden
Kathleen Mare’e


Publication date: December 15th 2022
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

It all started with a letter.

This letter I am now holding in shaky hands that I must have read at least a dozen times already. A letter I felt compelled to retrieve from the public trashcan after that woman all but tossed it away. I know it was none of my business. It was wrong, and I know that. But after suffering through the kinds of loss that I had, my gut insisted that whoever took the time to write down their words didn’t deserve them to be left in the trash like they didn’t matter.

Because they should matter.

What’s the big deal right? It’s just a letter…

But the problem was, my name wasn’t Daphne.

And I wrote a letter back.

Goodreads / Amazon


Kathleen Mare’e grew up in the south-western suburbs of Sydney, where family holidays by the beach and tormenting her two younger brothers, was how she spent her early years. But at the young age of 11, when she submitted a short story to a talented writing competition through the NSW schools program, not only did she win it, but she quickly found a love for it as well.

Throughout her schooling, writing was a hobby, along with sketching and various sports. But fast forward to her adult years when she moved to Europe to follow her husbands field hockey dream, and her love for writing surged to the surface.

Her debut story, Cut, was penned over two years where her hobby seemed to lead to the completion of Pennys' world. The rest of the series came the following year.

Kathleen enjoys writing stories full of self-discovery, emotional journeys and of course, love.

Something else she loves is hearing from her readers, so feel free to follow her blog or drop her an email.

For signed copies of her novels, more information about upcoming stories, or to follow her blog, please visit her website www.kathleenmaree.weebly.com

Dream often. Believe always.

Kathleen xo

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Ebook copy of your choice

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Bystander by @jrpantzerantz Book Blitz! #Bystander #JRPomerantz #XpressoTours @XpressoTours⁣⁣

 

Bystander: Seven Stories from the New Espionage Collection
J.R. Pomerantz


(The New Espionage Collection, #1)
Publication date: November 14th 2022
Genres: Adult, Literary Fiction, Thriller

Can you survive the new espionage?

There are no sidelines.

There are no boundaries.

In the new world order, there’s no such thing as an innocent bystander.

Seven shocking stories from the New Espionage Collection by award-winning author JR Pomerantz.

The Terrifying Importance of Mental ealth Jesse’s suffering from synthetic broccoli’s surprise side effects. When he gets hospitalized with both its victim and perpetrator, who will pay the ultimate price?

T-Rex The Deputy Administrator of the State Department has a bone to pick with the Secretary of State, and they both might be fossils.

Golden Boy 144: Marigold Baby Jalia helps Harper give birth in the depths of their corporate greenhouse. Will the labor interrupt their labor long enough to get both of them fired?

The Farm When their visit to their older brother’s pot farm turns deadly, Michael and Baxter fight for their lives in the Northern California woods.

Golden Boy 288: Marigold, Baby Only Jalia knows whose image is manifesting in the mysterious marigolds of Fulfillment Center 6. Can she and Harper keep it a secret from the rest of the greenhouse?

Maury Always Makes It After Maury’s son-in-law goes missing at sea, he and Rico take the investigation into their own hands. Can two elderly alcoholics get to the bottom of a deep-sea fishing mystery?

The Sucking Clarity of Mental ealth The battle at Hampton Behavioral Health Facility continues. With synthetic broccoli on the menu, justice can’t be served.

Bystander is your first peek at the subversive, satirical, smart-mouthed New Espionage Collection.

Brace yourself to enter the terrifying near-future of synthetic food, mind control experiments, and one man’s battle for justice against a bad broccoli.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

Several of us were gathered in the television room, waiting for the third and final cigarette break — the last activity of the day. We were all watching NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, a preferred television program of the infirm, it seemed. I was reflecting on how bad the astigmatism in my right eye had gotten since my admittance to the Hampton Behavioral Health Facility, and I was thinking about what I would say to Lester Holt in a live television interview as I watched NBC Nightly News with my left eye closed.

Lester Holt: Are you the spokesperson for your generation?

Me: Yes.

Then I reach out.

And I throttle that poor, trustworthy news anchor.

I’ll make a great famous person.

This particular Nightly News segment was a follow-up to a story they had done earlier in the year about the instances of encephalitis in frozen broccoli, the subsequent cover-up by the agricultural conglomerates, and, ultimately, the manufacture of synthetic broccoli. This Nightly News segment included an interview with The Executive Agricultural Secretary of the United States.

The interview illuminated several things, important to me personally:

  1. Synthetic broccoli may cause insanity or induce coma.
  2. Synthetic broccoli may cause genital abscesses.
  3. The Co-Executive Agricultural Secretary, assistant to the Executive Agricultural Secretary, was sitting right next to me, mumbling and wringing his pasty hands. They were showing a picture of him on television. I looked at the television. I looked at him. I looked back at the television.

Slowly, I put one, two, and three together, but I only arrived at a sum total of five. I blamed the medication for this.

Meanwhile, The Man Who Ate the Letter H, my roommate at the Hampton Behavioral Health Facility, had leapt upon The Co-Executive Agricultural Secretary, I mean, like right up onto his knees, screaming and shaking him by the sweater vest. I marveled at his balance and tried to ignore the one-sided fighting.

The Co-Executive Agricultural Secretary was still just babbling and shaking his head. Even now, I was adding things up and I still didn’t know what was happening.

Later on that night, The Man Who Ate The Letter H told me everything.

  • The Terrifying Importance of Mental ealth

in Bystander: Seven Stories from the New Espionage Collection

JR Pomerantz was raised in New Jersey, moved sixteen times, from Albuquerque to Kabul, and now resides in Silver Spring, Maryland. Hobbies include using all the forms of transportation in the world, flamenco guitar, and knitting. She hopes to one day own and operate a coffee farm, or at least live on one. Or near one. Just down the road, maybe. She won't pop in every day to say hello.

