#BookReview #TheRevengeList #HannahMaryMckinnon #Mira #NetGalley

 

They say life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die.

But all she could see was regret.

The people in Frankie Morgan’s life say she’s angry. Emotionally stunted. Combative. But really, who can blame her? It’s hard being nice when your clients are insufferable, your next-door neighbor is a miserable woman and the cowardly driver who killed your mother is still out living it up somewhere.

Somehow, though, she finds herself at her very first anger-management group session—drinking terrible coffee and learning all about how “forgiveness is a process.”

One that starts with a list.

Frankie is skeptical. A list of everyone who’s wronged her in some way over the years? More paper, please. Still, she makes the pointless list—with her own name in a prominent spot—and promptly forgets about it…until it goes missing. And one by one, the people she’s named start getting hurt in freak accidents, each deadlier than the last.

Could it be coincidence giving her the revenge she never dared to seek…or something more sinister?

If Frankie doesn’t find out who’s behind it all, she might be next.

The Revenge List publishes on May 23, 2023, and is available for pre-order now. Click here for all the links.

Internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. Her suspense novels include THE NEIGHBORS, and bestsellers HER SECRET SON, SISTER DEAR, YOU WILL REMEMBER ME, NEVER COMING HOME, and THE REVENGE LIST, which is her seventh novel. She also writes romantic comedies under the pseudonym Holly Cassidy. Her first, THE CHRISTMAS WAGER, will publish in the fall of 2023. Hannah Mary lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons.

 

Website:                      www.HannahMaryMcKinnon.com

Facebook:                   www.facebook.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon (@hannahmarymckinnon)

Instagram:                   www.instagram.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon/ (@hannahmarymckinnon)

Twitter:                       www.twitter.com/HannahMMcKinnon (@hannahmmckinnon)

Goodreads:                  www.goodreads.com/author/show/15144570.Hannah_Mary_McKinnon

BookBub:                    www.bookbub.com/authors/hannah-mary-mckinnon

First Chapter Fun        www.firstchapterfun.com

 

The Revenge List

Written By

Hannah Mary McKinnon

Review By 

Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews 

First, I want to thank Hannah Mary McKinnon, Mira, and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review!

OH SNAP!! Remind me never to get on Hannah Mary Mckinnon’s bad side. I wouldn't want to end up on her version of The Revenge List!! This is one her most creative and brilliantly written storylines outside of the box! If you like major family drama, suspense, heartache, tragedy, wicked twists, then this is a must read for you! 

OMG!!! Hannah Mary McKinnon’s detailed intense opening scenes were so vivid that I felt like I was right there with the character! I was literally at the edge of my comfy chair nibbling on my nails as I felt all the feels that she was! Can you say major anxiety too?! It was this opening chapter that I knew Hannah Mary was going to have a best seller on her hands! 

I had to lol when Frankie mentioned shoving coffee stirrers into her eyeballs. As a chronic migrainer I am all too familiar with what that pain feels like-and it is not fun! I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone! 

The Revenge List intrigued me and fascinated me to no end. I loved the idea of the forgiveness list and learning the backstory of why each person made the list. 

Oh the family drama in The Revenge List was totally crazy!! My heart ached for all that Frankie had to endure! 

The Revenge List is one book that you will want to add to your growing TBR list! It is definitely a  5 star must read! 

#BookReview #QandAwithKiersten #WaitForDark #KierstenModglin #PsychologicalThriller #MustRead #5stars

 

From million-copy bestselling author Kiersten Modglin, comes a dark and sinister domestic thriller perfect for fans of Marin Montgomery, Rachel Hawkins, and Mary Kubica…

They want an ideal life.

She’s the only thing standing in their way.

The Ashleys are determined to build a future detached from the issues in their pasts, and it seems to be working.

They’re happily married.

In love.

Established in their dream careers.

Closer than ever to being debt-free.

But when a mysterious opportunity arrives with an offer they can’t refuse, everything changes.

Soon, they meet her.

She’s rich.

Powerful.

Single-minded in her goals.

She is not used to being told no.

