First Line Friday 'The Heart of Holiday' by Michele Paige Holmes

Welcome to First Line Friday!  I am participating with Carrie Schmidt at Reading is My Super Power and today I am featuring the first line from The Heart of Holiday by Michele Paige Holmes, a novel that was just released this week!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: The Heart of Holiday

Series: Holiday Harbor #3

Author: Michele Paige Holmes

Publisher: Mirror Press

Release Date: May 23, 2023

Genre: Women's Fiction

Sometimes the best-laid plans are turned completely upside down.

Welcome to the small town of Holiday, Alabama, population 765. In Holiday everyone knows their neighbors—and their business . . .

Caroline Whittaker has loving, supportive parents, she’s embarking on a promising career as a cardiac surgeon—her lifelong dream—and her boyfriend is about to propose. Nothing could be farther from her radar than a visit to Holiday, Alabama, population 767.

Tired of living in his father and brother’s shadows, Charlie Armstrong has moved from his hometown and is living the bachelor life, indulging in his love of sports and putting all of his resources and passion into his “boys,” the high school football team he coaches. He doesn’t see a reason to ever move home again—until a stranger beats him to it and an odd series of events leads him straight there, to his father’s house in the heart of Holiday, with some of the town’s quirkiest residents settled in for an extended stay as well.

Charlie has long since given up figuring any of them out, but the new woman in town is another matter. She’s a mystery worth solving, and he’ll do whatever it takes to unravel Carol’s secrets, help her heal, and prove that he’s as good at love as the rest of his family.

2

Book Review of 'Tracking the Tiny Target' by Connie Queen

Happy Monday Bookworms!

We had a chill weekend which is something that my family desperately needed.  This week is the last week of school in our district, and my oldest's last week of high school!  I can't believe he's going to be graduating this summer!  My youngest will be starting his senior year, so I am not far from being an empty nester.  It's a humbling thought and one that is a little overwhelming to say the least, so I am going to focus on something less emotional, like today's book review!

Today I am featuring the third book in the Bring the Children Home series, Tracking the Tiny Target, by Connie Queen, a pretty intense Love Inspired Suspense that is my favorite from the series so far.

Welcome to the Reviewer Tour for Tracking the Tiny Target by Connie Queen, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Tracking the Tiny Target
Series: Bring the Children Home #3
Author: Connie Queen
Publisher: ‎ Love Inspired Suspense
Release Date: May 23, 2023
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Catching a kidnapper takes teamwork

…and a K-9’s help.

When a three-year-old boy is kidnapped, deputy sheriff Chandler Murphy and his search-and-rescue K-9 partner are on the case. And when the child’s mother, Bristol Delaney, insists on helping, he can’t turn her away. But someone is dead set on stopping the investigation. Can Chandler guarantee Bristol’s safety and rescue the missing child before the trail goes cold?

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

0

Excerpt from 'Where Promises Remain' by Heidi Chiavaroli

Happy Friday Bookworms!

This has been such a great week, and I am so excited to be ending it with an excerpt from Heidi Chiavaroli's newest release, Where Promises Remain, the next book in The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast Series!

So keep scrolling, enjoy, and don't forget to enter the amazing giveaway at the bottom of this post!  TGIF!! ♥️

Welcome to the Takeover Blitz for Where Promises Remain by Heidi Chiavaroli, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Where Promises Remain 

Series: The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast Series #7 

Author: Heidi Chiavaroli 

Publisher: Hope Creek Publishers 

Release Date: May 16, 2023 

Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction 

Hannah Martin thought she was about to have an empty nest . . . until the illegitimate daughter of her late husband shows up on her doorstep. 

Five years after her husband’s death, Hannah Martin runs a successful inn and serves the needy in her community. Despite a house full of guests, she’s worried about the loneliness that will come with an empty nest. Now that no one needs her for anything other than serving her famous five-course breakfasts and retrieving fresh towels, she throws herself into winning Camden’s Hospitality Grant. With the help of the grant, the bed and breakfast will bring in even more customers and Hannah won’t have time to think about what she’s missing. 

But when a handsome lumberjack named Kevin moves in next door, Hannah’s attraction to the widowed bachelor knocks her off-kilter. Just as she begins to think about dating again, a young woman arrives at the bed and breakfast claiming to be the illegitimate daughter of Hannah’s late husband. 

