Lavender Moon by Natalie Parker blitz with giveaway
**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**
Lavender Moon
Natalie Parker
Publication date: December 4th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Kaleb
I was always the bad boy.
The kid from the broken home and the wrong side of the tracks.
But in her eyes, I hung the moon.
The girl from my summers who I thought I’d never see again.
Finding her now right before I’m due to deploy is like a gift, one I’m not going to waste.
She was always meant to be mine and I’m going to make it official.
My silly girl is now my spirited wife, giving me someone to come home to.
Little do I know I won’t be coming home – at least not as the same man.
Luna
I never thought of myself as a good girl… but he does.
The boy I used to see every summer has grown into a brave soldier that I now get to call my husband.
Getting married so quickly was supposed to be a way to protect us both and keep us together for good.
But we both take on demons while he’s away, and when he comes home, it’s his that try to tear us apart.
Someone has to fight for us while he’s weary and wounded.
And now it’s my turn to go into battle.
From the author of the Turn it Up Series, comes an all new standalone about young love, and two people’s harrowing journey to save it -as well as each other.
—
EXCERPT:
Author Bio:
Natalie Parker resides in the Seattle area with her husband and two rugrats, but is originally a Michigan girl.
She always enjoyed writing and noticed she had a knack for it while earning her Psychology degree and has always been an avid reader, but never thought of becoming an author until one day there seemed to be a story to tell.
In her spare time, she enjoys reading, reading, reading to her kids, drinking coffee, reading, occasional yardwork, reading, listening to music, reading and writing.
Stay tuned for more to come for your favorite characters of the Turn it Up series!
GIVEAWAY!
—
The Penance of Valentine Cash by Rebecca Rook blitz with giveaway
**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**
The Penance of Valentine Cash
Rebecca Rook
Publication date: January 16th 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Neil Gaiman’s American Gods meets Jennifer Mason-Black’s Devil and the Bluebird in this modern adaptation of the Greek legend The Twelve Labors of Hercules for young adult fantasy readers.
Valentine Cash is dead.
When she dies in an accidental collision she caused on the cusp of musical fame, Valentine is offered a deal: Complete a series of difficult tasks to get her life back. Fail, and she dies a final, everlasting death. Guided by Route 66 the Mother Road of America on her quest, she tackles one herculean task after another, giving up a piece of herself with each trial.
Valentine begins to understand that the fame she once sought won’t bring her happiness or belonging – and if she fulfills the penance, she must decide what’s more important: Her old life or restoring the lives of the strangers who died alongside her.
The young and the ancient, the tangible and the mythical, collide as Valentine learns the true meaning of redemption, connection, and the enduring power of the human spirit.
—
EXCERPT:
The Huntsmen had arrived.
They were all large, dressed in furs, leathers, and thick boots. The men had thick beards and braids; the women either wore braids or had shorn hair. All of them wore armor of some kind, with runic designs upon their crests. Ghost green flames danced and kissed across their skin. As Valentine watched, she saw that their skin flickered and faded in the moonlight, alternately translucent and opaque. During the translucent phases, she saw their skeletons underneath.
She shivered.
Then, beyond the Huntsmen, she saw the mounts.
They were stunning.
Each horse shimmered, dressed in golds and silvers, blues and violets, coppers and moonlight. They were enormous, with hooves the size of dinner plates and lush manes that draped across the starlit skin. Valentine watched as they huffed, stamped their feet, and half-reared. They were ready, she could tell. They wanted to hunt, to chase.
She heard Malcolm’s prosaic voice in her head. Choose the smallest mount.
Valentine scanned the herd. There.
The smallest mount glowed like a golden fire in the moonlight, with a silver mane. Compared to the others, this one was dainty, almost delicate. Valentine cast a quick glance at the Huntsmen, then started forward, crouching low to avoid notice. As she moved forward, she draped the bridle over her shoulder, then pulled out the packet of frankincense and myrrh. She poured it into her hands, then crept forward. She stopped before the golden creature, a good six feet away. Though this mount was smaller than the others, it was by no means tiny.
