Reviews!

To any authors/publishers/ tour companies that are looking for the reviews that I signed up for please know this is very hard to do. I will be stopping reviews temporarily. My husband passed away February 1st and my new normal is a bit scary right now and I am unable to concentrate on a book to do justice to the book and authors. I will still do spotlight posts if you wish it is just the reviews at this time. I apologize for this, but it isn't fair to you if I signed up to do a review and haven't been able to because I can't concentrate on any books. Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time. I appreciate all of you. Kathleen Kelly April 2nd 2024

19 November 2021

Moxie by Michelle Cornish Book Blitz and Giveaway!

Moxie: A Salvation Society Novel
Michelle Cornish
Publication date: November 7th 2021
Genres: Adult, Historical Romance

A WWII love at first sight romance with dual timelines, codebreaking war heroines, and prisoners of war.

People always asked Faye why Will called her Moxie.

It started with a dare at a dance in 1942 that ended in a kiss. Will loved that story.

But there’s more to the story than that. Much more . . .

Gretchen knows this story well. Her grandfather told it over and over while he was alive. But when Gretchen goes home to Jersey to be by her grandmother’s side one last time, Grandma Faye tells a different version of the story.

She knew the moment she saw him, they were meant to be together. Her girlfriends may have dared her to kiss him, but she would have anyway. Then the war got in the way. Faye thought she’d never see Will again. Until that night he took her breath away.

Will may have given Faye the name, but he’s the one with all the moxie.

Goodreads / Amazon / Bookbub

EXCERPT:

“I’m fine. I just feel so free, you know. Look at everybody.” She held her hand out to the dance floor. “You’d hardly know there was a war on if it wasn’t for the . . .”

“Uniforms?” Liz attempted to finish Faye’s sentence.

Staring at a group of soldiers, Faye nodded slowly. A group of five men in khaki uniforms and garrison caps, which she couldn’t help wondering if they would fall off as they danced, caught her attention. She admired the broad back of one of the men. He seemed to be holding a drink in one hand and the short, buzzed hair that stuck out from under his cap appeared to be blonde.

Out of Faye’s periphery, Darla elbowed Liz. “I think she sees something she likes.” She raised a brow just as Faye turned toward her.

“Maybe I do.”

“Dare you to plant a big wet one on him,” Darla challenged.

“Ha!” Faye was already thinking something similar.

“Darla,” Liz started, but whatever she said, Faye didn’t hear the rest of it. She was already marching toward the group, keeping pace with the song. Her hips swinging to the rhythm of the drums, the brass section filling her with confidence.

She stepped up to the soldier, his friends peering at her over his shoulder. When he turned around, she stood there for a second, their eyes locked.

“Hello, soldier.” Her eyes didn’t wander from his. His face was even more stunning than his backside. A chiseled jawline, bright blue eyes, and a plump, kissable mouth. She touched her lips with her tongue and bit the bottom one.

He reached up to remove his hat, but before he could say anything, Faye pressed her lips to his, catching the soldier by surprise and throwing him off balance.

She wasn’t sure if it was because he was off balance and he had to grab her to stay upright, but he squeezed his arm around her—the one that held his hat—and deepened the kiss.

Hoots and hollers sounded around them. “All right, Will,” someone cheered.

When they pulled apart, all Faye could do was stare at the man who’d just given her the best kiss of her life.

“Well, hello to you too.”

Faye blinked and a smirk broke out across her face.

“Well . . .” The group of soldiers parted as a haughty woman in a WAVES uniform stepped up to Faye.

“Rita?”

“You sure got a lotta nerve, missy.” She stood, hands on hips, her face inches from Faye’s.

“Oh, I’m . . .” Faye took in a breath, considering an apology. She hadn’t realized the soldiers already had women with them. If she had, that kiss would never have happened. The distinctive smell of hard liquor filled Faye’s nose. Rita had clearly been enjoying a few stiff ones. Was that a good idea while wearing a uniform?

“Moxie,” said the soldier. Had someone called him Will? “It’s called moxie, Rita.” He refused to take his eyes off Faye as he spoke, stepping between the two women.

“It’s Ensign Johnson,” she barked then spun on her heel and stomped off.

Faye suppressed another smirk at the sight of her bright red lipstick smeared haphazardly round the soldier’s lips.

