Wowzer! I love this amazing cover for the new DI Natalie Ward book from @carolewyer
Pre-order now http://geni.us/B07N3WYYLDCover
ANOTHER COVER REVEAL!
A NEW COVER REVEAL: Handle with Care
Hi all! I’m very excited to be participating in my very first cover reveal, and boy is it a good one! Are you ready….?
Isn’t it pretty?!? I love how the swipe of red matches her nails and lipstick, don’t you? Make you curious for more?
Here’s an excerpt:
I’m startled out of my thoughts when my brother jumps up and shouts a bunch of profane nonsense, hands flailing like he’s trying to swim on land, or approximate the chicken dance while on an LSD trip.
“You can’t do this! It’s absolute bullshit!” Armstrong yells.
I look around the table, trying to piece together what I missed.
“I’m sorry, Armstrong. I know this is a shock, but we feel it’s in the company’s best interest to put Lincoln at the helm during this transitional stage,” G-mom says firmly.
At the helm? I look to G-mom who’s busy not looking at me.
Armstrong jabs at finger at himself. “But I’m the one who’s put in all the time here! I deserve to run the company! Lincoln doesn’t know the first thing about Moorehead. All he knows how to do is dig wells and forage for food in the wilderness. How are those valuable assets here?” He turns his attention to our mother. “Did you know about this? How can you let this happen? Look at him. How can that be the face of our company? He looks like he crawled out of a gutter and mugged a twenty-year-old college kid on a bender. How is this better for our bottom line?”
My mother clasps her hands in front of her. “I’m sorry, Armstrong, but this decision wasn’t mine to make. I know this is hard for you, but your grandmother and fath—”
Armstrong stomps his foot, exactly as a toddler would. “The company is mine! Lincoln can’t have it!”
I raise a hand, half to quiet my brother and also to find out what the freaking deal is. “Whoa, let’s back this bus up. Can someone explain what’s going on?”
“You’ve been appointed as the CEO of Moorehead Media, according to the will,” Christophe—no R, because that would make it far too pedestrian a name—my father’s lawyer says.
I’m working on trying to remain calm as I address my grandmother. “You didn’t say anything about me being CEO. You said you needed my help.”
“Running the company, yes,” she says through a practiced, stiff smile.
It’s her warning face, but seriously, when she said she needed my help for a few months I figured it meant I’d be keeping Armstrong in line while she sorted out who was going to take over the company, which I realize now was a stupid assumption.
“I didn’t think that meant CEO. How am I going to run a company with this dickhead on staff?” I motion to my brother.
“The name calling is unnecessary,” G-mom replies.
“Lincoln’s not even part of this family! He hasn’t attended one event in the past five years except for Dad’s funeral. He didn’t bother coming to my wedding and now he’s going to run the company? How is that fair?”
I snort. “Your wedding was an expensive joke.”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “I was set up. Amalie had cold feet and made me out to look like the bad guy.”
The woman beside him shoots him disgusted look.
Armstrong clears his throat and tugs at his collar. “My wedding is not the real issue. The point is that you’ve never involved yourself in any part of this family and now you think you can come in and take over. I will not stand by and let this happen!” He keeps jabbing his finger at me, as if he’s engaged in a finger sword fight.
I lean back in my chair and lace my fingers behind my neck. Armstrong has always been reactive. And self-absorbed. For a while it seemed like he finally had it together—back when he was engaged. But ever since that fiasco of a wedding he seems to have come completely unglued. Again. But worse this time. “Someone needs a timeout.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helena Hunting
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She’s writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.
Social Media Links:
ME AGAIN! So what do y’all think? I love the humor and sarcasm. And the image of the chicken dance while on LSD will stick with me for awhile. Anyway, check her out, and pre-order today! https://read.macmillan.com/lp/handle-with-care/
BOOK REVIEW: Blue Moon (Blue Mountain Series #2)
Just a little addition to the below review. I liked how this one started and very much enjoyed the interplay between Bliss and Ciaran. As I mention, the mystery in this one is just not as strong as in the first one (and now the third one). The concept is good, but the characters weren’t fleshed out enough, and there could have been added details that made it more thrilling. That being said, I can’t dislike the book based solely on that. I just love the way this lady writes.
Here is my review from Goodreads: The second book in the author’s Blue Mountain series is just as good as the first one. This time out, we get to follow Bliss, the sister of Blythe (heroine of the first book). A real go-getter married to her work, Bliss suffers a series of unfortunate events and follows her sister’s footsteps to Idaho. Once again, Ms. Thompson bravely explores concepts that are beyond the usual scope of a small-town romance novel. I love the secondary characters that we have gotten to know, especially Moonstone. I did not think that the mystery in this book was as good as the one in the first, and I spotted the answer early on. But I still very much enjoyed the story and love Peregrine as much as the characters do!
BOOK REVIEW: Arachne’s Challenge (Peacetakers Series Book 4)
Shame on me, I still haven’t learned my lesson. I should know better than to start a series in the middle without having read the preceding books. I am sure that this is a great series if taken from the beginning so the characters get properly introduced. As it was, there were a lot of side references and talking about previous events that left me totally lost. My bad.
That being said, the plot of this one itself was pretty thrilling. Starting literally with a bang, then introducing a very interesting technological invention that leads to an international race to find answers and catch the bad guys…it was certainly a twisty page-turner. The author knows how to weave (see what I did there?) an exciting story, and I have put the first three in the series on my TBR list.
Hopefully I learn my lesson soon.
BOOK REVIEW: Blue Ink (Blue Mountain Series #3)
I have shared Tess Thompson’s books several times on my personal FB page and I am a huge fan of her work. I first found her through her Cliffside Bay series (which I absolutely love and highly recommend). But she has outdone herself this time. Blue Ink, the third in the author’s “Blue Mountain” series, breaks the mold of small-town romance novels.
