Monday, September 30, 2019

My Mostly Happy Life


Let me start by apologizing. This review is long overdue and should have been shared with you last year.

I apologize again for that. The delay wasn’t because of the book or the author even though I don’t think I can ever do the author’s work justice by my reviews (she’s super talented). I just got caught up in my own world of events, thought I had done it and then let it slip by. When I realized I hadn’t posted a review, unfortunately I let it slip by again. Just wanted you to know this is a “must read” book even if the review is extremely late.

* My Mostly Happy Life, Autobiography of a Climbing Tree
* By Shelly Reuben
* Paperback: 292 pages
* Publisher: BookBaby (April 27, 2018)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0988418150
* ISBN-13: 978-0988418158 

My thoughts ….

Have you ever looked at a tree and wondered how old it is? Ever wondered about the changes that might have happened around that tree or what could have happened to the tree itself throughout its life span?

Author Shelly Reuben has a must-read book that gives an intriguing view of what a tree sees, the world around it, and the tree’s involvement in life. If you’ve never wondered any of these thoughts, you might find yourself doing so after reading this fascinating story.

Reuben draws readers into a mystical world of trees that quickly feels real. She brings a tree to life in a magical way as it tells a story of triumphs and tragedies and the families it touches. MY MOSTLY HAPPY LIFE, Autobiography of a Climbing Tree will be hard to put down with the skillful dialogue and spellbinding story line.

The writing has a smooth, rhythmic flow that takes the reader on a mesmerizing journey. The characters are strong, believable and well developed. The plot holds your attention from beginning to end. The reader becomes a part of the story feeling the complex emotions throughout the story.

Numerous black and white drawings throughout the book by Illustrator Ruth McGraw add depth to the story. The illustrations highlight points of the story and make them feel more plausible.

This is a story that will tug on your heart strings and have you smiling. It is a feel-good adventure that will have you looking at the outdoors in a whole different light.

 *****

  Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you will check out this book. It’s an amazing story and I’ve been amiss in telling you about it. Have you ever had any thoughts about a tree or did or do you have a favorite tree you go to when you want to relax?

Friday, September 27, 2019

Christmas in Winter Valley



I know with temperatures still in the upper 80s and 90s in a lot of places, it’s hard to think that Christmas is not that far off. To help get you in the holiday mood check out CHRISTMAS IN WINTER VALLEY by Jodi Thomas, the eighth installment in her Ransom Canyon series.

Title: CHRISTMAS IN WINTER VALLEY
Author: Jodi Thomas
Imprint: HQN
On-Sale: September 24, 2019
ISBN: 9781335505019

Cooper Holloway would take nature over people any day—especially visiting relatives. That’s why he’s headed for a rustic cabin in remote Winter Valley, where he’ll care for a herd of wild mustangs. But Cooper’s plans are quickly thwarted by the arrival of two unexpected guests: one, a stranger in desperate need of his help, and the other, a very attractive young veterinarian.
          Elliott is busy trying to keep Maverick Ranch running smoothly with Cooper gone, which is no easy task with family visiting. And when a long-lost love suddenly reappears in his life, Elliott knows he’ll have more than just books to balance this season.
          With a big, chaotic family Christmas around the corner and love blooming in surprising ways, the Holloway men will have to make big choices about the future—just in time for the holidays.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Jodi or her writing, here’s a bit of background on her.

Author Jodi Thomas
A fifth-generation Texan, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jodi Thomas chooses to set the majority of her novels in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. A former teacher, Jodi traces the beginning of her storytelling career to the days when her twin sisters were young and impressionable.  

With a degree in family studies, Jodi is a marriage and family counselor by education, a background that enables her to write about family dynamics. Honored in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumni by Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Jodi enjoys interacting with students on the West Texas A&M University campus, where she served as Writer in Residence.

Commenting on her contribution to the arts, Jodi said, “When I was teaching classes full-time, I thought I was making the world a better place. Now I think of a teacher or nurse or mother settling back and relaxing with one of my books. I want to take her away on an adventure that will entertain her. Maybe, in a small way, I’m still making the world a better place.”

