Love on Target by Shanna Hatfield Book Blitz!

 

Love on Target
Shanna Hatfield

(Pink Pistol Sisterhood, #2)
Publication date: April 10th 2023
Genres: Adult, Historical Romance, 

Will romance hit its mark when true love is the target?

Desperate for a fresh start, Rena Burke journeys from Texas to Oregon with only her father’s pistol and a plodding old mule for company. She takes a job working with explosives at a mine, spends her free time emulating her hero Annie Oakley, and secretly longs to be loved.

Saddle maker Josh Gatlin has one purpose in life and that is his daughter. Gabi is his joy and the sunshine in his days. Then he meets a trouser-wearing woman living life on her own terms. Rena is nothing like his perception of what he wants in a wife and mother for his child, but she might just prove to be everything he needs.

When tragedy strikes, will the two of them be able to release past wounds and embrace the possibilities tomorrow may bring?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

To make sure she hadn’t lost the skill, she arranged the cans on fence posts on either side of the heart she’d painted on the bark, took out her pistol, moved back several yards, and loaded rounds into the cylinder.

After widening her stance, she lined up her first shot, released a breath, and pulled the trigger.

The sound of the bullet pinging the target rang out as the can flew backward off the post. Rena shot the remaining cans, then smiled with satisfaction as she climbed over the fence to retrieve them. She set them back up on the posts, and rested for a minute on the top pole of the fence, face turned to the sunshine as she soaked up the warmth. Then she hopped down and riddled the cans full of more holes before she stowed her gun in the gun belt and draped it over a fence post. Reverently, she lifted the pistol with the delicate pink handle from where she’d set it on a stump.

“Promise of true love,” she whispered, rubbing her thumb over the handle before she loaded five shots in the revolver and took aim at the target she’d painted. “True love. What an absurd notion. Laura really should mind her own business and cease meddling in mine. If she thinks this gun will lead me to romance, she needs to have her thinker checked for defects. Instead of dreaming of true love, setting love on a target seems like a much better idea.”

She blasted five holes in the middle of the white circle she’d painted inside the heart on the slab of bark, taking a great deal of satisfaction in blasting holes into something that represented romance and love, at least in her mind.

“Now that’s some fine shooting, Miss Burke.”

Rena yelped in surprise and spun around, the pistol still in her hand, as she pointed it at the intruder who dared to interrupt her target practice.

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

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The Campbell Sisters by Eileen Joyce Donovan Book Tour with Excerpt!

 

Publisher:  DX Varos Publishing (March 7, 2023)
Category: Literary Fiction, British and Irish Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Tour Dates March 13-April 11, 2023
ISBN: 978-1955065702
Available in Print and ebook, 396 pages

 

Description Campbell Sisters by Eileen Joyce Donovan

Helen Campbell is the eldest and most practical of three sisters, daughters of hard-working Irish emigrants living in New York City in the 1950s. She does what she can to keep the wild-child middle sister, Carolyn, in line and support the youngest, Peggy, as she pursues her dreams of becoming a doctor. Then Helen meets Charlie. 

While it's love at first sight for those two, Carolyn’s antics threatens to derail all the sisters’ future happiness. However, through thick and thin, the three sisters strive to prevail, though not necessarily in the ways they thought they wanted.

Excerpt Campbell Sisters by Eileen Joyce Donovan

In this excerpt from The Campbell Sisters, Helen is waiting up for her sister Carolyn, the wild-child of the three sisters, to come home after her date.

 “Thanks,” Carolyn said, climbing through the window.

Helen stood in front of her, arms folded across her chest, her lips pulled tight into a slash across her face.

“Where have you been?” she said through gritted teeth. Carolyn froze.

“What?” She looked into Helen’s eyes, now steel blue daggers. “Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Carolyn said, pushing past her.

Helen reached out and grabbed Carolyn’s arm. “You’re not putting me off that easily,” she hissed. “I saw you tonight at Stillman’s and I want to know who that man was.”

Carolyn’s eyes widened. “You were there?”

“Yes. On a legitimate date. Not sneaking around with a married man, like you.”

