Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Can't Wait Wednesday: Blind Spot by Dani Pettrey


http://www.wishfulendings.com/2017/06/i-cant-wait-for-before-she-ignites-by.html

While suspense isn't my favorite genre, I never miss a book by Dani Pettrey! She expertly balances the mystery and action with the personal development of her characters which makes me more connected to the emotion of the story. The romantic tension is always off the hook, and the relationships grow throughout the series. I can't wait for Blind Spot, the third book in the Chesapeake Valor series, which releases October 3rd this year and is now available for pre-order!

http://amzn.to/2sQnUnP

http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.barnesandnoble.comhttp://www.bookdepository.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

FBI agent Declan Grey is in the chase of his life--but isn't sure exactly what he's chasing after. Threatened by a terrorist that "the wrath is coming," Grey fears something horrible is about to be unleashed on American soil. When his investigation leads him to a closed immigrant community, he turns to Tanner Shaw to help him. She's sought justice for refugees and the hurting around the world, and if there's anyone who can help him, it's Tanner.

Tanner Shaw has joined the FBI as a crisis counselor . . . meaning she now has more opportunity to butt heads with Declan. But that tension also includes a spark she can't deny, and she's pretty sure Declan feels the same. But before anything can develop between them, they discover evidence of a terror cell--and soon are in a race against the clock to stop the coming "wrath" that could cost thousands their lives.




Don't miss the first two books in the Chesapeake Valor series . . .

Heidi Reads... Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey


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Synopsis

In college, Griffin McCray and his four best friends had their lives planned out. Griffin and Luke Gallagher would join the Baltimore PD. Declan Gray would head to the FBI and Parker Mitchell would go on to graduate school as a crime scene analyst. But then Luke vanished before graduation and their world--and friendships--crumbled.

Now Griffin is a park ranger at Gettysburg, having left life as a SWAT-team sniper when a case went bad. The job is mostly quiet--until the day he captures two relic hunters uncovering skeletal remains near Little Round Top. Griffin just wants the case to go away, but charming forensic anthropologist Finley Scott determines that the body is modern--a young social justice lawyer missing since spring--and all evidence points to the work of an expert sniper. When FBI agent Declan Gray takes over the case, past and present collide. Griffin soon realizes he'll need to confront some of the darkest days of his life if he--and those he cares about--are going to escape a downward spiral of murder that crosses continents.



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Synopsis

Blacklisted in the photography business over a controversial shot, Avery Tate answered an ad for a crime scene photographer. She expected to be laughed at, but crime scene analyst Parker Mitchell hired her outright--and changed her life. But six months ago, when her feelings for Parker became too strong, she left his employ to sort out her heart.

Now, for the first time, Avery is facing the world that rejected her to attend the gallery opening of a photography exhibit and support her best friend, who modeled for the show. But the only image of her friend is a chilling photo of her posing as if dead--and the photographer insists he didn't take the shot. Worse, her friend can't be found. She immediately calls Parker for help. As Avery, Parker, and his friends in law enforcement dig into the mystery, they find themselves face-to-face with a relentless and deadly threat. 
 


Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Indigo Bay Sweet Romance Series

http://amzn.to/2rtNDin

Escape to Indigo Bay…
Six authors. Six Sweet Romances. One small South Carolina beach town.

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Sweet Dreams by Stacy Claflin 

Ever since her twin became a singing sensation, Sky Hampton has struggled to be appreciated for who she is—apart from her sister. She wards off Aspen’s fans, who beg for autographs and selfies everywhere Sky goes. She can’t even find a guy who likes her for her. Sky flees to the small coastal town of Indigo Bay in hopes of blending in and building her blossoming career. Jace Fisher is the textbook definition of the strong silent type—nobody can break through his tough exterior. He has suffered more than his fair share of tragedies, and to protect his shattered heart, he pushes everyone away. Jace spends his days fixing the Indigo Bay cottages, and his nights… nobody really knows. He keeps to himself. When Jace shows up to fix Sky’s AC, he barely notices her and she’s distracted with settling in. It takes an emergency situation to get them talking, and when they do, the two find they have more in common than first appeared. As their attraction grows, defenses soar. Will they be able to risk love when they’ve both been burned in the past? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sweet Matchmaker by Jean Oram 