When not working on a novel, Jodi enjoys traveling with her husband, renovating a historic home they bought in Amarillo and checking up on their two grown sons.  For more information, please visit Jodi’s website at www.jodithomas.com.

Thanks for stopping by today. Are you already reading or at least picking out Christmas themed books?

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Not Suitable For Work (+ Giveaway)


Not Suitable for Work
by Skye McDonald 
 
* (Anti-Belle, #1)
* Publication date: September 24th 2019
* Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
The competition is stiff. The stakes are high. And what happens on Halloween night is definitely not suitable for work.
Celeste Greene and Ben Addison didn’t realize the internship-to-hire opportunity was actually a contest, but neither of these talented web designers can afford to walk away.
After betrayal destroyed her fabulous life in New York City, Celeste moved home to Nashville, Tennessee broke and broken. Restarting her career is her only goal. An ice queen who drove her partner to cheat can’t even think about friends or fun. Celeste’s talent and desperation should make the competition an easy win—if only she could stop gawking at her rival long enough to concentrate.
Ben Addison doesn’t want to be a corporate climber or live in a high-rise downtown. He just needs a steady paycheck after foolishly investing everything in a pretty face and a shot at a music career. He has no business fantasizing about his competitor, even if she is the most stunning—and guarded—woman he’s ever met.
This contest can’t rival the chemistry between these two, but is the risk worth the reward? With a haunting past and her future on the line, Celeste must decide what she wants, what she needs, and what her heart is really worth.
EXCERPT:
I heaved a sigh and pushed off the cushion, shuffling blind down the hall to brush my teeth. It was only 9:00, but exhaustion and the look on my mother’s face haunted me. I crawled into the sheets, where ideas and questions tumbled around in my head in a jumbled mess.
Give me a truth… I’m fine. Once this job sorts itself out, life can begin again. I’m not hiding, I’m… playing to my strengths. I’m better alone. I can focus. Know yourself. Your business is you.
But, as always, my thoughts turned back to That Day—the day I blew it, the day Derrick taught me the hardest truths of my life.
Stop. Don’t. Don’t think about it. Don’t go there again. I gripped my arm tight and braced against the memories I couldn’t control, could never forget. Something new. Think of something, anything else. My nails dug into my skin as I searched my mind and landed on…
Ben.
Wonder where he is tonight, what he’s doing? Is he drinking Jameson? Is he thinking of me? Definitely not, but still. What if he was? And why are you holding your elbow so damn tight?
My grip slacked, and blood began to flow again. It had been such a nothing move, only a means to stop me from driving home tipsy, but the memory of his hand wrapped around my arm made my skin tingle.
“Give me a truth.”
In the dark, alone, the truth was this: I wanted him to touch me again.


Author Bio:
Skye spent a lot of her adolescence dreaming about living in a hip, urban town full of adventures that occurred outside of the local mall. (Hers was Rivergate, in case you know Nashville well!) Now that she’s been living away from Nashville for years, the once sleepy Southern city has become just that place, and she returns to visit whenever she can. Her seven-novel-and-growing Anti-Belle series is centered in her hometown, partly as a homage and partly because these days Nashville is too hip to ignore.
In the real world, Skye is an English teacher in Brooklyn, New York, and has lived there long enough to consider herself a true New Yorker—even though she proudly cheers for the Tennessee Vols (her alma mater) and loves being a GRITS (Girl Raised in the South).

Skye's philosophy is to live with your heart and mind open. She believes in the beauty of this world and seeks adventure and joy as a daily practice. If "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans," as John Lennon said, then she'd rather leave the schedule open and let life happen.
Thanks for stopping by today. If you grew up in a small town did you dream of moving to the big city one day and did you? If you grew up in the big city, did you dream of moving to a small town and did you?

