10 March 2023

Shadows of Nightshade by @lyla.oweds Book Blitz! #lylaoweds #ShadowsofNightshade #XpressoTours @XpressoTours

 #YALit #YoungAdult #IReadYA #YoungAdultBooks #YAParanormal

Shadows of Nightshade
Lyla Oweds


(The Garden of Eternal Flowers, #1)
Publication date: March 8th 2023
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

I dream of a time where I was warm, safe, and loved.

But my waking reality is starkly different.

Anxiety plagues me and spirits haunt the shadows. No matter how fast I run, I can’t seem to escape my past.

The only solace and steady force in my life is my best friend, Finn.

And now… there’s a ghost haunting me. And I’m not certain if it wants help or if it wants to kill me. There’s only one person who can understand: Finn’s brother, Damen.

However, in reaching out, I’m betraying Finn and setting things into motion that cannot be undone.

But nobody ever said that doing the right thing was easy.

The Garden of Eternal Flowers is a re-envisioning of my Grimm Cases series. Eternal Flowers has taken my original vision of Bianca’s story and transformed it into something new and beautiful. Some chapters are similar, and some dialogue is the same, as The Grimm Cases, Origins, but overall, about 75% of the book has been entirely revisioned with new plot points, mystery, and interpersonal relationships. Also, unlike Origins (originally a Wattpad release), there is now a clear beginning, climax, and conclusion in each individual novel, which allows them to be read alone or as part of the ongoing series.

I hope that you will enjoy Shadows of Nightshade as much as I enjoyed writing it. Truly, it is an honor to write about Bianca and her boys, and all of these characters are near and dear to my heart.

Trigger Warning: This series deals with the aftermath of severe childhood trauma.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

I wasn’t sure why he thought he deserved any special rights to my time, but it was obvious that he believed he could do whatever he wanted. How did he become so arrogant?

I opened my mouth to respond—which would probably have ended with me embarrassing myself—but nothing escaped. I stared at him, my heart racing, as I stood speechless. Then laughter—close enough for me to pick up—drifted over from the next row.

The sound shattered the enchantment cast over me—how could I have forgotten our position—and my face burst with heat. How would this scene appear to anyone passing by?

Damen’s eyes glinted mischievously. He must have had the same realization.

“Let me go,” I hissed. But my whispered venom only encouraged him, and he smiled. My traitorous heart began to beat faster. “Someone might see us!”

“Really?” His grin grew wider. This was the expression he’d had when we first met. “Then it’s fine if we don’t get caught? Consider it noted.”

“No!” I was internally screaming, even though my words were a weak protest. “You can’t play around with students anyway.” Not that it mattered there’d be no games between us—ever. “You’re basically a professor.”

“Ah.” He ran his finger down my cheek and I shivered. “But you’re not my student. I can’t help it.” His lips dipped slightly, and he tilted his head as his gaze continued to hold mine. “You’ve taken root in my mind.”

How idiotic. I would bet my shoes that he said that to everyone.

“Why are you so annoying?” I gritted out. Plus, what even was that line? It sounded like something from a cheesy romance novel. I’d be shocked if that ever worked for him in the past.

Finn’s stupid, horny brother. He could go flirt with someone else. I didn’t even remember why I wanted his help anymore, because no matter how much I wanted to lean into his touch or melt under his scorching gaze, I wanted to poke him in the eyes that much more.

What a quandary.

Lyla Oweds is a paranormal / urban fantasy author who resides in the beautiful Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania with her husband, children, and animals. While she enjoys all genres of fiction, she has a deep appreciation for fantasy, romance, mystery, crime, and horror. Lyla has a bachelor’s in anthropology and will be completing her master’s in information technology in 2023.

Writing is her moonlighting passion, and she loves having the opportunity to share her perspective as a disabled (profoundly hard of hearing) woman. During the daylight hours, Lyla works as a principal / lead design and development specialist focusing on user experience and accessibility. When not working, Lyla is usually indulging in one of her many hobbies such as amusing her children, gardening, crocheting, interior decorating, baking, cooking, or playing video games.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub / Newsletter

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Defeat by @evelynsolaauthor Release Tour! #NowLive @EvelynWritesEveryday #DiverseRomance! #OneClick

 #Defeat #FriendsWithBenefits #OfficeRomance #RunawayBride #InterracialRomance #RomCom


When David found Delaney sleeping in his bed, he never thought they’d be more than friends. But as time passes, he quickly discovers that the smallest spark leads to possibilities he never expected. Readers who enjoy spicy romances will devour Defeat by Evelyn Sola, a steamy, friends with benefits romance.