Ginger McGinty hates liars. And she just married a spy. Bridal shop owner Ginger McGinty excels at matchmaking unless it’s for herself. That is, until she meets the dreamy Aussie who helps her get into an event meant for engaged couples. Logan Stone is sweet, caring, thoughtful and fun—everything she desires in a man. But it turns out, her new fake fiancĂ© could use a bit more than just a pretend engagement to get him into parties—he needs a quick marriage keep him in the country so he can be with his adopted special needs daughter. With a marriage of convenience pro-con list longer than the average wedding veil, Ginger puts her faith in romance and offers Logan her hand in return for one thing—no lies. But little does she know, almost everything she knows about her new husband is based on a lie. Everything except his kisses and the way he accidentally spills his soul whenever they meet. And that’s quickly becoming a problem for Logan Stone who depends on distance and deceit to keep civilians such as Ginger safe from his enemy’s clutches. Will the two find love in their marriage of convenience, or will everything break apart when the truth rises to the surface, shattering everything, including their trust? 

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Sweet Sunrise by Kay Correll 

Sometimes life has a way of teaching lessons whether you’re ready to learn them or not… The last place on earth Will Layton wants to be is Indigo Bay, but his younger sister needs him and he’s never been able to say no to her. But she left out a few details… like their father staying with her and the girl who dumped him years ago is living right next door. The last person Dr. Ashley Harden thought she’d see in Indigo Bay is Will Layton, but he’s back in town and just as irresistible as when they were young. Seeing Will again is a complication that isn’t on her carefully mapped out life plan. In spite of Ashley’s best intentions, she starts falling for Will again, but nothing has changed. She’s still focused on getting the townspeople to accept her and see her as more than the girl from the wrong side of town, while Will is determined to guard his heart at any cost. Not the easiest road to true love… especially when secrets from the past are revealed and history threatens to repeat itself. 

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Sweet Illusions by Jeanette Lewis 

Eva Malone was very young when her mother forced the family to join a violent doomsday cult, but she remembers a little about how normal life used to be. As a young woman, she escapes the cult and relocates to Indigo Bay, South Carolina to pursue her dream of peaceful anonymity. After several tumultuous years as a policeman in Atlanta, Ben Andrews has had enough. He returns home to Indigo Bay and joins the Indigo Bay PD, where the most exciting part of the job is getting a kitten out of a tree or rescuing tourists who lose their keys at the beach. Eva and Ben are immediately drawn to each other. But as the prophesied date of the apocalypse draws near and the cult steps up its efforts to find her, Eva realizes she can’t maintain her sweet illusion forever. 

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 Sweet Regrets by Jennifer Peel 

Melanie Dixon never thought she would find herself divorced, pregnant, and living back with her parents in Indigo Bay. Not one to let misfortune get the best of her, she picks up the broken pieces of her life and bit by bit puts them back together. She’s determined to go it alone, but her loving and equally determined family and friends have another idea. Enter Declan Shaw, the boy next door from long ago. The boy she wasn’t quite ready to commit forever to at eighteen. Back in Indigo Bay due to a recent job promotion, Declan sees this as a second chance to reunite with the girl who has owned his heart since the day they met in their junior year of high school. But Melanie is a tougher sell on the idea than he thought she would be. Now it’s up to him to prove to Melanie that she can trust him with her heart and that he’s the man she and her baby deserve. Will the regret and hurt of the past win out? Or will love prevail? 

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 Sweet Rendezvous by Danielle Stewart 

On her last tank of gas Elaine Mathews drives South. Spontaneity had never been her strength, but there was something about being publicly fired that had a way of changing things. An empty bank account, broken heart, and enough humiliation to last a life time was all Elaine could claim as her own. Her car choked to a stop in the quiet beach town of Indigo Bay and all she could do was sit on the curb and wait for the sun to set on her misery. Davis Mills has a routine. Wake. Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. It hadn’t always been that way. He’d left indigo bay once and returned a broken man. Now he kept his dreams small and his schedule tight. If there was no room in his life for anything new then he’d never repeat his mistakes. When fate has them, quite literally colliding Elaine and Davis are faced with an important question. Can you live a full life if you never take a risk? Or is life made up of every mistake, miracle and chance that comes with being in love? 

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amazon or paypal$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway Ends 7/17/17 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Interview: Amy Matayo, Author of The Whys Have It



I'm so excited to share an interview with Amy Matayo, one of my favorite authors of contemporary romance! Seriously, her books make me feel all the feels. Which I love. First, a little about her new book The Whys Have It . . .


http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

"His music holds the heart of America...but his soul holds a terrible secret."