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Monday, September 23, 2019

Strangers She Knows (+ Giveaway)

I'm delighted today to be a part of the Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tour for STRANGERS SHE KNOWS by Christina Dodd. 

Check out this fascinating story and enjoy the excerpt for your reading pleasure. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win the giveaway.

Perfect for fans of Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, and Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd returns with the chilling finale to the Cape Charade trilogy.


I have three deadly problems:
  1. I’ve seriously offended a maniacal killer.
  2. I just had a bullet removed from my brain.
  3. My new daughter is growing up too fast—and she's in the line of fire.
Living on an obscure, technology-free island off California means safety from the murderer who hunts Kellen Adams and her new family…or does it?

Family time becomes terror time, until Kellen finds herself alone and facing an all-too-familiar psychopath. Only one can survive, and Kellen knows who must win…and who must die.

Be sure to also check-out the rest of the Cape Charade series, starting with DEAD GIRL RUNNING and WHAT DOESN'T KILL HER, available now wherever books are sold.

Series STARRED reviews from Booklist

"From the unforgettable heroine with a past to the incisively etched cast of secondary characters to the brilliantly imaginative plot, Dodd is at her most wildly entertaining, wickedly witty best." -Booklist STARRED review on DEAD GIRL RUNNING

"Featuring an unforgettable protagonist…who makes Jack Reacher look like a slacker when it comes to dispatching trouble, and an ingenious plot that includes plenty of white-knuckle twists and turns as well as some touching moments of mother-daughter bonding." -Booklist STARRED review on WHAT DOESN'T KILL HER

“Dodd continues her addictively readable Cape Charade series featuring Kellen Adams with another white-knuckle tale that simply begs to be inhaled in one sitting. With a fascinating island setting that includes a spooky old mansion, a secondary storyline involving World War II, and an antagonist who could give Villanelle from Killing Eve a pointer or two, this is Dodd at her brilliant best.” -Booklist STARRED review on STRANGERS SHE KNOWS

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Published by: HQN Books
Publication Date: September 17, 2019
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 1335468331 (ISBN13: 9781335468338)
Series: Cape Charade #3
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

