Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Book Blast and Giveaway: Much Ado About A Widow by Jenna Jaxon


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jenna Jaxon will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Lady Georgina Kirkpatrick defied her family, jilted her fiancĂ©, and married the man she loved. But when her husband died at Waterloo, she was delivered right back into her father’s power . . .

Victory is sweet—but England’s triumph was Georgie’s rout. Now that she’s widowed, the loathsome marriage her father first arranged has simply been renegotiated. With neither money nor rights, and nowhere to flee, all she can do is cherish her last weeks of freedom. . . . Until a band of ruffians overtake her carriage and kidnap her. When she escapes in seaside Brighton and encounters her brother’s rather wild friend, Lord St. Just—whom she suspects aspires to be a pirate—she’s prepared to entertain more of his adventurous suggestions than usual . . .

St. Just knows his mind and his duty, and he loves a challenge. Helping a fair lady make her farewells to hoodlums suits his talents well. Within the hour he has Georgie, her lady’s maid—and her little dog too—sailing for his castle in Cornwall. Meanwhile, the lady’s entire family, her kidnappers, and her scheming intended are in pursuit. But as he and the indomitable Georgie grow closer, he begins to suspect that together they will prove a match for them all . . .

Read an Excerpt

“What is all this fuss about, Lulu? You can’t need to go out again so soon.” Peering over the dog’s head, Georgie looked at her father’s outrider cantering beside the carriage.

“Goodness.” The maid stretched and stifled a yawn. “I must have fallen asleep.”

“That’s quite all right.” Georgie’s attention was fixed on the rider. “Look at the man riding alongside us, Clara.”

The maid glanced out the window and shrugged. “What about him?”

“He’s not one of my father’s outriders.” Frowning as she pressed her face against the cold window pane, Georgie moved her head this way and that, seeking a better look.

“He’s not?” Clara slid over to gaze out the window as well. “Then who is he?”

“He’s the man I told you about, the one with the flattened nose who was watching me in the inn yard.” Georgie bounced over to the other side of the carriage, panic rising at the sight of another unfamiliar outrider. “This one too. Folger!” She leaped to her feet and banged on the trap. “Folger! Who are these men? What is going on?”

The chilling silence that ensued was punctuated by the high crack of a whip. The carriage shot forward, throwing Georgie back into her seat, where she narrowly missed Lulu, who was barking wildly.

“What’s happening, my lady?” Eyes wide and wild, Clara clutched her arm.

Georgie’s composure slipped, and dread threatened to engulf her, but she took a deep breath to steady herself and announced, “I am very much afraid we are being kidnapped.”

About the Author:
Jenna Jaxon is a multi-published author of historical and contemporary romance. She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, she has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise. She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own stories. She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets. When not reading or writing, she indulges her passion for the theatre, working with local theatres as a director. She often feels she is directing her characters on their own private stage.

She has equated her writing to an addiction to chocolate because once she starts she just can't stop.

Links:

Blog: http://www.jennajaxon.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenna.jaxon
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jenna_Jaxon
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/passionistimeless

Book Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Much-about-Widow-Widows-Club-ebook/dp/B07Q6VM63Q/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

a Rafflecopter giveaway










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Blurb Blitz and Giveaway: Black Ice (The Stormwatch Series) by Regan Black


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Stormwatch series blurb:

The storm sweeps in like a thief in the night... Winter storm Holly is the worst in eighty years bringing high winds, subzero temperatures and snowfall better measured in feet than in inches. The weather paralyzes everything in its path, but in this storm, weather isn’t the only threat.

A new installment of STORMWATCH releases each Thursday starting December 5 through January 9. Each thrilling full length novel is a standalone story with no cliffhangers. Don’t miss a single one from half a dozen of the genre's bestselling storytellers!

December 5 - Frozen Ground by Debra Webb
December 12 - Deep Freeze by Vicki Hinze
December 19 - Wind Chill by Rita Herron
December 26 - Black Ice by Regan Black
January 2 - Snow Brides by Peggy Webb
January 9 - Snow Blind by Cindy Gerard

Stormwatch series at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YZB1FZR

Evelyn Cotton deals poker at the Silver Aces casino in Deadwood to keep the family adventuring business in the black during the off-season. News of the storm barreling closer has the casino packed with locals pushing their luck and travelers who are stranded. When Wyatt Jameson, her high school sweetheart, sits down at her table it’s all she can do to keep her hands to herself. For more than twelve years she’s dreamed of choking the life out of him for running away to the Army without giving her so much as a goodbye kiss.