Chart topping pop musician Cory Minor has it all—fame, money, more women at his disposal than time to spend on them. He’s living the life most American men only dream of. Until an ordinary concert in Springfield threatens to destroy everything he’s worked for.
 

As he and his band leave the arena for his next show, Cory’s tour bus crashes into two teenage girls, killing one girl instantly and leaving the other barely clinging to life. Lawsuits are threatened, tabloids are talking, and Cory’s idyllic world falls apart. But what no one knows is that this scene is all too familiar. Because this isn’t the first accident Cory has caused. This isn’t the first time he’s destroyed someone else’s life to save his own.
 

It’s just the first time he’s had to face it head on.
 

Small town girl Samantha Dalton has no one—no mother, no father, and now no sister. She’s lost everything in a world that celebrates excess. So when Cory Minor shows up at her doorstep offering money and apologies, she turns him away too. You can’t lose what you don’t have, and she can’t take another letdown, especially not from someone who has managed to rip away all she had left. Samantha has been fine on her own for years, she’ll be fine now too.
 

At least that’s what she tells herself.
 

But Cory won’t leave. He’s persistent in the worst possible way.
Will Cory’s determination to make things right pay off in the end, or will Sam keep pushing him away until there’s nothing left to fight for? How can two people learn to rely on each other when life keeps hurting them both?


And now, here's Amy!


Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

I am a mom of four (two boys, two girls) and I am married to my husband Doug. I've been writing novels for eight years now, and it's been almost four years since my first book (The Wedding Game) was published. I live in Arkansas in Wal-Mart country--the national headquarters is just a few miles away.


What do you do besides writing? 

Read, talk with my kids, fold piles and piles of laundry, travel when I can, procrastinate all things of life better than just about anyone.


Do you have images you can share that come close to how you picture your characters? Do you like to find visual inspiration for your characters before or during your writing process? 

I usually come up with visuals when a blogger asks for them. In my mind, my character's faces are vague. But in the case of this book, I knew what my hero looked like before I started writing. My heroine was vague until right now. Here they are.



 
What are some songs that you listened to or inspired you while writing your book? 



What message would you like readers to ultimately take away from the book? 

That forgiving yourself is as important as forgiving others. That you can't outrun your past, but you can stand in place and face your future. That mistakes don't have to define you; it is possible to start over and make a new ending. And that you are worthy of love, always.


What can we look forward to coming from you in the future?

Next up is a Christmas novella, out October 15th. After that, I'm going to tackle envy in a full-length novel.


Thank you Amy! Congratulations on your new release! 

The Whys Have It is out *TODAY* for only $3.99 at Amazon and FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers! Don't miss it!




Review: Falling for June by Heather B. Moore


Heidi Reads... Falling for June by Heather B. Moore

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

Once a year, June Dawson goes on vacation with her best friends from high school. When she arrives in Maui, she realizes she's the odd-woman out. With Sydney engaged, and Maria nearly so, June wonders if anyone will ever fall for her. Then June meets Lance, their gorgeous next door bungalow neighbor at the Maui resort, and she's definitely charmed. But after her recent breakup, June refuses to fall for gorgeous, or charming, again.

My Review

This is such a fun series of novellas! I love the friendship and loyalty between the three young women- June, Sydney, and Maria. Since they don't live close to each other, they take a girls getaway to Hawaii. I recently visited Hawaii for the first time so it was fun to visualize the setting and remember my own experiences there. Lance is also on vacation there and unattached, and June's friends encourage her to spend time with him, especially since he lives only an hour away from June's home. They quickly develop a sweet friendship and feelings of attraction, and commiserate on their respective past failed relationships. I liked how up front they are with each other and wished that there would have been more dialogue or banter to establish their bond. Of course, reality hits when they return to the mainland and they face obstacles to continuing their relationship. I liked seeing that they didn't just have a fling but were both feeling more. A great short story of clean contemporary romance!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)



Don't miss the other books in the Falling series . . .


Heidi Reads... Falling for Sydney by Heather B. Moore



http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.barnesandnoble.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

Sydney has been the perfect friend, the perfect daughter, and Rian checks off on her perfect fiancĂ© list. But when Sydney notices a strange truck parked in her fiancĂ©’s parking spot, she’s in for the surprise of her life. Not only is Rian not who she thought he was, but his brother Jake is about to turn her life upside down.