Yearning Sands Resort Washington’s Pacific Coast This Spring
Rae Di Luca stacked up her Level Three lesson books, opened the piano bench and put them away. She got out the Adult Course Level 1A book, opened it to “Silver Bells,” and put it on the music rack. “Mom, you have to practice.”
Kellen didn’t look up from her book. “I know.”
“When?”
“When what?”
“When are you going to do it?”
“I’m at the good part. Let me finish this chapter.”
“No, you have to practice now. You know it helps with your finger dexterity.”
When had their roles reversed, Kellen wondered? When had ten-year-old Rae become the sensible adult and Kellen become the balky child?
Oh yeah. When she had the brain surgery, her right hand refused to regain its former abilities, and the physical therapist suggested learning the piano. But there was a reason Kellen hadn’t learned to play the piano earlier in her life. She loved music—and she had no musical talent. That, added to the terrible atrophy that afflicted her fingers, made her lessons and practices an unsurpassed agony…for everyone.
She looked up, saw Rae standing, poised between coaxing and impatience, and the Rolodex in Kellen’s punctured, operated-on and much-abused brain clicked in:
RAE DI LUCA:
FEMALE, 10YO, 5‘0", 95LBS. KELLEN’S DAUGHTER. HER MIRACLE. IN TRANSITION: GIRL TO WOMAN, BLOND HAIR TO BROWN, BROWN EYES LIGHTENING TO HAZEL. LONG LEGS; GAWKY. SKIN A COMBINATION OF HER ITALIAN HERITAGE FROM HER FATHER AND THE NATIVE AMERICAN BLOOD FROM KELLEN; FIRST PIMPLE ON HER CHIN. NEVER TEMPERAMENTAL. KIND, STRONG, INDEPENDENT.
Kellen loved this kid. The feeling was more than human. It was feral, too, and Kellen would do anything to protect Rae from threat—and had. “I know. I’m coming. It’s so much more fun to listen to you play than practice myself. You’re good and I’m…awful.”
“I’m not good. I’m just better than you.” Rae came over and wrapped her arms around Kellen’s neck, hugged and laughed. “But Luna is better than you.”
“Don’t talk to me about that dog. She howls every time I sit down at the piano. Sometimes she doesn’t even wait until I start playing. The traitor.” Kellen glared at the dog, and once again her brain—which had developed this ability after that shot to the head—sorted through the files of identity cards to read:
LUNA:
FEMALE, FULL-SIZED POODLE/AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG/AT LEAST ONE OTHER BREED, 50LBS, RED COAT, BROWN EYES, STRONGLY MUSCLED. RESCUED BY RAE AND MAX WHILE KELLEN RECOVERED FROM SURGERY. FAMILY MEMBER. RAE’S FRIEND, COMPANION, PROTECTOR. MUSIC LOVER.
Luna watched Kellen in return, head resting on her paws, waiting for her chance to sing a solo protest to Kellen’s inept rendition of “Silver Bells.”
“Everybody’s a critic.” Rae set the timer. “Come on. Ten minutes of scales, then you only have to practice for thirty minutes.”
“Why do I have to practice ‘Silver Bells’? Christmas isn’t for seven months.”
“So you’ll have mastered it by the time the season rolls around.”
“I used to like that song.”
“We all used to like that song.” Rae took Kellen’s left hand and tugged. “Mom, come on. You know you feel better afterward.”
Kellen allowed herself to be brought to her feet. “I’m going to do something wild and crazy. I’m going to start learning ‘When the Saints Go Marching In.’ It’s the next song in the book, and I like it.”
“You can learn anything you want after you practice your scales and work on ‘Silver Bells’ for fifteen minutes.”
No one wanted to be inside today, certainly not Rae Di Luca, certainly not Kellen Adams Di Luca, certainly not upstairs in their private quarters in the Yearning Sands Resort. Not when spring had come to the Washington state Pacific Coast. April and May’s drenching rains turned the world a soggy brown. Then, on the first of June, one day of blazing sunshine created green that spread across the coastal plain.
Kellen made her way through the ten minutes of scales—the dog remained quiescent for those—then began plunking out “Silver Bells.”
As she struggled with the same passage, her right hand fingers responding only sporadically, Luna started with a slight whine that grew in intensity. At the first high howl, Kellen turned to the dog.
“Look, this isn’t easy for me, either.”
Luna sat, head cocked, one ear up, one ear down, brown eyes pleading with her.
“I would love to stop,” Kellen told her and turned back to the piano. “How about a different tune? Let’s try ‘When the Saints Go Marching In.’”
She played the first few notes and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the dog subside. Then, as she worked on a tricky passage, made the same mistake, time after time, the dog sat up again, lifted her nose and howled in mourning for the slaughter of the song.
Rae giggled, and when her mother glowered, the child controlled herself. “Come on, Luna, I’ll take you outside.”
The dog didn’t budge.
“She thinks she’s helping you,” Rae explained. “Come on, Luna. Come on!” She coaxed her out the door, turned back to Kellen and said sternly, “Twenty more minutes!”
