Cover Reveal: The Geography of Happiness by Jay Hogan
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The Geography of Happiness
Jay Hogan
(Mackenzie Country, #4)
Publication date: November 21st 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
One thing I know about Terry O’Connor—the man has complicated relationship written all over him, something I’ve avoided for pretty much forever.
One thing I know about Terry’s hometown, Painted Bay—it’s a long, long way from my life as a Mackenzie Country vet and dedicated, carefree bachelor.
All in all, good news.
No reason to look twice at the gorgeous man currently staying at Miller Station with his daughter.
No reason to daydream about his soft lips, quirky sense of humour, sexy smile, or the way he blushes whenever he catches me staring which is far too often.
No reason to second guess my future plans or reconsider the no-strings lifestyle I’ve worked hard to perfect.
And absolutely no reason to feel disappointed that Terry is even less interested in a relationship than I am. I should be relieved.
Then why can’t I stop thinking about him and how right it feels when we’re together? Why does my heart spin at the very mention of his name? And why does the thought of moving on without Terry and his daughter in my life feel like the loneliest decision in the world.
Author Bio:
Heart, humour and keeping it real.
Jay is a 2020 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Gay Romance and her book Off Balance was the 2021 New Zealand Romance Book of the Year.
She is a New Zealand author writing mm romance and romantic suspense, primarily set in New Zealand. She writes character driven romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality and a splash of angst. She’s travelled extensively, lived in many countries, and in a past life she was a critical care nurse, nurse educator and counsellor. Jay is owned by a huge Maine Coon cat and a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Newsletter
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Where Eagles Nest by Helen F. Wand blitz with giveaway
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Where Eagles Nest: The Second Wave of Pioneers
Helen F. Wand
Publication date: April 21st 2024
Genres: Adult, Historical
“Where Eagles Nest chronicles a young couple, Alex and Julianna Lampert, as they immigrate from Lichtenstein, in search of land where they can raise a family and participate in the American dream. The young newlyweds eventually settle in the rugged hills and pasturelands above the Sandy River in Oregon, where they forge a life of love and pursue their quest for prosperity in spite of the struggle in the wild terrain of the Pacific Northwest in the 1880s.”
—Sharon Nesbit, writer and historian, author of It Could’ve Been Carpdale.
“You will laugh, grieve, and rejoice with [Alex and Julianna] and their neighbors. Helen Wand’s brilliant research breathes life into the slice of local history that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.”
—Alice Lynn, author of Wrenn: Egypt House, Volunteers for Glory, and Scattered Pieces
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble
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EXCERPT:
JULY 4, 1885
The fourth of July dawned sunny, promising a warm day. The wind came from the east, drying everything in its path. Julianna chose her prettiest blue church dress, a gingham with puffed sleeves. Might as well get some wear out of this, she thought, It’ll be awhile before we go to church again.
She watched Alex button his clean white shirt. “You look so handsome,” she said, kissing his newly shaven cheek. “I like you without whiskers.”
“No whiskers,” he said rubbing his face. “Don’t you want me to look like a mountain man?”
“No, I like you to look like you did when I met you, with just a bit of a rakish mustache.”
The families walked down the path to Taylors.
“I wish you’d waited for us to help you hook up the horses,” Alex said to the old man.
“No, no today is my treat,” Taylor said. “You young fellers help me all the time.”
It’s true, Julianna thought, Alex and Franz helped Taylor as much as he helped them.
The hot east wind dried the road enough to harden the mud, but not enough to be dusty, making the trip pleas- ant. Julianna noticed Taylor smiling as he listened to them chatter.
The horses strained as they plodded up the steep winding trail. There was a spring almost at the top of the hill where they stopped to water the horses and everyone got out and stretched their legs. Then one more short pull to the top where they hit the Wire Trail and turned east.
“In the summer, the east wind is hot and dry. By tomorrow it will be in the 90s, mark my words and that’s fire season,” Taylor chatted as they drove. “I encourage you young folks to cut timber down around your houses as a fire break and keep the dry grass down. Get a goat if nothing else to keep foliage under control.”
It was close to noon when they arrived at the city park in Latourell. Tables, already collecting huge platters of food, were set up under the shade trees. People were arriving from all directions. Musicians were busy setting up their chairs and stands in the pavilion
Julianna couldn’t believe her eyes. Here in the middle of the wilderness were people eager to dance and celebrate their independence.
“There must be a hundred people here,” Alex said.
“You bet. Everyone comes to this. It’s the biggest event of the year. It’s in the summer so people can get to it.” Taylor stopped the team so the group could disembark. He smiled and nodded to an older balding gentleman and his gray- haired companion. “That’s Fred Hicklin and his wife Sarah.”
