Month: March 2020

Historical Serenade Release Day Blitz

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Today I am excited to share the release of Historical Serenade: Seven Tales of Romance. This collection of historical romances will transport you from the comfort of your home. For a limited time you can own the digital edition for 99 cents. It is also available for Kindle Unlimited. Learn more, order your copy, and enter the celebratory giveaway!

Historical Serenade: Seven Tales of Romance 

From authors Lane McFarland, April Holthaus, Barbara Bettis, Dawn Marie Hamilton, Karen Muir, Ria Cantrell, and Ruth A. Casie comes a collection of Historical and Time Travel Romances.

Let them serenade you with their spell-binding tales filled with danger, deception, revenge, honor and passion as we take you back in time on a journey spanning the Medieval Highlands through England’s Golden Age to North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

 HEART OF THE HIGHLANDS: THE RAVEN by April Holthaus

As the king’s personal guard, Eamon MacLeish’s loyalty has never been questioned until a mysterious lass seeks an asylum for a crime, she claims she did not commit. Adelyn Scott would welcome death over marriage but had no idea her wish would come true when she discovers her husband’s body on the night of their wedding.

As Adelyn and Eamon piece together clues surrounding her husband’s murder, Eamon must choose between his loyalty or his heart.

SILVERHAWK by Barbara Bettis

Seeking revenge again his father, Sir Giles kidnaps the man’s young betrothed, only to find himself thwarting her repeated escape efforts. Lady Emelin won’t let a blasted mercenary destroy her last chance at a home and family, yet when she learns they must track down English traitors, she reluctantly assists. Eluding searchers and enemies like, Giles and Emelin discover that their past goals don’t matter; only a future together will do.

 JUST WITHIN A HIGHLAND MIST by Dawn Marie Hamilton

A trio of pesky pixies have plans for Gregor MacLachlan’s heart. While hunting, a wayward shot from his bow nearly hits a strange lass who appears as if by magic. Emily Smith follows a child in her care onto a forbidden mound in the woods and wakes in a strange bed, in a place and time not her own. Can she find love in the arms of the dark-eyed stranger who becomes her champion?

 DAGGER’S DESTINY by Karen Muir

In Medieval England, after Lady Katherine de Grey’s family is murdered, she is rescued by a childhood friend, Sir Richard Weston, and they are forced to marry. Richard resents the edict and intends to petition for an annulment. But, Katherine has other plans. With each caress of her dagger, she empowers herself to fight for her destiny. All she has to do is convince her new husband that the woman he truly desires is already his wife.

 TO LOVE AN IMPOSTOR by Lane McFarland

Disguised as Nicholas Barlow, a ruthless, old businessman during the day, the Flintlock Brigand’s leader at night, and Captain Randolf, in between, Nicholas ruins constables who failed to show Bristol’s orphans mercy.

Diana Fleming, daughter of Bristol’s wealthiest gentry, returns to beg her father for help raising of ten orphaned children, but instead discovers her father died because of Nicholas Barlow. Now penniless and desperate, she’s determined to destroy the man who murdered her father.

CELTIC PERIL by Ria Cantrell

Tom Callum landed a spot with Celtic Storm as the lead singer and front man. When he reaches Scotland, he is drawn to seek his heritage and uncover the mysteries of his past. He is fascinated with a painting of a girl, Jenna Brandham of the Clan MacCollum, who lived more than six hundred years ago. Jenna tugs at his long forgotten memory. Tom will soon be plunged into a world of intrigue, deception and peril. The past and present collide in an adventure that brings danger at every turn. Only love will give Tom the strength he needs to thwart an attempt on King Richard’s life. Will Tom be able to survive his leap into the past? Will he be able to survive his return to the present, only to leave his heart behind?

 THE MAXWELL GHOST by Ruth A. Casie

Traitors, deception, murders and ghosts run rampant at Caerlaverock Castle. Jamie Collins and Laura Reynolds, long-time friends find their destinies intertwined with hidden passions, but all is in jeopardy when Laura becomes the murderer’s next target. Jamie will find he needs some ghostly assistance to save Laura and declare his love. No magic…a love that lasts an eternity.