Carolyn’s mouth dropped open, but she said nothing. She pulled her arm away from Helen and strutted over to her bed.

“What I do is none of your business,” she said, undressing.

“You couldn’t be more wrong.”

“Sorry you don’t believe me, but it’s true.”

“What do you think Dad’ll do if he finds out you’re gallivanting around town with a married man?”

“He won’t. Unless you tell him.”

“You know I won’t do that, but you owe me an explanation. And Peggy.”

“Peggy? She doesn’t know anything. Unless you blabbed. Couldn’t keep this juicy little tidbit to yourself? Just had to tell someone?”

“I didn’t need to. She already guessed your dirty little secret.”

“What? How?”

“The night you came home at two o’clock. She’s not stupid. It didn’t take much for her to put two and two together.”

“Well, so now she knows,” Carolyn said, slipping into her pajamas. “At least now I don’t have to keep it a secret anymore. That gets really tiresome.”

The slap across her face echoed around the room. Carolyn staggered backwards and grabbed the dresser to stay on her feet. Tears welled in her eyes as her cheek blossomed into a fiery red blotch. She raised her hand to cover it and stared, horrified, at Helen.

“You slut.” Helen turned her back on her sister and climbed into bed.

Carolyn never moved as Helen turned out the light, plunging the room into darkness, although she knew she wouldn’t sleep that night. Her stomach churned and she swallowed hard, afraid she’d be sick before she could get to the bathroom. She had never hit either of her sisters in anger until tonight. Even after all Carolyn’s antics, she always found a reason to forgive. But tonight was different. Something had hit Helen deep in her gut when she saw that ring. She thought about all the bastard babies at the Foundling and the women who left them there because they had no other viable options. Something she didn’t like to think about.

Carolyn’s behavior went against all the rules Helen had followed her entire life. But Carolyn never played by the rules. She looked for ways to defy them. And now, she had flaunted that defiance in her sister’s face. In some strange warped way, in Helen’s mind, Carolyn had crossed the line and there was no forgiveness this time.

“Helen?” Carolyn’s voice trembled. “Helen, are you still awake? I need to explain.”

Helen bolted upright in her bed. “Explain! There’s nothing to explain. There’s no way you can talk yourself out of this one. I can see now I never should have let you slide all these years. I should have told Mom about all the things you’ve done and the people you’ve been with and let her, or Dad, deal with you. I thought you’d grow up and come to your senses. But you’re as willful and headstrong as you were when you were twelve years old. I’m done protecting you. You said it yourself the other day. You want men to desire and take care of you. A high-priced prostitute. Seems like you’re on the right path, Carolyn. Good luck. You’ll need it. Just don’t come crawling to me or Peggy asking for help when you wind up in the gutter with the rest of the trash.”

Carolyn stood next to Helen’s bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You don’t understand,” she whispered.

“Oh, really? Did he tell you his wife doesn’t understand him? That he’s getting separated, or divorced, very soon? That he can’t leave right now because of his kids? I didn’t think you were naïve enough to fall for any of those lines. Men have one aim in mind when it comes to pretty young women. And I see the results every day when a nurse brings a newborn into the nursery. Is that what you want? If so, you’re well on your way. So now, tell me what I don’t understand.”

Carolyn crumpled onto her bed like a marionette with broken strings.

“I’m all ears,” Helen said.

Carolyn looked at her, the defiant glare back in her eyes. “Did anyone ever tell you you’re a real bitch?”

Helen smiled. “Frequently.” She lay down and pulled up her sheet.

 

The next morning, the family sat around the kitchen table eating their cereal. Carolyn kept glancing over at Helen, waiting for her to drop the bomb that would expose all her lies. Instead, everyone chattered on as usual, talking about their plans for the day. By the time their mother poured the coffee, Carolyn had broken out in a cold sweat and her hand trembled as she lifted the coffee cup to her mouth.

Aggie noticed that, as a mother would, and asked, “Carolyn, are you sick, love? You’re all sweaty and shivering.”