I loved this book from beginning to end! Max and Summer were such a sexy couple. Summer was such a poised young woman. An old soul. The way Max loved Summer…whew!”- Amazon Review for Downfall

Read Now!

 

A self-proclaimed bachelor, content on his own. A runaway bride, searching for her freedom.


They may seem like they’ve got nothing in common, but the tiniest sparks make the biggest flames. 

Delaney Lewis is desperate for her freedom. From her controlling mother and the man she left standing at the altar. 

Her best friend is more than happy to help her escape and sets Delaney up at her soon to be brother-in-law’s house while he’s out of town, confident that when David comes home—he’ll do whatever it takes to keep Delaney safe from her crazy family. 

David Sutton finds the surprise of a lifetime when he discovers a woman sleeping soundly in his bed. When she explains how she ended up there, David’s heart and mind slowly open, leading to a permanent place to stay, a job, and best of all, a new outlook.

The woman who was much like a stranger before, slowly becomes his friend…with a few intimate perks and before they know it, real sparks start to fly.


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Excerpt 

Copyright 2023 @Evelyn Sola

She holds up her hand and says, “Fine. Be a confirmed bachelor, David. There is nothing worse than being in a relationship when you don’t want to be. I get that. Go and live your best life, and I’ll do the same.” She turns her back and starts toward the glass door. I take her elbow and keep her in place.

“So, you’re just going to walk away from me?” I ask. “When we agreed to just sex. Those were the terms, remember? I was going to see someone else, and I let you know. You agreed to it. You don’t get to agree and throw a hissy fit.” I want to bite my own tongue. That’s not what I came here to say, but her dismissive attitude is infuriating.

“So, you want to talk about rules?” She yanks her elbow from me but turns to face me. “What else did you say? No sleeping in your bed. No cuddling. No dates. Remember that? And only fucking. No lovemaking. Guess what, David? You broke every single rule. I haven’t spent a night out of your bed. Not only that, I sleep in your arms. You took me out on dates where you fed me lobster, made me laugh, and made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman who ever lived. You told me about your past. You promised to be my protector. You made love to me time after time. So, to hell with you and your rules.” She shoves my chest, but it has no impact. She does it again, and I wrap my hands around her wrists.
“You’re right. I freaked out—"



A Boston native, wife, mother, and wine enthusiast. If she’s not writing, thinking about writing, you will find Evelyn with a book in her hands. While a new publisher, she’s been writing for years, and she will continue to write for many years to come. Evelyn is obsessed with assertive and confident men who will stop at nothing to get their woman. Her stories are filled with love, passion, and humor. She currently lives in Chicago, IL with her husband and two daughters.

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Been There Got Out: Toxic Relationships, High-Conflict Divorce, and How to Stay Sane Under Insane Circumstances by Lisa Johnson and Chris Barry Spotlight Tour! @BeenThereGotOut @iReadBookTours

 #selfhelp #selflove #selfcare #mentalhealth #motivation #love #inspiration #mindfulness

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​Book Title:  Been There Got Out: Toxic Relationships, High-Conflict Divorce, and How to Stay Sane Under Insane Circumstances by Lisa Johnson and Chris Barry 
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction (18+)  
Genre: Self-Help
Publisher:  Wordeee
Release date:  Mar 7, 2023
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M: Self-help book for adults going through a divorce.   
Been There Got Out offers practical advice for anyone suffering from or struggling to get out of a relationship with a narcissist or other toxic personality types. Packed with practical facts, tips, and advice, this book covers everything from identifying the problem, committing to take action and legal/custody battles to navigating a co-parenting relationship with a hostile spouse.

Lisa Johnson is the co-founder of Been There Got Out, a high-conflict divorce coach and certified domestic violence advocate who has successfully represented herself through scores of court appearances. Her case was published in the Connecticut Law Journal in March 2021 and is now being used as a legal precedent. Her live testimony helped pass Jennifer’s Law in Connecticut, the third state in America to expand its legal definition of domestic violence to include “coercive control.” She and Barry, the male half of Been There Got Out, coach people in high-conflict relationships, divorce, custody battles, and co-parenting hell so they have the chance of the best outcome in family court and beyond. They also offer a weekly Legal Abuse Support Group for those dealing with narcissistic opponents in legal matters.

Chris Barry is a certified high-conflict divorce coach and the co-founder (and male half) of Been There Got Out. He developed the Been There Got Out podcast, and manages BTGO’s website, YouTube channel, Facebook page, and all the background technology they use to run the business. He also specializes in writing high-conflict parenting plans.

connect with the author: website ~ instagram ~ facebook ~ twitter   



09 March 2023

Hunterland by Dana Claire Excerpt and Guest Review!