When Valentine stilled, the horse raised her head.
What do you want, mortal? The voice sounded like a crack of lightning in her head. The eyes glowed with violet flame.
Author Bio:
Rebecca Rook designs tabletop games, manages a little free library dedicated to sequential art and comics, and lives in the Pacific Northwest with two wonderful dogs. She writes young adult fiction in the fantasy, thriller, and horror genres.
A 2021-2022 Hugo House Fellow in
Seattle, WA, she also attended the 2021 Tin House YA Fiction Workshop in
Portland, OR. Rebecca was selected as one of the 100 invited writers to participate in the Write Team Mentorship Program’s curated Pitch-a-Thon event before being chosen as a Mentee for the 2021 Program. Prior to this, she completed the wonderful Yearlong Workshop for Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction at Hugo House.
GIVEAWAY!
—
15 Secrets to Survival by Natalie D. Richards #bookreview #middlegrade #adventure #survivial #thriller
**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**
Title: 15 Secrets to Survival
Author: Natalie D. Richards
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: November 7, 2023
Page Count: 379
My rating: 4 stars
About the book:
New York Times bestselling author Natalie D. Richards’s middle grade debut about a group of four classmates forced to navigate the wilderness for an extra credit project with nothing but the pages of a survival handbook—and each other—to save them.
When classmates Baxter, Abigail, Turner and Emerson break a school rule, they’re forced to travel to the middle of nowhere for an extra credit project. They think things can’t get much worse. After all, how will learning to survive in the wilderness help them stay out of trouble in school?
What starts off as a weekend of team building takes a scary turn when their instructor goes missing and they are given nothing but pages of a survival guide to complete a series of challenges.
They soon learn the woods around them have unexpected surprises. Will they discover a way to work together to find their teacher and overcome the dangers of winter in the mountains?
A recommended choice for classroom discussions on earth science and educators looking for survival books for kids.
15 Secrets to Survival by Natalie D. Richards is an adventurous middle grade survival thriller read. The author is making her debut in this market but it’s certainly not her debut novel overall with having several hit young adult thrillers already.
Classmates Baxter, Abigail, Turner and Emerson were put together as a team in school but couldn’t find a way to get along forcing them all to put in extra credit to make up their grade. Next thing the kids know they are packed up and headed off to the Montana mountains for survival training.
Baxter’s Uncle Hornsby lives in a remote cabin and is all set up and ready when the group arrives to begin dishing out survival tips. However, as soon as the adults have headed out the kids begin to question Uncle Hornsby’s methods of “teaching” but it’s when he completely disappears Baxter really begins to worry.
Ok, so I know I am way too old for middle grade novels but every once in a while I just need to pick up something “cute” for an escape. Being familiar with Natalie D. Richards’ young adult thrillers, (which I am also too old for but who’s checking I.D.s, right?) 15 Secrets to Survival caught my attention so I gave it a shot and was glad I did. This was certainly a thrill ride from start to finish with the pages flying by to see if our young group would survive. I felt like I was right there with them freezing my rear off too and tensed up with every new obstacle! Fun story and I will certainly return to this author no matter what age range she writes for next.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
Find this book online:
About the author:
Natalie D. Richards won her first writing competition in the second grade with her short story about Barbara Frances Bizzlefishes. Sadly her stories were misplaced for a few years in a maze of cubicles and general office drudgery. Sometimes (often) she wrote fiction when she was supposed to be doing other drudgery-related tasks.
Fortunately for her, some of those stories got published.
When she’s not writing a book with hopes of keeping readers up all night turning pages, you can find her falling asleep while reading, pursuing a hobby as a subpar potter, and wrangling her 126 pound (and counting) dog, Wookiee.
A champion of literacy and a frequent public speaker at libraries, schools, and conferences, Natalie lives in Central Ohio (Go Bucks!) with her wonderful family.