“Must be where Hicklin Bottoms on the Sandy River got its name,” Alex said.
“Yup, they’re the ones. Been there before I came to this country and I came in ’66,” Taylor said as he climbed back up in the driver’s seat.
Author Bio:
Raised in Columbia River Gorge country in Oregon, Helen Wand graduated from Corbett High School and obtained her degree from Marylhurst University. Spending her early career as a medical technologist working in various hospital laboratories, she later founded the Clinical Laboratory Assistant/Phlebotomy program at Clackamas Community College, where she performed the duties of director and lead instructor.
All the while, she pursued her love of history, joining local historical societies and documenting early Oregon stories. Helen published her first historical novel, Where Eagles Nest, The Second Wave of Pioneers in 2013. Echoes of Forgotten Places continues the Lampert family saga in the early 1900s as they struggle to save their land and maintain their homestead in the wild, rugged terrain high above the Columbia River.
Now retired, Helen resides in Gresham, Oregon, where she gardens, writes, and volunteers at the Troutdale Historical Society, the Crown Point Country Historical Society, and the Northeast Multnomah County Pioneer Association.
GIVEAWAY!
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Bowling Bodies at Spare Lanes Alley by Laura Hern blitz with giveaway
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Bowling Bodies at Spare Lanes Alley
Laura Hern
(The Lainey Maynard Mystery Series, #5)
Publication date: August 20th 2023
Genres: Adult, Cozy Mystery
“What a fun and exciting read! Humor and suspense kept me engaged, and it was hard to put down! Looking forward to the next book in this series!!” Bobbi
When planning a murder, practice makes perfect…or does it?
Super sleuth Lainey Maynard and the Whoopee group are preparing for the bowling tournament fundraiser to save Spare Lanes Bowling Alley. Until an envelope arrived during their practice game that caused more excitement than a scored card filled with strikes. Why hadn’t Gerry Hayward been more concerned?
Spare Lanes Alley had been the hot spot where local celebrity bowlers and newbies gathered. Even framed and signed photos of professional bowlers lined the trophy wall. Now, threats of foreclosure loomed over Gerald and Phoebe Hayward, the owners, and the entire bowling community. More than bowling balls are crossing the foul line.
Gerald and Phoebe Hayward purchased the alley to start fresh after the Professional Bowling Association banned him. Past suspicions of murder, accusations of impending revenge, and enormous gambling debts don’t exactly stop the gossip mongers ’embarrassing rumors.
Lainey and the Whoopee Pin-Slayers will need more than gutter bumpers, shoe covers, and shammy rags to solve the unfolding mysteries.
A fun and intriguing cozy mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. You’ll love the delightful characters, and the twists will keep you turning the pages!
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EXCERPT:
“What crazy weather! I’ve been running all over town in this icy rain!” Della shivered as she hurried through the door of Babe’s House of Caffeine and toward the Whoopee’s regular table.
“Mother Nature must think it’s March, not October.” Francy grinned and pulled out the chair between her and Lainey. “Sit down and dry out. Mom’s running a bit late, too.”
“Are you still trying to figure out a costume for the bowling fundraiser?” Lainey asked. “I think I’ve decided on mine!”
“Didn’t Francy tell you? We’re going as the Blues Brothers!” I’m Jake and she’s Elwood.” She leaned closer to Lainey and, looking at Francy, pretended to whisper. “She’s jealous of my dancing abilities!”
“Absolutely not!” Francy smirked. “I have dance moves that make Elwood look like a beginner!” She stood up, pushed her chair from the table, and began stomping her feet, shaking, and wiggling her body, waving her hands in the air while shouting ‘Hallelujah’!
Everyone in the cafe laughed. Some clapped and chanted, “Go Francy. Go Francy. Go Francy.” “Okay, okay! You can dance, but I’m still the lead singer,” Della chuckled.
Francy stopped, turned to the cafe patrons, and took a bow while they applauded. She pretended to blow kisses to thank them, then turned to sit down at the table again.
“Whew! That’s hard work. I should have done more of Mom’s ‘Sweating to the Oldies ’workout videos!” she said breathlessly. “I’m going to need a large Caramel Macchiato.”
Author Bio:
Laura Hern is an author who writes Cozy Mysteries and Romance novels.
She loves cats, charred brussel sprouts with bacon, and romantic murder mysteries!
Laura grew up in Texas and lives in Minnesota. She loves to ride motorcycles, and is an avid domino and card player. Music and traveling are her passions.
