Twist of Date by @AuthorLaurenHelms Release Blitz! @LaurenEHelms @IndiePenPR

#TwistOfDate #HEAIncseries #SecretFling #MatchmakerRomance #FriendsToLoversRomance

 

Layla James has always been in the business of love and never mixes business with pleasure, but when Cole Reed walks back into her life, she’s left questioning everything. Can this blast from the past convenience Layla to set her rules aside and take a chance on love? Fans of secret fling romances will love TWIST OF DATE by Lauren Helms, a steamy matchmaker romance.

WARNING: Language

 

Once upon a time, there was a charming restaurant owner and an unsuspecting matchmaker who refused to mix business with pleasure…

Layla
I've always been in the business of love. Happily Ever After, Inc. has thrived under my leadership and the hard set of rules that I set for myself. But when a never quite forgotten blast from my past walks into my life, I'm suddenly questioning everything and everyone around me.

Cole Reed is everything I want in a man - handsome, successful, and charming.

There's just one small hiccup...Cole is Happily Ever After's latest client, and he's got his sights on me.

Cole
I'm used to getting what I want and I've never left a date unhappy. So when my grandmother insists I need to work with a matchmaker...her lifelong best friend at that...I'm skeptical. Especially when my path crosses with the girl that always seemed to get away.

She's sexy, smart, and determined - everything I've always admired about her. And this time, I refuse to let her get away.

There's just one small problem...Layla James is my so-called matchmaker's granddaughter - and the owner of the matchmaking company that's just taken me on.

It feels like a weird twist of date that's put the two of us back in each other's life, but Layla doesn't quite see it that way.

Can I convince her to break a few rules and take a chance on our own happily ever after?

Add to Goodreads Here!

Buy Now At Your Favorite Retailers!

Copyright 2023 @Lauren Helms

“I have so many questions,” I say.

“About?” He chuckles. His hand reaches out like he’s going to touch me again but drops his hand into his pocket.

“You being here in Indy. Meeting with Ruth,” I explain. I won’t share the Googling sleuth Stella just performed.

“Ah, yeah, it’s been a hell of a long time, Lays.” He uses the old nickname like it’s still second nature to him. The reminder of how he insisted on adding the S when we merely acquaintances, friends at best. While we had chemistry, it was never the main factor in the relationship we had. His nickname for me had always baffled me, but I wouldn’t deny that I loved it.

“Ten years,” I say, nearly in a whisper.

A seductive gleam flowers in his eyes as he grins back at me. “You look damn good, Layla.” In my building and meeting with my grandmother.

I smile at his compliment. “So do you, Cole.” He’s wearing is flirty smile, so if I don’t direct him off this flirty path, I’ll regret it later.

“Why [EmL1] [LH2] were you meeting with Ruth?” I try not to sound stern, but I’m not flirting right now.

He lets out a sigh. “She’s apparently my matchmaker now.”

A heavy ball forms deep in my gut. That’s what I was afraid of. She’s going to find him a match, and that will be that. I set my lips in a firm line, switching on my professional mode.

“Well, that’s perfect. Ruth is the best.” My eyes dart away from his face. I can’t continue to look at him. He practically belongs to someone else now.

He doesn’t seem to notice the difference in my demeanor, which is good, but his next words cause me to reinforce the walls.

“I want to catch up. Soon. Can we set a date?”

I gulp before looking back at him, opting to look at his chest rather than his face. He’s wearing a black winter jacket, but it’s unzipped, his dark-colored, green maybe, button-down showing through.

“Oh, yeah, maybe,” I say.

“Let me have your phone. I had to get a new number a few years ago.” He reaches out his hand, his palm face up. I stare at it a moment, then pull out my phone against my better judgment.

I assume he’s entering his number and I’m correct when his own phone pings from somewhere on his person. His grin is huge as he hands my phone back to him.

“Now I’ve got your number.” He reaches out one more time and squeezes my bicep. “I’ve got to run. Potential new distributor meeting.”

I nod, forcing a smile.

Damn, he’s so attractive and all I want to do is snag his hand and pull him over to a table and catch up. But that won’t happen.

“All right. It was good seeing you,” I tell him. Truth.

Then he catches me off guard, pulling me into him for a hug. “So fucking good seeing you, Lays.” I feel his warm breath in my hair before he steps away. “Promise we will catch up soon, yeah?”

