Tuesday 27 October 2015

SPOTLIGHT & GIVEAWAY: WISHES FOR CHRISTMAS by FERN MICHAELS


Enter to Win 1 of 3 Paperback copies of Wishes for Christmas
 
 
Wishes for Christmas
By: Fern Michaels
Releasing October 27, 2015
Zebra
 
BLURB:
New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels brings together the beloved heroines from two celebrated series—the Sisterhood and the Godmothers—for a holiday to remember…
 
This Christmas, instead of finding and punishing bad guys, all Maggie Spritzer wants is to bring a little more joy to the world—especially to a beloved teacher from her past. And as the Sisterhood unites to find her, they learn that no holiday treat is as fulfilling as giving to others…

Meanwhile, with a little help from the other Godmothers, Toots Loudenberry is preparing for Charleston’s annual holiday showcase of historic homes. But when the Godmothers sense trouble with one of the decorators, they must tackle a mystery and hope for a happy ending…
 
When Sisters and Godmothers unite, the result is a warm and wonderful holiday—with a special touch of magic…
 
Buy Links:  Amazon | B & N |Google Play | iTunes | Kobo
  

 
This year, for some reason, I want . . . no, I need to make the angels sing. I want to hear them sing. Does that make sense?” Maggie asked fretfully.
“Of course it makes sense. I think it’s a wonderful idea. Count me in,” Annie said. “Now, you know if you include the boys, the fund would grow substantially higher,” she said slyly. The others agreed as they all started to eat.
“Not so fast,” Myra said. “Dear,” she said, addressing Maggie, “did you forget we have an organization that Abner is in charge of that donates yearly, very generously and very heavily, during the holidays? Any new charity or person is always welcome. I thought we all had agreed to that. Last year alone, we donated—anonymously, of course—over one billion dollars, which we confiscated from that monster, Angus Spyder. So, I’m not quite sure what it is you want us to contribute to, and while I have no problem with that at all, I guess I just don’t understand the end result here.”
The women stopped eating long enough to stare at Maggie, waiting to see how she would respond.
“I guess I didn’t fully explain, because I’m not clear in my own mind. Sometimes late at night, when I can’t sleep, I think about my life, my childhood, my family and wonder, as I think most people wonder, if I could do things over, what would I do differently? Is there some wrong in my past life that I never made right, for whatever reason? Just think about that for a minute. I have an instance, and I’ve never forgotten it. I don’t know if money can or will right that situation, but I want to look into it and try. It’s not the same as what Abner is doing with Spyder’s money and all those other people’s money we helped ourselves to. This is personal. That’s the best way I can explain it to you all. Does it make more sense now?”
“Well, yes, dear, it certainly does,” Myra said. “I think you might be on to something. Let’s run this up the flagpole. Now that I understand where you’re going with this, I think we should include the boys in this.”
“I agree,” Isabelle said. The others were quick to agree.
“We can’t call them now. It’s too late,” Yoko said. “They’ll be miffed that they weren’t included in this luncheon.”
“Then we’ll do a repeat tomorrow at my house,” Nikki said. “That’s when we’ll run it up the flagpole, and they’ll never know this was a rehearsal for tomorrow. How about that for sneaky? Do you all agree?”
“What are you going to serve?” Kathryn asked, her mind jumping ahead to the menu.
“How about a little of everything that is takeout?” Nikki laughed.
“Works for me.” Alexis giggled. Not surprisingly, it worked for everyone.
“So, let’s get to the dessert, Maggie,” Annie said.
The women talked nonstop as they devoured the peach cobbler, the main topic being that memories, for the most part, were a wonderful thing, be they sad or happy.
“How much money are we talking about?” Yoko asked. “The reason I ask is that Harry and I are going to China next month, and that always puts a big dent in our budget.”
“It doesn’t matter how much, Yoko. If it’s fifty dollars, that’s fine. If it’s two hundred fifty thousand dollars, that’s fine, too. The point is it has to be our own personal money, whatever we can afford. Gus’s insurance money is just the cherry on top. I’ll be putting my own money in, too. It will all go into one fund, and then, when we’re ready to distribute it to whoever needs it, we’ll vote on it. I think that’s fair. If you all want to keep your amounts secret, that’s okay, too. We should vote on that tomorrow. In the end, it might not even come down to money. Maybe there is someone out there from our past who needs something other than money. Something we can provide for them that no one else can. That kind of thing.”
“I think this is a wonderful idea,” Myra said. “I can’t wait for tomorrow. Thank you so much, Maggie, for bringing this up. Sometimes I think we forget that it’s better to give than to receive. Oh, this is going to be such a wonderful Christmas. The true meaning of it. Truly, truly.”
Annie swiped at her eyes. “Myra’s right. This is just what we all need. We’ve been getting complacent. I agree with Myra. I can’t wait till tomorrow.”
Twelve minutes later, right on schedule, Maggie’s kitchen and dining room were back to normal, with just the autumn centerpiece in the middle of the table. A second round of fresh coffee was served as the girls talked nonstop about what was going to transpire the following day.
“It’s going to take a lot of research to track down people from our past,” Isabelle said.
“And who better to do that than our four in- trepid reporters, meaning Ted, Dennis, Maggie, and Espinosa?” Nikki chortled.
“We need a name for this project,” Alexis said.
The group threw out names and titles, but it was Yoko who came up with the one they finally agreed to. Bright Star.
The Sisters all clapped, making their newest project official.
 