                                  Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!

Ebook copies of the full New Espionage Collection series.

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A Child for the Reich by Andie Newton Blog Tour!

 

A Child for the Reich

From the USA Today bestselling author comes a gripping new emotional WW2 historical novel. Inspired by a true story!

'A moving story of a mother's love battling against the determination of the Reich to create a pure Aryan race…A recommended read' Glynis Peters

'An intensely moving, brilliantly researched novel about love, loss, and the lengths a mother will go to for her child…utterly compelling' Deborah Carr

Rumours of the Nazis coming for Czech children swept through the villages like a breeze through the trees, and the story was always the same…

They wanted our children to raise as their own

Since her husband, Josef, joined the Czech resistance three years ago, Anna Dankova has done everything possible to keep her daughter, Ema, safe. But when blonde haired, blue-eyed Ema is ripped from her mother’s arms in the local marketplace by the dreaded Brown Sisters, nurses who were dedicated to Hitler’s cause, Anna is forced to go to new extremes to take back what the Nazis have stolen from her.

Going undercover as a devoted German subject eager to prove her worth to the Reich, the former actress takes on a role of a lifetime to find and save her daughter. But getting close to Ema is one thing. Convincing her that the Germans are lying when they claim Anna stole her from her true parents is another…

 HarperCollins US: https://bit.ly/3xJUXdD

HarperCollins UK: https://bit.ly/3dAADVe

 UK retailers:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3qWMQ9W

Kobo:  https://bit.ly/3LCjSpa

Apple: https://apple.co/3S7zPX9

 US retailers:

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

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3f4sNUd

Apple: https://apple.co/3faOrX7

Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/3eZZoum

 GOODREADS: https://bit.ly/3DI0i99

BOOKBUB: https://bit.ly/3C31iDu

Below is the prologue to A Child for the Reich:

 Nazi Germany, October 1944

The clock above the mantle ticked, ticked, ticked. Greta

Strohm never thought this day would come. She pressed her forehead to the warm window glass in her parlor, closing her eyes, trying to calm herself and have faith in the plan by thinking about her new baby’s soft and shiny blonde hair.

Greta had spent weeks preparing the nursery, needling the baby quilts herself using the finest German wool available. She had made so many, more than one child could ever use. Soft cottony jumpers had been set out only to be refolded and tucked inside vanilla-scented drawers. Paintings of traditionally dressed children dancing in meadows had been hung with the most meticulous of hands. Glass canisters of talc, sponges for the bath, and baby rattles that had arrived just that morning were placed perfectly on the shelf.

It was, she had told herself, a nursery to die for.

Her eyes sprung open with her chiming clock, announcing the top of the hour. She blindly adjusted her wristwatch. They should be here. She paced her carpets, rolling her hands nervously while thinking about all the lies she’d told, when she heard the pop and grind of tires creeping up the gravel road to her estate.

Greta yanked the curtains aside—there was no going back now. The car had parked, and she watched with anticipation as the driver opened his door. She saw the nurse’s shadowy silhouette in the back seat, holding her new baby in her arms.

Greta took a moment to collect herself at the front door, padding her perspiring forehead and fanning her neck. She had a reputation to uphold, after all. She was the wife of Ludwig Strohm, a known member of the Party, and nobody should ever see her unkempt. She placed her hand on the doorknob, fingers curling, taking a deep breath through her nose before opening the door.

The nurse breezed into her home, face aglow and smiling with the baby bundled in her arms. “Frau Strohm, your new son.”

Greta scooped him into her arms, breath lumped in her chest, which she wasn’t prepared for, though she should have expected it. The nurse carried on talking about how she should care for him, setting down the bag she’d brought with all his baby things, but Greta didn’t have any use for such talk. She kissed the baby’s tiny fingers and all her nerves dissolved.

The nurse pulled a baby bottle from the bag along with a few small towels for burping, before pulling out a book, which she placed on the side table. “We ask all our adoptive parents to follow Johanna Haarer’s guide to mothering…” She reached for the baby with grabbing hands.

“I’m quite all right,” Greta said, waving the nurse away. “You can leave.”

The nurse seemed caught off guard with this abrupt dismissal, looking at Frau Strohm with a furrowed brow before scanning the parlor and asking about her husband, but Greta ignored her, kissing the air above her baby’s face as he cooed.

The nurse’s lips pursed. “Very well.” She clicked her heels once and left out the front door.

Greta buried her nose into the crook of the baby’s neck, breathing deeply, getting lost in the feel of his incredibly soft skin, when she felt something crackle in her hand, something tucked in with the baby.

This wasn’t part of her plan, the one she had so carefully worked over and over in her mind a thousand times. The car outside had started up and was now circling the fountain to leave the estate, stirring up a plume of caramel-colored dust and rock, and although Greta couldn’t be sure, she thought the nurse was staring at her, studying her through the fog.

Greta laid the baby down on the divan and unwrapped him from the blanket. He fussed once she’d completely uncovered him, throwing his chubby legs out in her parlor, stiff as boards, just as she pulled a note out from behind his back. She stared at the crumpled piece of paper in her hand, trying to ignore the sickening feeling of dread before unfolding it.

“No…” she said as she read, glancing at the nurse driving away and then to the note. “Lord, no—” Her legs gave out, and the baby wailed beside her as she collapsed to the divan.

The message was clear, distinct, and meant only for her.

I know your secret.

 

Andie Newton is the USA Today bestselling author of The Girls from the Beach, The Girl from Vichy, and The Girl I Left Behind.

She writes gritty and emotional war stories about strong women. Andie holds a bachelor's degree in history and a master's in teaching. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, her two boys, and one very lazy cat.

Twitter: @AndieNewton

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