#FallIntoBooks #5StarReads

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Okay, this could get out of control real fast. So I just skimmed my 5 star reviews on Goodreads and picked out the books that stood out to me as ones I would highly recommend and re-read myself several times.

Falling in Love Event: Author D.E. Malone, Sale & Giveaway

 

   

Love Like Water by D.E. Malone 

Two Hearts, One Tour Bus. Is There Room Enough for Love? 

After losing her job, Darcy Conti takes a tour guide position at Sturgeon Widows Tours, a quirky family-run business in the small town of Hendricks on the shores of Lake Superior. As she settles into her new role narrating local history excursions, she fights an undeniable attraction to the man she was hired to replace—the owner’s son. 

Fresh from a relationship gone sour, Sean Stetman plans to avoid dating for the foreseeable future. Taking a leave of absence from his parents’ tour company, he wants nothing more than time to fish, hike, and work on his cabin. But when the tour driver quits, he is suddenly back on board, reluctantly shuttling Darcy and the tour guests along the North Shore. 

Together Darcy and Sean survive unruly tourists, meddling mothers, and even an unscrupulous developer looking to give the Stetmans’ tour company some fierce competition. Can they also survive falling in love? 

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 Darcy quickened her steps to pass the group and get to Sean. His long, easy stride made her have to work twice as hard. “You have a really engaging style.” 

Sean turned his head to look at her, like he was waiting for the punch line. 

“I mean, they really respond to you. How long have you been giving tours?” Darcy saw her reflection in his aviator glasses and brushed the hair out of her face. He stopped and pushed his glasses to the top of his head. 

“Since I graduated college. No, that’s not right,” he said, closing one eye to think. “Actually, I think I was a sophomore in high school when I did my first one.” 

“How long did it take you to develop your schtick?” 

“My what?” he asked, the corners of his mouth lifting. 

“Your schtick. You know, your routine.” 

“You’re awfully interested in how the tour business runs. First you offer to drive the bus, now you want to know all of my secrets.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. The last person in the group moved past them and into Red’s. “Are you looking to set up shop?” 

“Absolutely not.” Darcy felt her face flush. Then it dawned on her. Emily hadn’t told Sean that Darcy was interested in covering for his leave. To Sean, Darcy was just a very curious tourist. Of course he would wonder about her intrusiveness. She needed to set the record straight. “Maybe we should start over. I’m Darcy Conti.” 

“Yes, I remember. You introduced yourself an hour ago.” 

“I’m not on the tour as a guest. Your mother offered me the job to cover for you while you…while you’re away.” He stared at her for an uncomfortably long time. 

“Hello?” she finally said, waving her hand in his face. He blinked. 

“You’re going to take over the tours? Here?” 

“Is that a problem?” 

 “No…no, not at all. That’s great. I’m just surprised. I wasn’t expecting…you.”   

  

"Such a sweet love story! Created beautiful pictures in my mind of this quaint little town on the banks of Lake Superior. The characters seemed to be folks I could call my friends." ~ D. Quian   

"I am a big fan of romance novels. They are a guilty pleasure and, when done well, leave me with the warm fuzzies. Love Like Water is a cute story with believable and well-rounded characters. There is a slight twist on the broken-hearted-boy and it is refreshing that, of the two, the girl comes out as the stronger character. Even the 'villain' of the story is a little bit likable...but just a little." ~M. Durbin   

    

   

Author D.E. Malone 

D.E. Malone writes contemporary romance and is the author of LOVE LIKE WATER, the first book in the Hearts in Hendricks series. Her second title, LOVE LIKE FIRE, is forthcoming in November 2018. She also writes for middle grade audiences under Dawn Malone, and is the author of BINGO SUMMER and THE UPSIDE OF DOWN. Her work has also appeared in Highlights for Children, Pockets, and the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She loves traveling to places off the beaten path which inspire the small-town settings in her stories. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, volunteering with shelter dogs, and continuing her never-ending quest for the holy grail of bakeries. 

    

   

Giveaway Details $25 PayPal Cash or $25 Amazon Gift Code Ends 10/5/18 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or gift codes via Amazon.com. 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. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   

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Can't-Wait Wednesday: Rose in Three Quarter Time by Rachel McMillan

I love books about traveling and living abroad, and the previous book, Love in Three Quarter Time, was a 5 star read for me (the e-book is only 99 cents!) I can't wait to visit the city of Salzberg with the author and her characters! Rose in Three Quarter Time releases September 30th and is available for pre-order!

Synopsis

Some people marry for love; others marry for music...

Rose McNeil is rising the ranks at the Mozarteum in Salzburg as a violinist to watch. Her musical Nova Scotian heritage has loaned an unparalleled technique to her interpretation of some of the most beautiful compositions in the world. The opportunity of a first chair assignment to the Rainer Quartet under the tutelage and baton of Oliver Thorne is a dream come true--- until her student visa expires and the threat of leaving Vienna looms. As much as she grieves the prospect of leaving Vienna and the quartet, it is Oliver—with his dry sense of humour and unexpected charm- she will miss most.

British ex-pat Oliver Thorne’s recent appointment as conductor to the Rainer Quartet make him the youngest in the role during its prestigious history. But it wasn’t the path he wanted. A tragic car accident years ago forbade him from ever playing his beloved cello again. Now he spends his life teaching and guest conducting for premiere orchestras at the Musikverein. When he first hears Rose McNeil play, all the dreams he left by the wayside are reborn with her unexpected talent. When Rose learns she may have to leave Vienna, Oliver has to come up with a solution. Losing his first violinist is unfortunate, losing her is unimaginable.

So he comes up with a crazy idea: A marriage on paper only. She’ll take his name and his citizenship. They’ll split rent money and coin toss to decide who takes the bed or the the futon every night. They’ll keep their secret from the orchestra. She’ll play and he’ll conduct and, most importantly...she’ll stay.

Unbeknownst to each other, Rose is in love with Oliver and Oliver is in love with Rose. They might even find a happy ending, if only their pesky marriage doesn’t get in the way.

#FallIntoBooks #BookishQuote

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I'm sharing my bookish quote from one of my very favorites, Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson! I love the romantic tension and the way the author gives indicators of how Philip is thinking and feeling even though the story is told from Marianne's perspective. The quote below is from when Philip is teaching Marianne how to write a love letter so she can play matchmaker between her aunt and a former suitor. But it's very revealing of Philip's own hidden feelings for Marianne...

To my unsuspecting love,

When I look into your eyes, I lose all sense of time and place. 

Reason robbed, clear thought erased, I am lost in the paradise I find within your gaze.
 

I long to touch your blushing cheek, to whisper in your ear how I adore you, how I have lost my heart to you, how I cannot bear the thought of living without you.
 

To be so near to you without touching you is agony. Your blindness to my feelings is a daily torment, and I feel driven to the edge of madness by my love for you.
 

Where is your compassion when I need it most? Open your eyes, Love, and see what is right before you: that I am not merely a friend, but a man deeply, desperately , in love with you.
 

~Longing for you