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
FERN MICHAELS is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Sisterhood and Godmothers series, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy-five million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret. Visit her website at www.fernmichaels.com
 

 

 
 

 
 

Wednesday 14 October 2015

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: NOWHERE TO HIDE by LINDSAY MCKENNA


 Enter to Win a $100 Visa Gift Card
 
 
Nowhere to Hide
Delos #1

By: Lindsay McKenna
Releasing Oct 13th, 2015
Blue Turtle Publishing
 
 
In Nowhere to Hide (Delos #1) by Lindsay McKenna, the road to recovery hasn't been easy for Lia Cassidy, since a vicious attack during her time in the Army left her both emotionally and physically scarred. Yet, working for the Delos charity has helped immensely until she and two of her colleagues help a young woman escape a dangerous drug lord and bring trouble right to the charity's doorstep. Forced on the run in order to stay alive, Lia doesn't know how long she has before another attempt is made on her life. But with ex-Seal Cav Jordan sent to protect her, she knows she stands a better chance with him by her side.
 
Intrigued simply by a photo of the woman he's been assigned to protect, Cav Jordan can't wait to meet Lia in person. And when that time comes, he isn't disappointed. She's a strong, independent woman, despite the pain of her past that he knows she's suffered. Determined to keep her safe, he begins by slowly earning her trust. But when a painful reminder of her past comes after her, Cav will do whatever it takes to make sure their budding relationship isn't ruined before it's truly begun.  
 
Although the plot was fast-paced and entertaining, I found soon after Lia's return stateside, I started to lose interest and put the book down several times. Up until Cav and Lia had a very deep conversation, of how being together has helped them both.
 
As for the dialogue, it was powerful and emotional, due to both the main characters back stories and the suspense elements. But also provided some light moments where Cav was determined to earn her trust by showing Lia that she could relax in his presence. The moment where they were discussing his scars was a good scene because it was a topic that connected them as she has her own scars. 
 
I liked both characters immediately. Their back stories were quite compelling. Both have survived harrowing times in their pasts that wouldn't have been easy to overcome. Yet, somehow they've both come out on top, and being together helps them even more. While the secondary characters were good, but the conversation where Dilara tells Lia her back story I thought was unnecessary. Lia already knew in her heart that Cav was different from other men. That she could trust him not to turn her away when she revealed the full extent of her scars.
 
Overall, this was a good book where Lia and Cav's relationship didn't become intimate until late in the story, but was nicely-detailed and illustrated their strong chemistry perfectly. I would recommend this book if you like two main characters that help each other to heal from the pains of the past.  
 
Overall Rating:
 
BLURB:
Lia Cassidy left the Army scarred physically and emotionally after a vicious attack by two fellow soldiers. She turns to helping others, working at a Delos Home School Charity in Costa Rica that provides schooling for children. But when the deadly drug lord, La Arana, attacks the school, Lia finds herself on the run for her life. The only person she can trust is the ex-SEAL sent to protect her.
 
Cav Jordan is strong, honorable and gorgeous…and intrigued by Lia. He knows she has suffered pain in her past, and he is determined to break through her barriers and earn her trust. But as Cav slowly chips away at the walls Lia has built, ghosts from her past threaten to destroy their fragile relationship.
 
