Melissa Foster's Finding My Girl Available Today!

FINDING MY GIRL is the graphic image companion booklet to the contemporary romance novel, LOVE LIKE OURS. This booklet contains heartfelt messages and illustrations from Derek to Talia (hero/heroine) that tell a story of their own, and reads like a love letter!

If this is your first Melissa Foster book, please note that Finding My Girl is not a novel, a novella, or even a typical short story. It is a graphic companion booklet to the full-length contemporary romance novel, Love Like Ours, featuring Talia Dalton and Derek Grant. In Love Like Ours, one of the many ways Derek shows his love for Talia is through cute and loving sketches depicting their lives as they came together. Finding My Girl is a collection of those images, along with a couple of images that Jonah, Derek's father, had drawn for his wife, Eva. Within these pages you will also find heartfelt messages from Derek to Talia that are not found in the original novel. As a bonus, the first chapter of Love Like Ours is included in the back of the booklet.

Buy Links KINDLE*PAPERBACK*AUDIO*

For more romances set in Sweetwater, check out the other titles in the Sugar Lake series.

Click here for Susan's Review of The Real Thing

Click here for Susan's Review of Only for You.

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.

Review of His Duchess at Eventide by Wendy LaCapra

His Duchess at Eventide

(A Legend to Love, #11)
(Mythic Dukes #2)
by Wendy LaCapra

Lovers reunited, a dukedom reclaimed—the Regency meets the Odyssey
Lord Cheverley, son of the Duke of Ithwick, never wanted to go to war, but when he eloped against his father’s wishes, the furious Duke forced him to choose—either take a naval commission, or have his marriage annulled. Devastated physically and emotionally by seven years of war, a shipwreck, and six years in the captivity of a brutal pirate, Cheverley returns to England to find that the courts have declared him dead, and his wife is entertaining suitors. Should he demand his rightful place, disrupting his family’s lives, or should he return to sea, seeking vengeance against the pirate? He sets out to find the answer in disguise.

Penelope once believed in love, but then the man who swept her off her feet deserted her, leaving her and her unborn child utterly alone. Now a widow, she will do anything to protect her son, including enlisting the aid of a mysterious sea captain to uncover the true intentions of her devious suitors. When the captain awakens something in Penelope she thought long dead, she begins to suspect he is no stranger. But, as they peel back the layers of a deadly plot, can this broken family heal their wounds in time to save what really matters?

I have an intentional habit of not reading the description of a book before I read it, so I was in for a lovely surprise with His Duchess at Eventide. It is the second book in the series Mythic Dukes but reads well as a standalone. His Duchess at Eventide is a tale that is all things fabulous, mythical and epic.

This is such an emotional book with amazing characters. Lord Cheverley the hero and Penelope the heroine are complex interesting characters that have been through trials over an extended period of time before the book even starts. Cheverley has been lost at sea tortured, imprisoned and unable to return to his wife and son. Penelope has been home dealing with the hostile manipulative relatives of her husband, as well as managing her husbands estate and raising her son without his father.

Once Cheverley returns home in disguise the intrigue begins. Chev isn't sure if and when he should reveal himself to Penelope. He has suffered terribly in both body and mind in the time away from his family. Penelope on the other hand has grown from a young woman into someone who handle just about anything. Penelope is a terrific strong character and how she handles the conflict that she faces is really clever. One of my favorite lines is when she says, "You always told me never to accept a challenge you did not define."

The romance is bittersweet but tender. The attraction between Cheverley and Penelope has not dimmed and how they come together is handled beautifully.

The Odyssey theme is underlying but you don't need to have read the Odyssey to enjoy this book. If I have read the Odyssey it's long forgotten. Who am I kidding, I've never read it! You do get a sense that this story is epic and that the challenges the characters face are part of a bigger picture. The authors notes at the end of the book fill in any gaps for the curious and I really enjoyed reading where Wendy's ideas and research came from.