Worst of all, she knows about the dirty deeds they’ve done in the dark…

If they don’t do exactly what she wants, the ramifications of their secrets being exposed are endless. In a battle of wits against a woman who knows too much, the Ashleys find themselves with an impossible choice to make.

​Whom do you trust when the only person who can save you is the one who might bring you down?

PURCHASE WAIT FOR DARK FROM AMAZON

ADD TO GOODREADS TBR

 KIERSTEN MODGLIN

KIERSTEN MODGLIN is an Amazon Top 10 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books have sold over a million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Kiersten is a member of International Thriller Writers, Novelists, Inc., and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She is a KDP Select All-Star and a recipient of ThrillerFix's Best Psychological Thriller Award, Suspense Magazine's Best Book of 2021 Award, a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Overall Book of 2021. Kiersten grew up in rural western Kentucky and later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her family. Kiersten's readers across the world lovingly refer to her as "KMod." A binge-watching expert, psychology fanatic, and indoorenthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her favorite people and evenings with her nose in a book.

CONNECT WITH KIERSTEN
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Ask Kiersten

Q: What have you been watching/streaming and enjoying lately? A: I just finished the mini-series Nine Perfect Strangers based on the book by Liane Moriarty and I absolutely loved it. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend it! It was perfectly suspenseful and entertaining with characters I totally rooted for and a twist I didn't see coming! Q: How many copies of your own books do you keep on hand to sign/for signings? A: I try to keep at least ten copies of each of my books on hand, though I've started to keep less of my older ones just for the sake of space. For signings, I tend to bring ten copies of my latest few and five or less of my older ones. I always recommend readers bring books with them for me to sign if they have a particular one they want signed as it is hard to bring enough copies of each one! But I do try my hardest to have at least a few of each. Q: What is your current favorite snack for before or after writing? We just bought some local honey at a festival last weekend and one of my favorite snacks is sliced bananas drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon.  Q: Which of your stories was the scariest or most intense to write thus far? A: Just Married! It's nonstop crazy and has what I consider to be the scariest scene I've ever written! Q: What is the biggest difference between how you expected your career to look when you first began publishing to how it looks now? A: My career now is better than my wildest dreams growing up. I'm doing what I love, writing what I want, and enjoying every minute. I've always wanted this, but I was never sure I would have it, so this is an absolute dream come true. I never thought I'd have such loyal, amazing fans, and never dreamed I could publish so many books in my lifetime. I also always thought I'd go the traditional route (I didn't know there was any other choice) and have a publisher, go on book tours, see my books in stores, etc, but I wouldn't trade what I have now for any of that. I love the career we've built together, my dear readers, and I'm so grateful for you. Q: What music are you loving right now? I've been on a Kelsea Ballerini binge since she released her latest album, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. If you haven't listened to that, I highly recommend it. I've always loved her music, but this latest album is so real, raw, and relatable, it's just amazing.  Q: Who were the people in your life who read your very first stories ever written? How did they impact the beginning of your writer journey? My family and teachers were always the first to read my stories early on. I remember from a very early age, even before I could physically write, my family encouraged my story telling. I was always the one gathering all my cousins around at family get togethers to put on plays I'd written or tell stories. As I got older and learned how to write, I wrote every chance I got. From the very beginning, my family and my teachers were always so encouraging about my writing. My fourth grade teacher kept a poem I wrote in school and used it to teach her classes until she retired a few years ago. Growing up in an environment like that was pivotal to my career. If I hadn't had that early encouragement, maybe I wouldn't be where I am today.    Q: Do you remember meeting your very first reader(s) who found you through your book(s)? What was that experience like? I do! It was in Vegas in 2020. I had two readers who drove to see me, one from a few hours away. I knew them both from Instagram and knew that they were coming, but it was still so surreal to meet them in person and know that it was my stories that had connected us. And both readers were so sweet.    