 


Publisher:  CamCat Books (February 7, 2023)
Category: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy
Tour dates: February 13-March 24, 2023
ISBN: 978-1792361357
Available in Print and ebook, 310 pages

  Hunterland

Supernatural meets Nancy Drew in Dana Claire’s New Young Adult Novel Hunterland
 

Liam Hunter has warded off hungry vampires, slayed monstrous beasts, and put agonized spirits to rest since he could hold a stake. When trouble comes through the Hunterland message board, alerting them that nurses are dying at high schools across Wisconsin in a string of fishy “suicides,” the Hunter family hits the road to save the day.

 The trail leads to Falkville Falls, where Liam clashes with Olivia Davis, whose maddening family seems inexplicably embroiled in this haunting mess. Olivia has always mothered her little sister, Pepper. But when the Hunter family opens her eyes to the hidden underworld of real monsters prowling the dark, she realizes she can’t protect Pepper from this newest threat by herself. 

Can the two families work together to uncover who or what is responsible before the next murder, or will this vicious death cycle have no end? 

Grab your stakes and your rock salt. Monster hunting class is in session.

Liam

Another school, another hanging.
We’d been following this case for almost a year now. Five schools in Wisconsin, each with at least one dead nurse. The electromagnetic force (EMF) reader confirmed supernatural activity, but our little black box couldn’t tell us the details.

Falkville Falls High School differed, though. Out of three victims, only the second was a nurse. The Hunterland message board picked up the chatter last week sending our investigation here. Damned if we could figure out why this school was an anomaly.

We stepped into the lobby, where the police were lowering the body from the ceiling. Several school employees stood off in the corner, sobbing and holding one another.

Grieving the deceased or fearing for their own lives, I had no idea and didn’t really care. Mr. Kline, thirty- nine years old, lived alone and had worked as the athletic advisor at this school for the last sixteen years. No priors or known enemies. Lived a simple life, just like the other victims. The only significant connection with the other casualties was occupation. 

(c)Dana Claire

Guest Review by Laura Lee

““In truth, I'd never felt completely alone at night within these four walls or even in my dreams. Déjà vu plagued me often; snippets from my sleep would be plucked straight out of my head and become a reality.” - 'Hunterland,' Dana Claire.

There is something different about Olivia Davis. It's not something you would notice just meeting her. In fact, if you met her, you would probably think her a totally normal girl. The daughter of a small-town police officer in Falkville Falls, Wisconsin, Olivia lives a normal life, doing her schoolwork and taking care of her little sister, Pippa. But things have recently gotten much stranger for Olivia.

Multiple faculty members at her school have turned up dead lately, all of them having apparently committed suicide. But Olivia senses that something is amiss, and she is not the only one.

Liam Hunter and his family roll into town on the trail of a killer. That's right, the Hunter's know that the there is more to the suicides in Falkville Falls, too, but the killer they are after is not human. The Hunters travel around the country finding and killing supernatural baddies of all sorts, like vampires, werewolves, witches and ghosts and the minute 18-year-old Liam meets Olivia, he knows there is something different about her.

Liam has a sense that whatever is attacking people in Falkville Falls, wants Olivia as well, and it will take the two teenagers learning to work together to solve this mystery and save the town and Olivia, herself, before all hope is lost.

A supernaturally fun and delightful read-- I ate up every page of 'Hunterland,' like I was a monster myself! Dana Claire has a knack for worldbuilding that pulls you right into the story, and this book is a fantastic example of that.

The perfect book for paranormal romance fans! 

Hunterland by Dana Claire


DANA CLAIRE is an award-winning author whose stories explore identity, fate, and destiny in the crossroads of romance and adventure. Her love of romantic tension and the supernatural effortlessly translates into spine-tingling action and unforgettable characters. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her adoring husband living her dreams: writing books, telling stories, and changing the world, one reader at a time. 