Feeding My Addiction…
**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**
Oh boy…. I am so in trouble!! No, I didn’t misbehave yet but I just feel it coming after getting this… “Congratulations, you have been auto-approved by Harlequin Trade Publishing!” A good six months of behaving is going to come to an end pretty darn soon I can feel it! 😂 For now though I was teetering on the edge at nine new books to share. 😃
As always clicking the covers will take you to the book on Amazon!**
New additions from Netgalley Jan 7th – Jan 14th
An ICU nurse accidentally uncovers a patient’s frightening past in this chilling thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing and Just the Nicest Couple.
Meghan Michaels is trying to find balance between being a single mom to a teenage daughter and working as a full time nurse. While on duty at the hospital one day, a patient named Caitlin arrives in a coma with a traumatic brain injury, having jumped from a bridge and plunging over twenty feet to the train tracks below.
But when a witness comes forward with shocking details about the fall, it calls everything they know into question. Was Caitlin pushed and if so, by whom and why?
Meghan has always tried to stay emotionally detached from her patients, but this time, she mistakenly lets herself get too close until she’s deeply entangled in Caitlin’s and her family’s lives. Only when it’s too late, does she realize that she and her daughter could be the next victims.
The next thrilling novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen, House of Glass.
On the outside they were the golden family with the perfect life. On the inside they built the perfect lie.
A young nanny who plunged to her death, or was she pushed? A nine-year-old girl who collects sharp objects and refuses to speak. A lawyer whose job it is to uncover who in the family is a victim and who is a murderer. But how can you find out the truth when everyone here is lying?
Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny – in the midst of her parent’s bitter divorce – and immediately stopped speaking. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. She never accepts clients under thirteen due to her own traumatic childhood, but Stella’s mentor, a revered judge, believes Stella is the only one who can help.
From the moment Stella passes through the iron security gate and steps into the gilded, historic DC home of the Barclays, she realizes the case is even more twisted, and the Barclay family far more troubled, than she feared. And there’s something eerie about the house itself: It’s a plastic house, with not a single bit of glass to be found.
As Stella comes closer to uncovering the secrets the Barclays are desperate to hide, danger wraps around her like a shroud, and her past and present are set on a collision course in ways she never expected. Everyone is a suspect in the nanny’s murder. The mother, the father, the grandmother, the nanny’s boyfriend. Even Rose. Is the person Stella’s supposed to protect the one she may need protection from?
Becoming the star is easier when the rest of your band is dead…
All drummer Vienna Taylor ever wanted was to make music. If that came with fame, she’d take it—as long as her best friend, guitarist Madison Pierce, was sharing the spotlight and singing lead. And with their new all-female pop rock band gaining traction, soon everyone would hear their songs…
Except, on the way to an event, the Bittersweet’s van careens off an icy mountain road during a blizzard—leaving one member dead and another severely injured.
In order to survive the frigid night, the rest must take shelter in a nearby abandoned cabin. But Vienna’s dreams devolve into a terrifying nightmare as, one by one, her fellow band members meet a gruesome end…and Madison simply vanishes in the night.
Has Vienna’s closest friend finally decided to take center stage on her own terms?
She doesn’t want to believe it.
But guilty people run.
Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .
Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.
Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrew’s warmth, humor, knack for twists, and eye for delicious detail about human nature, Summers at the Saint is a beach read with depth and heart.
It started as a book club. It became a way to build a better life together.
Karissa Newcomb is ready for a new start in a new neighborhood, as far away as she can get from Seattle, where her husband cheated on her with the neighbor who was supposed to be her best friend. She and her nine-year-old daughter are moving on to the city of Gig Harbor on the bay in Puget Sound. She even has a new job as an assistant at a small publishing company right in Gig Harbor. Her new boss seems like a bit of a curmudgeon, but a job is a job, she loves to read, and the idea of possibly meeting writers sounds fabulous.