I nod, still taking in everything about that hug. His manly, woodsy scent, his warmth, the feel of his body around mine. His chuckle follows him as he leaves. I watch him leave until I can’t see him anymore.

What just happened?

I look down at my hand and see my phone still in it. I swipe open the messages to see what he texted himself. 

Me: you’re still so hot, Cole. #perfection  

Rereading the message from himself, he replies and my eyebrow rises.

Cole: Damn, Lays, you know how to make a guy blush. 

I snort at his bullshit reply with a quick eye roll emoji. Even though he’s probably halfway down the street by now, I can practically hear his laughter.

Buy Now At Your Favorite Retailers!

Lauren Helms is a romance author her nerdy and flirty contemporary words. Lauren has forever been an avid reader from the beginning. After starting a book review website, that catapulted her fully into the book world, she knew that something was missing. While working for a video game strategy guide publisher, she decided to mix what she knew best--video games and romance. She decided to take the plunge and write her first novel, Level Me Up. Several published novels later, Lauren created PR company, Indie Pen PR, to help other authors promote their books.

Lauren lives in Indianapolis, Indiana sharing her love of books and video games with her own Gamer Boy husband and three young kid nerds who will hopefully grow up to share the love of things that united Lauren and her husband on their own happily ever after.

Follow: Facebook | Reader Group | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub | Newsletter | TikTok

This promotional event is brought to you by Indie Pen PR

Death at the Caravan Park Blog Tour!

 

Death at the Caravan Park

Clive Thompson heads for Whitley Bay caravan park to finish writing his novel. He’s never had a caravan holiday before and is warmly greeted by the manager, Liz Mathews, who lives on the park. She is single and cares for her ninety year old mother who has Alzheimer’s Disease. Clive meets the people in neighbouring caravans and has an amazing view from his veranda over the sea to St. Mary’s Lighthouse. However, Audrey goes missing during the night and Liz is beside herself with worry. The police are out looking for her, but disillusioned by their efforts, Clive begins his own investigations.

Purchase Links - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Caravan-Park-Thompson-investigates-ebook/dp/B0C6YGTH79/

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Caravan-Park-Thompson-investigates-ebook/dp/B0C6YGTH79/

                                         

EXTRACT FROM CHAPTER 35

Clive Thompson, bumbling sleuth, is suspicious of the German guest staying in the caravan behind him and is determined to see what he is up to.

I’m out of my caravan like Jack Flash and cut over the grass to stay behind him. Although his tracksuit looks like it’s seen better days, I can tell he’s been used to a better standard of living and am desperate to know about his life and what he’s doing here.

He strides down from Ash Mews towards reception and heads inside. I can’t follow him into reception, so decide to hang around on the corner. There’s an ice cream van parked up and I lick my lips – I can never resist. I’m not sure how long Dennis will be in reception and figure I’ve time to devour a cornet. I do so and lick at the soft ice cream which has a great flavour and is cooling me down.

Dennis reappears and turns the corner so quickly that he’s right in front of me and I’m flustered. I wipe the cream from my lips with the back of my hand.

‘That looks good,’ he says. ‘I’ve just been into reception to let them know I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon.’

I’m startled at this news. ‘Oh, right,’ I mutter. ‘Are you going home?’

Dennis doesn’t answer this question. I watch him chew at the bottom of his moustache and change the subject by saying, ‘Hey, I’m reading your book - I got it from Amazon - it’s a good story and I’ve stayed near that place in London.’

This floors me and even though I’m supposed to be questioning him I can’t help but glow at the compliment. I stutter, ‘O…oh that’s great - thanks!’

I wonder how he knew my surname because I haven’t told him and figure maybe Jim has. My brain kicks into gear and know if he’s leaving tomorrow, I have to find out his connection to this caravan park and decide to go straight in with my main question.

The ice cream begins to drip on my hand, and I pull back my shoulders. ‘Dennis, you know that I’ve been helping Liz,’ I say. ‘So, can I ask you where you were last Monday night when Audrey disappeared?’

I realise I’ve used a sharper tone to my voice mainly because I’m concerned about Audrey’s death and not knowing about this man is bugging me. There’s an awkward silence between us as a seagull squarks noisily up above on the reception roof.