Q: How many readers showed up to your first signing? How did it make you feel? My very first signing was at McKay's bookstore in Nashville, TN. Five of my coworkers showed up and all bought a copy. It was really special because they'd all watched me writing this book in the break room every day on my lunch and had always been so encouraging. They were there when I received the news that I was going to be published and they were there for this huge moment. Other than my five coworkers, I sold one book to a sweet reader who was passing by and (I think) took pity on me. Despite the low turnout, I was on cloud nine and truly couldn't have been happier!  Q: Could you share about a time a reader contacted you to let you know how your books helped them? How did it feel to find out the impact your story(ies) had on them? As a thriller author, I never really expected my stories to have an impact on anyone's life. I was writing to entertain, sure. But I'm not doing anything profound. Most often, I'm not writing on intense or difficult topics and my stories don't usually invoke tears. However, the number of you that I've heard from saying my stories have helped you through particularly difficult times has truly made me rethink what I'm doing and realize I had it all wrong. Books don't have to be profound or especially deep to make a difference. In our darkest times, books are an escape. Through loss, illness, grief, stress, and so much else, readers have taken solace in my books and that means more to me than I could ever put into words.  Q: When you sign books for readers, how do you decide what to write in them? Unless a reader requests something specific, I have a tagline for each book that I use. For example, for Don't Go Down There, I write "Whatever you do...", for The Family Secret, I write "Every family has one...", The Arrangement is "Rules are rules" and so on. I usually come up with each book's line when I sign the first copy!  Q: I know you've discovered names for characters when you meet and sign books for your readers. How else do your readers inspire your stories? My readers inspire me all the time! Most often, it's in seeing what types of stories they're enjoying from me, so I know what to focus on. I've also had readers send me storylines or funny moments from their lives which I'll occasionally use, or tell me which characters they'd like to see make an appearance in future books. I love incorporating my readers into my books and worlds however I can! Q: What is your favorite thing about attending book clubs as a guest author? Book clubs are so much fun! I mean, an entire hour (or so) discussing a book that literally once existed only in my head?! What more could I want? I love hearing reader's thoughts on my stories, what stood out to them, what they loved, and what their theories were. For me, there's nothing better than getting to discuss my stories in depth with readers and book clubs are the perfect place for that!  Q: What do you hope to give your readers through your stories? A place to escape, mostly. A place to realize they aren't alone. Characters to relate to. Problems (and solutions) that are safe and handled by the end of the story. Community within the KMod Squad. Books have gotten me through some of the worst times in my life and, if I can give just a small piece of that to my readers or make someone feel a little less alone, I've done my job.  Q: I know how positive and uplifting kind reviews can be, and how much you appreciate readers who take the time to leave those reviews or message you about their experiences. Could you share about a time that a kind word had a lasting impression on you? Reviews mean everything to me. When I'm having a hard time writing or really struggling with imposter syndrome, I often go read the 5-star reviews from some of my books or kind emails readers have sent me. It makes a world of difference. My readers and their kindness are truly what keep me going. Q: What do you want your readers to know about the way they've impacted your career and your life? My readers are everything to me. KMod Squad, I love you. You've given me this big, beautiful life of my dreams. I wish little Kiersten could see you all, see what we've built together. All my life, I've dreamed of you and wished for you and it seemed so impossible for someone with no formal training, no connections, no proof any of this could actually work. But you showed up. You found me. And you just keep showing up. Every day, I feel like I need to pinch myself over how incredible you guys are. You've given me the freedom to chase my dreams, confidence in my work and my voice, a community of people cheering me on, and a career worthy of standing on stages and teaching people how we've done it. You've given my family our first home and my daughter a reason to believe she can do anything she dreams of. You feed my soul, sweet readers. I'm so grateful for each of you and your love of my dark and twisted stories. Thank you for being part of my journey. I'm not sure what I did to deserve you, but I will do everything I can to keep you.

Wait For Dark

Written By 

Kiersten Modglin 

Review By

Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews

First, I want to thank Kiersten Modglin for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review!

OH SNAP!!! The wicked twists and turns in Kiersten Modglin’s Wait For Dark are just unreal!!! My head was spinning out of control and left speechless with every bomb that was dropped!! I absolutely loved it-but-then again there hasn’t been a Kiersten Modglin book that I didn’t love! 