When the Orchard House’s chances at the Hospitality grant is threatened, Hannah's children oppose her "new" daughter moving in, and Kevin’s problems start to bleed over into her own, she must decide what matters most—before she loses the grant, the bed and breakfast’s reputation, and perhaps, her second chance at love. 

This is Book 7 in The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast Series, a contemporary twist on the well-loved classic, Little Women. Readers will fall in love with the Martin family—Maggie, Josie, Lizzie, Bronson, Amie, and their mother Hannah—each trying to find their own way in the world and each discovering that love, home, and hope are closer than they appear.

6

First Line Friday 'Fake Dating the Grumpy Bigshot' by Leah Busboom

Welcome to First Line Friday!  I am participating with Carrie Schmidt at Reading is My Super Power and today I am featuring the first line from Fake Dating the Grumpy Bigshot by Leah Busboom.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Fake Dating the Grumpy Bigshot

Series: Too Busy For Love #4

Author: Leah Busboom

Publisher: LBRB Consulting

Release Date: May 16, 2023

Genre: Romantic Comedy

He's my brother's grumpy best friend, my enemy, and now we're fake dating. How did this happen?

Brent Masterson has been my enemy ever since “the debacle” that we don’t speak about. In a moment of weakness, because I can’t seem to land a job in my degreed profession, I agreed to be his assistant. What was I thinking?

It’s easy to resist his usual Resting Grump Face, which apparently is his default mode around me. But sometimes when I least expect it, he gives me a knee-weakening smile or a flirty look, and my resistance to him completely crumbles.

Maybe that’s why, when he explained the ultimatum his dad issued to him to find a serious girlfriend in only six months or the baseball organization that Brent manages will be sold, I also agreed to this crazy fake dating scheme.

So, here I am, working for and fake dating Mr. Grumpy Bigshot. My foolish heart is all in, while my brain screams alarm bells. Why do I feel like this isn’t going to end well?

This hilarious grumpy/sunshine, fake dating Rom Com will make you laugh out loud as these two discover that the person they thought they hated might well be the person they love.

Will Brent and Libby’s bumpy road to love end in happiness or heartbreak? 

5

Book Review of '26 Below' by Kimberley Woodhouse

Happy Monday Bookworms!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!  It was Mother's Day and my birthday weekend, so I got to do a few special little things, but for the most part we kept it low key this year.  Every year I dread my birthday, so I am thankful that it's over and I can focus on the end of the school year! 

I am kicking off this week by reviewing a clean romantic suspense by one of my favorite authors!  Keep reading for my full review and don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this post to enter an amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours!

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for 26 Below by Kimberley Woodhouse, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: 26 Below
Series: Alaskan Cyber Hunters #1
Author: Kimberley Woodhouse
Publisher: ‎ Kregel Publications
Release Date: April 4, 2023
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

 

"A THRILL RIDE . . . AS CURRENT AS TODAY'S FRONT-PAGE NEWS!" --Colleen Coble, USA Today best-selling author

A curse.
A killer.
A chill in the air. 

 

Temps are dropping and time is running out. 

 

In her new role as Emergency Operations Center director for Fairbanks, Alaska, Darcie Phillips prevents disasters. But none of her training can prepare her for the terror that's coming. 

 

As a cybersecurity specialist, Jason Myers is determined to ferret out any threats to the town he now calls home--and that includes his reckless brother and his ecoterrorist friends. 

 

When an old woman's wild prediction--widespread destruction as soon as the Fairbanks temperature falls to 26 below--hits national headlines, neither Darcie nor Jason sees a real risk to anything but tourism. 

 

Then the bodies start dropping. 

 

Darcie is relying on her experience and intelligence to stop a killer; Jason is relying on God to guide the way. But they'll have to work together to find the truth and prevent their Alaskan town from becoming a city of nightmares. 

 

"An action-packed page-turner that . . . blew me away. If you like stories of intrigue, action, romance, and biblical hope, this is the story for you." --Tracie Peterson, ECPA and USA Today best-selling author

8

Book Review of 'Love in the Squared Circle' by Heather Greer

Happy Monday Bookworms!

Today kicks off my birthday week! *cue the confetti* 

In all honesty, the most celebrating I normally do is going to eat somewhere, you know, the typical adult birthday celebration, but with me being on a special diet I'm not sure how that's going to look this year.  Even if I don't get to do anything particularly special, I thank God on this day for giving me another year, and honestly that's enough.