Dennis draws his bushy eyebrows together in a severe frown. It’s obvious he’s not happy about being asked although I can’t see his eyes because he’s wearing mirrored sunglasses. I notice the rough red score marks on the back of his hands. A dermatological complaint, I wonder, Psoriasis?

He removes his sunglasses, stands with his legs planted wide and puts his clenched fists on his hips. His eyes are ablaze and seem to be protruding when he shouts, ‘What the hell has it got to do with you - you’re not the police!’

And he’s right, I think startled at his raised voice. He takes a step towards me and snarls, ‘Just who the devil are you?’

I decide a change of mood is necessary if I’m to get him to talk. I drop my shoulders and smile trying to look more friendly sucking a big mouthful of ice cream before it runs down the side of the cornet. I’m just about to say, hey, I didn’t mean to upset you, when he moves swiftly. With steady hands he grabs the hem on the bottom of my T-shirt and pulls it up and right over my head.

I’m plunged into darkness. 

Susan is a published author of eight novels and six novellas with short stories published in Women’s Weekly magazines. She is now retired from Food Technology and scribbles away in County Durham. Writing psychological suspense and cosy-crime novels with strong, lovable North East characters, is her passion. Last year, she brought us, Clive’s Christmas Crusades, set in York. Following the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, Susan wrote six Curious Casefiles which is now published by Northodox Press. She has incorporated up-to-date issues: poor mental health in a kidnap scene, the perils of social media, and an intruder on Skype.

Social Media Links –

You can find Susan’s books here: https://amzn.to/2S5UBc8

www.facebook.com/susan.willis.710

https://twitter.com/SusanWillis69

Moonlight and the Monarch Series: The Moonlight Curse, Book Two by Evelynn Carver New Release Blitz!

Title:  Moonlight and the Monarch

Series: The Moonlight Curse, Book Two

Author: Evelynn Carver

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: 07/11/2023

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 73100

Genre: Fantasy, romance, fantasy/paranormal, mystery, magic/magic users, demons, kidnapping, captivity/imprisonment, action/adventure, family drama, shifters, political intrigue, HFN

Add to Goodreads

The exciting adventures of The Moonlight Curse series continues when family loyalty comes up against love.

Brand’s curse remains, his family estranged, and his carefully constructed plan gone ridiculously awry. He’s fallen head over heels for the powerful mage and temperamental socialite, Valentino Vicari, the descendant of the witch who cast a dark curse on his family.

Is Brand prepared to give up everything, crown and consequences be damned, for an excellent pair of legs and a scalding tongue?

The decision is taken from him when Brand and Valentino are captured by agents of Brand’s father, the ruthless King Lykanos, and the newly built trust between them is shattered.

Valentino is forcefully conscripted, thrown into yet another unwanted engagement, his precious pride rubbed in the dirt and stomped on. Left feeling utterly betrayed and powerless without his magic, Valentino can’t help but hope that, somehow, he’ll get a chance to burn the whole castle to ashes and escape. Will his fledgling relationship with Brand survive the fallout?

Brand will have to think two steps ahead of his watchful father, enlist the help of some unlikely allies, and climb through a couple of sewer pipes to scheme his way out of the castle and back into Valentino’s heart.

Family drama, trouble-making ex-lovers, and political intrigue provide the backdrop for a test of our heroes’ newfound love amidst the rising tide of war in this second installment in the series.

Moonlight and the Monarch

Evelynn Carver © 2023

All Rights Reserved

Chapter One

Somewhere in Kaenys

Valentino awoke to darkness. He blinked his eyes open, but he still could not see. Paralyzing panic took him, and suddenly he could barely breathe, barely think. Had he gone blind? With a start, he realized something covered his face. Some sort of rough fabric. He could shift slightly, but a rope encased his wrists and ankles, bound tight.

What in the White Valleys of Hell?

A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he flinched.

“Don’t move,” Brand whispered urgently. “Just lie still and pretend to be unconscious.”

“What in the…?” Valentino groaned.

“Is he awake?” an unfamiliar voice asked, startling Valentino into silence.

“No, just moaning in his sleep, I suspect,” Brand answered. “Is it much farther?”

“Just a block or two off.”