Giveaway Hunterland by Dana Claire

This giveaway is for 3 author signed print copies and is open to Canada, the UK, & the U.S.. This giveaway ends on March 23, 2023 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.
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Follow Hunterland by Dana Claire

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Feb 13 Kickoff & Excerpt
Wendy Wall-to-wall books Feb 15 Review
Lu Ann Rockin Book Reviews Feb 16 Review & Guest Post Postponed)
Kimberly Amazon & Goodreads Feb 17 Review
Nora Storeybook Reviews Feb 21 Guest Review & Excerpt
DT Amazon & Goodreads Feb 22 Review
Sal Bound 4 Escape Feb 23 Guest Review
Bookgirl Amazon & Goodreads Feb 24 Review
Suzie My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews Feb 27 Review & Interview
Nancy The Avid Reader Feb 28 Review
Carole Rae's Random Ramblings Mar 1 Review
Gud Reader Goodreads Mar 2 Review
Ashley's Bookshelf Mar 3 Review Jessica
JBronder Book Reviews Mar 6 Review
Bee Book Pleasures Mar 7 Review
Lisa's Writopia Mar 8 Guest Post
Laura Lee Celticlady’s Reviews Mar 9 Guest Review & Excerpt
Mark Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Mar 14 Guest Review
Lisa's Writopia Mar 15 Review


 Hunterland by Dana Claire

Madame Pommery by Rebecca Rosenberg Cover Reveal! @RebeccasNovels @rebecca. rosenberg.novelist @rebeccarosenbergnovelist

 #MadamePommery #RebeccaRosenberg #HFVBT #historicalfiction #coverreveal


Madame Pommery by Rebecca Rosenberg

Publication Date: March 21, 2023
Lion Heart Publishing

Genre: Historical Fiction


Champagne, France, 1860. Madame Pommery, an etiquette teacher and orphanage founder, loses her husband and is forced to support her family. With no experience, the forty-year-old widow decides to make champagne. Her unique vision is to change it from a sweet dessert beverage to a dry, crisp wine to be enjoyed anytime. When champagne makers refuse to teach her their craft, she forges ahead on her own and secretly begins the excavation of champagne caves under the Reims city dump.

Soon after, her son and her entire crew are conscripted to fight the Franco-Prussian war, leaving Madame Pommery alone to struggle with her champagne dreams. After Napoleon and a hundred thousand French troops are captured, the Prussians invaded France, and Prussian General Frederick Franz occupies Madame Pommery’s house as his army headquarters. Undaunted, Pommery uses her secret wine caves to hide the Francs-Tireurs, resistance fighters for France, while she plans to build a spectacular castle winery above the caves.

But when her former lover, a Scottish Baron, unexpectedly proposes marriage, Madame Pommery must choose between nobility and her passionate quest for fine champagne and the most beautiful winery in the world.

Based on a true story, Madame Pommery is a heroic novel about a mother and widow who fights the Prussians, the social class system, champagne patriarchs, and champagne tastes to create a champagne legacy.

Pre-Order on Amazon


California native Rebecca Rosenberg lives on a lavender farm with her family in Sonoma, the Valley of the Moon, where she and her husband founded the largest lavender product company in America. A long-time student of Jack London’s work and an avid fan of his daring wife, Charmian, Rosenberg is a graduate of the Stanford Writing Certificate Program. Her books include: GOLD DIGGER, the Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor, The Secret Life of Mrs. London, Lavender Fields of America, and the Champagne Widows series.

For more information, please visit Rebecca's website and blog
You can also find her on Amazon, BookBubFacebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.



Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman Book Tour!

 

Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman Banner

February 27 - March 24, 2023 Virtual Book Tour

Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman

Would the assassins plotting to kill Theodore Roosevelt on his visit to the Panama Canal succeed?

Until this trip, no president while in office had ever traveled abroad. White House secretary Maurice Latta, thrilled to accompany the President, could not anticipate the adventures and dangers ahead. Latta befriends watchful secret service agents, ambitious journalists, and anxious First Lady Edith Roosevelt on their hot and humid trip, where he observes a country teeming with inequalities and abounding in opportunities. Along the way he learns about his own strengths—what he never imagined he could do, and what he discovers he can’t do.

Theodore Roosevelt did visit Panama in 1906, accompanied by White House staffer Maurice Latta. Interweaving the stories of real-life characters with fictional ones, Path of Peril imagines what the newspapers feared to report and what historians never discovered about Roosevelt’s risky trip.

Praise for Path of Peril:

"Nothing better than settling down with a good, crisp, detail-rich assassination thriller. Someone is after Theodore Roosevelt, and author Marlie Wasserman tightens the screws, ratchets the tension, and twists the plot again and again. Read it."

William Martin, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Lincoln Letter and December '41

"A feast of characters, scenery and history, Wasserman sets the table for a tremendous read. Path of Peril is a privileged walk with TR, his wife, his staff and dozens of characters struggling to create one of the “greatest engineering feats of the century."

Chris Keefer, author of No Comfort for the Undertaker, a Carrie Lisbon Mystery

"Path of Peril is enjoyable and engaging and places the reader at the center of a fast, explosive and intriguing plot—making this new book one that should not be missed."