Wyatt isn't back in town for a reunion, though seeing Evie reminds him what sacrifice means. He's been looking for purpose since an injury ended his Army career. Now, the FBI has recruited him to infiltrate a crew planning to steal a fortune in diamonds, including the famous Mae West Solitaire currently on display at the Silver Aces. The thrill of being needed and the hefty payday if he succeeds easily override the risk of dredging up the old memories and heartache he left behind.

But when the thieves up their timeline due to the storm, Evie gets caught in the crossfire and Wyatt's plans are turned upside down. He has to win her over -and fast. Without her expertise they might not survive long enough for him to tell her she's the woman he's never stopped loving.

Read an Excerpt

Wyatt’s phone buzzed again and he glanced toward the slot machines, looking for the FBI agent posing as a casino guest while watching his back. Agent Noelle Pickering, second in command on her team of four, had been the first to reach out to him about this assignment. She wore an emerald sweater and black slacks, her short blond hair gleaming under the lights. At the moment, her phone was at her ear.

“What are you up to?” she asked. “We aren’t covering your poker losses.”

“Didn’t ask you to,” he said. Besides he was modestly ahead at the moment. “Saw an old friend,” he said. It wasn’t like his ties to Evie were a secret.

“You might want to delay the old flame hookup routine until this is over,” Pickering said.

“Right.” The FBI had done as much homework on him as they had on their target.

“We picked up another call on the phone tap. Evelyn Cotton might be part of the Cordell crew.” He barely suppressed the automatic rejection of such an absurd suggestion. If Cordell had contacted Evie it wasn’t because she was interested in helping him steal a fortune in diamonds.

“Not their first communication,” Pickering continued, as if she could read minds now. “And here she is, a casino employee. Sounds like she’s into him.”

Bull. That was just mean, even if Pickering was simply relaying facts.

Tate Cordell was a slick operator, that’s all. He was using Evie somehow. Anyone could change in eleven years—Wyatt was proof—but Evie would never willingly help a criminal. Cordell must be lining her up for backup or a distraction.

About the Author:
Regan Black, a USA Today bestselling author, writes award-winning, action-packed romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy novels featuring kick-butt heroines and the sexy heroes who fall in love with them. Raised in the Midwest and California, she and her husband currently share their empty nest with two adorably arrogant cats in the South Carolina Lowcountry where the rich blend of legend, romance, and history fuels her imagination.

Regan Black online:

Website: http://reganblack.com
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/regan-black
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReganBlack.fans
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReganBlack

Exclusively on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YJ8Z45R

a Rafflecopter giveaway



DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW THE TOUR AND COMMENT
ON EACH STOP TO EARN MORE ENTRIES TO WIN!
December 2: Mythical Books
December 3: Christine Young
December 4: FUONLYKNEW
December 6: The Reading Addict

Book Two: Deep Freeze by Vicki Hinze
December 9: Andi's Book Reviews
December 10: Our Town Book Reviews
December 11: Viviana MacKade
December 12: Author C.A.Milson
December 13: All the Ups and Downs

Book Three: Wind Chill by Rita Herron
December 16: T's Stuff
December 17: Long and Short Reviews
December 18: Fabulous and Brunette
December 19: The Avid Reader
December 20: It's Raining Books

Book Four: Black Ice by Regan Black
December 31: Locks, Hooks and Books
January 1: Harlie's Books
January 2: Casey's Corner
January 3: Jazzy Book Reviews

Book Five: Snow Brides by Peggy Webb
January 7: Independent Authors
January 8: BooksChatter
January 9: Readeropolis

Book Six: Snow Blind by Cindy Gerard
January 14: So Many Books
January 16: Dawn's Reading Nook







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Monday, December 30, 2019

Blog Tour and Giveaway: A House with Holes by Denise Mast Broadwater

About the Book


Book:  A House with Holes
Author: Denise Mast Broadwater
Genre: Christian Memoir, Marriage
Release Date: October, 2019

Seasoned renovators Greg and Denise Broadwater dream of owning and restoring a historic home in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. What follows are six years of unimaginable challenges and successes concerning the renovation of their condemned 1920s Charleston Cottage, their place in a transitional neighborhood on Congress Street, and their thirty-year marriage.