99 cent Boxed Set 7 Romances 

Available in Kindle Unlimited 
Returns to $4.99 price April 30th, 2020

Enter the Giveaway

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Review: Camp Spirit

DeAnneLeave a comment

Summer camp is supposed to be about finding nirvana in a rock garden… But Elodie prefers Nirvana and Soundgarden. Can she confront rambunctious kids, confusing feelings, and supernatural horrors all at once?

Summer 1994: with just two months left before college, Elodie is forced by her mother to take a job as a camp counselor. She doesn’t know the first thing about nature, or sports, of kids for that matter, and isn’t especially interested in learning… but now she’s responsible for a foul-mouthed horde of red-headed girls who just might win her over, whether she likes it or not. Just as Elodie starts getting used to her new environment, though — and close to one of the other counselors — a dark mystery lurking around the camp begins to haunt her dreams.

Though I had never heard of this graphic novel, as soon as I read the synopsis I wanted to pick it up. Set in the 90s at a summer camp that has a spooky legend woven into it’s history. The main character, Elodie, wants to be anywhere but there – but she’s stuck at the camp being a camp counselor.

The story and characters were so quirky and the art style perfectly suited that. While some of the elements of the plot were kind of predictable, the characters and their sub plots more than made up for it. Elodie is very much the odd one out, but that’s partly because of her own decisions and actions, watching her become more animated and more engaged. I absolutely loved the interactions she had with her group of campers and how they came to life throughout the story.

It was a really fun read and definitely was accurate to the 90s (including slang/language used in the 90s) and was just a great journey about figuring yourself out and perspectives changing when you actually get to know people.

Happy reading!

Series Launch: Tactical Crime Division

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Today I’m super excited to be part of the series launch for the Tactical Crime Division from Harlequin!

Perfect for fans of Criminal Minds and Blacklist…

Uncover the lives and loves of the FBI elite as they take on the toughest assignments. This is a new four-book miniseries featuring an ensemble cast of characters spread across 4 books, featuring 4 urgent cases, with one stellar team of crime solving experts. 

The Tactical Crime Division—TCD—is a specialized unit of the FBI. Because of the growing concerns and need for ever increasing response time to criminal events, the FBI created a specialized tech and tactical team combing specialists from several active divisions that include: weapons, crime scene investigation, protection, negotiation and IT. 

Each title can be read as a standalone novel, featuring a unique hard to solve crime case.

48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy (on-sale March 17, 2020)
The Tactical Crime Division—TCD—is a specialized unit of the FBI.They handle the toughest cases in the most remote locations. When TCD learns of a school invasion turned lockdown, every agent is ready to engage. With children in jeopardy, the stakes couldn’t be higher. But it becomes personal for hostage negotiator agent Evan Duran when he learns Annalise Taylor is one of the captives holed up with the students in a school for the gifted. He’ll need every resource available at TCD and every ounce of his expertise to turn this disastrous situation into a rescue mission—and if he succeeds, maybe reunite with the woman he never stopped loving.

Secret Investigation by Elizabeth Heiter (on-sale April 21, 2020)
In the wake of a tragedy, the Tactical Crime Division is the first call. When ironclad body armor inexplicably fails and soldiers perish, the Tactical Crime Division jumps into action. Agent and former ranger Davis Rogers asks to go undercover to find the traitor responsible for the death of one of his friends, and Petrov Armor CEO Leila Petrov is happy to provide access to her company…especially once she discovers she’s being framed. But will their joint efforts be enough to uncover the truth?

Midnight Abduction by Nichole Severn (on-sale May 19, 2020)
For the Tactical Crime Division, no case is left cold. When Benning Reeves’s twins are kidnapped, the frantic father knows who can help: the Tactical Crime Division and Ana Ramirez. Even though Ana once shattered Benning’s heart, the special agent is the only one he can trust. But Ana is still tormented by the unresolved case that brought them together years before—a case somehow entangled with Benning’s children. It’s up to the TCD and Ana to discover why…before it’s too late.