Mel Ayton, author of Plotting to Kill the President

"Wasserman’s Path of Peril gives readers an exciting leap back in time... Buy this book—you’ll love it!"

Michael Conniff, historian of Panama

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Crime Fiction
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: January 2023
Number of Pages: 320
Series: This is a Stand Alone Novel
Book Links: Amazon

Read an excerpt:

Maurice Latta

Sunday, January 19, 1947

For forty-one years I honored my oath to President Theodore Roosevelt and his bodyguard to conceal the events of November 15th and November 17th, 1906. On each of those days I agreed to a conspiracy of silence. Last year, that bodyguard died, and TR is long dead. Before I follow them to the grave, I will disclose the perils we faced during the President’s historic trip to Panama, to clarify the record and to unburden myself.

My tale begins in the White House clerk’s office, where I served as a stenographer during the McKinley administration and where I serve now, with a higher title, fifty years later. At first, I felt no connection with the other fifteen fellows in the clerk’s office. I suppose I looked the part, with my regular features and unremarkable bearing. If my appearance fit in, my background did not. Most men working for the President, even at the turn of the century, were college boys. Some had taken the grand tour of Europe. A few had gone to universities in New England. Three, fancying themselves adventurers, had traveled to the West with President Roosevelt, that is, President Theodore Roosevelt. Two of the older gentlemen had been heroes in battles in the South during the Civil War. Most of the White House office workers had nothing to prove, to the President or to themselves.

I followed a different path to Washington. After an unmemorable youth on a Pennsylvania farm, I moved to Oklahoma, where I took my first job as a junior clerk. I filled in paperwork for the more memorable 1893 land rush. Over time my responsibilities and the commands of the head clerk grew distasteful. A friend back in Pennsylvania recommended me for a position as a clerk for a state senator in Harrisburg. I worked for that state senator for one year and two months. Forgive the precision—I like to be accurate with details. Then the legislator was elected to Congress and took me to Washington. Three years later, almost to the day, word spread across town that President William McKinley’s office needed a stenographer. By that time I had married Clara Hays Bullen and had two sons. I aimed to improve my lowly position and my meager salary.

I moved down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House. My official duties, those that were known, started on August 8, 1898. Three years and one month after I started, all hell broke loose in the office. Of course I wouldn’t have used such language then. Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist, assassinated President McKinley. Like other Americans, I felt sorrowful. I had seen McKinley pass down the hall daily, but I had never been introduced to him and he never spoke to me.

My clerk’s job continued. Theodore Roosevelt became President. Little changed in the routines of our office, except now the President knew me by my first and last name. Maurice Latta. To be precise, Maurice Cooper Latta.

When the President’s Secretary, William Loeb, promoted me from Stenographic Clerk to Assistant Secretary on June 4, 1906, I hoped I might have the opportunity to travel, at least up and down the East Coast. Two months later, I heard rumors that TR wanted to assess progress on his canal. Oh, let me interrupt myself for a moment. While conducting my official capacities, I called the President President Roosevelt. Informally I called him TR. By the way, he was the first president to be known by his initials. And some called him Teddy, though I never did so. I am told his relatives called him Teedie. You will hear all these names in my tale.

This trip would be the first time a president, while in office, had ever left the United States. Many Americans thought a president should not travel to foreign soil. That seems odd to us now, after Versailles and Yalta. But in 1906 most Americans didn’t give much thought to the rest of the world, not until TR changed that.

I assumed Secretary Loeb, always interested in the press, would accompany the President to the canal. Mr. Loeb would want to shape the stories in the dailies and weeklies. Reporters called him Stonewall Loeb because of the way he controlled their access to the President. To my shock, Mr. Loeb asked me to go in his place.

Today, even after working in the executive offices of nine administrations, now for President Truman (no, I never call him Give 'Em Hell Harry), and managing a staff of 204 clerks, my title, a rather misleading title, is only Executive Clerk. I am proud, though, that the New York Times has acknowledged my worth. Four years ago, in a Christmas day article my family framed, the reporter wrote, “The actual ‘assistant president’. . . is an official who has been in the White House since 1898 and knows more about its procedure than anyone else. He is Maurice C. Latta, now seventy-four and known as ‘Judge’ Latta to the White House staff.” In truth I know more about what is happening, and what did happen, than most of the presidents I served. That statement is for this memoir only.

I won’t dwell on my years in the White House after Panama, but rather on four days in 1906, in and around the Canal Zone. For the public, I want to add to the historical record, which is silent on certain momentous events. For me and my family, I want to remember the turning point, when I came to realize both my limitations and my strengths. I am writing the tale of what I know, what I saw myself. If you wish, you can fill in gaps with stories you gather from the others present that November, the stories I couldn’t see.