He shoved his hat in his pocket then took her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it, eyeing her intently all the while. The music faded into the background. “Will Burke,” he said, handing his drink to the soldier next to him, still holding her hand.

“Faye Brownlee.” She pulled a tissue from her purse and fixed the soldier’s face. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be.” He still stared so intently at her, but she wasn’t uncomfortable. She turned to introduce Darla and Liz, sensing they were behind her. Their mouths gaped back at her. Darla would know better than to challenge her again. Unless she was prepared to lose. Faye never lost a bet. Her brother had taunted her enough growing up that losing was never an option.


Author Bio:

Michelle Cornish is a recovering CPA with a passion for stories. Writing mostly romance and women's fiction with strong female heroines, Michelle's books often include nods to her former life as a CPA. When Michelle’s not writing, she’s hanging out with her two boys and husband in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon


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Killer Runway by Daria White Blitz and Giveaway!

Killer Runway
Daria White
(Bianca Wallace Mysteries, #2)
Publication date: January 25th 2022
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery

Bianca’s determined to live a normal life in Edenville with her family, and she has no intention of getting involved in another case. While attending a fashion show, a model, also a childhood friend of her sister, collapses off the runway. Dead. Not the show Bianca planned on attending.

Detective Sims shows up to solve the case, but Bianca can’t keep silent. Too many clues are surfacing, and with a long-term photo shoot in town, the suspects remain in Edenville. There’s no harm in Bianca investigating one more time, though Detective Sims wants her to stay away.

Can she discover the motive behind this unexpected death? Bianca’s life at risk with another killer isn’t wise. Not to mention the lives of her loved ones.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order


Author Bio:

Daria has lived in Texas for most of her life. She never liked reading as a kid. In fact, she almost hated it. However, as she grew up that all changed. Though she received her degree in healthcare management, Daria kept her writing as a hobby. She meant it to be private and her own way of expressing herself. It never crossed her mind to publish until she was in college. She took a chance and published. It worked!

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Instagram


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Witches, Spiders, and Schemes: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series by Elizabeth Pantley Book Tour and Giveaway!

Witches, Spiders, and Schemes: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series by Elizabeth Pantley

About Witches, Spiders, and Schemes


Kindle Countdown on the first book in the series (Falling into Magic) for FREE from November 10-14 ~ Kindle Countdown on book 2 (Disappearance of Emily) for 1.99 from November 15-21 

Witches, Spiders, and Schemes: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Paranormal Cozy Mystery 

4th in Series 

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Better Beginnings, Inc. (November 5, 2021) 

230 Pages 

Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09FBY852N

A magic mirror to an enchanted world... A mysterious ghost... A hilarious, perpetually annoyed witch... A brave, sassy cat... Two unexplained deaths and a mysterious community filled with secrets... Can Hayden and the people of Destiny Falls solve the mystery and return the community to its peaceful, enchanted existence?

 

Hayden’s adventures in Destiny Falls continue in book four of the Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic series. Starting with a strange old woman at a cave and her father’s mysterious ferry journey, there are secrets to be unwound.

 

The enchantments in Destiny Falls are showing cracks, and Hayden suspects that it is tied directly to her family, which has a history that’s more complex than she realized. When two bodies are found floating in the bay it’s clear that the mysteries surrounding Gladstone and the ferry are more dangerous than people realize. And then . . . those spiders.

 

Luckily, Hayden and her sassy sidekick, Latifa have developed a group of family and friends in this enchanted place who are all ready and willing to help solve the mystery, and release Destiny Falls to resume its normal, amazing, enchanted existence.

 

Hayden’s many adventures in Destiny Falls will keep you guessing with each book in this intriguing series.

  About Elizabeth Pantley

 

Elizabeth Pantley is the internationally bestselling author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and eight other books in the No-Cry Solution series of books for parents. Her books have been published in over twenty languages. She is also the author of the well-received magical cozy mystery series, The Destiny Falls Mystery and Magic books. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Author Links Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24811.Elizabeth_Pantley 
  Purchase Link Amazon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS
November 9 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
November 9 – I'm Into Books – SPOTLIGHT
November 10 – The Editing Pen – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 11 – Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST
November 12 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST
November 13 – I Read What You Write - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
November 14 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
November 15 – Eskimo Princess Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 16 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW
November 17 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW
November 18 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 19 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
November 21 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
November 22 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT  
November 22 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT


Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!