Wait For Dark gives a different vibe than her other books I have read. She incorporates very important issues into the storyline. In fact I shrieked OMG she went there! However, that is why we love Kiersten so much as we never know how she will shock us in her stories! The shock value with this one was major!!

I smiled ear to ear and felt very appreciated when Kiersten thanked her #KMOD Squad! It is an honor to be a part of her team! 

#BookBlitz #Excerpt #Giveaway #Renley #AliLuciaSky #XpressoTours

 

Renley
Ali Lucia Sky
Publication date: April 25th 2023
Genres: Adult, New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

In her darkest moment, he came willing to burn the world down for her.

During one night of weakness, Adder Rowe gave in to some sweet words, and has a lot of complications in her life to show for it. Now pregnant, she is eking by. But even before that, her ties to CypherSphere Records and Of Ashes To Eternity had left a bad taste in her mouth and an uneasy feeling in her heart.

Renley Titan isn’t anyone’s hero. A chance meeting with his Tether, when she reaches out to his former band, leaves him in a dicey position. Play the game and keep winning the hearts of millions, or break the rules and make the world a better place for everyone by blowing it all up. The volatile keyboardist could go either way.

But when someone comes out of the woodwork looking for a story only Adder can tell, how far will they go to get it?

Please be advised by the content warning inside the book.

It’s recommended that you read the series in order beginning with RAIDEN.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

I look down at the white stick in my hand and see the impossible.

Two pink lines.

I pick up the other one, and this one says what the other suggests: PREGNANT.

I sink down on the toilet lid. “No! No, no, no, no, no!” I close my eyes and shake my head until it swims.

One night with a real asshole is all it took, and this is what came of it. The situation is unreal. I can’t believe it. How could I be so stupid? Alcohol and penises just don’t mix.

There’s a pounding on the bathroom door. “Adder! Tell me! Tell me, tell me! Are you… preggers?” he whispers the last word like someone might hear. I grab my head and whimper.

I do the futile and try to banish him, yelling through the door, “Jazzie, go away!” I lean my head against the Pepto Bismol color wall of my apartment.

“You are!” He gasps, rattling the door. Finding it locked, he starts knocking like he’s a Girl Scout with a cookie quota to make. “Let me in! I need to see!”

I stand, because my bathroom is closet-sized and unlock the door. Opening it, I wave Jazzie in and move to sit on the edge of our tub. He picks up the stick and then sets it down, cringing. “You tinkled on this. Augh! I forgot about that!”

“I didn’t pee all over it,” I defend myself.

“Knowing you, that’s debatable.” He rolls his eyes.

I sigh. “Jazz, I’m gonna toss you out in a second.”

“Will not, I’m your best friend.” He smirks. “I’m your only friend.”

“I can find more friends.” I knock my head against the tile.

“But we’ve known one another since we were six. I came out to you when I was thirteen. We have history,” he says smugly.

“We are going to be history,” I sass.

Jazzie ignores me, smiles before laughing joyfully. “We’re going to be mothers!”

I lift my arms in argument and let them fall to my thighs with a clap of defeat. “I can’t keep this baby!”

“You aren’t talking about…” he whispers, “abortion.”

“I’m talking about having this baby and dropping it off on PJ Westgate’s doorstep. He’s got money, and you and I eat out of the clearance racks at Vons.” I stand, grabbing the pee sticks and move out to the living room. I set the pregnancy tests down on our kitchen table, and Jazzie squeals.

“Ewww! No! We eat here!” He points at the table before going and grabbing napkins from our copious supply. We have a collection from nearly every fast food restaurant in the city. He lays out five, waves me to set down the sticks and makes a face. “So gross.”

“Seriously? I couldn’t do the tests any other way. It was urine only, nothing else was acceptable.” I give him a look of censure.

He shivers like he’s got the willies and sucks on his bottom lip. “Whateves. Take a picture. Send it to him. NO! Better yet. Send it to the whole band. Blast it. Make it so it can’t be ignored.”