“No, Mom, I’m fine.” Her mother looked at her with arched eyebrows. “Really. I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine to me.” Aggie reached over to put her hand on Carolyn’s forehead. But Carolyn pulled away from her touch.

“Now, Aggie,” Paddy said, “she’s probably just suffering from the too much whiskey she had last night. Am I right, Carolyn?”

Peggy choked on the mouthful of coffee she had just sipped, Carolyn’s face turned red, and Helen sat with a smug smirk on her face.

“You could do with some hair of the dog this morning, couldn’t you?” he asked.

“No, Dad. I’m fine.”

His icy blue eyes stared at her over the rim of his coffee cup. “Well then, since you’re so fine, why don’t you tell all of us where you were last night and what kept you out till all hours of the morning and why you felt the need to climb up the fire escape instead of using your key and coming in the front door like any civilized person would do?”

© Eileen Joyce Donovan

 Guest Review by Laura

What do you get when you take three headstrong, independent and highly individual 20-something sisters and put them together in one bedroom? You get 'The Campbell Sisters,' a new historical fiction/romance by author, Eileen Joyce Donovan that asks the question, how far are you willing to go for your sister?

The Campbell Sisters consist of Helen, the oldest, Carolyn, the middle child, and Peggy, the youngest. All three sisters live with their parents in an apartment in New York City and all three are interested in different pursuits. For instance, Helen is working with orphans at a school in Manhattan and Peggy is attending medical school in the hopes of one day becoming a doctor. However, middle child Carolyn remains a bit of a wild card.

The book is set in 1955 and apart from formerly hanging out with prostitutes, Carolyn has now been spotted dating a married man. Of course, Helen is disgusted by her sister's behavior, and, late one night, the two get into an altercation about it that is unfortunately overheard by their parents.

Having to admit to what the fight was about; Carolyn is then kicked out of the apartment by her father and must scour the city for a place to stay while she pulls herself together.

Luckily, despite their fight, Carolyn has the help of both of her sisters and a friend, to find a place to live in a all women’s rental.  She also receives lots of unsolicited advice from her sisters on how to get back into their father’s good graces and perhaps, not have to move after all. But will she take this opportunity to get back in her family's good graces? Only time will tell, and you will have to read the book to find out what exactly happens.

I highly recommend this novel for anyone who loves a good, highly detailed. historical fiction. This is one that you will not regret picking up! I loved it and couldn’t put it down.

Awards and Praise for Eileen Joyce Donovan

2019 Marie M Irvine Award for Promises, 2021 When Word Count competition for A Lady Newspaperman’s Dilemma “This story is well written and immerses the reader in the period rooting for Alex. At times, I found her decisions a bit rash, but I remembered myself fighting for my career in a male-dominated field. The story is well-researched, and I enjoyed it immensely.”- Carol Amorosi, Author of The MacKay Mysteries, Series 

“It was compelling to read of the mores of the time: school teachers couldn't drink in public, staying at a boarding house came with a set of restrictive rules and trying to get lead stories in a newspaper entailed being part salesperson/part private investigator. With the role of newspapers and reporters being in the news of late, this depiction of a young woman learning the ropes in a competitive, male dominated field was fascinating in the scope of how tough it is to get a story right.”- Susan Wands, Author of Magician and Fool 

“I don't normally read historical fiction, but I so enjoyed this book set in the 1920's. The theme is timeless as the main character is determined to make it in a man's world. Great read!”- Stacy Wilder, Author of A Liz Adams Mystery, Series 

“The characters and fast paced plot drew me in and kept me reading. I enjoyed the historical details and the fact that every time I thought I knew how a character would react, I was wrong. The author is too skilled to fall into stereotypes.”- Grammarian, Amazon Review

Eileen Joyce Donovan has been writing her entire life, in one way or another, whether it was imaginative stories for friends, or advertising copy for clients. At the persistent urging of her husband, she finally agreed to seriously edit and revise one of her stories and take the plunge. Years later, her persistence paid off and both her debut historical fiction, Promises, and her second novel, A Lady Newspaperman’s Dilemma, won prestigious awards. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, and her essays have been included in various Chicken Soup for the Soul editions. She lives in Manhattan, New York and is a member of Authors Guild, Women’s National Book Association, Women Fiction Writers Association, and The Historical Novel Society.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/etdonovan1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eileen.donovan.923