His Duchess at Eventide is absolutely a terrific read. It reminds me of one of my favorite John William Waterhouse paintings, Miranda -The Tempest. A complex, emotional and romantic read on many levels. This is the first book that I've read by Wendy LaCapra but it definitely won't be the last. I'd love to listen to it in audio, because it so lyrical and Wendy has such a beautiful way with words. I know Chev, Penelope and their romance will have a firm place on my ebook keeper shelf and in my memory. I'm looking forward to back tracking and reading the first book in the Mythic Dukes. If you are a stickler for reading order look for look for Her Duke at Daybreak (Mythic Dukes #1).

5 Stars

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Reviewed by Kixcatmom ,
ARC provided by author/publisher
Image: John William Waterhouse [Public domain]

Historical Romance Author Wendy LaCapra has been reading romance since she sneaked into the
adult section at the library and discovered Victoria Holt & Jane Aiken Hodge.  From that point on, she dreamed of creating fictional worlds with richness, intrigue and passion. Her stories have placed in several contests, including the Romance Writers of America®’s RITA® and Golden Heart®. She lives in NYC with her husband and loves to hear from readers. For new release and sale alerts, sign up at http://bit.ly/GetWendyNews

Read an excerpt of His Duchess at Eventide

Susan's Review of Cindy Kirk's Holly Pointe and Mistletoe

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

After losing her family, her boyfriend, and her job, Stella is on the verge of being ho-ho-homeless. Out of desperation, she accepts an assignment to write a story on Holly Pointe, Vermont, the tiny town recently crowned the ‘Capital of Christmas Kindness’. If she can prove the town’s holiday spirit is a sham, her Editor promises Stella will start the New Year with a new career.

Rancher Sam Johnson is Holly Pointe’s resident Grinch--at least in the eyes of the tinsel-loving townspeople. It’s not that he doesn’t like the lights and the carols. It’s that they remind him of the brother he lost. Christmas is a time for family, and if Sam can’t have that, then he prefers to spend the holiday alone. But when Stella blows into town on a wild winter wind, the frosty walls around Sam’s heart thaw.

Charmed by Holly Pointe, Stella is torn. She doesn’t want to betray the friends she’s made, but she’s scared to give up the life she knows. And then there’s Sam. She never expected to fall in love with someone so different from her, yet that’s exactly what has happened. While Stella searches for a solution, the real reason for her arrival in Holly Pointe is discovered. Now, it’ll take a true Christmas miracle for Sam and Stella to make this holiday a happy one.

I enjoyed reading Cindy Kirk’s Holly Pointe and Mistletoe. The premise of the story intrigued me. A journalist was sent to Holly Pointe, Vermont during the holidays to write an expose not a flattering piece, on the town. A negative article at Christmas? Despite my initial concerns, the novel’s small town setting and fabulous characters drew me into this holiday read.

Stella Carpenter is running out of options; she’s been unemployed for three months, she has nowhere to live and her boyfriend dumped her. Stella receives an all-expenses paid assignment from her former editor. Her editor doesn’t want a fluff piece-she wants Stella to write an expose about the town that’s been named the Christmas Capital of the United States. Stella grabs the assignment and hopes that it will lead to a full time job.

It took me awhile to warm up to Stella. She skates around the truth, cozies up to the town leaders and secures a job as a social media photographer on her first day in town. I adore Cindy Kirk’s small town slice of life stories and the characters who add color and depth to the story. Through her friendships with Faith, Melinda and Sam, Stella understands that kindness, friendship and trust are part of the fabric of this small town. I loved the scene which takes place at Faith’s gift shop; Stella is asked if being a reporter is much as who she is as much as what she does? This talk about integrity shakes Stella to the core.

With its message of forgiveness and kindness, Holly Pointe and Mistletoe is a fabulous holiday read. The characters are not perfect; instead they are relatable. Their stories are filled with love, compassion and hope. Reading this novel emphasizes the small town values of honesty, community and faith-each character exemplifies these values when they interact with Stella. Her personal and professional decisions drive the story towards its satisfying conclusion.

Grab a cup of tea and your favorite blanket or corgi—and settle in for a fabulous afternoon read. This book is a holiday treasure.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC provided by the author