In a community that struggles to feel like home, alongside normal stressors of full-time work and family weddings, the heightened tension taxes the Broadwaters to the brink. Nothing is left untouched in their hundred-year-old cottage full of architectural and historical details, from the rotted floorboards to the hole in the roof and the knob-and-tube wiring that causes a fire. But through Denise’s fascinating memoir, A House with Holes, the Christian author and therapist shares how she and her craftsman-architect husband strengthened the holes in both their home and their relationship during this wearying time in order to survive and thrive.

Using Broadwater’s counseling experience, marriage principles have been woven seamlessly into the text, demonstrating ways to maintain relationships in the midst of struggles. Reflective questions close each chapter so that readers may ponder their own relationships with growth and understanding.



Click here to get your copy. 

About the Author

Denise Mast Broadwater is a licensed professional counselor in South Carolina, treating anxiety, depression, life adjustments, and marriages. She began her career as a family therapist working with at-risk families and youth. Previously, she was an elementary teacher in private education. She is a wife and the mother of three children and recently became a grandmother. She enjoys rowing at the gym, cooking new recipes, sewing quilts, and blogging at Life Lights Blog (emptynestmarriage.com) and Charleston Renovator Blog (www.freedmanscottagerenovation.blogspot.com).  

More About A House With Holes

Marriage comes with the struggle of making life work—but with a promise of home, a place to rest, to be who we are in all our mess, to feel loved and accepted in the truth of who we are. Opening up our mess means adjusting to our anxieties, habits, and struggles. We all know marriage can be tough. Marriage requires commitment and flexibility, allowing for each spouse to develop his and her own gifts, to work together through challenges, and to communicate in a way that draws the couple closer through any issues that arise. The same can practically be said for renovating a house—especially an old house. In A House with Holes: One Marriage Journey in a Charleston Renovation, author and therapist Denise Broadwater shares the challenges and successes of the restoration she and her craftsman-architect husband embraced after their purchase of a 1920s Charleston Cottage that was slated for destruction. Oddly enough, the project began to mirror the ups and downs of their empty-nester marital relationship. Through this intriguing memoir describing the architectural style and details of their historic home on Congress Street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, Denise shares her struggles and disappointments during the six-year upheaval. They lived with open holes in the floors and roof, wild critters, and in an old neighborhood that was unsure of their intentions. As her attitude changed with her living situation, Denise discovered her marriage rising to meet the challenges they faced and this struggling community opening to become a place of belonging. “All marriages have holes—that’s a given,” Denise says. “The holes are places you disconnect: a container for selfishness, for disappointment, and for addictions as people try to find alternatives for unmet needs. Intimacy opens up the holes. Growing means making small movements toward each other, coming together to reduce friction.” Principles and questions about marriage have been worked seamlessly into each chapter so that readers can “shore up” their own relationships and grow in understanding while vicariously watching the progress of the Charleston Cottage through the eyes of a seasoned DIY renovator. The Broadwaters’ experience of doing life in the midst of a major house renovation demonstrates marriage recovery, and her expertise as a counselor shapes lessons for married people everywhere in an honest, easy-reading, and relatable telling. I have read more than my share of books about relationships, but A House with Holes is refreshingly different. Reading this book feels like binging on a Netflix series because you have to see what happens next. Denise is a therapist who has an in-depth understanding of relationships, and she has invited you to have a front-row seat to view what it took to create an amazing marriage while undertaking an almost impossible renovation. —Dr. Larry Wagner, PhD, professor of counseling, Columbia International University, Columbia, South Carolina

Blog Stops


Cultivating Us, December 31


Artistic Nobody, January 2 (Author Interview)




janicesbookreviews, January 5

Through the Fire Blogs, January 6 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, January 6

