Big Bad Wolf by Christine Warren is a steamy paranormal novel that sends sweet and innocent Missy on a MateHunt with her hot and sexy Were, Graham, and it was a fight to the death that kept me reading til the wee hours of the morning and left me craving more.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB: Book overview Missy Roper’s fantasies have revolved around Graham Winters since the moment they met. But the imposing leader of the Silverback werewolf clan always seemed oblivious to Missy’s existence. At least the Lupine law decrees that every Alpha must have a mate, and all Graham’s instincts tell him that the sensual, beguiling Missy is his. Trouble is, Missy is human?every delectable inch of her. Convincing his clan that she’s his destined mate, and keeping her safe from his enemies, will be the biggest challenge Graham has ever faced. And now that he is determined to have her?as his lover and as his mate?Missy’s world is changing in ways she never imagined? About The Author: About the Author Born and raised in coastal New England, Christine Warren now lives as a transplant in the Pacific Northwest (she completely bypassed those states in the middle due to her landlocking phobia). When not writing (as if that ever happens), she enjoys horseback riding, playing with her pets, identifying dogs from photos of their underbellies, and most of all reading things someone else had to agonize over. She enjoys hearing from readers and can be reached via email sent to Christine@christinewarren.net.
Love’s Promsie (The First Street Church Romances #2) by Melissa Storm
Christian Contemporary Romance
ebook, 192 pages
March 7th 2017 by Partridge & Pear Press
She’s waiting for her prince to come … but was he right beside her all the time?
Kristina Rose Maher wants to know why fairytales never happen for fat girls. Certain that diner cook Jeff, handsome and fit, will never want her as more than a friend, she stuffs down her attraction to him. But when she finds herself facing a life-altering weight loss surgery, she discovers she’s willing to do whatever it takes to embrace life—and love—to the fullest.
Jeffrey Berkley can’t bear the thought of losing the friend he’s only just beginning to realize matters so much to him… no matter what size she is. But he is also terrified that helping her reach for her dreams will also mean finally reaching for his own—and letting down his family’s legacy in the process.
Both Kristina Rose and Jeffrey must learn to love themselves before they can find a way to make a promise to each other. Will they finally be able to lay their heavy burdens at the Lord’s feet, and trust him to bring the happily-ever-after they both crave?
Don’t miss this sweet tale of faith, love, and gastric bypass–get your copy of Love’s Promise today!
“Order’s up!” Jeffrey bellowed from the kitchen as he slid a pair of plates into the window that looked out upon Mabel’s Old-Fashioned Diner.
“That was fast,” Kristina Rose said with a smile as she loaded up her round serving tray with condiments and extra napkins, then grabbed the meals he had prepared. Her teeth gleamed white against her dark complexion. The added contrast made Kristina’s smiles seem all the more special. Jeff had never been sure why, but he’d always appreciated the little jolt her happiness sent rushing through him.
“Gotta be fast,” he responded without missing a beat. “Mabel’s got a reputation to uphold, after all. And, besides, I’m starved. Gonna whip something up and take a late lunch. Want to join me? I can just as easily cook for two as I can one.”
The corners of her mouth fell, and Kristina let out a slow sigh. “I wish,” she muttered. “I started my liquid diet this morning. I’m only allowed protein drinks and chicken broth… and water, of course.”
“Sorry, sorry, I forgot!” He shooed her toward the waiting customers. Now that she’d mentioned it, he had noticed her step become a bit slower, her tray droop lower than usual.
She’d be going in for surgery later that week and absent from the diner for at least a month while she recovered. Their boss, Mabel, had insisted on it. Part of him wondered why she had even come into work at all if she’d already started her pre-surgery fast, but the answer seemed obvious enough. She’d already be missing out on a month of income as she recovered, and for a young woman living on her own, well, she needed every dollar she could scrimp and save.
And while they liked many of the same things, lived in the same city, and even came from two of the only non-white families in town, they were also different in a lot of ways, too. For starters, Kristina Rose had grown up in their tiny town of Sweet Grove, Texas, whereas Jeff hadn’t shown up until high school when his parents took over the old pharmacy downtown. He was close with his parents, always had been, but Kristina had never known her father and always seemed to prickle whenever Jeffrey asked after her mother.
Melissa Storm is a mother first, and everything else second. Her fiction is highly personal and often based on true stories. Writing is Melissa’s way of showing her daughter just how beautiful life can be, when you pay attention to the everyday wonders that surround us.