Valentino held stock-still, but his mind raced. He focused on the faint sounds of a wagon creaking and shaking under him. They moved quickly through bumpy streets, each gap in the cobbles giving him a jolt, but the other occupants in the wagon were still and silent, just the faint sounds of breathing and horseshoes hitting stone coming to his straining ears. No light filtered through the bag over his head, so it must still be night or perhaps early morning. That left a considerable gap in his memory. The last thing he remembered was he and Brand standing in their room together, about to share a meal. Brand had just confessed everything, his lies, his hidden royal heritage, the suspected origin of the curse, and how none of that mattered, that Valentino was enough.

It had been terrible. And wonderful.

They were going to make a plan, a life, together. They were going to toast to new beginnings, and then… What? Valentino distinctly remembered removing his pants at some point, but his trousers and things appeared to be in place now, and for that, he was grateful. When had he gotten dressed? Had Brand dressed him? He couldn’t remember.

The clinking of chains and a crash resounded outside. A drawbridge falling? Valentino listened closely as the wagon rolled up a ramp and over uneven ground, the hollow sound of horseshoes clattering over planks muffled by the fabric over his head. Men called to one another, their voices echoing as if in a large space, water splashing in the distance. The wagon lurched forward again, a short sudden drop making his stomach churn. Had they crossed a moat?

Valentino continued to feign sleep, the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears so loud he couldn’t believe no one else had noticed it. What was going on? Had someone captured them? The only place in Remira he remembered with a moat was the castle. That would mean they were going into the Rock Keep, and that would mean terrible things.

After a lot of clank and clatter, the wagon came to a halt, and Valentino yelped as something struck him.

“Wake up, you!” a rough voice demanded. “If you can’t walk, we’ll drag you.”

“He’s still disoriented from the draught,” Brand said and roughly lifted Valentino up and onto his shoulder. “I’ll carry him in.”

The other man snorted. “Suit yourself, Your Highness.”

The address made Valentino’s blood run cold, and he could only allow himself to be hoisted like a sack of potatoes, his heart in his throat.

Right. Brand is a prince.

It still didn’t seem quite real. Brand, the man who had shoveled horse shit with him in a barn in the middle of nowhere, the man who had taken a bullet for him, had lain beside him, kissed him, fallen in love with him over the past two moons was actually bloody royalty.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Brand said into Valentino’s ear. “Just go along, and I swear I’ll figure this out.”

Valentino squirmed slightly in acknowledgment, though he wanted to kick and scream. If Brand had brought him into the keep, what did that mean? Surely, he hadn’t really given him up to the crown after all? After everything they had been through together?

Other men gathered around them, barking orders and expressing excitement and amazement.

“Out of the way, out of the way you lot!” the other man yelled good-naturedly. “Cain’t you see the prince here has his hands full? Clear off!”

The crowd continued their barrage of questions, closing in on them, shouting and laughing. Valentino tried desperately not to vomit.

“Do you no longer follow orders?” a deep voice bellowed from off to the side, authority and stern command clear in her tone. “Get back to your duties this instant!”

The crowd grew silent and dispersed.

“Dyana,” Brand said stiffly.

Brand’s sister. Was she in on this too?

“I see you’ve had a change of heart,” she said evenly, and Valentino could almost feel her eyes crawling over his person. “You’ve brought in the Vicari mage, after all?”

That’s what I want to bloody know!

Brand went quiet. “Let’s speak of this matter inside,” he said finally, his normal country drawl completely absent. It was jarring to hear him speak so formally.

“As you will,” Dyana said slowly. “Father is waiting to meet you in the vestibule. Come this way.”

Valentino swallowed. Brand paused, the tension in his back buzzing against Valentino’s belly. He shifted, hesitating, before moving in the direction of Dyana’s voice as she barked orders to the guards. Brand’s shoulder pushed into his stomach with every step, but Valentino tried to stay limp and still as the sound of boots crunching on gravel changed suddenly to a more even rhythm of steps on stone. A heavy door closed behind them. They must be inside the castle now.

Suddenly there was a rush and a scuffle; loud voices shouted, and armored bodies descended upon them. Valentino didn’t have the time to react before someone wrested him from Brand’s hold and slammed him against a wall, knocking the air from his lungs. They ripped the bag off his head and snapped something around his neck before he could do so much as blink. He tried to scream but sputtered and retched instead.