Soon she finds she’s not the only one in need of a refresh. Her new neighbors, Alice and Margot, are dealing with their own crises. Alice is still grieving her late husband and hasn’t been able to get behind the wheel of a car since a close call after his death. Margot is floundering after getting divorced and laid off in quick succession. They could all use a distraction, and a book club seems like just the ticket. Together, the three women, along with Alice’s grumpy older sister, Josie, embark on a literary journey that just might be the kick-start they need to begin building their best lives yet.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery comes an unforgettable tale about finding friendship in the most unlikely of places…
As the owner of Twisted, Seattle’s best salons, Erica knows that the sharpest cuts come from the people we love. She’s terrified that she’s losing her teen daughter, Summer, to her “other” family. Summer disdains Erica’s career as shallow, and she’s growing close to her stepmom, Allison.
All it takes to blow up Allison’s happy life is one collect call. From prison. Her beloved husband, Peter, has been arrested, leaving Allison pregnant, scared and alone with a toddler, with no money for rent or, hey, food. Her stepdaughter ferrets out the truth and rushes to the last person Allison wants to ask for help—her husband’s battle-ax ex.
Erica would do anything for Summer, even take in the woman her daughter loves like a second mom and her adorable son. Allison feels intimidated by Erica’s strength and success. Erica would never let herself become so dependent on a man. But the more time they spend together, the more Allison realizes what Erica truly needs is a friend. Can two women who married the same man move beyond their complicated past and rethink what it means to be family?
Set sail with this banter-filled rivals-to-lovers romance between a STEM-loving girl and a jock guy that will fill you with wanderlust…and have you rooting for love in the great outdoors!
Love is on the horizon…
After a very public breakup where her ex, Caleb, told her she is both, a.) boring, and b.) stuck in her ways, Savannah Moore decides her mom’s company cruise to Alaska is the perfect opportunity to show people that she can be fun. One new thing a day should be enough to prove to others, and herself, that she isn’t “Moore the Bore.”
Stepping out of her comfort zone isn’t easy, especially since her long-time nemesis, Tanner Woods, is also on the ship. His family and hers are friends, and Tanner knows her—and her true self—better than she’d like to admit.
When he learns of her plan, Tanner offers to help Savannah be adventurous and encourages her to try absolutely everything—zip lining and dogsledding, hiking the bear-infested Alaskan wilderness, late-night karaoke, and a polar plunge. Savannah will win Caleb back by showing him just what he’s missing.
Except after spending so much time with Tanner, soon she’s not sure Caleb is the one she wants anymore…
In this stunning debut by a South Carolina attorney, Zach Stander, a lawyer with a past, and Addie Stone, his indomitable detective and lover, find themselves entangled in secrets, lies, and murder in a small Southern town.
A high-profile murder case—A white woman has been bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road in Walterboro, South Carolina. Sam Jenkins, a Black man, is found covered in blood, kneeling over the body. In a state already roiling with racial tenson, this is not only a murder case, but a powder keg.
A haunting cold case—Two young women are murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro, and the killer disappears without a trace. Thirty-four years later the mystery remains unsolved. Could there be a connection to Stander’s case?
A killer who’s watching—Stander takes on Jenkins’s defense, but he’s up against a formidable solicitor with powerful allies. Worse, his client is hiding a bombshell secret. When Addie Stone reopens the cold case, she discovers more long-buried secrets in this small town. Would someone kill again to keep them?
Ideal for fans of mystery, suspense, and thrillers in the vein of Karin Slaughter’s Pretty Girls and Stacy Willingham’s A Flicker in the Dark, as well as for readers who followed the high-profile Murdaugh murder trial, held in the same small town as in When Cicadas Cry.
The long, tarnished chain and heart-shaped pendant is heavy in Paige’s hand. Carefully prying it open she can just make out the tiny engraving inside. What she reads will change everything she ever believed about her great-aunt Violet, and their family history…
When newly single and heartbroken Paige inherits an isolated cottage facing out to the wild sea on Dune Island from her great-aunt Violet, she is shocked. Paige never even met Violet, and she’s heard family stories about how a terrible incident involving the wealthy neighboring Hathaway family during World War Two led Violet to withdraw from everyone. But why would Violet leave everything to her?