Buy Campbell Sisters by Eileen Joyce Donovan

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⁣⁣ Through the Veneer of Time by Vera Bell Book Blitz! #VeraBell #ThroughtheVeneerofTime ⁣⁣ #XpressoTours @XpressoTours⁣

  ⁣⁣#bookstagram #instabooks #bookish #booklover #greatreads #booknerd #fortheloveofreading #bookstagrammer #bibliophile #bookaholic #mustread #authorsofinstagram #bookblogger #amreading

Through the Veneer of Time
Vera Bell

Publication date: April 10th 2023
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense, Time-Travel

If not for “The Ghost”—her FBI husband’s gruesome case—Siena Forte’s life would have been perfect. But not when the D.C. serial killer is hunting women like her, and when her husband is so unsettled by this case, he refuses to discuss it. It’s a miracle her art career is thriving at all. And not only her career. When Siena lands a medieval mural commission at the National Gallery of Art, she discovers a bizarre knack for astral projecting to her past life. In a lucky strike, her visions of love and prominence in medieval Ireland are just the creative inspiration she seeks.

What Siena doesn’t know is her vivid depiction of the past exposes her to someone she has met before—the serial killer, reborn in this century just like her. But when a vicious attack from the past reverberates into the present, Siena’s life unravels in a chilling parallel. Silenced and alone, she discovers the true reason for her visions. They’re not the creative inspiration they seemed, but a harbinger of her centuries-old revenge vow, and the killer cannot be stopped until she fulfills it. But there is another person from the past with unfinished business—her husband. And another unwelcome déjà vu—their crumbling marriage, once again precipitated by the serial killer’s crime.

Does Siena have what it takes to carry out her ancient vow?

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His words were a blast that made something inside me snap. Why couldn’t I unlock my eyes from his? Unclench my knees despite an unbearable compulsion to run? I dug my fingernails into my sweaty palms to break the paralysis, drove the graphite shards into my flesh.

“Do you ever wonder what becomes of your characters?” His vacuous smile didn’t reach his eyes. “What comes after your painstaking freeze-frame? Your warrior—” He pointed his chin at the mural. “He’s cocky, but he doesn’t know what he’s riding into. Yet hours from now, he could be lying in some field, stripped of his weapons, bleeding out into the ground as the vultures peck at his baby blues.” His eyes widened. “Leaving his beautiful young widow all alone.”

His impossibly soft voice was a ringing blow in my ears. A tremor braced my throat. I drew a frantic breath against it.

“I’m sorry,” I squeezed out, “I’m not sure I follow.”

“I’m sure you do.” He chuckled. “But don’t look so stricken, Siena Forte. It’s only a painting, a fantasy. Nothing more.”

“Excuse me…” I edged past him, cold all over.

I rushed into the nearest restroom, tossed the broken graphite into the trash can, and locked myself in a stall. I hugged myself. Tight. Tighter. Gasped for air, not drawing any. My vision swam at the edges. Flickering. Fading. My heart thudded, and breath came faster in my chest, choking me.

Fragments of his words whirred around me, and I grasped my head to stop the awful cacophony. But it wouldn’t stop. The image he drew cut like a knife, piercing through something soft and vulnerable inside. Something I’d buried deep down and wished to keep that way. But he’d driven it to the surface and laid it out in the open, raw and exposed.

Someone entered the restroom, and I froze at the squeak of the adjoining stall door. But it was only a pair of black pumps through the divider gap. Heartbeat in my ears, I dropped the toilet lid and sat down.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat.

Worgen was a narcissistic egomaniac, pissed off at not getting his way. Certainly, he could neither read my mind nor know anything about my visions. He was messing with me. Of course, he was! Pygmalion was a mythical sculptor, whose ivory creation came to life after he’d fallen in love with her. And here I was, a female artist, painting a man. As for the widow, it wasn’t a big leap to imagine a handsome warrior leaving a young wife at home. Worgen didn’t have to know about me to understand this mental image would upset me.