It was as if they had stuffed cotton wool in his ears and nose, clogging his senses and filling his head until it became as heavy and dense as a brick. This was exponentially worse than any illness he’d ever endured, and the sudden shock of it sent him reeling. He gagged again, bile rising in his throat as they dragged him away through a long hallway, down a set of stairs, and threw him into a dark room. He looked around blearily, the walls shifting in his vision. It was like being drunk on the worst cheap liquor but remaining completely self-aware and, therefore, deeply, horrendously terrifying.

Where did Brand go? Why had he allowed this to happen? Surely this was a mistake.

The guard reached for him again. Valentino jerked away and tripped, what he’d intended as a quick-footed dodge turning into a lead-footed stumble. The guard pushed him against the wall again and slapped heavy iron manacles on his arms and legs. The cold metal stung his skin.

“What is this? What have you done to me?” Valentino choked out.

The guard answered with a rough laugh. “This is a special bit of jewelry for talented little troublemakers like yourself.”

Valentino tried to reply but could only retch. The bastards must have put a mage collar on him—a magical dampener of the worst sort. Valentino knew the stories, but he’d always assumed they were simply fairytales meant to scare disobedient children from misusing their magic. They weren’t real. They couldn’t be. Desperately, he reached deep for his magical reserves, but it was like reaching into a pocket thought to be full, only to find it empty with a hole at the bottom.

His knees buckled and he slid to the ground, arms held in place above him by the chains. “Why are you doing this? I’m a guest of your prince!”

“You’re not a guest.” The guard laughed again. “You’re a prisoner.”

With that, he slammed the door, leaving Valentino alone in the darkness and unable to light so much as a matchstick.

NineStar Press | Books2Read

Evelynn Carver lives with her partner, child, and dog in the Deep Dark South (also known as Atlanta, Georgia). She studied art in school and is somehow still deemed employable. In her free time, she reads genre fiction, plays video games, watches cartoons, and engages in other related unseemly behavior. She’s been writing and drawing stories since she was in grade school and would one day love to grow up to be a Real Author.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive a $50.00 NineStar Press Gift Code! 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway 

 

The Book of Alys by Alan Gold Book Blitz! #AlanGold #TheBookofAlys #XpressoTours⁣ @XpressoTours⁣⁣⁣⁣

 #booklover #greatreads #booknerd #fortheloveofreading #bookstagrammer #bibliophile #releaseblitz #bookaholic #mustread

The Book of Alys
Alan Gold

Publication date: May 31st 2023
Genres: Adult, Historical Romance

King Henry II, exhausted from everlasting conflict with France and the bad habit of his sons rebelling against their father finds love, solace, and passion after falling for the youthful beauty of Alys and makes her his mistress.

Alys’ father, King Louis VII of France was a man in desperate need of an heir. Alys was his fourth daughter from two wives. After divorcing Eleanor, he married Alys’ mother Constance.

The desperate need for a son meant that King Louis was striding down the aisle just five weeks after Constance’s death (not to say that he wasn’t grieving, it was said he was deeply affected by his loss), this time with Adele of Champagne who was twenty years his junior. Alys was finally joined by the longed-for brother when she was five years old, and then another sister named Agnes.

Long before Alys came on to the scene her father had been at war, on and off, with Henry II of England. While Louis needed a son to inherit his throne, his daughters were also important as diplomatic tools. Alys first played her part in January 1169, when Louis and Henry met to sign the Treaty of Montmirail near Le Mans.

The treaty set out Henrys plans for his lands. His eldest son also Henry would inherit the English throne (he had been married to Alys’ sister Margaret in 1160). His second son, Geoffrey, was already betrothed to the heiress to the Duchy of Brittany, Constance.

As the third son Richard would inherit Aquitaine. The treaty formed the official betrothal of Alys to Prince Richard and agreed that she would be raised as a ward of King Henry, in the household of Queen Eleanor.

At this point Alys was never considered to be a future English queen. Richard was third in line to the throne, his older brothers were both healthy and had survived the worst dangers of infancy, and their marriages would take place before his.

Although she was only eight years old at the time, Alys was handed over to the English court to be raised alongside her anticipated future sister-in-law Constance of Brittany, and her own sister Margaret.

How much time she spent with her betrothed isn’t really known. Especially since Richard and his brothers then got into the bad habit of rebelling against their father.