Determined to clear out the cottage and sell it as quickly as possible, when Paige bumps into Seth Hathaway as he walks back from the beach, at first she’s guarded. But Seth’s easy smile makes her think that maybe the Hathaways can be trusted after all…
Then Paige finds an old envelope containing her aunt’s only piece of jewelry. The romantic message inscribed inside brings tears to her eyes, and Seth shows her how the initials match those carved with a heart into an ancient beech tree on her aunt’s property. Did Violet live her whole life yearning for the person who gave her the locket?
As Paige and Seth grow closer, she starts to wonder if she could find happiness right here on Dune Island. And if Paige discovers the identity of Violet’s lost love, can she finally clear her aunt’s name—or in this tight-knit island community, should some secrets be left in the past forever?
Fans of Mary Ellen Taylor, Carolyn Brown and Barbara O’Neal will adore this absolutely stunning and addictive read about the sacrifices people make to be with the ones they love, and how bringing family secrets into the light can change everything.
Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff #bookreview #contemporary #romance
**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**
Title: Till There Was You
Author: Lindsay Hameroff
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Page Count: 320
My rating: 4 stars
About the book:
Culinary student Lexi Berman, 24, has one goal: to make her late mother proud by becoming an executive chef in a Michelin-star restaurant. And she isn’t going to let anything–or anyone–get in the way. But when she meets Jake Taylor, a dive bar musician who charms her with show tunes, she makes a rare exception to her no-dating rule. After a steamy weekend together, Jake leaves for L.A. to record his demo, and Lexi never expects to see him again. And she definitely doesn’t expect him to become an overnight celebrity, with a breakout single that’s almost certainly about her famous blueberry pancake recipe.
As Jake’s star rises and the world speculates about the subject of his song, Lexi keeps the affair to herself. After all, she’s finally found her footing at her new restaurant job, and even has a prospective romance with her coworker. But when a distraught Jake turns up on her doorstep late one night, her carefully-laid plans are thrown for a loop. Though she and Jake try to be friends, things between them soon reheat faster than a bowl of Lexi’s matzah ball soup. But a relationship with Jake means risking her face in tabloids, withstanding cruel internet comments, and worst of all, jeopardizing her career. As Jake’s upcoming tour approaches, and rumors swirl about him and another pop star, Lexi has to decide if holding onto her meticulously-planned future is worth walking away from what could be the perfect recipe for love.
Set both in the chaos of fame and the high stakes world of New York City restaurants, this novel sprinkles in a second chance at love and a dollop of celebrity drama to create a romantic romp that will make even the most jaded reader smile.
Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff is a contemporary romance debut novel. Till There Was You starts off feeling a bit like an insta-love trope but it slowly grows into a second chance romance over the course of the story.
At twenty four Lexi Berman is well on the way to her dream job of one day becoming a Michelin-starred chef. For now though Lexi has to start somewhere and that somewhere is prepping in the back of the restaurant while she waits for her time to work her way to the top.
In Lexi’s plans to get to the top there just isn’t any room for romance and she’s sworn off dating and relationships. That is until one night at a bar she meets a guitar slinging crooner that ends up turning from one night to a magical weekend. Of course Lexi wants to see Jake Taylor again but little did she know he’d ghost her and she’d only see him on billboards when he becomes super famous after their time together.
Till There Was You by Lindsay Hameroff is one for the foodies and the music lovers out there who also enjoy a few laughs with their romance. Despite the whirlwind insta beginning I really enjoyed where this one went and diving into the drama that came with such an unexpected coupling. Since this was a debut novel I’ll have to wait to read more from this author but I’ll be looking forward to seeing what her future holds.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
Find this book online:
About the author:
Lindsay Hameroff lives in Harrisburg, PA with her husband and two kids. Her work has been published in McSweeneys, Weekly Humorist, and other humor outlets. She also co-edits Frazzled, a parenting humor site on Medium. TILL THERE WAS YOU is her first novel.
Carries Book Reviews 
Recent Comments