I couldn’t tell how long I stayed in the restroom, but I emerged more determined than ever to continue with my project. I only needed to go outside and get some fresh air first. But Worgen was still there, talking to a visitor, and the only way out was past him.

I clenched my jaw and went toward them.

Vera Bell is the author of the time-travel romance trilogy Always & Forever, set in sixteenth-century Ireland and present-day United States. Book One, "Through the Veneer of Time," is her debut novel. Besides being a writer, she is a wife to her high-school sweetheart, a mother to two teenagers and one fur baby, a former commercial artist and boutique owner, and a member of the Historical Novel Society, Women's Fiction Writers Association, and Romance Writers of America. Her favorite place to write is on her porch, overlooking a pond lined with river birches and magnolias. The topics she never tires of are Ireland, past lives, and love that transcends time and space.

Contact: VeraBellAuthor@gmail.com 

Website: https://www.verabellauthor.com 

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/G05MBqATtj8 

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The Last Wife by JA Baker Review!

 

Don't miss the brand-new thriller by J.A. Baker! Perfect for fans of Sue Watson, Valerie Keogh and K.L. Slater.

What people are saying about J.A. Baker...

'Superbly written with a cast of crazy characters who will make you look differently at your co-workers from now on.’ Bestselling author Valerie Keogh

'Fast-paced, riveting thriller. Gripped until the last page!' Bestselling author Diana Wilkinson

'A twisty, creepy story expertly told. Perfect for reading on dark winter evenings…with the doors double-locked and bolted. Highly recommended!' Bestselling author Amanda James

Welcome to Winters End...

Winters End should have been the perfect place for me and my husband Neil to start again. To leave the terrible secrets and guilt of our past far behind us.

But from the moment we arrived in the small, isolated community, it becomes clear to me that we are not welcome here. That someone wants us to leave…

I’m certain that everyone knows our secrets – knows who we really are. But how can that be?

Perhaps it’s my mind playing tricks on me. Just like before.

I know Neil thinks I'm paranoid. My thoughts spiralling. Again.

If only I had someone else to talk to. Another woman to confide in.

And that’s when I realize something far more terrifying.

I am the only wife at Winters End…and I could be the last…

J. A. Baker was born and brought up in the North East of England and Undercurrent was her debut novel, making it into the Top 100 on Amazon.

When she's not writing and thinking up new and inventive ways of killing off her fictional characters or looking after her young grandchildren, she can be found pottering around her garden with her madcap dog, Theo or in a coffee shop eating cake with her long-suffering husband.

My Thoughts

This is the second book that I have read by J.A. Baker, the first was Local Girl Missing, if you have not read it you need to. In The Last Wife, takes place on an island in the Northern Sea. Fiona and Neil moved to the small island of Winter's End. The move to the island was a chance for the two to start over. There had been some legal issues that got taken care of but it had ostracized Fiona's family.

A beautiful place, a nice cottage, and they can both work from home, but Fiona starts to feel uncomfortable on the island, the residents are not very friendly and there is only one elderly woman on the island, she finds that in the cemetery, all the headstones have a woman's name and the deaths are recent. The people in the town have started to make Fiona suspicious and she is being told by a few people to leave the island, they are not wanted there. Even going to the local pub is not safe. Things start to get creepy when another woman goes missing. What happens after that is a whirlwind. Will Fiona and Neil survive? Who is doing the killing?

I really liked this book and will be reading more by J. A. Baker.

I give the book 5 stars!

I received a copy of the book for review

I Am Germany by Michael Witt Review!

 

Three years before the Holocaust came the first holocaust, the one that nobody hears about. It stole the lives of thousands of children.

In 1930s Germany, before the war, Anna Himmel was Henry Schultz's secret first love and a child-prodigy violinist lauded as the embodiment of German high art and culture. But when the issue of reunification draws a grieving, widowed Henry back to Germany in 1989, decades after his family fled the growing Nazi threat, she is a shell of who she once was. As Anna reluctantly shares her story of trying to save a disabled little girl at Hartheim Castle, a covert Nazi euthanasia site, Henry starts to realize the insidiousness of the evils he left behind and the consequences of trying to forget.