 

18 November 2021

New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst Presented by: Elizabeth Crowens Book Tour!

New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst Banner

New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst

Presented by: Elizabeth Crowens

October 25 - November 19, 2021 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst

An Anthology and Celebration of the Big Apple

I'm an unabashed, unapologetic lover of New York City, my hometown, and New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst is right up my dark, deserted alley. New York's at its best when you sneak up on it, glance at its sideways, or let it glance sideways at you. The pros and photos in this collection all show New York's best, even when they purport to be showing its worst; in NYC, that's how we roll. A fine edition to your New York bookshelf, a collection to savor.
~ SJ Rosen, best-selling author of The Art of Violence

Book Details:

Genre: Coffee Table book of Photography with Short Stories
Published by: Atomic Alchemist Productions, LLC
Publication Date: Oct 25, 2021
Number of Pages: 150
ISBN: 1950384136, 9781950384136
Purchase Links: Amazon | BookBaby | The Mysterious Bookshop | Goodeareads

 

Read the Intro:

It is daunting to be asked to say something about New York City that hasn’t already been said with more eloquence than I could muster. As with many of the writing gigs I’ve accepted without carefully considering the consequences, I suppose I would have been better off letting someone else tilt at this windmill. With all due respect to Don Quixote, here goes.

My initial inclination was to do something about how New York City, because of its geography, is fated to be a place of stark contradictions: of churning and yearning, of inclusion and exclusion, of acceptance and denial. Unlike other cities, New York cannot expand outwards, only upwards. While that sounds great and may make for glorious postcards of a majestic, everchanging skyline to send to the folks back home, it leaves out New York City’s most valuable commodity—its people.

I could have written about the unknown or unseen New York, the scores of little islands—some populated, some not—in Jamaica Bay, in the harbor, in the East River, in the Hudson. Places like Ruffle Bar. Ruffle Bar? Google it. Places once home to psychiatric and typhoid quarantine hospitals. Buildings abandoned or demolished. Islands whose only residents are the dead buried there and forgotten. Interesting, certainly, but again it would have left out the thing that makes New York City what it is.

As a crime fiction author who sets much of his work in New York—largely in Brooklyn and Manhattan—I have done countless panels and interviews about the city. My friend and award-winning colleague, Peter Spiegelman, says that setting is the soil in which you grow your characters. He is so right. Ask any author worth his, her, or their salt, and they will tell you that a book that can be set anywhere isn’t much of a book at all. A book must be of its place. So too must a person.

New York City isn’t one place. It is a thousand places, ten thousand places. And because it is all those places, its people are different neighborhood to neighborhood, sometimes street to street. Certainly, house to house, apartment to apartment. Do we shape the place or does the place shape us? Instead of doing an overview, a sort of general discussion of this question, I think it better to talk about one place—Coney Island—and how it shaped one person—me.

I grew up in the shadow of Coney Island Hospital, about a mile or so away from the amusement park. I was right on the border of Brighton Beach, Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay, and Coney Island. I could explain how each of these neighborhoods differ, how, for instance, Sheepshead Bay is, for all intents and purposes, a fishing village. But no, not here, not now. At one point in my life or other, I have claimed to be from all these places. Yet it is Coney Island that resonates.

When I was four, my dad—a bitter, blustery, and angry man—was diagnosed with an aggressive bone sarcoma which he battled to a standstill for thirty plus more years. After his initial round of surgery and treatment, he was instructed to not do any activities that might jar or adversely affect his leg. Yet on summer Sundays, he would tell my mom that he was taking me for a car ride. We took car rides, alright, straight into Coney Island.

He would put me on the kiddy rides, take me to Nathan’s Famous, buy me pistachio soft serve. Then, in one of the few acts of true defiance I ever saw from him, he would get on the carousel and grab for the brass rings. On one of these Sundays, he pointed to the Parachute Jump. The “Jump” rose into the air two hundred and sixty feet. All orange steel, it looked like a cross between the Eiffel Tower and the skeleton of a giant umbrella.