GIVEAWAY!
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Everything I’ve Ever Wanted to Say by Lauryn Norwood blitz with giveaway
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Everything I’ve Ever Wanted to Say
Lauryn Norwood
Publication date: September 14th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Collette “Coco” Rose returns to her small hometown for the summer, hoping to repair her turbulent, on-again-off-again relationship. Instead, she finds herself drawn back into the orbit of Shane Turner—the town’s reclusive outcast.
Once a rising musician, Shane has spent the past five years hiding from the world, haunted by past mistakes and cut off from everyone.
When fate throws Coco and Shane together once more, they must confront their shared past—a childhood crush that refuses to fade. As they navigate broken hearts and complex lives, their connection grows into something far more intense than either had imagined.
In this tender and passionate journey, set in the early 2000s, Coco and Shane must decide if they are willing to open their hearts to each other for a second chance at real love.
Only 99c for a limited time!
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EXCERPT:
I’ve learned to live life with my head down, spend my days in the family home living off the income from the bar I inherited from my brother.
When I first got out, I wanted to start fresh. To make up for my sins. To clean up my mess of a life. But that’s the thing about making very public blunders in a small town like Belleville—people never forget. Especially when stupid mistakes become a part of your family legacy. With a name like Turner, I couldn’t even get an interview, let alone a job. And having set up a trust fund for my kids with the money from my music days, I had no choice but to accept my brother’s offer—part owner of a bar I rarely set foot in.
With one glance at the keypad, I register the glowing M button and lean my head up against the back wall of the elevator, ignoring the one other person inside, not even glancing in their direction.
After today’s visit, I’m in serious need of a drink.
Rowan pretty much told me I was out of time, that by the end of next week my mother likely won’t be breathing on her own. She’s had an inoperable brain tumor for years. I don’t know how he managed to keep her alive all this time, or why he even cared enough to. All I know is that if a fucking angel doesn’t fall into my lap in the next few days, my quest to save the woman who gave me life is over for good.
A hand rests on my shoulder, and I shake it off. I straighten and turn, ready to defend myself, but instantly relax once I see the girl standing next to me. Her hands are held out in front of her, her brow wrinkled as she shrinks back.
I lower my fist, quickly flipping the switch from defensive to sympathetic.
“Coco.” I shove my hands into my jacket pockets. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t…see you there. I—”
“Do you always attack random people in elevators?” she asks, with a hint of a smile.
“Uh.” I shake my head. “No, it’s just…you caught me off guard is all.”
That and practically every physical confrontation I’ve had over the past few years has resulted in a bloody nose or a black eye.
“I didn’t see you.”
“Sorry for scaring you. I said ‘hi ’when you walked in, but it’s like you were in another world.” She smiles a little wider, then leans forward, climbing to her tiptoes as she wraps her arms around my neck. “I haven’t seen you in forever. How are you?”
“Fine.” I stiffly pat her back. “I’m good. And you?”
“I’m good.” She sniffs, nodding a little too vigorously to be convincing. The rims of her eyes and the tip of her nose are a slowly fading red.
My muscles instantly tighten, and I take a small step back. “What are you doing here?”
This is why I hate fucking hospitals. This. Sickness. Sadness. Death.
“Oh, um, it’s nothing. Doctor’s appointment.”
“Oh, cool,” I reply, mostly to myself.
“You?”
I clear my throat. “Same.”
She licks her lips and folds her arms against her chest, hunching over a little.
“It’s been a while,” I say. “Didn’t think you were even still in Belleville.”
“I was in Vancouver for a few months. I go back and forth between Toronto for work. And when I’m in town I’m usually at Ian’s.”
“Ian Cross?” I raise an eyebrow.
She nods, ducking her head.
That’s still happening? What are the chances?
“I’m staying at the house this summer though. If I recall, you’re the one playing the disappearing act.” She smiles. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
The elevator slows and I let out a soft sigh. “Mostly keep to myself these days.”
“You look good. Different, but good. More grown up, I guess.”
My gaze travels from her face down the length of her body.
I’m not the only one.
This definitely isn’t the Collette Rose I remember. She’s filled out a little—no more chicken legs and flat chest. Her brown legs are taut and shapely. Even her hair is different. It’s darker now. Almost jet black. Her kinky curls are gone now too. The silky, waves flowing out from beneath the hat look fine, I guess. But definitely not as memorable. Her face still looks the same though, just a little less round and more defined. She’s grown into herself. No longer the girl next door. And it shows.
Author Bio:
Lauryn Norwood is an indie author who loves to write and read stories about true love—real love. While she appreciates a good happily ever after, and will always deliver one to her readers, she won’t take you there immediately.