All-of-a-kind Mom, January 7

Lots of Helpers, January 8

Texas Book-aholic, January 9

A Reader's Brain, January 10



Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Denise is giving away the grand prize of a framed piece from a famous Charleston artist, Jim Booth!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/f389/a-house-with-holes-celebration-tour-giveaway



My Review

A House With Holes is a wonderful memoir. Author Denise Broadwater tells about how her and husband, Greg, decided to renovate a cottage in Charleston. The more they work on the house, the more they realize that the home is not the only thing that needs repairing, including their marriage. I enjoyed reading about their journey of overcoming their struggles and how they were dealt with all of the complications they were experiencing at the time. The book brought on several emotions, including tears, laughter and warming of the heart. I loved hearing how they were about to get through it all and becoming closer in their marriage. It is a great reminder that just like renovating a home, marriage needs a lot of work.

I am giving A House With Holes five plus stars. I recommend it for readers who need inspiration in their lives. I loved this candid and heartwarming real life story.

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.


Friday, December 27, 2019

Blog Tour: The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson


About the Book


Book:  The Dating Charade
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Romantic  Comedy
Release Date: December 3, 2019

Cassie Everson is an expert at escaping bad first dates. And, after years of meeting, greeting, and running from the men who try to woo her, Cassie is almost ready to retire her hopes for a husband—and children—altogether.

But fate has other plans, and Cassie’s online dating profile catches the eye of firefighter Jett Bentley. In Jett’s memory, Cassie Everson is the unreachable girl-of-legend from their high school days. Nervously, he messages her, setting off a chain of events that forces a reluctant Cassie back into the dating game.

No one is more surprised than Cassie when her first date with Jett is a knockout. But when they both go home and find three children dropped in their laps—each—they independently decide to do the right and mature thing: hide the kids from each other while sorting it all out. What could go wrong?

Melissa Ferguson’s hilarious and warmhearted debut reminds us that love can come in very small packages—and that sometimes our best-laid plans aren’t nearly as rewarding and fun as the surprises that come our way.



Click here to get your copy!  

About the Author

Melissa Ferguson lives in Bristol, Tennessee, where she is an adjunct professor at King University and pens books that make her laugh and grow. She used to have hobbies like running and backpacking the Appalachian Trail outside her door. Now she and her husband are outnumbered, and her hobbies include diaper changes, chasing toddlers in parking lots, and admiring the Appalachian Trail out her minivan window while singing “Winnie the Pooh.” She survives by Jesus, rom coms, and roughly two espresso shots a day. The Dating Charade is her first novel.  

Read an Excerpt

Read an excerpt of The Dating Charade [Insert Excerpt Link Here].

Blog Stops


Genesis 5020, December 16

Kat’s Corner Books, December 17

Robin’s Nest, December 17

EmpowerMoms, December 17


All-of-a-kind Mom, December 18

For Him and my Family, December 18

Carla Loves to Read, December 19

CarpeDiem, December 19

Cultivating Us, December 19

Quiet Quilter, December 20




SusanLovesBooks, December 21


Texas Book-aholic, December 22

A Reader’s Brain, December 23

janicesbookreviews, December 23


Emily Yager, December 24

Vicky Sluiter, December 24

Hallie Reads, December 25

Remembrancy, December 25


Just the Write Escape, December 26

Simple Harvest Reads, December 26 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)



Pause for Tales , December 27

As He Leads is Joy, December 28

A Rup Life, December 28

Batya’s Bits, December 29

With a Joyful Noise, December 29

Inklings and notions, December 29

My Review:

The Dating Charade was a fantastically fun read. Melissa Ferguson takes her readers on an adventure with Cassie and Jett. I have to say that this is one of the most hilarious books I have read in a long time. I loved this sweet, clean and heartwarming story. It was so great getting to know these characters. There were so ups and downs throughout the book that I did not expect that made me intrigued and want to keep reading. I had no problem reading the whole book read in one sitting. It is that good.

The Dating Charade is making it on my top ten list for 2019. I would give it one hundred stars if I could. I highly recommend it for all readers who need a good, clean laugh.  I can not wait for the author to release another book to see where she will take her readers to next.

Five plus stars.

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.