Running Out of Time by Cindi Myers (on-sale June 16, 2020)
When a terrorist is on the loose, the Tactical Crime Division is on the case. To find out who poisoned medications, two of TCD’s agents are tapped to go undercover posing as a married couple and infiltrate the company. But as soon as Jace Cantrell and Laura Smith arrive at Stroud Pharmaceuticals, someone ups the ante by planting explosives in their midst. Turns out that the small-town family business is hiding a million secrets. Could they unknowingly be protecting a vengeful killer?

If you want to find out more about the books check out Harlequin’s Store!

Happy reading!

Review – Kakushigoto: My Dad’s Secret Ambition Vol. 1

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Kakushi Gotou is a single father with a secret: He’s a top-selling manga artist of a raunchy series that perhaps isn’t suitable reading material for his young daughter, Hime. So he does what any doting father would do—he hides it all from her, no matter the hijinks that ensue!

This was such a hilarious yet heartwarming manga at the same time. In it we follow Hime and her father, who is a manga artist that creates manga of a more adult nature. It’s immediately apparent that Hime is the center of his world and he will go to any lengths he can to protect her from finding out what he does for a living. He also wants to do everything he can to keep her from anything negative such as being bullied or not fitting in, which means he often goes to extremes. He usually drags his assistants along with him, whether they want to or not.

It was really touching to see just how much he cared about protecting his daughter, but also really funny since his antics often backfired and he had to scramble to fix it. It was a really fun read and full of both laughter and touching moments.

Happy reading!

Giveaway Reminder – Fun Fun Fun World

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As the week is going on I just wanted to put out a reminder that my giveaway for one copy of Fun Fun Fun World from Oni Press has four days left! You can enter by clicking on the cover image below, or through the link at the bottom of this post.

The Devastorm 5 is an alien warship whose prime directive is to seek out planets to invade and conquer in tribute to the almighty Alien Queen. The only problem is that the crew of the Devastorm 5 is the worst in the fleet. Despite being the losers of the alien army, Pilot Minky still considers himself the best pilot in the galaxy. Rounding out the crew is sober Science Officer Illy, cranky Commander Hoytch, silly Security Officer Von and the slimy Political Liaison Eggy, they are a dysfunctional crew to say the least. After being chided by other more successful members of the Queen’s Alien Army, Minky vows to conquer EARTH once and for all. And he does! But Minky doesn’t realize that he’s only captured an amusement park called Fun Fun Fun World. The only human to witness the invasion is Javi Camacho, the son of the park’s lead engineer. Javi is an avid consumer of conspiracy theories and paranormal activities, so the presence of aliens only confirms his suspicions. Javi has been on the hunt for the reclusive creator of Fun Fun Fun World, famed animator Franklyn Funger- who Javi suspects is still alive and hiding in the park somewhere.

After posing as the park’s colorful mascot characters, the crew sends the Queen Earth’s most prized treasure- the Churro. Jealous of Minky’s success, Eggy plots a coup with Franklyn Funger. Eggy’s shenanigans trigger the emergency signal back to the mother ship and reveal to the Queen that Earth hasn’t been taken after all. The Queen’s most evil warrior, Vang, heads to Earth to blow it up because if she can’t have it then no one can! Eggy and Minky mend their rift and must band together with Javi and Funger to save the park and save the world!

Enter the giveaway!

Happy reading!

Blog Tour: Hers To Tame

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As an avtoritet for the most powerful crime syndicate in New Orleans, Kir Vasilek doesn’t act without purpose, doesn’t speak without thought and never, ever loses his cool. The lives of his brothers, his family, depend on it. But then Cassie McClintock strolls back into his life, and staying cool is next to impossible. Cassie was the one who got away—and Kir is willing to break all his own rules to keep it from happening ever again.

It’s one thing to report on the Russian mafia; it’s quite another to sleep with one of them, especially one as dangerous, and as sinfully sexy, as Kir Vasilek. Even though the information he once provided helped make her career—and the memory of his touch still keeps her up at night—Cassie knows too much about his world to go down that path.

