Tuesday, October 17, 2017

SMP Holiday Blitz - featuring Donna Alward, Emma Douglas and Kieran Kramer



'Tis the season for holiday romance novels!

I am thrilled to be part of the SMP Holiday Blitz!

I chose three books to read and loved each one! My reviews will post at the end of the week!

Take a look at the gorgeous covers and book blurbs. The holidays are right around the corner!

Susan

With shades of It’s a Wonderful Life, one man must face his past to find his future this Christmas. 

In the last year, George's life has drastically changed. The formerly homeless veteran now has a job he likes, a family in the residents of Darling, VT, and for the first time in years, a home. But while his present is good, he's still haunted by the past, a past that appears shortly before Christmas when the older sister of his brother-in-arms hunts him down and finds him in Darling, working at the Ladybug Garden Center.

Amy’s looking for closure for her family after her brother's death in the Middle East, but the serious man she finds working in Vermont doesn’t resemble the soldier she remembers from years before. This man is hardened and yet somehow fragile, too, and in her desire to find out what really happened to her brother, she learns more about George than she ever expected.

With a little Christmas magic and the whole town supporting them, can these two bruised hearts make a future together?
Author Bio:
A busy wife and mother of three (two daughters plus the family dog), Donna Alward believes hers is the best job in the world: a combination of stay-at-home mom and romance novelist. Donna loves being back on the East Coast of Canada after nearly twelve years in Alberta where her romance career began, writing about cowboys and the west. She is the author of Somebody Like You, Somebody's Baby, and Someone to Love.


It’s Christmastime in the quaint island town of Cloud Bay, where love is always in season... Will has believed in love at first sight since the day he first laid eyes on Mina Harper five years ago. There was only one problem: She was happily married. Then, when Mina’s husband was killed by a drunk driver, Will figured she’d want nothing to do with a guy who owns a whiskey distillery. So he’s kept his feelings locked away, knowing that not even a Christmas miracle would be enough to melt Mina’s heart. . .

Mina believes her days of true love are behind her. Since losing her husband she’s kept to herself, content to do her own painting and stay out of the limelight that comes with her famous family. But when, after a freak accident, Will comes to her rescue, Mina can’t quite get him out of her mind. As curiosity turns into a fling during Cloud Bay’s first Christmas Festival, she finds it harder to convince herself that her feelings for Will are just mistletoe-inspired. Could Mina be ready to lay the past to rest and finally admit that what she really wants for Christmas—and forever—is Will?
Author Bio:
Emma Douglas would love to live in a world where professional napping was a thing. But until then, she thinks writing books is a pretty awesome alternative. When not writing about imaginary people, she can be found reading, doing something crafty, binge-watching TV, playing her latest song crush on repeat, or singing badly in her car. She lives in Melbourne, Australia in a tiny house stuffed full of books, too many craft supplies and two cats who take up more space than you would expect. Find out more about Emma at www.emmadouglasbooks.com.

The best gift of all is the one you share with someone else. . .




From the moment he strode through the iron gate and into the offices of Two Love Lane on a crisp December day, it was obvious that Deacon Banks was something different. He wasn’t a Charleston native, not with that adorable Yankee accent. And unlike the usual client at the elegant matchmaking agency, he had no interest in finding a woman to marry—just a few no-strings dates while he was in town.

Macy Frost takes her professional services very seriously—how could she not, when she’s rumored to be a direct descendant of Cupid? Tech entrepreneur Deacon says he’s just trying to make his social-climbing aunt happy by being seen out and about with a few prominent beauties, but Macy insists she can make her client fall in love…for real. And Deacon can’t help but think she might be right. As charming as the palmetto trees and magnificent harbor may be, it’s the beautiful, breath-of-fresh-air Macy who’s become Deacon’s favorite part of the scenery. But can the hopelessly romantic Southern belle stop trying to fix him up and just let Cupid do his work on her own heart?
Author Bio:
Kieran Kramer, author of the Impossible Bachelors series, was born in Washington, D.C. to an Air Force pilot father and actress/singer mother. She grew up mainly on Johns Island, a rural sea island near Charleston, South Carolina, where she helped build her family’s log home. Having worked for the CIA and as journalist for The Charlotte Observer, Kieran is now a stay-at-home mom. She once won $34,000 on Wheel of Fortune, and also won on Family Feud. She’s been married to her naval officer husband, Chuck, for twenty-one years, and they have three children.



Wednesday, October 11, 2017

The Summer That Made Us by Robyn Carr - Audible version

The Summer That Made Us
by Robyn Carr
Audible Version
☆☆☆☆☆
 
The story starts with two sisters, Louise and Jo, that marry two brothers.
Each sister has three daughters. There is the family summer house.
Each season, the six daughters and Louise and Jo live in pure happiness
at the beach.Or so it seems. Anyone outside the family would think
its all magical. Everything is perfect for everyone.
Until that one summer.
 
The Summer That Made Us has a number of events that change
everything. Every life attached in any way is changed.
And the summer house is never opened up again. The closeness
is gone for everyone. Even Louise and Jo have lost their relationship.
 
 
As life goes on, one of the daughters decides she wants to see the
summer house opened back up. Wants to bring it back to life.
 
The Summer That Made Us is full of emotion. The roller coaster
of every different human feeling is displayed. I could not put
the book down. I needed to see whats going to happen next.
Robyn Carr brings deep, interesting and funny characters to life.
 