As Alys grew up and the wedding with Richard didn’t take place, rumours began to circulate that she had become mistress to King Henry, and thus could not marry his son. Henry’s wife Eleanor of Aquitaine had been imprisoned in 1174 after supporting her rebellious sons. Henry reportedly was considering getting an annulment for his marriage to Eleanor so he could marry his mistress ‘Fair Rosamund’. However, one chronicler claimed that Henry was actually considering marrying Alys himself.

She was young, she was the daughter of a King of France, and her sons might have a potential claim to the French throne. It was even rumoured that Henry would disinherit his sons by Eleanor and replace them in the line of succession with any sons he might have by Alys. It was even stated that Alys already had at least one child, possibly two, by Henry in the time she was his mistress.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Queen Eleanor of England and Aquitaine gripped the arms of her seat in fear for her safety, waiting for the coming onslaught. Although she was seated on the periphery of the dais, she knew from painful experience that when her husband’s temper was roused, anybody within range of his fists or feet or sword could suffer imminent death.

Accustomed to his explosive temper, and known to give as good as she received, even the Queen was shocked by his sudden violent outburst against the cardinal. The fat pompous cleric, looking more like a throbbing red pustule about to erupt than a Prince of the Church, was acting as though he, rather than King Henry, had been anointed by God as ruler of the nation.

Alan Gold began his career as a journalist, working in the UK, Europe, and Israel. In 1970, he emigrated to Australia with his wife, Eva, and now lives in St. Ives, Sydney, where he divides his time between writing novels and running his award-winning marketing consultancy.

GIVEAWAY!

$25 Amazon gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

—

Sara Browne Series Box Set from Tricia T. LaRochelle.Release Blitz! @indie_pen_pr

#SaraBrowneSeriesBoxSet #Handfast #Revive #FlickeringHeart #SaraBrowneSeries #NewAdultRomance

 

Prepare to be captivated by a tale of personal growth, forgiveness, and the resilience of the human spirit in this roller coaster of a ride, new adult romantic suspense series. Readers who love Tamara Webber will devour the Sara Browne Series Box Set from Tricia T. LaRochelle.

Buy Now or Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

 

The Sara Browne Series brings the reader on a heart-wrenching journey of redemption, where courage and forgiveness hold the key to unlocking true love. When eighteen-year-old Sara Browne enters college, she hopes the trauma from her past is behind her. Within no time, a hot, six-foot-three blond named Scott Williams manages to capture her heart. But his love comes with a price, one that Sara may not be able to pay. Lurking in the shadows, ugliness awaits their beautiful and powerful bond. It will take every ounce of strength for Sara not only to overcome the obstacles before her but to survive and somehow love again.

Add to Goodreads Here!

Copyright 2023 Tricia T. LaRochelle

While Derek handed Amy his last beer and tried to convince her to stay, my eyes took a tour of the small crowd, which mainly consisted of men. Wearing pastel-print Oxford shirts (sleeves rolled up to the elbows), khaki shorts, and loafers with no socks, a few of them looked like they just stepped out of an ad.

As they threw beanbags into the cornhole board, drank, and carried on animated conversations with fist bumps and head bobs from the loud hip-hop music playing, they exemplified what I’d envisioned a typical fraternity would look like. One large guy with tree trunks for arms smashed a beer can into his forehead and guzzled the foamy fluid that spewed out. Another guy put his fingers to his mouth, kissed them, and yelled, “The taste when it hits your lips.”

Amy and Derek looked at each other.

“Old School,” they said in unison before they smiled, which made no sense to me.

A few girls were there, laughing with each other, hanging onto guys near them, or drinking. Everyone had a cell phone, which most of the women used to take selfies.

I needed to get myself acquainted with my cell phone and especially social media. I was basic when it came to technology. Then again, I was basic when it came to most things. Very lame—unlike the girl who had just come to the party wearing a floral romper, wedge sandals, and large hoop earrings. Everything about her was stunning, from her long, shiny brown hair to her sleek body.

She approached a guy who had his back to me, placing her hand on his arm. He must’ve been six-three. His light-blue T-shirt hugged his muscular back and powerful arms, outlining a body that caught my attention and kept it. I liked his hair and the way his caramel curls danced in the late-day breeze. What did his face look like? As if he heard my question, he turned around and stared right at me.