Set in the small town of Peregrine, Idaho, this book focuses on the third Lanigan brother, Ardan, and his romance with Charlotte, the former assistant of Bliss Heywood (heroine of the 2nd book in the series). Ardan hires Charlotte to look after his mom, Riona, as she deals with failing eyesight. That’s the set-up, and (you know me) I don’t do plot recaps.
Most of the characters we have gotten to know from the past two books, Moonstone, Sam, and of course the Heywood sisters and their husbands, make appearances. This is something Ms. Thompson does incredibly well; she keeps characters from former books around, but lets the main characters take center stage for their own stories. There is something very organic and natural about the way she works secondary characters into her plots.
The relationship that grows between Charlotte and Riona is heartwarming and produces more than a few chuckles; they are both feisty and their sparring is fun to read. But this story belongs to Charlotte and Ardan, and this is where it really shines.
The concept of soulmates is one that is often used as a throwaway, sometimes in a line or two, in romance novels. But Ms. Thompson explores the idea of people being meant for each other to a new level, as Charlotte and Ardan give in to the inevitable early on and ride the current, which is different from the usual “should we or shouldn’t we/we can’t, it’s too soon” back and forth. Their story touched me personally. Simply put, when you know…you know. Not everyone understands that.
The author adds a layer to the concept of soulmates through letters written between Riona’s mother and father. Suffice to say that said exploration is deep and meaningful, and cleverly wrapped within a mystery. Pay close attention to Charlotte and Ardan’s reactions to the letters for even more levels to the concept. Again, not going to tell you any more than that 😉
This is my favorite of the Blue Mountain series, five stars, without a doubt. But I will be honest and say you should read the first two books in the series before reading this one. It will be the best way to get the full “Blue Mountain” atmosphere, and you will appreciate the journey so much more.
(As I am still catching up on reviews, I will be posting reviews of the first two books later. It’s backwards, but hey, would you expect anything less from me?)
BOOK REVIEW: 1997 (90s Flashback Series Part 2)
This was a nice sequel to 1996. It wrapped up loose ends and had a few surprises along the way. There is a very funny speed dating incident in the present (I figured that one out) and Anna returns to the 90s a few times. I didn’t much care for how the author used Ed; it seemed to be only an opportunity to get back to the 90s as his experience didn’t really seem to factor in the big picture. I also felt that the explanation of the serum was a throwaway, like it wasn’t that big of a deal (which it obviously was). All in all, the whole end seemed a little disjointed compared to the rest of this book (and the first one). That being said, it was still fun to follow Anna and Kurt to see how things ended, and I was satisfied with the ending itself. Thank you to the author and Hidden Gems for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
BOOK REVIEW: 1996 (90s Flashback Series Book 1)
I really, really liked this book! In fact, the only way it could have been better is if it had been 1986 (because that is more my era). I thought the whole premise was interesting. I really liked that Anna was very self-aware and recognized how events shaped her life. I also like that she was strong and confronted her issue with Ed instead of being wishy washy and letting life just go on. If I had to nitpick anything, I would have liked to have had more vivid descriptions of 1996 when Anna was in that time – just a few more details to take that walk down memory lane. But I loved her assessment of social media and her realization that a simpler time is something to cherish. Anna has some unfinished business, so I can’t wait to read the next book to see what happens. Thank you to the author and Hidden Gems for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
BOOK REVIEW: The Painter of Time
I really loved this book! The author was extremely knowledgeable about art and the many facets discussed throughout the novel, to the practices of the Old Masters, to the processes of restoration used at the Cloisters. It was educational, but in a very “novel” way, a fascinating way to learn art history, actually. I would have liked a little more exploration of the ties between Mackenzie and Anthony, because that was an interesting twist that could have impacted her life more. And I thought that the case her dad was working on was a throwaway that was referenced in passing but didn’t contribute to the story overall. It was interesting, however, to try to piece together Anthony’s motivations before everything was revealed. If you have even a passing interest in art, or the Medici family for that matter, I would highly recommend this book. Intriguing, informative, and very entertaining. Thank you to the author and Hidden Gems for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
About Book Reviews
I made the announcement last year, but I want to remind everyone that I have joined the Amazon Associates Program. When I post a book review, I will also post the cover. The cover will be a link to Amazon. In addition, there will be a link at the bottom that will have Amazon’s current price for the book listed. Unless otherwise noted, the link will be for the Kindle version.
If you are considering purchasing the book (especially when they are 99 cents!), please consider using my link to get to Amazon to complete the purchase. You would be helping me out a whole heck of a lot, and it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Happy Belated New Year!
I am so sorry I have been neglecting you, dear friends. Once the holidays hit, everything else just went super crazy with our schedule. I could barely keep up with work assignments and soccer, much less this blog. But 2019 is a new year, with new beginnings and new priorities!
During our cruise a couple of weeks ago, I finally had the opportunity to do some thinking about where I wanted to focus this upcoming year. I have come to the conclusion that this will be mainly a writing/book/book review blog. Not that I wrote a lot of personal stuff to begin with, but honestly…who really cares about the latest soccer practice? I want to actively expand this blog and its companion FB page, and I feel that taking the personal family posts out will help me do that.
I will still share any big news or events that I feel strongly about, but otherwise, will make this my place to talk about authors, books, and writing.
Thank you all for sticking with me. If you have friends who would like to receive this blog for book recommendations and reviews, please feel free to share it. And be prepared for a slew of book reviews coming your way over the next couple of days. (Three day weekends are made for catching up!)