“Yeah, yeah.” Kellen struggled on, trying to make her recalcitrant fingers do her bidding. Even when she finally got the notes right, it wasn’t a piano tune so much as jack-in-the-box music. When at last the timer went off, she slumped over the keyboard and stared at the fingers of her right hand.
They were trying to atrophy, to curl in and refuse to do her bidding ever again. But the physical therapists assured her she could combat this. She had to create new nerve ways, train another part of her brain to handle the work, and since two hands were better than one and her right hand was her dominant hand, the battle was worth fighting. But every day, the forty minutes at the keyboard left her drained and discouraged.
Behind her, Max said, “Turn around and let me rub your hands.”
She noticed he did not say, That was good. Or even, That was better.
Max didn’t tell lies.
Kellen sighed and swiveled on the piano bench. Again that Rolodex in her brain clicked in:
MAX DI LUCA:
MALE, 38YO, 6'5", 220LBS, ITALIAN-AMERICAN, FORMER FOOTBALL PLAYER. HANDSOME, TANNED, CURLY BLACK HAIR, BROWN EYES SURROUNDED BY LONG BLACK LASHES. ONCE HIGH UP IN THE DI LUCA FAMILY CORPORATION, STEPPED DOWN TO RAISE HIS DAUGHTER, NOW DIRECTOR OF THE FAMILY’S YEARNING SANDS RESORT ON THE WASHINGTON COAST. KIND, GENEROUS, RESPONSIBLE, LOVING. A STICKLER FOR DUTY. FAR TOO MUCH WILLPOWER, WHICH WAS IRRITATING TO KELLEN IN MATTERS RELATING TO THEIR MARITAL STATE.
He took her right hand gently in both of his and, starting at the wrist, he massaged her palm, her thumb, her fingers. He used a lavender-scented oil, and stretched and worked the muscles and bones while she moaned with pleasure.
He listened with a slight smile, and when she looked into his face, she realized his lips looked fuller, he had a dark flush over his cheekbones and his nostrils flared as he breathed. She looked down at his jeans, leaned close and whispered, “Max, I’m done with practice. Why don’t we wander up to our bedroom and I’ll rub your…hand, too.”
He met her eyes. He stopped his massage. Except for the rise and fall of his chest, he was frozen in that pose of incipient passion.
Then he sat back and sighed. “Doctor says no.”
“Doctor said be careful.”
“Woman, if I could be careful, I would. As it is, nothing is best.”
“I am torn between being flattered and frustrated.” She thought about it. “Mostly frustrated.”
I’m just fine.” Max didn’t usually resort to sarcasm, so that told her a lot. Married almost two years and no sex. He was a good man, but he was coming to the end of his patience.
“If we’re refraining because we’re worried I’m going to pop a blood vessel while in the throes of passion, I’d like to point out there are solutions that you might enjoy.”
“That isn’t fair to you.”
“You’re massaging my hand. That’s pretty wonderful.”
“Not the same.” Again he took her tired hand and went to work.
Bitterly she said, “Kellen’s Brain. It’s like a bad sci-fi fantasy.”
He laughed. “It’s improving all the time.” When he had made her hand relax and Kellen relax with it, he said, “I’ve been thinking—the Di Luca family owns Isla Paraíso off the coast of Northern California. The family bought the island seventy years ago with the idea of placing a resort on the island, but now that doesn’t seem likely. Someone needs to go there, look things over, make decisions about its fate.”
Kellen nodded. “You want to go there? See what you think?”
“Actually, I thought we should all go there.”
He was still working her hand, but with a little too much forcefulness and concentration.
“Ouch,” she said softly.
He pulled away, horrified. “Did I hurt you?”
“Not at all. Except that you’re treating me like a child.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not telling me what’s really going on. Why do you want to go to this island?”
“I told you—”
“I don’t doubt that what you told me is the truth. But it’s not all the truth. Max, what’s wrong?”
Max sighed, an understatement of a sigh, as if he dreaded what he was about to say. “You’re not going to like it.”
“I gathered that.”
“Mitch Nyugen.”
“What about him? He’s dead.” She remembered she couldn’t always trust Kellen’s Brain. “Isn’t he?”
“Yes. He was buried in the Cape Charade cemetery.”
Was buried?” Unease stirred in her belly.
“This week, his widow arrived from Wyoming.”
“He wasn’t married.” That brain thing. “Was he?”
“No.” Max was as sure as Kellen was not. “Yet the woman who claimed to be his widow had all the necessary paperwork to have his body exhumed.”
“Oh, no.”
“She had the coffin placed in the chapel. Last night, the undertaker, Arthur Earthman, found her there, with the coffin open. She murdered him, and almost killed his wife, Cynthia. The widow escaped ahead of the sheriff, and she left her calling card.”
Kellen knew. She knew what Max was going to say. “She cut off Mitch’s hands.”
“And took them.” Max looked up at her, his brown eyes wretched with fear. “Mara Philippi is back. And she’s here.”
***
Excerpt from Strangers She Knows by Christina Dodd. Copyright 2019 by Christina Dodd. Reproduced with permission from HQN Books. All rights reserved.