“When that ride opened up,” he said, “my best pal Charlie and me got on it. The parachute dropped a few feet and then … nothing. We were stuck up there for forty-five minutes just hanging in the air. It was great.”

Of course, by then, the Parachute Jump, once part of Steeplechase Park, had been closed for years, its parachutes and rigging long gone. That day, those days, have stayed with me ever since. And when, as a teenager, I would go back to Coney Island with my friends, get high and ride the Cyclone, I would always look up at the Parachute Jump. It came to symbolize my dad to me. Mighty, impressive, but abandoned, and powerless. I loved my dad because I could see past his bluster. He let me see past it. All because of those few Sundays in Coney Island.

As if by osmosis, Coney Island began imposing itself in my work. My series character, Moe Prager, worked in the Six-O precinct in Coney Island. Scene after scene in the nine Moe books take place there. Even twenty-plus books later, in my new series, I cannot escape the gravity of Coney Island. It calls to me in a way I cannot explain other than to say it is romance in the way the Romantic poets understood it.

In my Edgar Award–nominated short story “The Terminal,” I wrote this:

“…He liked how Coney Island displayed its decay as a badge of honor. It didn’t try to hide the scars where pieces of its once-glorious self had been cut off. Stillwell Avenue west was like a showroom of abandonment, the empty buildings wearing their disuse like bankrupted nobility in frayed and fancy suits. He had come to the edge of the sea with the other last dinosaurs: the looming and impotent Parachute Jump, the Wonder Wheel, Nathan’s, the Cyclone.”

I could never have written those words in that way had I grown up in Washington Heights or Rego Park. New York City poets and writers are shaped by their families, yes, but shaped as much by where as by who. That is the magic of New York. This book will shine a light on the rest of that magic. By the way, my children and I have slightly different tattoos of the Parachute Jump: My son and I on our forearms; my daughter on her triceps. In those tats my dad and the Coney Island that was will live on.

***

Introduction from New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst by Reed Farrel Coleman. Copyright 2021 by Elizabeth Crowens. Reproduced with permission from Elizabeth Crowens. All rights reserved.

 About New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst:

Elizabeth Crowens with Author photo with Reed Farrel Coleman

Writer and photographer, Elizabeth Crowens is one of 500 New York City-based artists to receive funding through the City Artist Corps Grants program, presented by The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), with support from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) as well as Queens Theatre.

She was recognized for New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst, her photo-illustrated anthology, which brought her published book along with ten other authors to Mysterious Bookshop in Lower Manhattan at 58 Warren Street on Monday, October 25, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. for an in-store event and author signing along with a simultaneous Facebook Live presentation and recording for Jim Freund’s WBAI program Hour of the Wolf.

Author contributors include:

  • Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of over 31 award-winning mystery and thriller novels, including the Jesse Stone series for the estate of Robert B. Parker. Called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan.
  • Charles Salzberg, former magazine journalist, crime novelist of the Shamus Award-nominated Henry Swann series, founding member of the New York Writers Workshop.
  • Tom Straw, Emmy and WGA-nominated writer-producer, credits include Nurse Jackie, Night Court, Grace Under Fire, Whoopie, and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Crime novelist under the pen name of Richard Castle.
  • Randee Dawn, Entertainment journalist for Today.com, Variety, and the Los Angeles Times. Co-editor of Across the Universe: Tales of Alternative Beatles and The Law & Order: SUV Companion, and speculative fiction writer of the upcoming Tune in Tomorrow.
  • Barbara Krasnoff, Reviews Editor at The Verge, over 45 published short stories, Nebula Award finalist, author of the “mosaic” novel The History of Soul 2065.
  • Steven Van Patten, TV stage manager by day, horror writer by night. Co-host of the Beef, Wine and Shenanigans podcast, winner of several African American Literary Awards.
  • Triss Stein writes mysteries that all take place in Brooklyn.
  • Marco Conelli, former NYPD detective, consultant to Mary Higgins Clark, and Silver Falchion award-winner for young adult mysteries and the police procedural Cry For Help, taking place in The Bronx.
  • R.J. Koreto, historical mystery writer focusing on New York during the Gilded Age.
  • Richie Narvaez, award-winning mystery author of Hipster Death Rattle, Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco, and Noiryorican.
  • Elizabeth Crowens, over 25 years in the entertainment industry, member of the International Cinematographers Guild as a Still Photographer (Imdb.com credited: Sheri Lane), award-winning writer of novels in the Hollywood mystery and alternate history genres. Recipient of the Leo B. Burstein Scholarship by the NY Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Editor and photographer for New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst based on her Facebook Caption Contests. elizabethcrowens.com, @Ecrowens on Twitter, and Elizabeth Crowens on Facebook!
My Thoughts