William Loeb

Monday, October 15, 1906

“I’m tired, Maurice. I followed that wild man to Yellowstone and Yosemite three years ago. Still haven’t recovered. None of us could keep up with him.” Mr. Loeb, Secretary to the President, was talking to me about Theodore Roosevelt’s two-month long trip to the West. “Now he’s sailing to Panama. He’ll itch for another frenzied schedule. I can’t do it this time. Here’s the question. Are ready for that kind of a trip? Interested in going in my place? I’m forty, you’re thirty-six. Those four extra years make a difference, right?

William Loeb sat three feet away from my face, at his desk in the White House. When he questioned me he leaned forward, putting his square jaw one foot from my weaker jaw. What answer did he expect? Modesty? Confidence?

“You surprise me, sir. I have never traveled beyond Oklahoma. I have never sailed, and I’ve never been responsible for a presidential trip. But I have watched you. I assisted you from afar when you traveled with the President. I will be honest, it would be a big step for me. I wouldn’t want to disappoint.”

Mr. Loeb sat back, slouched. I had disappointed him already.

“Sir, if you will walk me through the responsibilities, I would be honored to accompany the President.”

I will never know if Mr. Loeb truly believed I could handle the job, or if he had no one else in reserve. He shook my hand, sealing the arrangement. A day later he called me back to his office for instructions.

“Above all, Maurice, keep to the schedule. I’ll help you prepare it. We start with essential meetings. Officials of Panama and representatives from other countries. Then we fill in as needed.” Mr. Loeb was in his element, flaunting his expertise. “Second, control the access of journalists. Give priority to Frederick Palmer, he’s a favorite of Teddy’s. And I’ve been asked to add in a local journalist named Herbert de Lisser. Limit access to those two. Manage the press like I do. Third, names. Keep on you, in your pocket, the identities of the people Teddy is to meet. Whisper him reminders. He’s smart, but that makes him seem even smarter. Fourth, keep notes. You’ll need them later for Teddy’s reports. Last, prioritize telegrams. The pundits are worried that the President, abroad for the first time, won’t be in charge of the business of the country. I’ve reminded them that telegrams will reach his ship and will reach Panama. Sort through dispatches when they arrive and make sure he deals with them.”

I feared Mr. Loeb would notice my twitching right leg. Instead, he looked down and hesitated. For more than a second.

“I need to be frank with you about another matter. There could be danger. Jimmy Sloan, the Secret Service agent who heads Teddy’s protection detail, he tells me he hears rumors of anarchist plots against the President. He has people checking ships arriving in Panama, looking for suspicious travelers. May not matter. Hunting for an assassin is like finding a needle in a haystack. And there’s more. Mrs. R. is frantic. Jimmy—fine to call him Jimmy—won’t talk to her. Teddy tells him not to. She tries to get information from me and I won’t talk to her either. She’ll see you as easy prey and try you too. A word to the wise—be wary of that elegant lady. She’s lived through three assassinations and she’s no fool.”

I could think of nothing to say. I was so anxious about my coming secretarial duties that I had forgotten about the President’s safety.

“Enough of the serious stuff,” Mr. Loeb said. Get yourself new clothing for the trip. Two suits and evening wear. Can’t have you looking like a farmer.” He must have seen me widen my eyes in a question.

“No extra allowance for that. Hope your Assistant Secretary’s salary will stretch.

Edith Roosevelt

November 1906

Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt married late, at age twenty-five, pleased to be Theodore’s second wife. His first, empty-headed Alice Lee, had been prettier, but only her memory was competition. Society column reporters called Edith an elegant, good-looking woman. Even the carpers acknowledged that her sharp nose and chin didn’t mar the impression. Those reporters never called her intelligent, but she knew she was that, and Theodore knew too. At age forty-five, after five children and two miscarriages, the last just three years earlier, she remained slender and attractive.

In the White House Edith stayed busy, watching over sons Ted, Kermit, Archibald, and Quentin, her daughter Ethel, and her rambunctious stepdaughter Alice. Thank goodness Alice had just married, even if it was to Nicholas Longworth III, a bald politician, much older than Alice, with a reputation as a playboy. The wedding nine months earlier had been the social event of the season in Washington. With that extravaganza over, Edith’s burdens did not disappear, but she could begin to reorder them. The stepdaughter now moved from second place to third. Worries about Quentin, her youngest, and his mischievous antics rose to second.