But when Kir reaches out for help after a rival family comes for one of his own, Cassie doesn’t want to say no, either to investigating a gruesome murder or to the heat that pulls her right back into his arms…and his heart. Taming Kir—and helping to save the family she’s come to call her own—is not the story she thought she’d write, but it’s the one she’s determined will get a happy ending.

Hers to Tame is the highly anticipated follow-up to His to Defend. And don’t miss Roman’s story in Mine to Keep, coming soon from Rhenna Morgan and Carina Press.

Buy Links: Amazon B&N iTunes Kobo Google

This is my first Rhenna Morgan book that I’ve picked up but the story sounded like a dangerous story with a great romance in it, so I was eager to give it a try. I loved how the characters were crafted – and not just the main characters – they were given depth, vulnerablity and unique personalities that suited them and their stories well.

The story itself moved along at a good pace, even if there were a few spots where you hoped for a little more information and the romance between Cassie and Vir was expertly crafted. While this one can be read as a standalone, I’m eager to go back and pick up the first once since I’m sure there are things that further connect the two when both are read.

Morgan’s writing style was easy to read and fun. I loved Aunt Frieda especially as her attitude and sass was perfectly portrayed in the story while also not stealing the limelight from Cassie and Vir. This was a great story with a mystery that kept you wondering for quite a while and I definitely recommend it.

A native Oklahoman, Rhenna Morgan is a certified romance junkie. Whether it’s contemporary, paranormal, or fantasy you’re after, Rhenna’s stories pack romantic escape full of new, exciting worlds, and strong, intuitive men who fight to keep the women they want. For advance release news and exclusive content, sign up for her newsletter at http://RhennaMorgan.com. You’ll also find all of her social links there, along with her smoking hot inspiration boards.

Social Media Links
Website: http://rhennamorgan.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RhennaMorgan 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RhennaMorgan 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhennamorgan/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8596977.Rhenna_Morgan

Happy reading!

Review+Giveaway: Fun Fun Fun World

DeAnneLeave a comment

The Devastorm 5 is an alien warship whose prime directive is to seek out planets to invade and conquer in tribute to the almighty Alien Queen. The only problem is that the crew of the Devastorm 5 is the worst in the fleet. Despite being the losers of the alien army, Pilot Minky still considers himself the best pilot in the galaxy. Rounding out the crew is sober Science Officer Illy, cranky Commander Hoytch, silly Security Officer Von and the slimy Political Liaison Eggy, they are a dysfunctional crew to say the least. After being chided by other more successful members of the Queen’s Alien Army, Minky vows to conquer EARTH once and for all. And he does! But Minky doesn’t realize that he’s only captured an amusement park called Fun Fun Fun World. The only human to witness the invasion is Javi Camacho, the son of the park’s lead engineer. Javi is an avid consumer of conspiracy theories and paranormal activities, so the presence of aliens only confirms his suspicions. Javi has been on the hunt for the reclusive creator of Fun Fun Fun World, famed animator Franklyn Funger- who Javi suspects is still alive and hiding in the park somewhere.

After posing as the park’s colorful mascot characters, the crew sends the Queen Earth’s most prized treasure- the Churro. Jealous of Minky’s success, Eggy plots a coup with Franklyn Funger. Eggy’s shenanigans trigger the emergency signal back to the mother ship and reveal to the Queen that Earth hasn’t been taken after all. The Queen’s most evil warrior, Vang, heads to Earth to blow it up because if she can’t have it then no one can! Eggy and Minky mend their rift and must band together with Javi and Funger to save the park and save the world!

This was such a fun little adventure! In this story we follow a crew of misfits as they are doing everything they can to conquer a planet and redeem themselves as well as learn to work together. As with any group of aliens (or people) there are growing pains, hurt feelings and bad decisions. Add to that a precocious child who just wants an amusement part to find it’s old magic again and you have a roller coaster ride of mishaps and shenanigans.

The art style and coloring are perfect for not only the subject but also the targeted age range of the story. The colors are super vibrant and bring out that over the top, super fun motif!