New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst is a collaboration by various artists, and authors depicting New York City, at it's best and and it's worse. A book with articles, essays by said authors and pictures from all walks of life, at various times currently and in the past.

The stories, some real and some fiction tell the tale of the city that never sleeps. Is this book a coffee table book? It could be. I have never been to New York City but I have always wanted to go there. This book with it's numerous pictures gives the reader an idea on how life was and is. The stories are humorous and kind of creepy at the same time. Who are the people depicted in the pictures, who knows? It does not matter though.  I found the stories to be poignant, funny and eye opening for a non New Yorker.

If you want a book that entertains, is strictly about New York, easy to read, then give this book a try. I was eager to receive the book and it did not disappoint at all.

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

 Tour Participants:

Visit the stops on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, and guest posts from our hosts and authors!

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Ride with the Moonlight (Thunder on the Moor, Book 2) By Andrea Matthews Blog Tour with Excerpt! #HistoricalRomance #timetravelromance #scottishhistory #borderreivers #CoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour @AMatthewsAuthor @maryanneyarde @andreamatthewshistoricromance @coffeepotbookclub


Book Title: Ride with the Moonlight

Series: (Thunder on the Moor, Book 2)

Author: Andrea Matthews

Publication Date: 25th November 2020

Publisher: Inez M. Foster

Page Length: 387 Pages

Genre: Historical, Time-Travel, Romance

Genre: Historical, Time-Travel, Romance



After rescuing sixteenth-century Border reiver Will Foster from certain death at her family’s hands, time traveler Maggie Armstrong finally admits her love for the handsome Englishman, though she can’t rid herself of the sinking suspicion that her Scottish kin are not about to let them live in peace.


What she doesn’t expect is the danger that lurks on Will’s own side of the Border. When news of their plans to marry reaches the warden, he charges Will with March treason for trysting with a Scot. Will and Maggie attempt to escape by fleeing to the hills, but when Will is declared an outlaw and allowed to be killed on sight, they can no longer evade the authorities.


Will is sentenced to hang, while Maggie is to be sent back to her family. Heartbroken, she has no choice but to return to Scotland, where her uncle continues to make plans for her to wed Ian Rutherford, the wicked Scotsman who she now realizes murdered her father in cold blood.


With Will facing the gallows in England, and herself practically under house arrest in Scotland, she continues to resist her uncle’s plans, but her efforts are thwarted at every turn. Will’s family, however, is not about to stand by and watch their youngest lad executed simply because he’s lost his heart to a Scottish lass.


A daring plan is set into motion, but will it be in time to save Will’s life and reunite the lovers? Or will Ian’s lies prompt Maggie’s family to ensure the bond between them is forever destroyed?

Trigger Warnings

Violence, sexual content.


Excerpt!


Maggie Armstrong stood on the gentle slope, letting the early evening breeze caress her cheeks. Though the sun sank low along the horizon, it still sparkled off the small burn that ambled past the Foster peel tower, its gurgling rhythm soft and calm. Releasing a weary sigh, she stared out across the moor, toward Scotland and her family. She had betrayed them all—at least that’s what they thought. Ye’ll never be welcome in Scotland again, her uncle had called after her. But what choice had they left her? She wasn’t about to let them murder an innocent man, even if he was an Englishman.


She glanced down at Will Foster, dozing contentedly on the grass. How could she have ever suspected him of murdering her father? Ian Rutherford, that’s how! She let out an angry, frustrated growl, and Will stirred.


He sat up and stretched his arms before pulling her down beside him. “Why did ye no’ wake me, darlin’? ’Twas rude of me to fall asleep.”


Maggie rested her head against Will’s shoulder, savoring the warmth of his embrace. He smelled of saddle leather and meadow hay with a touch of evening dew. And despite his rugged appearance, his straw-colored hair was as soft as the down that filled her pillow. She ran her hand along the late-day stubble that had sprouted from his normally smooth chin.