And Therese Plummer is excellent as always. Her narration brings
Robyn Carrs stories into my heart. I have loved them all.
Anyone that listens to audible stories knows that the voice
can make or break any story. Therese is wonderful.
 
I hope you will also enjoy The Summer That Made Us.
 

 
I bought my copy of The Summer That
Made Us from Audible.com
Review by Lisa Hutson
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Susan's Review of Thrill of Love by Melissa Foster


Fate brings Ty and Aiyla together, but will tragedy tear them apart?


THRILL OF LOVE
The Bradens at Peaceful Harbor, MD #6
Melissa Foster
Releasing Oct 4, 2017
World Literary Press


Do you believe in fate?

World-renowned mountain climber and nature photographer Ty Braden never believed in second dates, much less heart-pounding, steal-his-breath love. But that was before a trip to Saint-Luc, where he met funny, strong, and entrancingly beautiful Aiyla Bell, a ski instructor and fellow photographer whose hopes and dreams, and love of the outdoors, aligned perfectly with his—and whose kisses alone turned him inside out.

After spending five magical days and four sweet, soulful nights falling in love, Aiyla couldn’t imagine a day without Ty. But when he asked her to go with him on his next assignment, his reputation for having women at his beck and call stopped her from upending the life she’d worked so hard to create.

Months later fate steps in when a chance encounter brings Ty and Aiyla together for a five-day wilderness event held in the Colorado Mountains. Their deep, passionate connection is stronger than ever, and Ty is bound and determined not to lose her again. But when tragedy strikes and their worlds are turned upside down, their love faces the truest test of all.






Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance and new adult romance with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented–perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading about wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines.






Melissa Foster writes emotional, sexy contemporary novels with all the feels. In my opinion, Thrill of Love stands apart from the rest of the Braden series because the couple’s love is tested throughout the novel.

Ty Braden and Aiyla Bell met each other in Switzerland and spent a week together. They share a passion for competitive sports, photography, the outdoors and family. The couple decides not to exchange phone numbers or emails; leaving their relationship to fate. Aiyla and Ty reunite in Colorado at a five -day wilderness event for charity. One of my favorite scenes occurs when Ty notices that Aiyla hasn’t crossed the finish line on the second day of the competition. Thinking that she is injured, dehydrated or lost, Ty races back to find Aiyla. This scene showed the depth of Ty’s feelings for Aiyla and gave the reader a glimpse for Aiyla’s inner strength and determination.

Ty and Aiyla’s romance is sweet and sensuous and their love for each other is solid. Ty invites Aiyla to his sister’s wedding in Maryland. Aiyla is welcomed into the Braden family with open arms. Aiyla schedules an appointment to have her leg examined before the wedding. The couple faces an unexpected medical crisis. The author does a wonderful job balancing the couple’s fears, journey to acceptance and treatment options. Ms. Foster’s descriptive voice shines during these chapters and the dialogue between the characters is honest, loving and poignant. The warmth, caring and understanding of the Braden family play an important part in this piece of the novel.

Melissa Foster has written a fabulous story for Ty Braden. Thrill of Love is a not a typical romance novel, it’s so much more. I enjoyed reading how love challenged Ty and made him a better man. Love came first, not an adventure, game or photo assignment. He believes in fate, destiny and, most of all, love.

Ty to Aiyla: ‘I do know. I had no idea what love meant before you. But now I know it means that someone else is always there. You are in my every thought, in everything I do, everything I hope for. Our stars have collided babe and the universe awaits our exploration”


Trill of Love is a fabulous read. Aiyla and Ty’s story will captivate you and their journey will make you cry tears of sympathy, happiness and joy.
Reviewed by Susan Gorman
ARC provided by Tasty Tours



He leaned in close, and she held her breath, readying for a kiss she wasn’t sure she should accept—but she wanted nonetheless. She closed her eyes and his lips touched her cheek.

“Good luck out there, baby cakes,” he said just above a whisper, and walked away.

The air rushed from her lungs. Baby cakes. That’s what he’d called her last time they were together, though she’d never known why. Did he call everyone baby cakes? And if so, did those other women feel as special as she did when he said it?

She watched him walk away and noticed several other girls also enjoying the view of his fine ass in those tight cycling shorts. Life would be a whole lot easier if she were more like her much-older sister, Cherise, who had raised her from the time Aiyla was fifteen, when they’d lost their mother. Cherise lived a careful, meticulously orchestrated life, void of any risks, including those that pertained to her heart. She’d married a safe, reliable accountant with no sense of adventure. They had a comfortable home with a white picket fence and two adorable little boys. Just the idea of living such a mundane life made Aiyla’s stomach turn. Hadn’t their mother’s death taught her sister that fate played its hand no matter how many walls one erected? Living a safe, boring life in fear of it all being taken away wasn’t living at all.

Aiyla had accepted long ago that she’d never be a white-picket-fence type of girl. She loved adventures, thrived on capturing in photographs that would live on forever the faces of people who had lived full, even if torturous, lives. And she felt rejuvenated when surrounded by untamed wilderness. As she forced her gaze away from Ty, her fingers absently brushing over the cheek he’d kissed, she had to admit, she also enjoyed the sheer energy of a man marking his territory.

Now, if only she could focus on the race instead of the man who’d set her heart on fire.