But she cannot bear to give voice to the end of the story. To answer once and for all the question of how normal people slip piecemeal into evil and whether Anna can ever reunify with who she once was, Henry sets out to Hartheim to find the ending himself. What he discovers there will change them both forever.

Michael Witt

I am a former attorney (please don't hold it against me) who took an audacious plunge and quit the law, deciding to become an unpublished novelist. My first novel, I AM GERMANY, won the "Highly Recommended" award two months after publication. I never try to impose my views on the reader but rather make her come to her own conclusions. I love to write and manipulate words.

My Thoughts

I Am Germany by Michael Witt is a poignant story about Heinrich Schultheiss, who changed his name after coming to America, Henry Schultz, half-Jewish, his early years, and his years as an older man. Anna Himmel, Henry's secret love, before his marriage years. When Henry lived in Germany as a child and Anna lived next door. She was a child prodigy, a violinist.

Henry returns to Germany to find Anna, he does but after 50 years, she is not who he thought he would find. She has a secret. He had left Germany with his parents in 1936 just 16 years old. They moved to Iowa and started a life there away from what was going on in Germany.

The secret she has has torn her life apart, and she reluctantly tells Henry about Hartheim Castle, The building became notorious as one of the centers for the Nazi killing program known as Action T4, in which German citizens deemed mentally or physically unfit were systematically killed with poison gas. Henry goes there to find out for himself about what atrocities were exacted on the Jewish people in Germany.

To me, this was a sad story, the horrible things that happened before, during, and after the war, the building of the wall, and the wall being taken down. A very poignant story, a story of a young woman with a talent that surpassed other people, who turned into a broken cynical elderly woman who suffered unspeakable things. In the telling of her story, I think that she was able to come to terms with her younger life.

I think that this is an important book to read about Hartheim Castle, 30.000 people (18.000 people with handicaps and mentally ill people, about 12.000 concentration camp prisoners, and forced laborers) were killed in Hartheim until the end of the year 1944. A book that should be read by everyone interested in the war.

I give this book 5 stars, if I could I would give more.

I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

From the Ashes by Melissa Addey Blog Tour!

 

From the Ashes

They called it the Flavian Amphitheatre. We call it the Colosseum. Let the Games begin. 

Rome, 80AD. A gigantic new amphitheatre is being built. The Emperor has plans for gladiatorial Games on a scale no-one has ever seen before. But the Games don’t just happen by themselves. They must be made. And Marcus, the man in charge of creating them, has just lost everything he held dear when Pompeii disappeared under the searing wrath of Vesuvius.

Now it will fall to Althea, the slave woman who serves as his scribe, to ensure the Colosseum is inaugurated on time – and that Marcus makes his way out of the darkness that calls to him.

Can a motley crew comprising a retired centurion, slaves, a prostitute and an ex Vestal Virgin pull off the greatest gladiatorial Games ever seen? Or will they fail and find themselves in the arena as punishment? Time is running out to deliver an unforgettable spectacle.

From the Ashes is the first, fast-paced novel in the gripping new Colosseum series. Follow the quick-witted and fiercely loyal backstage team of the Colosseum through the devastation of Pompeii, plague and fire. This is historical fiction at its most captivating: both action-packed and tender.

Take a front row seat at the Colosseum’s inaugural gladiatorial Games. Buy From the Ashes today.

Trailer Link - https://youtu.be/CbM54gjiT20 

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Melissa Addey writes historical fiction set in Ancient Rome, medieval Morocco and 18th century China. She is a fulltime self-published author and runs workshops for authors wanting to be entrepreneurial. Her books have been selected for Editor’s Choice by the Historical Novel Society and won the inaugural Novel London award. She has been the Leverhulme Trust Writer in Residence at the British Library, has a PhD in Creative Writing and works with the Alliance of Independent Authors on their campaigns. 