“I don’t know. You’re talking about rocking the boat… again. That didn’t work so well last time. I lost my job and can’t worm my way into working anywhere in the entertainment industry again.” I look down at the tests. “Cheez Whiz. How am I going to afford the costs of being pregnant? It’s expensive. I mean, my bank account is hurting just in food I lose in tossing my cookies back up these days.”

“Well, you do buy expensive cookies.” Jazz sighs as I flip him off. “What? You’re a known cookie slut. I mean go with it. It’s one slutting you can wear with relentless pride.”

“Jazz? How am I going to do this?” I mutter.

“I have a great job.” He hugs me. “I’ll help.”

I wrap my hands around my best friend. “No offense, but you’re an Uber driver. You don’t have any benefits. With me out of work, we are eking by. We can barely pay for this apartment.”

I look around. Our apartment is delightful with its parquet floors and 40’s-esque charm. Miracle Mile isn’t the most overly sought after location in Los Angeles, but everywhere you go in the city, you pay more than you should. Our one bedroom is barely 800 square feet, it’s small and over 2k/month.

I got a great severance from CypherSphere when I was let go. I was a paid intern, which is a unicorn position in the industry. On top of that, I got a hush settlement to stop talking about what happened. Those two combined lasted six months. Not being able to find a job is an expense in itself.

“We’ll make it work.” Jazz nods. “Now send off those pee sticks.”

Author Bio:

Ali Lucia Sky is the author of The Powers That Be series. She lives in Southern California with her husband and a house full of kitty cats and a yard full of crows.

She loves laughing, drinking good coffee, vegan food, and supporting animal rescues.

When she isn’t writing or dreaming of new stories, she can be found planning her next vacation because traveling is life.

If you encounter her in the wild, don’t be offended if she should run away. She’s timid with strangers, but can be plied with shiny things and pictures of your cat or dog.

She’s a weirdo like that.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok / Pinterest

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#BookBlitz #Excerpt #FiltyDesires #RMGrey #XpressoTours

 

Filthy Desires
R.M. Grey
(Professors of Westview University, #2)
Publication date: April 25th 2023
Genres: Adult, Erotica, Romance

School’s my priority. All I do is eat, sleep, and study. My best friend says I need to loosen up and live a little. So I did.

I had one passionate night with billionaire playboy, Lucas Blessington. He’s tall, rich, and handsome, and can get any girl he wants. I’m just another woman that he can add to his long list of one night stands.

When he walks into my class and announces that he is the guest professor for the rest of the semester, I want to hide. Little did I know he did his research on me and managed a way back to his alma mater, Westview University, to continue where we left off from our night together.

I don’t know what’s riskier: having sex with my professor or having sex with a billionaire playboy? Either way, I’m risking my future and will have my heart broken by him anyway.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“Miss Lucero, can you please stay back for a moment?”

Reese glanced up, and our gazes locked. There was a sparkle in her eyes.

As soon as the last student left the room, our arms wrapped around each other, lips crashing in a fervent kiss. We hadn’t been physical for four days, but it felt more like four months.

Reese released the kiss and pushed away from me. She whispered in my ear, “I missed you so much. Let’s go to your office. I need you Lucas – inside me, right now.” Thank fuck.

We left the lecture hall and quickly scrambled to my office. The bolt clicked as I turned the lock on the door as slowly and quietly as possible. Our lips crashed again, kisses hot and hasty. We pulled each other’s clothes off effortlessly, with speed I didn’t know I possessed. Reese was my drug, and damn if I didn’t need my fix.

“I missed you so much, kitten.”

Author Bio:

R. M. Grey is a healthcare professional by day and her alter-ego writes forbidden and panty-melting erotic romance at night. R. M. Grey brings taboo and age-gap stories of curvy heroines and alpha heroes that you’ve fantasized about.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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#BookBlitz #Excerpt #Bookworm #CookieOGorman #XpressoTours

 

Bookworm
Cookie O’Gorman
Publication date: April 20th 2023
Genres: Romance, Young Adult

Bookworm (buk-werm): Someone who loves books, reading, and/or studying. For reference, see Charlotte Kent.