Fear for Theodore remained first in Edith’s list of worries. The year before, she convinced her husband to buy a rustic house, known as Pine Knot, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. A private retreat. Almost private. Always watchful, she arranged for two Secret Service agents to protect the house every evening, without the President’s knowledge.

Sounds. They drove her crazy. The pulsating wind and the rattle of cedar shingles at Pine Knot. The scraping sounds of old window frames and squeaky plumbing at the White House. With each sound Edith heard an alarm. She had trusted Theodore’s first bodyguard, “Big Bill” Craig. In a carriage accident four years earlier Bill died and Theodore was injured. Now Jimmy Sloan oversaw protection. Jimmy was a good agent. Could even a good agent handle the task ahead? The trip to Panama would attract an international cast of cranks. Edith hoped they were cranks, not trained assassins. After each attempt on Theodore’s life, a reporter invariably mentioned the statistics. Three of the last ten presidents had been assassinated, three in about forty years, all in her lifetime. She imagined these numbers branded on her forehead.

Edith needed to identify a member of the trip’s entourage who might keep her informed about threats. Jimmy Sloan and his agents had pledged secrecy. Or they dismissed a woman’s worries. Thought her hysterical. They would be no help. And Theodore refused to acknowledge her fears, refused to listen. Thought she didn’t notice he carried a pistol in his pocket when he mingled with crowds. She would think creatively. She would curry favor with someone else on the trip, someone with knowledge. Maybe that Assistant Secretary who was taking the place of Secretary Loeb. Maurice Latta. He might know and he might share. She would keep an eye out for him aboard ship.

***

Excerpt from Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman. Copyright 2023 by Marlie Parker Wasserman. Reproduced with permission from Marlie Parker Wasserman. All rights reserved.

Marlie Parker Wasserman

Marlie Parker Wasserman continues to write historical crime fiction. Her first book, The Murderess Must Die, was published in 2021. After spending many years in New Jersey, she now lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Historical Novel Society.

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08 March 2023

Her Unexpected Match by Lacey Baker Blog Tour! #XpressoTours⁣⁣⁣ @XpressoTours⁣⁣⁣⁣

 

Her Unexpected Match
Lacey Baker


Published by: Entangled: Amara
Publication date: February 21st 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Travel writer Allie Sparks has one goal: to find the story that will save her career. So here she is, visiting her bestie on picturesque Crescent Island—with sun-warmed beaches, the briny smell of the ocean, and rumors of a secret astrologer-matchmaker who guarantees love. Of course, Allie doesn’t believe in any of that stuff. If anything, she’ll prove it’s a total scam.

Ryan Parker believes in love—just not right now. He’s focused on expanding his family’s barbeque business, finding investors, and keeping his too-big Great Dane puppy from jumping on everyone, including his sister’s pretty, whiskey-eyed best friend. Besides, falling for a tourist is definitely not in his astrological forecast.

Allie is doing everything she can to resist the charm of the town and its beauty, not to mention her attraction to Ryan. But there’s a lot more happening on Crescent Island than anyone knows…and when her story goes to print, this tiny, close-knit town might never be the same.

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There’s a scene in HER UNEXPECTED MATCH where members of the Parker family debate which was the better version of the song, ENDLESS LOVE. 

The Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross or the 

Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey  

Which is your favorite?


HER UNEXPECTED MATCH Spotify Playlist Link:

Lacey Baker, a Maryland native, lives with her husband, three children, two grandchildren and English Bulldog in what most would call Suburban America–a townhouse development where everybody knows each other and each other’s kids. Family cook-outs, reunion vacations, and growing up in church have all inspired Lacey to work towards her dreams and to write about the endurance of family and the quest to find everlasting love. To date she has written in several genres including small town romance, YA paranormal (as Artist Arthur), a cozy mystery series titled Rumors and adult paranormal (as A.C. Arthur).

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Captured Secrets by @jcpeone is out NOW! #CapturedSecrets #CarmenPeone #XpressoTours @XpressoTours

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Captured Secrets
Carmen Peone


Publication date: March 7th 2023
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Western

“Brimming with suspense and adventure, Captured Secrets, is a love story I’ll not soon forget. An engrossing tale with all the twists and turns that make a contemporary Western so hard to put down.” Debra Whiting Alexander, award-winning author of Zetty

After her parents die in a horrific car accident, Sydney Moomaw is thrust into running their guest ranch in eastern Washington. She soon discovers that her parents were keeping secrets. Why is the ranch in serious debt? Why did her parents allow the insurance to lapse? Why didn’t they tell her about it? And where are their wills? Sydney needs to figure out a way to save the ranch she loves before her sister sells it.