Now for the giveaway! Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win one copy of Fun Fun Fun World. Please keep in mind that Oni Press will be sending the prize, so I will be supplying them with the winner’s information once the giveaway has ended. If you’re unable to see the widget below, click on “a Rafflecopter giveaway” to be taken to the giveaway.

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Happy reading!

Review: Why Does Daddy Always Look So Sad?

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Author: Jude Morrow
Publisher: Beyond Words Publishing
Date of Publication: April 7, 2020

Why Does Daddy Always Look So Sad? is the story of one man’s journey to parenthood, and how his autism profoundly affected that journey, for both better and worse. Growing up autistic, Jude Morrow faced immense challenges and marginalization, but he was able to successfully—though not without difficulty—finish university and transition into the working world and eventually parenthood. This book is a view of life and love through the eyes of an autistic adult, who went from being a nonverbal and aggressive child to a hardworking and responsible father to a non-autistic son.

In this poignant and honest memoir, Jude defiantly uses his voice to break down the misconceptions and societal beliefs surrounding autism, bringing hope to all who live with autism as well as those who care for someone on the spectrum. Jude views his autism as a gift to be shared, not a burden to be pitied, and as he demonstrates through his candid recollections and observations, autistic people’s lives can be every bit as happy and fulfilling as those who don’t have autism.

I knew that Jupiter has seventy-nine known moons and where the swimming pool was located on the Titanic, yet I didn’t know how to connect with this beautiful child who called me “Daddy.”

I wasn’t entirely knowing what to expect with this memoir as I’m not hugely knowledgeable about those on the Autism Spectrum, but it is something I would like to know and understand more about. This book follows the author’s journey as he grew up and moved through life, living with having Asperger’s. There were a number of struggles that he expertly described in a way that the reader could really understand and empathize with. It was touching to see it through his eyes as he came to realizations and came to accept his condition so that he could not only enjoy his life but build a wonderful relationship with his son. Though I’m not on the spectrum in any way, there were situations he described that I empathized with greatly due to having high anxiety.

I really enjoyed going through Morrow’s story the way he told it. His introspection and self examination allows the reader to fully immerse themselves in what he describes and his emotions during his experiences, even when he has a hard time understanding them himself. It was a wonderful view not only into what he has experienced with his condition, but also what other’s around him experienced.

Jude Morrow presented with communication and social difficulties early in life, which led to a diagnosis of Asperger Type Autism at the age of 11. Despite having educational challenges, Jude progressed through secondary school and graduated from the University of Ulster with an honors degree in social work in 2012. Jude now works as a social worker and is a motivational speaker and advocate for all things autism. When not speaking, writing, or social working, Jude loves spending time with his son, Ethan, enjoying the outdoors, cooking, and reading.

Thank you again to Beyond Words Publishing for offering me a copy of this book. Happy reading!

Review: Pandora's Legacy

DeAnneLeave a comment

What starts out as a typical family vacation to Grandma and Grandpa’s house quickly erupts into supernatural mystery and peril when three siblings accidentally break an old, mystical jar hidden deep in the woods, revealing they are descendants of Pandora and their family has been tasked for generations with protecting the very jar they just broke… As magical monsters pour out of the fractured relic and run amok, Charlie, Janet, and Trevor must find a way to capture all of the creatures in order to save their family—and potentially the entire world—before it’s too late. Writer Kara Leopard ([Super]Natural Attraction) and illustrators Kelly & Nichole Matthews (Jim Henson’s Power of the Dark Crystal) weave an otherworldly tale about finding help in the unlikeliest of places, learning the truth about your family history, and most importantly of all, talking cats.

I was really excited reading the description of this graphic novel, descendants of Pandora who have to deal with Pandora’s box being opened? Yes please. The banter between the siblings and the humor woven throughout was spot on and helped the story move along quickly. The artwork was so vibrant and dynamic and I loved how each of the monsters shown were illustrated.

There were points where things were written in Greek and one instance where Korean was used and I wish there had been a translation somewhere on the page. You could definitely tell the context of what was being said, but I’m sure younger readers would really like a translation, even if it was through a footnote.

Overall it ended up being a fun and quick read that was full of laughs. I did really enjoy it and flew through it.

Happy reading!