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Kent likes happy endings. Not that she’s looking for one herself. Awkward, never been kissed, and bookish to the core, Lottie would rather read about love than experience it.

But she enjoys helping others find their HEA in books.

Lottie loves working at the library…even if it means running into Bo Stryker.

Broody, athletic, and unfairly attractive when he frowns, Bo works at the flower shop across the street. Lottie is about to get rejected…when surprisingly, Bo steps in, pretends to be her boyfriend, and steals her first kiss.

One viral video later, everyone thinks they’re together.

Bo wants to keep pretending. Lottie wants to make amends—long story short: she was on a ladder; he startled her; the book slap was an accident.

A fake relationship may be the solution. But as they grow closer, Lottie can’t help falling for Bo—which is a disaster because grumpy sunshine only works in fiction…right?

This book features two opposites with undeniable chemistry, one lovable librarian, so many stolen kisses and answers the question:

What happens when a nerd falls for the grump-next-door?

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

Rolling my eyes, I reached over, gently grasped his forearm and brought it closer.

“What are you doing?”

“Relax,” I said, trying not to laugh at the alarm I heard in his voice. “If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done it by now.”

“Says the girl who gave me a bookcussion” he grumbled.

Biting back a smile, I concentrated on his forearm, running my fingers over his skin to find the correct spot. This took a few moments. When I found it, I leaned closer, using my thumbs to press down, gently at first, then adding a little more pressure. Bo didn’t tense. He didn’t move a muscle. I might’ve thought he’d stopped breathing he was so still. But then I felt his breath against my neck.

The sensation sent shivers down my spine.

I counted the seconds under my breath and then released him.

“What was that, Kent?” he asked softly.

“I looked up how to treat a sprained wrist,” I said with a shrug. “It was nothing, just one of the techniques they recommended.”

“You looked that up?”

Meeting his eyes, I nodded. “Does it feel any better?”

Bo glanced down at his wrist before looking back up, locking me in his intense stare. “Yeah, it does. Thanks, Kent.”

For some reason, I blushed. “No problem.”

I didn’t know what made me say it.

But I added, “Maybe now, you won’t be so opposed to working with me.”

Bo shook his head. “It’s not that.”

“It’s not?”

“No,” he said. “I just don’t like the idea of you taking care of me out of some misplaced sense of guilt.”

Oh.

I hadn’t even considered that possibility.

“I thought you hated having me around,” I admitted.

“I don’t.”

“You even told me how much you hate people.”

“Not you,” he said.

My heart skipped a beat.

“I could never hate you, Kent.”

Author Bio:

Cookie O'Gorman Bio: Cookie O'Gorman writes YA & NA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her novels ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad, The Kissing Challenge (YA novella), WALLFLOWER, CUPCAKE, and FAUXMANCE are out now! She is also the author of NA sports romances The Best Mistake, The Perfect Play, and The Sweetest Game. Her newest release BOOKWORM came out on April 20, 2023!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Newsletter

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#BookBlitz #Excerpt #ReluctantHearts #LindaGriffin #XpressoTours

 

Reluctant Hearts
Linda Griffin
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Publication date: April 24th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Four couples, four stories: Darien Francis and Richard Li meet during a bank robbery, but she’s afraid to love again. Shane Kenniston and Beth Parker are reacquainted years after she had a crush on him, but she is a recent widow, and Shane’s life was upended by a false accusation. David Early and Kate Howard meet in the Laundromat, but her life is consumed by the needs of her disabled child, and David isn’t ready for the responsibility. Realtor Frank Ellison meets Kayla Barnes at an open house, but a mistaken first impression derails any chance of romance. Can they all overcome the obstacles to love?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

—

SNEAK PEEKS:

From “No Regrets”:

“Well, you are too good to be true, aren’t you?” She grinned, and then she sobered, and their eyes met. They stopped walking. The dogs tugged at the leashes and strayed from the path, sniffing at everything they could reach. Richard tossed the remains of his lunch in a trash container and put his arms around her. The sounds of traffic grew distant, muted. Manning walked in a circle, wrapping the leash around their legs. They both laughed, and they kissed quickly and then not so quickly. “In a public place,” she said in mock disapproval.