But the journey will always be worth it.
Everything I’ve Ever Wanted to Say is the first Lauryn Norwood publication.
GIVEAWAY!
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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.**
Almost forgot my weekly new addition round up this week but better late than never as they say. Only four new titles added this week but hopefully they are all amazing!
As always clicking the covers will take you to the book on Amazon!**
New additions from Netgalley Oct 13th – Oct 20th
A group of friends investigates the mystery of a strange staircase in the woods in this mesmerizing horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.
Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what.
Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something extraordinary: a mysterious staircase to nowhere.
One friend walks up—and never comes back down. Then the staircase disappears.
Twenty years later, the staircase has reappeared. Now the group returns to find the lost boy—and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods. . . .
“A riveting wilderness suspense novel by a novelist at the height of her powers” (Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Candy House), Heartwood takes you on a gripping journey as a search and rescue team race against time when an experienced hiker mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.
In the heart of the Maine woods, an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker goes missing. She is forty-two-year-old Valerie Gillis, who has vanished 200 miles from her final destination. Alone in the wilderness, Valerie pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping.
At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, who leads the search on the ground. Meanwhile, Lena, a seventy-six-year-old birdwatcher in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an unexpected armchair detective. Roving between these compelling narratives, a puzzle emerges, intensifying the frantic search, as Valerie’s disappearance may not be accidental.
Heartwood is a “gem of a thousand facets—suspenseful, transporting, tender, and ultimately soul-mending,” (Megan Majumdar, New York Times bestselling author of A Burning) that tells the story of a lost hiker’s odyssey and is a moving rendering of each character’s interior journey. The mystery inspires larger questions about the many ways in which we get lost, and how we are found. At its core, Heartwood is a redemptive novel, written with both enormous literary ambition and love.
A podcast producer agrees to host a new series about modern dating—but will the show jeopardize her chance at finding real love? From the New York Times bestselling author of Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo.
Cecily Foster loves to make podcasts. She fiercely protects her colleagues, dearly adores her friends, and never misses dinner with her sister. But after a disastrous relationship with a colleague who stole her heart and her ideas, she’s put romantic love on hold.
When the boss who’s disappointed her again and again finally offers her a chance to host her own show, she wants to be thrilled. But there’s a catch—actually, two catches. First, the show will be about Cecily’s dating life. And second, she has to follow the guidance of influencer and newly minted relationship coach Eliza Cassidy, whose relentlessly upbeat attitude seems ready-made for social media, not real life.
Cecily would rather do anything other than put her singledom on display (ugh) or take advice from the internet (UGH). But when her boss hints that doing the show is the only way to protect a friend’s job, she realizes she has no choice.
To make matters more complicated, once she’s committed to go on twenty blind dates of Eliza’s choosing, Cecily finds herself unable to stop thinking about Will, a photographer she helped to rescue a very big and very lovable lost dog. Even though there are sparks between the two, Will’s own path is uncertain, and Eliza’s skeptical comments about Cecily’s decision-making aren’t helping. On the one hand, Will seems great. But on the other hand . . . don’t they all?
As Cecily struggles to balance the life she truly desires and the one Eliza wants to create for her, she finds herself at a crossroads. Can Cecily sort through all the advice and find a way to do what she loves without losing herself in the process?
For charmed tea shop owner Shay Myers, getting steeped in Bray Harbor, California’s October festivities is spookier than she ever could have bargained for—especially when a bone-chilling murder mystery spells grave danger . . .
With Halloween around the corner, Shay Myers is brewing witchy seasonal sips at Crystals and CuriosiTEAS—while simultaneously steaming over pub owner Liam Madigan’s decision to take anybody but her to the town’s Monster Mash dance. Her romantic premonitions have missed the mark since she settled into coastal Bray Harbor, opening the door to questions about whether she’s really the gifted seer her late mother imagined. It’s why she second guesses the dark vision in her tea leaves about a local citizen and their obsession with genealogy, Irish folklore, and magic . . .
But when bad omens come true, Shay doesn’t have time for self-doubt. A woman’s body has been discovered, frozen in a strange pose with an eerie black butterfly on her forehead, leading to suspicions that the victim took a conjuring ritual too far due to limited experience—or was murdered by someone with too much. As an investigation stirs up a sinister connection to a boardwalk mystic shop, Shay, guided by her knowing dog, Spirit, finds herself tracking down a shady figure from her past, navigating the sudden reappearance of her ex-husband, and chasing down a wickedly perceptive criminal who might finally be her match!
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