Photographer Trey Hardy arrives at the ranch the same day Sydney’s parents are killed. His working-vacation plans change when he decides to help Sydney save her ranch. But, his offers to help are met with resistance. Her stubbornness and independence are both maddening and alluring.

Amid the tangle of finances, tensions with her sister, and her own grief and anger, Sydney begins receiving threatening notes. They must be from her abusive ex-husband, but he’s in jail. Isn’t he? When a teenager appears at the ranch insisting she is Sydney’s daughter, Sydney finally realizes she’s going to have to start trusting people to help her. Will Trey’s plan work? Can they save her beloved ranch? Can she really have the life she’s dreamed of?

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Sydney took a bite of salad and enjoyed the tangy dressing. “What’re your ideas?”

Trey wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You might be able to catch your breath if you sold half the herd of cows or more. You could have a dispersal sale.”

“What’s that?”

“Bidders come to you. Since you have purebred Angus, you’ll bring in a better price. You’d sell cow/calf pairs and half the bulls. How many bulls do you have?”

“Twenty-five.”

“You can sell ten bulls. What about horses?”

“Hang on, I’ll grab a notebook.” She rushed to the office. The answering machine light flashed, so she pushed the Play button. Glenda wanted to talk about the ranch. Sydney cringed. If she had a plan before finding the will, she could hold Glenda off.

She took a minute to google and print off information about probate to read later. She tugged a leather tooled notebook from her drawer, grabbed a mechanical pencil from a Seven Tine–logoed cup, and went back to the table.

“Got it.” Trey tapped his cell and set it on the table.

She opened the book and made notes and columns. “A hundred fifty pairs, ten bulls, horses . . .” Trey had barbecue sauce around his lips. She reached for a napkin and dabbed his mouth. Their gazes locked for a few seconds before she sat back and focused on the notebook. “We list five colts for sure. If Twister pulls through, I want to keep him. He could potentially salvage this place.”

“That’s a big gamble. How’s he doing?”

“It is, but he’s much better. He was up and nursing this morning. Weak, but he’s making remarkable improvements.”

Trey studied her as though she’d stretched the truth, then gulped the last of his strawberry lemonade and clinked the glass on the table. “Good. You have a couple of reputable studs. Let’s start listing stud fees online. I’ll take their pictures tomorrow. You can work with Dr. Saul to freeze and ship semen. That will broaden the playing field.”

“How do you know all this?”

“My dad raised more than cattle. He bred and trained high-end quarter horses too. When he had a good but middleaged one that he wanted to cut and sell as a competition horse, he did the same thing.” Sydney pushed potatoes around on her plate. “Why are you so intent on helping me?”

“To be honest, I care about you guys and would like to see you save this place. It’s got a heartbeat to it that pumps a fruitful spirit through its veins. I’ve never known folks like you. This place has renewed me. It’s filled with a sentimental grit and has sparked something in me that’s been dead for a long time.”

“Grit?” Sydney didn’t feel an ounce of courage or security in herself or the ranch. Everything seemed to be crumbling around her. The dispersal sale would be a long shot depending on cattle prices.

“I know you can’t see it right now, but I feel a huge sense of peace. I felt it the moment I stepped over the threshold––”

“That’s because you’re always on the go. This is new territory for you. The difference between parched desert and lush mountains.”

Trey shook his head. “It’s more than that. A kind of stability or bond or unity surrounds this place. It’s strong. Like a gigantic magnet.” He pointed to a framed photo of a young Lester and Jennie Moomaw on the wall. “You can see it in their eyes. You have that same determined look.”

“The determination that used to exist? It’s gone. I don’t know where the money will come from to pay employee wages. I can’t leave a single, pregnant mother in a lurch.”

Carmen Peone is an award-winning author who has lived in Northeast Washington and on the Colville Confederated Indian Reservation since 1988. She had worked with a Tribal Elder, Marguerite Ensminger, for three years learning the Arrow Lakes Language and various cultural traditions. She owns and trains her horses and competes in local Extreme Challenge and Mountain Trail competitions. With a degree in psychology, the thought of writing never entered her mind, until she married her husband and they moved to the reservation after college. With the love of history and western-woman lifestyle, she brings stories of hope, family, relationships, and faith to her novels.

These books were a labor of love, especially the second edition of the True to Heart Trilogy.

Thank you to my cover model, Shayna Palmanteer of the Colville Confederated Tribes, for your willingness to be a part of this adventure. Visit my website for information on the workbooks that go along with my young adult books at https://carmenpeone.com/books/.

http://carmenpeone.com

Healing, Hope, Horses

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