“You’ve been through a lot in the past two days,” she said. “My family tried to drown you, for God’s sake. I figured you deserved a little rest.”


Will smiled and kissed her head. “And what of yerself? To be fair, I did carry ye off to begin with, something ye were no’ too happy about if I mind right.”


“No, I don’t suppose I was at first, but that was before I knew you—and the truth.” She heaved another sigh, filled with exasperation. “How could I have been so stupid and naive?”


Will tightened his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. “Ye canna blame yerself for believing Ian Rutherford’s lies. He’s a wicked creature, that one, with a silver tongue. Ye werena the only one to be deceived. Even yer Uncle Geordie believed him, and he’s a canny auld fox, or so me brother Walt says.”


“Hmmm, I guess.” She leaned deeper into Will’s embrace, willing herself to relax and enjoy the moment. Yet even as she did, she could sense the tension in Will’s shoulders.


Reaching up, she touched his cheek. “What’s wrong? And please don’t tell me nothing.”


Will chuckled. “Nowt for ye to be fashing yerself ower. Me kin will see to it.”


Maggie sat up, turning so she could face him. His expression might not give anything away, but those stunning blue-gray eyes were another story. “There’s no way my family could regroup and attack this soon, is there?”


“I reckon no’ even Geordie Armstrong could manage that.” Will laughed, a deep, pleasant rumble that sent warm ripples down Maggie’s spine despite her apprehension. “God’s teeth, lass, ye left them to walk home in their stocking feet.”


“I did, didn’t I?” Maggie leaned back against Will’s shoulder once more, feeling quite proud of herself for thinking of a way to keep her kin from following them, at least for a while, but the more she imagined her uncle trudging bootless through the moors, the less comical she found it. “They will come for me eventually, though, won’t they? And then what will they do? Hang me, or worse yet, wed me to Ian Rutherford?”


Will pulled her hair back and nuzzled against her neck, leaving soft kisses and causing a tingling sensation to travel all the way down to her toes. “Neither, if I’m still breathing,” he said, “for I’d die afore I let them take ye.”


Maggie snuggled closer, allowing the warmth of his body to soothe and comfort her once more. She had no doubt he meant every word he said. Perhaps that was what worried her so. There was a way out, though, a secret she’d shared with only one other. Now if she could just get Will to believe her. 


“We could go away from here,” she said. 


“Leave the Borders?” He sat up, gently nudging Maggie around so he could gaze into her eyes. “But this is me home. I’ve land here and an income to keep us, no’ to mention me kin.” He stood up, taking a few steps away before turning to face her once more. “And where d’ye reckon we’d go?”   


Maggie watched as the small burn tumbled over rocks and pebbles, splashing its way past each obstacle. Back to the twentieth century, of course. How she wanted to say the words, but he’d surely think she’d gone mad. Instead, she gave him the only answer she could.  


“Perhaps we could go down to Lancashire.” If she could get him to agree to that, she could take care of the rest later. Of course, first she’d have to locate the amulet and the chest. If only her father hadn’t died, none of this would be happening. A tear trickled down her cheek, and Will bent down beside her, wiping it away.


“We’ll go wherever ye want, lass, but there’s nae need to fret ower it now. Geordie’s no’ fool enough to attack again, no’ yet anyway. He’ll wait and file a bill against us with the warden. By then, me da will have made a petition of his own. Let’s bide a bit and see what happens, eh?”



Andrea Matthews

 

Andrea Matthews is the pseudonym for Inez Foster, a historian and librarian who loves to read and write and search around for her roots, genealogical speaking. She has a BA in History and an MLS in Library Science, and enjoys the research almost as much as she does writing the story. In fact, many of her ideas come to her while doing casual research or digging into her family history. She is the author of the Thunder on the Moor series set on the 16th century Anglo-Scottish Border, and the Cross of Ciaran series, where a fifteen hundred year old Celt finds himself in the twentieth century. Andrea is a member of the Romance Writers of America.