I’d fallen off my bike once when I was a kid and knocked the wind out of myself. For a few agonizing seconds, I literally couldn’t breathe. As I struggled to breathe now, my lungs reminded me of that moment.

While Amy continued to rib Derek, I caught sight of hot guy’s strong jaw and perfectly proportioned face. The sun reflected off his baby blue eyes that were nothing short of stunning. The corners of his soft, plump lips curved upward into an enticing smile. Enough already. Before I started drooling, I tore my eyes away.

I’d thought about guys—obsessively—but I’d never dreamt up one who looked like him. The boarding school I went to was for girls, but if it had allowed guys, I imagined he and his romper girlfriend would have been king and queen of every prom. Picture perfect. And totally not for me. I was looking for chill, sweet, and cuddly. I didn’t need a runway model or a guy who could audition for the next Marvel movie. No need to get crazy.

 

About Tricia T. LaRochelle

Since she was a little girl, award-winning author Tricia T. LaRochelle has been obsessed with tragic love stories. No beach reads for her. Bring on the grit with a double side of turmoil. She likes to feel the character’s anguish as they fight to overcome obstacles to be together. Growing up in central Vermont, she has seen her share of tragedy but remains a hopeful romantic. She now lives in central Virginia, where she continues to foster the possibilities of how love can conquer all.

Flickering Heart is the first book in the Sara Browne Series, a recent finalist for Best First Book in the Hold Medallion Contest, and First Place Winner in The 2022 Incipere Awards. Receiving an Honorable Mention in the Incipere Awards in the same category, Revive is the second book in the series, and Handfast, the latest installment, is the third. Stay tuned for updates and announcements on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or sign up for her newsletter at TriciaLaRochelle.com.

Follow: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | Pinterest | Newsletter

This promotional event is brought to you by Indie Pen PR

Fatal Fudge Swirl by Meri Allen Book Review! #FatalFudgeSwirl #NetGalley

 

A movie production brings drama—and murder—to a close-knit New England village, forcing Riley Rhodes to scoop out the suspects.

Former CIA librarian and amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes is loving her fresh start as the manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. The leaves are turning, tourists are leaf-peeping, and Penniman, Connecticut is putting finishing touches on the weekend-long Halloween Happening. But the village is also buzzing. Former child star Cooper Collins is overseeing the production of a romantic comedy that’s filming on the town green and his domineering socialite mother, Diantha, is planning her lavish Halloween-themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her fiancé has run the Inn's kitchen for years, ably aided by his recent ex-wife, chef Mary Ann Dumas. An old friend of Riley’s, Mary Ann turns to her when the bride requests a spooky ice cream wedding cake.

But the weekend takes a frightful turn when Diantha is found dead and suspicion falls on Mary Ann. The cast of potential suspects is long—each wedding guest had a chilling motive to kill the vicious heiress. Can Riley unmask the murderer before another guest ends up on ice?

MERI ALLEN lives in a quiet corner of Connecticut, where she haunts libraries, used bookstores, and vintage shops.

My Thoughts

I am not going to rehash what the book is about, just what I liked about the book. You can read what the book is about by reading the synopsis. That said, it is not very often that I read a cozy mystery.

Riley is a former CIA librarian who is now managing an ice cream shop. She is tasked with making a wedding cake for Diantha and her fiance. Halloween themed no less. 

A woman, Diantha, is dead, murdered, on the eve of her wedding and everyone around her is suspect. Riley, knowing a bit about murders takes it upon herself to figure out who the culprit/culprits are. The setting is a very posh hotel and restaurant. Takes place in a small town with a lot of colorful suspects and Riley must dig deep to see who had a grudge against Diantha, was it her fiance, Dominic who has been the chef at the hotel for many years? Did I mention that there are two cats that have roles in the movie being made?

Cooper Collins, Diantha's son, is filming a movie on-premise. Could it be him or his brothers? Or was it someone else? Lots of clues to sift through with a cast of characters that is sure to delight the reader. The fact that I had not figured out who the murderer was until it was disclosed is what a good cozy mystery, that keep you hanging until the end is the mark of a good book.

I enjoyed the setting, the characters, and the fact that the whole story revolves around Halloween, my favorite holiday! I will have to go and check out the author's works and read more by her.

I give it 5 stars!

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only.