Author Bio:


New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd writes "edge-of-the-seat suspense" (Iris Johansen) with "brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd" (ALA Booklist). Her fifty-eight books have been called "scary, sexy, and smartly written" by Booklist and, much to her mother's delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. 

Enter Christina's worlds and join her mailing list at:
christinadodd.com, Goodreads, BookBub, Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook

 

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you enjoyed the excerpt. Can you image living on a technology-free island? Would you want to and why?

 

BOOK BLAST GIVEAWAY:

 

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Christina Dodd and  HQN Books. There will be one (1) winner. 
 
The winner will receive an Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on September 17, 2019 and runs through September 26, 2019. Void where prohibited.
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, September 20, 2019

Fun Friday Video

The weekend is just around the corner and I wanted to share a fun video with you concerning Penguin Random House. It may not be exactly a video you would automatically think about.

Richard Wylde, Senior Manager of Digital Video Strategy + Distribution at Penguin Random House, shared this video that’s been in the making for many, many years.

Here’s what Richard said, “I wanted to share a very special video with you, one we’ve been wanting to make for 84 years. This summer we had the pleasure of welcoming a real-life penguin to our distribution center in Maryland, and boy was it great!

“I’m including several links below—one to the video we made about a penguin’s “internship” at Penguin Random House, and one that shows the behind the scenes process,” he explained. “Thanks! Please reach out with any and all penguin-related questions.”

Now here’s a real penguin’s internship at Penguin Random House.


If it doesn’t show up in the post, click HERE.

For behind the scenes action, click on https://youtu.be/T3kXO_SzeTQ

Thanks for stopping by today. I think penguins are so cute. What did you think about the penguin’s internship?

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Chasing Fireflies (+ Giveaway)


Chasing Fireflies
by Claudia Y. Burgoa 
 
* Publication date: September 9th 2019
* Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
USA Today Bestselling author Claudia Burgoa brings you an emotional and inspirational story that will tug on your heartstrings.
The first time I met Oliver Tanner he was five years old.
I was four.
That day he was entrusted to my keep.
He was as large and loud as a church mouse.
That day I taught him how fireflies were magic with the persistence of a person.
That’s what I loved about them.
No matter how far they strayed,
they remembered where they came from and who their family was.
After high school, he joined the army and left Knox Ridge.
Years later, the town had changed.
My dreams were shattered.
We had nothing left.
I had forgotten all about the magic of the fireflies.
Until he came back to town.
Everything about him was comforting.
He brought some light to my darkness,
But I knew the light could only last for so long.
Fireflies only stay for the summer.
He had outgrown our small town.
It was time for me to stop chasing fireflies.
Don’t miss out on this stunning, second-chance friends to lovers romance.
This full-length novel was originally published in the Cards of Love collection as a novella. It has been revised with additional scenes.
EXCERPT:
I decide to bring up Ollie, preferring to deal with that than the topic of my sister.
“Did you hear that Oliver Tanner is back in town?”
She squints. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“Josey Tanner’s son,” I say, unamused by her attitude.
Paige wrinkles her nose. “Little Ollie AWOL? Showing his face back here? That idiot?”
I hate when she refers to him as that. I hold back a frustrated groan. I don’t need more reminders of how he left me here—embarrassed and heartbroken.
It’s not like they were friends or anything, I think sarcastically. Then again, she’s always the first person to remind me that he broke my heart—twice.
“Yeah, that one,” I say dryly, regretting the subject. “He’s staying at the old Tanner place while he decides what to do with his life.”
“He’s going to f*** up my hydrangeas, isn’t he?” Paige says.
“So not the point,” I say.
“Is he as hot as I remember him?” she asks.
I smirk. Oliver is good looking. He has tousled brown hair, which is thick and lustrous. His eyes are a mesmerizingly deep brown, and flecks of amber light dance throughout them. Like fireflies. His face is strong and well defined. His features look like they were molded from granite. He has thick eyebrows, which slopes downward in a severe expression.
My stomach does a few flips as I remember his playful smile. My body shivers, remembering the tingles that his strong hands created when they touched me. They were rough but warm. And when those beefy arms wrapped around my body, it felt perfect.
His body was toned and inviting as he hugged me. Everything about him was comforting. His voice was deep and rich. We saw each other a couple of days ago, but I’m still thinking about him.