From “Probation”:

“So, you don’t smoke, you don’t drink, and you don’t do Halloween? What do you do?”
“Whatever you’ll let me do, I guess,” he said. He hadn’t used that old line since college.
She was surprised, but she didn’t seem upset. She gazed at him speculatively for a few seconds and then leaned towards him. He didn’t want to take anything for granted, so he waited for her to kiss him first, but he responded without hesitation. She tasted of beer and cherry-flavored lip gloss. “Oh, gosh,” she said. “Wait till I tell Patty I kissed Mr. Kenniston.”

From “The Shape of Life“:

Kate,” he said, into a pause that had unexpectedly lengthened into a silence, and she turned toward him, smiling a little. Without knowing he was going to, he kissed her. She was warm and willing, and then she murmured, “David,” half in protest, and pulled away.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s not you. You’re a very nice guy.”
“It’s all right.”
“I can’t do this right now. My life is complicated enough.”
“I wasn’t trying to complicate your life.”
“No, I know.”
“It’s all right,” he said again. He took her hand. “Relax. There’s no cost or obligation.”

From “House Hunters”:

Her shape had never bothered him before. But right now, it was distracting him to know she had that lovely, decidedly female body under her jeans and sweater. He turned his head toward her, and she looked up at him, and he leaned in to kiss her.
“Don’t,” she said, but she kissed him back. The gesture was more friendly than passionate, but her lips were soft and sweet all the same. He knew it wasn’t supposed to be happening, but he couldn’t remember why, and he liked it—more than he liked the Canaletto.

Author Bio:

For more information, visit my website, sign up for my newsletter, and claim a free autographed copy of Seventeen Days. https://www.lindagriffinauthor.com/

I was born and raised in San Diego, California and earned a BA in English from San Diego State University and an MLS from UCLA. I began my career as a reference and collection development librarian in the Art and Music Section of the San Diego Public Library and then transferred to the Literature and Languages Section, where I had the pleasure of managing the Central Library’s Fiction collection and initiating fiction order lists for the entire library system. Although I also enjoy reading biography, memoir, and history, fiction remains my first love. In addition to the three R’s—reading, writing, and research—I enjoy Scrabble, movies, and travel.

My earliest ambition was to be a “book maker” and I wrote my first story, “Judy and the Fairies,” with a plot stolen from a comic book, at the age of six. I broke into print in college with a story in the San Diego State University literary journal, The Phoenix, but most of my magazine publications came after I left the library to spend more time on my writing.

My stories have been published in numerous journals, including Eclectica, Thema Literary Journal, Avalon Literary Review, The Nassau Review, and Orbis, and in the anthologies Short Story America, Vol. 2, The Captive and the Dead, and Australia Burns.

Member of RWA, Authors Guild, and Sisters in Crime

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Stars Like Gasoline
Jessika Grewe Glover
Publication date: April 24th 2023
Genres: Adult, Thriller

When Celia, a Florida art curator, purchases the haunted house of her brother’s deceased fiancé, the spirits threaten her life and her career. To rid the home of the malevolent ghosts, she enlists the help of her brother, Oscar, and Adrian, the best friend of Oscar’s late fiancé, who’d been killed as an Afghanistan veteran. The three are about to be thrown into a chasm of events involving a dead French artist, a Dutch aerospace heiress, and a missing Japanese painter who is presumed to be dead. Not to mention a stalker that begins to threaten Celia and Oscar.

The link between these events appears to be a hidden journal from the 1980s Celia discovers in the home, belonging to a dead, but revered French artist. As Adrian helps decipher the clues, an attraction burns between him and Celia, raising the stakes of the game someone is playing. A game that no one might make it out of alive.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

“The blisters hurt like the devil when the water hit them, and the open sores on my ankles were screaming demons at me. The night was the kind of heat the air conditioning doesn’t quite hold the upper hand over. Every window was fogged over with moisture. A 2019 Kikumoto painting with no title was a rare find indeed. If I could only get the release for the other piece I’d found, I could bet the gala would draw art dealers and patrons from much farther than our usual guests. Strange that the Cesar acquisition had come from Fort Pierce. While it had a small arts community, the town just south of us wasn’t known for the careful upper-middle-class and bourgeois lifestyle of Vero Beach. Maybe I was tired, but it felt like I was missing vital puzzle pieces here. An anonymous donation of a huge Cesar collection, Kikumotos appearing out of nowhere, seemingly belonging to no one, and a Cesar having once been in my house but now missing.