Melissa loves books so much, she married fellow author Falcon Storm. Between the two of them, there are always plenty of imaginative, awe-inspiring stories to share. When she’s not reading, writing, or child-rearing, Melissa spends time relaxing at home in the company of her four dogs, four parrots, and rescue cat. She never misses an episode of The Bachelor or her nightly lavender-infused soak in the tub. Because priorities.
. The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.
Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.
Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.
~~~
I am always up for a Peter Straub story and Houses Without Doors has plenty of mystery.
We have plenty of death, the supernatural and visions of other lives.
The court martial lasted exactly four hours. Big deal, hey?, as we used to say in Palmyra.
(Page 56 in hardcover,1st edition, published in 2003)
Book Beginnings
She saw a young man in a loose black sweater and black trousers come toward her down the street. His dark hair was blowing, and his face seemed to be illuminated by a smile. It was always nice to see someone smiling on the street, she thought – a grace note. When he was nearly abreast of her, she saw that he was grimacing, not smiling, and that his eyes were wet. This was on that day in New York when the sky is gray and the air is gray and cold and people are wearing jackets and sweaters for the first time. she turned around and watched him go past her, wondering what had happened to him. Some sort of strange illumination still clung to the young man, and the woman noticed several other people staring at him.
GOODREADS BLURB:This spectacular collection of 13 dark, haunting tales by bestselling author Straub exposes the terrors that hide beneath the surface of the ordinary world, behind the walls of houses without doors. “Straub at his spellbinding best”.–Publishers Weekly.
A Fine Year For Murder by Lauren Carr is part of an ongoing mystery series that has many recurring characters, both human and animal, that I have grown to love.
These Thorny Rose mysteries stand alone, but you won’t want to miss any of them.
Jessica kicks, punches and scratches her new husband during her nightmares.
She is haunted…until Dallas Walker, an investigative journalist, helps her discover what has been causing her nightmares and refuses to allow her rest until she has the answers.
Nigel is a virtual butler. I love how Lauren Carr keeps her characters and their lives up to date, allowing them to grow and develop along with the world around them.
Newman is a lazy basset hound that likes to eat in the recliner while binge watching TV. LOL But he is not the only critter that has a special and humorous relationship with his human counterparts.
Mysteries, murder, danger, and memories that threatens their lives keeps the action and suspense at a high level and even when the answers are found, it left me wanting more.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of A Fine Year For Murder by Lauren Carr.
4 Stars
Book Description for A FINE YEAR FOR MURDER
After months of marital bliss, Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton are still discovering and adjusting to their life together. Settled in their new home, everything appears to be perfect … except in the middle of the night when, in darkest shadows of her subconscious, a deep secret from Jessica’s past creeps to the surface to make her strike out at Murphy.
When investigative journalist Dallas Walker tells the couple about her latest case, known as the Pine Bridge Massacre, they realize Jessica may have witnessed the murder of a family living near a winery owned by distant relatives she was visiting and suppressed the memory.
Determined to uncover the truth and find justice for the murder victims, Jessica and Murphy return to the scene of the crime with Dallas Walker, a spunky bull-headed Texan. Can this family reunion bring closure for a community touched by tragedy or will this prickly get-together bring an end to the Thorny Rose couple?
Book Description for KILL AND RUN
Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.
Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.
The case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.
In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!
Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
A Wildcatter’s Trek by Gene Ames Jr reads like a true story, told by a real oilman.
Think you know about the oil business, think again.
If you are a fan of the TV series, Dallas, A Wildcatter’s Trek by Gene Ames Jr will fill in some of the blanks and show how much oil people really contribute to technology, education, the arts…
I loved A Wildcatter’s Trek by Gene Ames Jr, that tells a story of one man’s belief that life can be run on a handshake, that the next big one is just around the corner and a home is where the heart is.
The spirits said he would find a river of oil, but disaster and death will follow.
Jordan is driven to drill more and more oil wells.
As I learn about supply and demand, I am thinking he’s heading for trouble. Also, someone very close to him will betray him and I wonder if he will find out in time to divert the disasters that are heading his way.
A Wildcatter’s Trek makes me think of poker players, risk and reward. Rich, poor and rich again. Fortunes made and fortunes lost.