 

Social Media Links:


Website: www.andrea-matthews.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMatthewsAuthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andreamatthewshistoricalromance

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreamatthewshistoricromance/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/andrea-matthews

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Andrea-Matthews/e/B07ZSCWZ6L

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19718311.Andrea_Matthews





 

17 November 2021

The Murder Before Christmas by Michele Pariza Wacek Release Tour !


There’s no problem Charlie Kingsley can’t solve with tea, but when it comes to love, she doesn’t do love potions. So when her client asks about poison instead, Charlie thought she was kidding, that is until her client’s husband turns up dead. Fans of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple Series will devour The Murder Before Christmas by Michele Pariza Wacek, a fun, twisty cozy mystery.

Read Now!

 

  If you've got a problem, Charlie Kingsley probably has a tea that’ll help make it right. EXCEPT when it comes to love. She does NOT do love potions. Not even for Courtney, her pregnant new client who showed up three weeks before Christmas seeking a love potion because her husband was cheating on her. 

  So, Courtney asked about poison, instead. She said she was joking That's what happens between wives and husbands. They get angry and talk about killing each other. They don't really mean it. It seems to make sense ... until Courtney’s husband turns up dead on Christmas Eve. He was poisoned, of course. And who is the number one suspect? Courtney. Of course. But did she actually do it? Or is she being set up? 

  It's up to Charlie to sort through all the twists and turns in a case that gets more complicated the deeper she digs. Meet Charlie. Better known as “Aunt Charlie” from the award-winning Secrets of Redemption series. She's back, making teas and solving cases in this quirky, twisty, cozy mystery series set in the 1990s in Redemption, Wisconsin.

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Excerpt 

Copyright 2021 Michele Pariza Wacek

 "Why are you here again?" Officer Brandon Wyle asked me, his chair squeaking as he shifted his lean, lanky figure into a more comfortable position. His dark hair was longer than he normally wore it, curling around his collar and into curtain bangs that he absentmindedly brushed off his forehead. I found myself wondering if this was a new hairstyle, or if he kept forgetting to make an appointment with a stylist. His expression was carefully blank, but his dark eyes didn't miss a thing.

I hadn't quite figured it out myself, but was doing my best to sound more confident than I felt. The longer I sat there, the more convinced I was that it was a huge mistake. But at that point, it would have been even worse if I’d left, so I had to brazen my way through it. "She's my client," I said, which was true. She had bought some tea from me. Once. "And you've seen her condition."

Wyle's eyebrows went up. "Condition? You mean her pregnancy?"

"Exactly. Stress isn't good for mothers-to-be. Well, stress isn't good for any of us, but it's especially not good when you're pregnant. And she's already dealing with the stress of losing her husband ..."

"Who she likely poisoned," Wyle said.

Now it was my turn to raise eyebrows. "Are you saying she's a suspect?"

More squeaking as he moved again. We were sitting by his desk, which was tucked away in the corner of the police station. The room was too hot—Wyle had mentioned there was something wrong with the heater—but the combination of the heat, cigarette smoke, and the burnt-coffee-old-sweat odor made my stomach turn. Even though we weren't alone, no one appeared to be paying any attention to us. The constant collective noise of the phone ringing, typewriters clacking, and people talking filled the space. "Oh come on, Charlie. You're smarter than this. Everyone is a suspect in the beginning. Heck, you even made the list."

I was aghast. "Me?"

"Yes, you. Don't you think it's pretty suspicious you're even in here?"

"I never even met Dennis," I said.

"You don't need to meet the guy to sell his wife some poison."

"I don't sell poison," I said firmly, deciding I would definitely not be mentioning Courtney's request for something to kill her husband to Wyle. "I sell teas and tinctures."

"Uh huh." Wyle tapped his pen on his notebook, which was balanced precariously on top of a stack of paperwork. His eyes continued to study me.  

About Michele Pariza Wacek


When Michele was 3 years old, she taught herself to read because she wanted to write stories so badly. It took some time (and some detours) but she does spend much of her time writing stories now. Mystery stories to be exact, ranging from psychological thrillers to cozies, with a dash of romance and supernatural thrown into the mix. If that wasn't enough, she also hosts a virtual book club you can check out and join (for free!) at MPWNovels.com. Michele holds a double major in English and Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently she lives in the mountains of Prescott, Arizona with her husband Paul and southern squirrel hunter Cassie.

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