Author Bio:
Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. She lives in Colorado, working for a small IT. She has three children and manages a chaotic household of two confused dogs, and a wonderful husband who shares her love of all things geek.
To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to keep the last threads of sanity intact.
Thanks for stopping by today. Do you remember chasing fireflies?

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019

One Queen of an Ending (+ Giveaway)


One Queen of an Ending
by Zachary Ryan
* (The High School Queens Trilogy, #3)
* Published by: Kingston Publishing Company
* Publication date: August 26th 2019
* Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
It’s time to say goodbye to our Johnson Prep favorites before they all head off to college.
After the gossip-worthy events of graduation and the shocking death of one of their classmates, it seems The Queen of Queens wants to give Danielle, Bethany, Calvin, Tucker, and Aman one last hurrah.
Will everything have a happy ending, or will one of our favorites end up 6 feet under? How will the war end with the salacious arrival of returning students, Andrew and Jasmine? They all had one lesson left to learn: Just because high school is over, doesn’t mean the high school drama ends. They’re all about to take their curtain call, but will it end as a comedy or a tragedy?
Discover this sultry and thrilling end to the High School Queens Series.

Now here's an excerpt for this intriguing story for your reading pleasure:

Danielle followed her finger to see a guy at his locker. He looked scrawny with dark hair, hazel eyes, and stubble. She also saw who he was talking with. “Clearly, he doesn’t have enough class, because he’s mingling with Tucker and Bethany.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s not that cute anyway.”

            “Already pining over the new boy in the school? Don’t you think you should give him a full day to realize that you suck their souls, like you suck dick to keep the wrinkles away,” Jasmine said, walking up to them. Jasmine and Danielle have been the two most popular girls in their class and have never gotten along. “Besides, aren’t you too busy being The Marked Queen’s bitch?”

            Danielle turned and smiled at Jasmine. Jasmine was a shorter, thicker, and mousy-voiced creature that Danielle had the displeasure of knowing. She thought Jasmine’s pixie haircut made her look more like a lesbian, than an edgy girl. “At least I’m interesting enough to be marked. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you have to post anything.”

            Jasmine crossed her arms. “Maybe because I have no secrets to hide.”

            Danielle and Delilah both laughed. “We’ve all got things to hide.” Danielle leaned forward. “Yours are just not that juicy to expose,” she whispered. Danielle turned to Delilah. “We’ve got class, and I’ve done my fair share of charity work for the day.” Danielle made sure her charity work comment was pointed right at Jasmine.

            They walked away from Jasmine. Jasmine felt a little insulted by Danielle’s comments. It was true what Danielle said. She hasn’t been marked, but she does have a lot of secrets. Everyone might have been feared to be marked, but they were lying when they didn’t get an adrenaline rush from their name being spoken on everyone’s lips.


Author Bio:
Zachary Ryan grew up in a black-and-white box in Maryland, before moving to Chicago to start a new life. There, he found that he was accepted for his misfit status--and learned that it's perfectly normal to spend your twenties feeling lost and confused.
After a disastrous sexual encounter, Ryan stumbled on a group of true friends, or "soul cluster," that he connected with. Through his writing, he hopes to help other broken souls out there find comfort amid the chaos.
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