If you are a fan of the TV series, Dallas, like I am, this will sound familiar to you. A Wildcatter’s Trek is a down and dirty education of the oil world. Corruption, betrayal, revenge…Just like any business, personal or professional, everyone has their own agenda. You need to listen to those closest you, proven friends that are trustworthy, but sleep with one eye open.
Are you of the thought that all oil people are greedy, egotistical, selfish people, only out for themselves? My eyes were opened to the contributions they make to medicine, research, education, museums, libraries, technology…
I freaked out when I read…Oh no, it can’t be…But you will have to read it for yourself to find out what made my jaw drop, and kept me rapidly turning the pages to find out what happens next.
So…if you are looking for an eye opening glimpse into the world of oil and the people involved, A Wildcatter’s Trek by Gene Ames Jr is a story you don’t want to miss.
I voluntarily reviewed A Wilcatter’s Trek by Gene Ames Jr.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A Wildcatter’s Trek: Love, Money and Oil tells the harrowing tale of Jordan Phillips, a young pipe salesman who risks everything to drill for oil in East Texas and discovers the largest oil field in the world by accident. The breathtaking core of A Wildcatter’s Trek: Love, Money and Oil is fully exposed as Jordan Phillips is unwittingly thrust into the brutal, never-ending race of the oil wildcatter. Fraud, greed and danger abound. Will Jordan survive?
ABOUT GENE AMES JR (from inside the book)
Gene Ames Jr is fourth generation oil field. He is married to Ellen Rhett Young Ames, and they live in San Antonio, Texas. He was born in Gladewater, Texas in the East Texas Oil Boom where his father owned fractional working interests in producing oil wells and an interest in a gasoline plant. He and his family have been in the oil business starting back in Oklahoma, more than a hundred years ago.
Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:
• Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.
~~~~~~
I have been reading some of Tonya Kappes work, so it was a no brainer to grab Southern Fried, the second book in A Kenni Lowry Mystery series.
‘Mornin’, Sheriff.” Bartley held up a greasy spatula when I walked past. “I sure hated to her about Owen. I guess Myrna did more than fire him.”
(28% on Kindle)
GOODREADS BLURB:In the South, it’s better when the food is fried and the secrets kept buried…
After the dead body of a beloved Cottonwood resident is found tangled up in an electric fence, Sheriff Kenni Lowry has a hunch that somethin’ ain’t right. Her investigation heats up with a fierce cook-off competition, a euchre game where the intel is sweeter than the brownies, and a decades old family recipe that may just be the proof in the pudding.
The icing on the cake: Kenni is fighting an attraction to her recently sworn-in deputy sheriff, and election season is hot on her tail. When the killer comes after who she holds most dear, even her poppa’s ghostly guidance might not be enough to keep her and her own out of the frying pan..
Welcome to the Spring Fever Giveaway Party!
A dozen authors over at YA Author Rendezvous have put an awesome giveaway together – with over TWENTY chances to win!
One grand-prize winner will walk away with a signed, first edition hardback of Witch and Wizard which just so happens to be written by one of the biggest names in fiction – JAMES PATTERSON! On top of that, they get a $100 amazon gift-card!
And all if takes is a minute or two and a few clicks of the mouse.
DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE!
Check out these other amazing prizes they have for you here.
**all images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
~~~
Hello fellow bloggers. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.
It’s hard to believe two months have passed by.
This has been a busy week, with a road trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, a little bit of gambling in Biloxi and topping it off by spending some time with my brother from Michigan and his girlfriend.
An overweight widow and a hot, sexy personal trainer find they have much in common when they meet on a plane, become friends and learn you can’t judge a book by its cover as they humorously grow and change…and fall in love.
3 Stars
I won this ARC some time ago and enjoyed reading it.
GOODREADS BLURB
Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich is a rollicking and poignant romantic comedy about a young widow who decides to get in shape…and winds up getting her groove back–and a whole lot more! Holly Brennan used food to comfort herself through her husband’s illness and death. Now she’s alone at age thirty-two. And she weighs more than she ever has. When fate throws her in the path of Logan Montgomery, personal trainer to pro athletes, and he offers to train her, Holly concludes it must be a sign. Much as she dreads the thought of working out, Holly knows she needs to put on her big girl panties and see if she can sweat out some of her grief. Soon, the easy intimacy and playful banter of their training sessions lead Logan and Holly to most intense and steamy workouts. But can Holly and Logan go the distance as a couple now that she’s met her goals–and other men are noticing?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
4 Stars
The Friday 56 is hosted by 
so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.