I am also excited to kick off this week with a book review!!  I have another swoony contemporary romance that I absolutely fell in love with, so read on, and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the bottom of the post!

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Love in the Squared Circle by Heather Greer, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Love in the Squared Circle
Author: Heather Greer
Publisher: Scrivenings Press
Release Date: April 19, 2022
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Trinity Knight is not a fan of professional wrestling. But with her husband gone, it falls to her to give their son the father-son trip they daydreamed about when he was alive. After Trinity causes them to miss a meet and greet with Jay’s favorite wrestler, a random act of kindness saves the trip and starts Trinity on an unexpected path.

Universal Wrestling Organization Champion Blane Sterling hears whiny children at photo ops all the time. However, overhearing a young boy comfort his mother piques his interest. Touched by their story, Blane works with the UWO Public Relations team to give Jay the experience of a lifetime. As they learn each other’s stories, Trinity and Blane are drawn to each other. 

But they don’t just come from different states. They live in different worlds. Trinity might learn to fit into his life, but can those in her world look beyond Blane’s profession to see his heart? Or will a lack of acceptance cause Trinity and Blane to lose their shot at love?

9

Book Review of 'The Shifting Current' by Dani Pettrey

Happy Cinco de Mayo Bookworms!

Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  I normally celebrate with some amazing Mexican food and maybe my favorite Mexican dessert, flan.  Recently I have been craving a really good taco or nachos, so my goal is to go squelch my craving.  What's your favorite Mexican restaurant? My in-laws are Hispanic, so my favorite 'restaurant' is my mother-in-law's kitchen.  I just wish she didn't live eight hours away from me.

Today I am also celebrating a new release from an author that is new to me.  So, grab a taco and continue scrolling for me thoughts on this new romantic suspense.

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for The Shifting Current by Dani Pettrey, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Shifting Current 

Series: Coastal Guardians novella 

Author: Dani Pettrey 

Publisher: Gracie & Johnny Inc. 

Release Date: May 2, 2023 

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

 

An elusive killer. A false identity. A deadly maze of lies.

When Coast Guard Investigative Service Special Agent LOGAN PERRY’s beloved grandfather is murdered, Logan races to his hometown of Cauldron Creek, New Mexico to investigate the murder. His teammate and friend, EMMY THORTON, insists on joining him. Not a good idea—not when he loves her, but carries a secret that he knows will tear them apart. 

Emmy knows Logan will pursue the investigation no matter the cost, and she won’t let the man she loves plunge into a dangerous situation alone. She needs to be at his side, even if he believes friendship is her only reason for joining him. 

What looks like a robbery gone wrong rapidly shifts, drawing Emmy and Logan into a dizzying maze where nothing is as it appears. Every lead slips through their fingers as threats against them grow deadlier at each turn. Having only each other to rely on, their love for one another deepens, but will they live long enough to admit their attraction to each other? 

They’re in the killer’s sights. One wrong move puts their future together and their lives on the line.

3

Book Review of 'The Duke and the Lady Gardener' by Alissa Baxter

Happy Thursday Bookworms!

I have been enjoying The Grantham Girls series so far and today I am going back to the beginning and reading the first book in the series!  I love this series for many reasons, but the biggest is the strong heroines.  I love self-assured women in the Regency era!

Continue scrolling to read my full review, as well as to enter to win a fantastic gift card from JustRead Tours! ♡

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for The Duke and the Lady Gardener by Alissa Baxter, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Duke and the Lady Gardener
Series: The Grantham Girls #1
Author: Alissa Baxter
Publisher: ‎ Dragonblade Publishing
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Genre: Regency/Historical Romance (sweet, wholesome)

Love blossoms for a Lady Gardener when she robs a Duke. . . and then steals his heart.

Alexandra Grantham becomes Lady Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to provide for the local farm workers in the district. However, when her new neighbor, Mr. Robert Chanderly, unmasks her, Alexandra cannot hide her horror as he has it within his power to ruin her reputation. But, instead of blighting her social chances when they arrive in London, Robert decides to bring Alexandra into high fashion, and she effectively takes the ton by storm.  

 

Enemies abound in the Capital, however, causing trouble for Alexandra at every turn. So when an adversary threatens to reveal Alexandra’s dangerous secret, Robert must do everything within his power to defend the honor of the woman he loves—or lose the only lady he’s ever wished to make his wife.

5