Heidi Reads... Falling for Maria by Heather B. Moore


http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.barnesandnoble.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

At twenty-six, Maria is holding out for the perfect man to share the rest of her life with. Josh seems to be that man, but after months of dating, their relationship is at a stand-still. Maria plans to nudge Josh forward, but when the company she works for is bought out, her new boss Walker seems determined to change Maria’s idea of the perfect man.

Book Spotlight & Giveaway: The Ghost of You and Me by Kelly Oram

 



The Ghost of You and Me by Kelly Oram 

How do you tell someone who hates you and blames you for the death of his best friend that you miss him? From the bestselling teen and young adult author of Cinder & Ella comes a new heart-wrenching romance sure to bring all the feels. The tragic death of Spencer Schott unravels the lives of the two people he loved most—his girlfriend, Bailey, and his best friend, Wes. Secrets and guilt from that fateful night keep both Bailey and Wes from overcoming Spencer’s loss and moving on with their lives. Now, nearly a year later, both Bailey and Wes are still so broken over what happened that Spencer can’t find peace in the afterlife. In order to put his soul to rest, he’s given one chance to come back and set things right...even if that means setting up his girlfriend with his best friend. With the emotional resonance of Jellicoe Road and the magical realism of The Lovely Bones, The Ghost of You and Me is a story about overcoming grief, finding redemption for past mistakes, and the healing power of friendship and love. Fans of John Green, Sarah Dessen, and Nicholas Sparks are sure to love this haunting new tale from Kelly Oram. This is a clean young adult romance stand alone novel that reads like contemporary drama romance and has just a touch of magical realism.


 


Author Kelly Oram Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.




$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway Ends 7/15/17 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Monday, June 19, 2017

Review: A Stranger at Fellsworth by Sarah E. Ladd


Heidi Reads... A Stranger at Fellsworth by Sarah E. Ladd

My rating: 5 stars / It was amazing

http://www.amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.comhttp://www.barnesandnoble.comhttp://www.bookdepository.comhttp://www.goodreads.com

Synopsis

Could losing everything be the best thing to happen to Annabelle Thorley?

In the fallout of her deceased father’s financial ruin, Annabelle’s prospects are looking bleak. Her fiancĂ© has called off their betrothal, and now she remains at the mercy of her controlling and often cruel brother. Annabelle soon faces the fact that her only hope for a better life is to do the unthinkable and run away to Fellsworth, the home of her long-estranged aunt and uncle, where a teaching position awaits her. Working for a wage for the first time in her life forces Annabelle to adapt to often unpleasant situations as friendships and roles she’s taken for granted are called into question.

Owen Locke is unswerving in his commitments. As a widower and father, he is fiercely protective of his only daughter. As an industrious gamekeeper, he is intent on keeping poachers at bay even though his ambition has always been to eventually purchase land that he can call his own. When a chance encounter introduces him to the lovely Annabelle Thorley, his steady life is shaken. For the first time since his wife’s tragic death, Owen begins to dream of a second chance at love.

As Owen and Annabelle grow closer, ominous forces threaten the peace they thought they’d found. Poachers, mysterious strangers, and murderers converge at Fellsworth, forcing Annabelle and Owen to a test of fortitude and bravery to stop the shadow of the past from ruining their hopes for the future.


My Review

There's a quality to Sarah Ladd's writing that is restful to me, even with the tumultuous circumstances of her characters. I so easily sink into the story and am immersed in the setting. I loved seeing Annabelle take her future in her own hands and sacrifice her comfortable lifestyle for her freedom and peace. Owen is a hero that grows on you with his quiet strength and I loved his connection to the forest and land. I enjoyed Annabelle's uncle and aunt as stabilizing characters in her new and very different life. There are elements of suspense as Annabelle is in hiding from her brother and Owen is investigating the network of poachers on the land he is responsible for. The pace steadily builds as relationships deepen, secrets are uncovered, and the complex dynamics of the lives of the characters are intertwined. Annabelle and Owen both grow in their faith as they turn to God for comfort and guidance. Highly recommend to fans of historical and Regency romance!

(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)



Don't miss the first two books in the Treasures of Surrey series . . .

http://amzn.to/2rNYGG9http://amzn.to/2rFdtRh