If you’d like to try her writing, visit www.melissaaddey.com to pick up a free novella, The Cup.

www.melissaaddey.com where readers can get a free novella that starts another series (medieval Morocco).

https://www.facebook.com/MelissaAddeyAuthor

https://twitter.com/MelissaAddey

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Purchase link (universal) http://getbook.at/Colosseum

An Unexpected Guest by Hannah Ellis Blog Tour!

 

An Unexpected Guest

A family reunion takes everyone by surprise…

Jago Treneary hasn’t been home since his father’s funeral three years ago. Now, he’s returning to the Isles of Scilly for his brother’s wedding and is intent on building bridges with his family.

When a last-minute guest arrives to stay at his mum’s house, the trip takes an unexpected turn.

Soon, he’s playing tour guide for Sylvie and rediscovering the beautiful islands he grew up on.

He never expected to feel so at home.

But with his attention on Sylvie he neglects his family.

Before long he’s faced with a choice: follow his heart and see where things lead with Sylvie, or put the work into making things right with his family.

One thing seems certain: he can’t have it all.

With his time on Scilly coming to end, he needs to make some big decisions… fast.

Purchase Link - https://geni.us/ScillyBook5

Hannah Ellis spent many years working in childcare before deciding she'd like to write books. When she's not busy writing she likes to read, drink tea and eat chocolate. She also enjoys yoga and jogging. 

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Grudge by Doreen McMillan Book Blitz! #DoreenMcMillan⁣⁣ #Grudge #XpressoTours @XpressoTours⁣

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Grudge
Doreen McMillan

Publication date: April 7th 2023
Genres: Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult

How far would you be willing to go to get an A on a test?

That question plagues seventeen-year-old Laurel Anderson when she is confronted about the possibility of not graduating from high school towards the end of her senior year.

A plan was made with friends at a sleepover. But everything goes horribly wrong, and they all vow to keep what happened that night a secret.

Then Laurel meets Jace Messina whose hot and cold attraction toward her becomes intriguing when she takes a chance on an offer from him that she can’t refuse.

But as soon as she starts to have a glimmer of hope, everything falls apart. Bad decisions are not forgotten–especially by someone who has their eye on her for vengeance.

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Laurel sat there quietly eyeing him. “Is that so?” she said after a moment.

Something tugged inside her. The way he stood there looking at her with his autumn green eyes stirred up a tingling feeling. She had to look away from him.

“I just got in,” she said. “I didn’t want to get out yet, you know. I was trying to relax.”

Without thinking about it, she rubbed the side of her neck.

Jace grinned at her and nodded. “I guess that explains why you were twisting your shoulders. I thought you might have been dancing but you had a pained look on your face.”

“Pained?”

“Am I wrong?”

Laurel rolled her eyes and then slid down further into the hot tub. “I’m sorry you wasted your time. You could have called or sent me a text…unless you deleted me from your contacts.”

He chuckled, not moving his gaze from her face. “You’re like a flower with thorns,” he said.

Laurel cracked a smile. “That sounded like a compliment.”

“It was meant to be.”

Jace couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Laurel held his gaze. The way he looked at her made her heart beat faster. There was an intensity in his eyes that made her catch her breath. As she glanced away, she noticed the tattoo on his wrist. She became more aware of his strong-looking arms, and how they would feel massaging her shoulders.

It was as if her eyes had spoken when he came close until he was standing directly behind her. Then without saying a word, he put his hands on her bare shoulders.

She didn’t flinch or move. Every muscle in her body welcomed his touch. There was no resistance. He moved his fingers with a deftness that made her feel she was melting inside. His thumbs gently rubbed over her aching muscles. The moisture from the water made his hands feel soft and slick on her skin.

She was enjoying the sensation of his hands on her as the aches in her muscles lessened as he continued to rub the sides of her neck and onto her shoulders. She closed her eyes when she felt him lower his face close enough, so the tip of his nose gently pressed against her skin. She was intoxicated by the warmth of his skin touching the side of her neck…

Doreen McMillan is a wife, a mom and an educator who likes to spend her spare time writing mysteries for older teens.

She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and son.

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