Cabinet doors slammed in the kitchen, and a thump preceded the sound of running water. I jumped in my seat, leaving my laptop open on the small writing desk, which sat facing the front window. Goosebumps ran a race up my legs and arms, chilling every inch of me. Clenched fingers opened and closed over my phone. Screw it. I texted Oscar.

Something is in here. Don’t call Adrian. If you’re already home, no worries. Just letting you know.

As I raised my eyes from the phone screen, a reflection caught in the fogged window. Silhouetted against the arcing bougainvillea was a man, standing directly behind me. The chair crashed to the floor as I stood like a jack-in-the-box. An icy touch reached out. I grabbed at the salt from the windowsill and tossed it at the shape, watching as the aberration in the room broke apart momentarily. A Spode Blue Italian salt bowl sat on the corner of the black spindle-legged desk. I cupped my fingers into the salt granules, pulled a handful, and spun in a quick circle, entrapping myself within the purported protection circle. I chanted an old Wiccan protection spell I’d found in an eighteenth-century grimoire in Boston and watched the spirit come closer and closer to the circle.

“Elements of Day,

Rays of Sun,

Hear what I say

“Goddess of Night,

Strength of Other,

Goddess of Light,

Protection of Mother.”

God only knows why I had that memorized when I’d only seen the piece a handful of times. The Catholic side of the family would be appalled by my use of a Wiccan spell, but La Madre María hadn’t been working so far. ”

Author Bio:

Jessika Grewe Glover is the author of Another Beast’s Skin, the first book in a contemporary fantasy trilogy. She grew up in Miami dreaming of magic and other realms in which to escape the heat. She currently resides in the Los Angeles area with her British expat husband, two kids, and the world’s fastest bulldog.

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My August
Lily Blu
Publication date: April 25th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Dark Romance, Romance

August and I have been inseparable since childhood, but one kiss changed everything. Suddenly, I began to see things in a new light – not just about myself, but about him as well. It was as if he had morphed into a different person right before my eyes.

Sick, deviant, twisted – words I never would have associated with us before, now seem to fit like a glove.

Despite the fact that he slowly chipped away at my sanity and made me see the ugliest parts of himself, I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving his side. Even as things grew increasingly dark and twisted between us, I remained fiercely loyal to the boy I had once called my best friend.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

“Kiss me, August. Please…I want to know what it feels like,” she whispers.

Fuck she’s making it hard for me in more ways than one. Her fingers trail up my chest and brush my chin.

I hesitate, conflicted by my feelings. This is so wrong. But as Lu’s lips part slightly, her eyes on my mouth, I can’t resist any longer. She’s forbidden fruit, but I would rather go to hell than not taste her. I lean in, and my mind is a haze when her breath kisses my skin, and then I press my lips to hers. She’s soft and so fucking warm. Like the sun. I’m kissing the sun. I’m Icarus, warned not to fly too close to the sun but too damn exhilarated not to. Like him, I’ll fall to my death, but if these are my last moments of euphoria, I’ll take it.

She lets out a moan when I deepen the kiss, and soon, my tongue is exploring her mouth. She is even more delicious than I imagined. She’s hesitant at first, unsure, but then she gets the hang of it, the heat between us intensifying to boiling point. The movie fades to the background as I grip her waist, pulling her closer. I’m growing impossibly hard in my sweatpants, but when I drag her into my lap, and she gasps at the contact her wet heat makes with my erection, it’s the wake-up check I need, and I pull away abruptly.

“Fuck, Lu. No!” I move her off my lap and stand, staring at her while trying to get air back into my lungs. Her lips are swollen as she holds a trembling finger to them.

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