 
Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo

 
 
EXCERPT:
Smiling warmly, Dilara said, “I love the whole plan, Lia! I see no reason not to implement it as is. We’ll do it the moment you get back to La Fortuna with us. I’ll have our accounting department wire transfer adequate funds to do what you envision. I’ve brought down an entire new office supply system, including a new laptop and satellite phone for your use. My assistant, Sandy, will come with us to the village and help you get it all set up. You’ll have 24/7 contact with me directly, as well as others on my staff. You aren’t going to be left out here to fend for yourself with the threat of Medina hanging over you. That, I promise!”
 
Lia sat back, stunned. She hadn’t thought her plan was actually going to be accepted, but she knew Dilara moved mountains when she wanted to. After all, her family had the clout, the power and the money to do whatever she wished.
She happened to look across the table for a moment and saw a faint smile on Cav’s face. She’d tried to pretend he wasn’t there, because every time she caught his gaze, she felt something warm and clean move through her, it was probably nothing more than a pipe dream.
“Let’s get through the rest of this,”Robert told them. He looked over at Cav and then at his watch. “We’re going to be wrapping up here in thirty minutes. Cav, and from now on, I want you to be Lia’s driver. You will take her in the company van back to La Fortuna.”
Lia began to protest, giving Cav an apologetic look. “There’s no need for that. I can drive myself.”
“No,”Cav told her quietly, “If this drug lord wants to attack you while you’re in the van, do you know what evasion tactics to take?”
Nonplussed, she muttered, “Of course not”Just because she’d been in the Army, she was a mechanic, not a black ops person who would have such skills.
Shrugging, Cav said, “I’m happy to drive the van, Ms. Cassidy. Maybe you can get a little sleep on the way home.”
Lia had a lot of retorts on her lips, but she swallowed all of them. And honestly, she had no quarrel with him. His eyes told her she had nothing to worry about. In fact, he actually seemed concerned about her, though hed said nothing to betray it. She just felt it.
However, she knew enough about professional operators to know that Cav had his game face on. He was on the job, and when they were in that mode, no one could know what they were thinking or feeling.
But his eyes...his eyes spoke directly to her. Why did her silly heart start galloping when their glances met? Why did hope slowly wind its way through her? Just that faint smile playing on his mouth made her yearn, once again, for a relationship...a real one...with the right man.
 
 

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lindsay McKenna lives her life as a risk taker, and it shines through the books she loves to write: romance, adventure and suspense. She started writing at age thirteen and continues to hone her writing skills to this day. She sold her first romance novel in 1981. The rest is history.
Because she went into the military, this experience became the backbone of her writing—she is credited with writing the first military romance novel (Captive of Fate, 1983, Silhouette Special Edition) and has created a thriving sub-genre within the romance field! As a New York Times Best Selling author, she has sold 23 million books and in 32 foreign languages in her career thus far. Her many experiences in the U.S. Navy are backdrop for her understanding of the military in general, and also her very successful Morgan’s Mercenaries, which is an ongoing series in Silhouette to this day! Forty-five books strong!
Lindsay has gone Indie in 2015 and has created a new family saga on par with Morgan’s Mercenaries It is known as the DELOS SERIES. There will be paperback and eBooks created under Blue Turtle Publishing, her company for her fans. Readers who love Morgan and his family are bound to fall in love with the Culver family. Delos is romantic suspense, which Lindsay is well known for. It took her five years to create and bring DELOS to her readers. It was worth the wait, but we’ll let you decide that.
Lindsay loves to hear from her readers and loves to know what they’d like to see her write next. Stay up with the latest on the Delos Series here. Please visit her Web site at www.lindsaymckenna.com. And be sure to sign up for her free quarterly newsletter. It contains exclusive content found nowhere else on the Net. Plus, giveaways and other surprises, to her loyal and faithful subscribers!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 


 
 
 



Saturday 3 October 2015

REVIEW: THE RUNAWAY BRIDESMAID by DAISY JAMES

The Runaway Bridesmaid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Review Posted at HarlequinJunkie.com

After spending a good majority of her adult life looking out for her younger sister, Rosie Hamilton has finally decided enough is enough, especially after discovering the bride-to-be with a man that isn’t the groom. Instead of following through on her duties as a bridesmaid, Rosie flees before the ceremony is due to start, determined to get as far away as possible. Her late aunt’s countryside cottage in the UK seems the perfect place to escape to. Read More