AUSTIN HEAT by Amari Nylix – Pop Up/Blog Hop

AUSTIN HEAT: The One Who Undid Me

by Amari Nylix

Contemporary Romance/ Comedy / Football

Publisher: Temair Media

Pages: 390

Publication Date: September 14, 2023

SYNOPSIS

Rumor has it that Texas just got a little hotter! Fans of Tessa Bailey and K. Bromberg will fall for this sexy story of mistaken identity, electric attraction, and irresistible romance in the first installment of the addictive new series, Austin Heat.

Jake is desperate to rewrite his past with women and leave behind the media storm surrounding his off-the-field antics that cloud his potential. He’s done with the stream of models, actresses, and NFL cheerleaders that have warmed his bed since he made a name for himself as starting quarterback for the University of Texas. He desperately wants to meet a normal girl in his hometown of Austin.

After moving to Austin to be the hired girlfriend of one of her long-term escort clients, Rakell finds herself wishing she could live a normal life with an average guy. Turned off by the billionaire clients she’s been serving for the last five years, she longs to get out of the business and build a life where she doesn’t live in the shadows of her escort persona.

Their worlds collide and the spice is off the charts. “Pretty boy” Jake Skyler has met his match with saucy-mouthed, Rakell McCarthy. Both think they’ve fallen for an average person. Both are wrong! What happens when their physical connection explodes, their hearts take charge and the secrets they are concealing are revealed?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amari Nylix (alter ego to author Tara Delaney) tells sordid stories revolving around tempestuous love affairs that are inspired by the secret liaisons of Old West villains, heroes, and the temptress women who lure those powerful men into their webs. Amari delights in sharing her torrid stories of heart-wrenching, epic love that begin with the desires of the flesh and evolve into affairs of the heart.

In the Austin Heatseries, Amari works closely with bestselling author of both non-fiction and fiction, Tara Delaney 😉. Tara has been a pediatric occupational therapist for more than thirty years and has extensive professional experience in sensory processing and nervous system development, while also having studied how early trauma impacts our responses as adults. Tara is responsible for trimming back Amari’s numerous spicy scenes, allowing room for all the FEELS.

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LETHAL STANDOFF by DiAnn Mills – Book Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway

LETHAL STANDOFF

by DiAnn Mills

Contemporary Fiction / Christian Mystery & Suspense / Christian Romance

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Pages: 368

Publication Date: September 3, 2024

SYNOPSIS

Hostage negotiator Carrington Reed faces her most dangerous challenge yet in Lethal Standoff. Called to a tense situation in South Texas, Carrington must save fifteen hostages held by the armed Kendrix brothers, who demand justice for their father’s unsolved murder. 

Teaming up with investigative reporter Levi Ehrlich, Carrington delves into a web of secrets and lies. As they uncover startling truths, the stakes soar, and so does their undeniable attraction. 

Can Carrington solve the mystery and prevent a deadly outcome? A riveting blend of romance and suspense, this is a must-read for fans of high-stakes thrillers.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author DiAnn Mills is known for her gripping romantic suspense novels where readers can Expect An Adventure. With multiple Christy Awards and numerous bestsellers, her stories captivate readers with their depth and intensity. A passionate storyteller and dedicated mentor, DiAnn is also a coffee connoisseur and proud grandmother living in Houston, Texas.

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REVIEW

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An intricately woven melding of crime thriller, faith examination, and romance, Lethal Standoff is an exciting and thought-provoking read. 

None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.”

Action-packed from beginning to end, this book takes its leads, hostage negotiator Carrington Reed and investigative reporter Levi Ehrlich, through multiple life-threatening and heartbreaking twists and turns in their shared quest to find answers after a tragic end to one of Carrington’s volatile cases. Traveling back and forth between Houston and Victoria, Carrington and Levi find themselves dealing with a traumatized bereaved family, a territorial local police, unknown murderous villains, and weighty personal problems while also navigating their growing emotional attraction with each other. 

The bottom line is truth and love go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.”

DiAnn Mills always includes current and significant societal themes in her stories and in this book, she incorporates the horror of human trafficking of undocumented immigrants, the conflict of religious conversion, and the far-reaching devastation caused by domestic violence. As I’ve come to expect from her, Ms. Mills expertly threaded all these topics into a cohesive work that compels the reader to think and feel for the characters. And she did it in a way that highlights the seriousness of the topics without getting too heavy or preachy. 

I’d rather walk an uncertain path with you than go another day without you.”

This book is an engaging read that fans of well-written and well-researched stories will surely enjoy. I learned some new information (Messianic Judaism, eye melanoma, negotiation tactics, etc.) and I vibed with the unfolding sweet and wholesome romance. 

4 out of 5 stars


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CARINA GASKELL – Featured Author

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CARINA GASKELL

Romance Author


ABOUT CARINA

AUTHOR PIC

Carina Gaskell has been writing stories since she could hold a pen, and dreaming them up even before that.

Raised in the province in a house full of love and books, it’s no surprise that the Manila-based author would go on to carve out her own space in the romance genre writing cozy, feel-good novels.

Her stories feature sweet and swoon-worthy heroes, strong (and artistic!) heroines, and a lovable cast of side characters. She loves indulgent wish-fulfillment romances, Happy Ever Afters, and the concept of soulmates—both romantic and platonic.

Her favorite love story is that of hers and her partner’s.

 

CONNECT WITH CARINA:

Website: carinagaskell.com
Email: contact@carinagaskell.com
Instagram: instagram.com/carinagaskellwrites
Threads: threads.net/@carinagaskellwrites
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Tiktok: tiktok.com/@carinagaskellwrites
Facebook: facebook.com/carinagaskellwrites


CARINA’S BOOKS

BOOK LAUNCH

Second Chance Books

SCB COVERWhen Nell’s brother-in-law walks out on her pregnant sister, it falls on Nell’s shoulders to cover their mountain of bills. To do so, she must convince the owner of a secondhand bookstore to sell his property so she can earn a commission.

But when she visits the store, two unexpected things happen: the owner offers her a job sorting the shelves—extra income!—and her childhood crush, Thomas Whelan, turns out to be the only other employee there. Only a fool would turn that opportunity down.

When Thomas reveals he needs help with his love life, it seems all too perfect: get an in with Tom by helping him prepare for his dates, recruit him towards her cause of convincing their boss to sell, get paid, and live happily ever after.

Except the more time she spends with Tom, the more she gets attached: to him, to the bookstore that soon might not even exist, and its customers.

Set in a small town in the throes of gentrification, Second Chance Books is a novel that explores the power of love, literature, and community when it comes to changing and saving lives.

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Second Chance Books is free to borrow with Kindle Unlimited subscription. Also available in paperback. books2read.com/secondchancebooks


True North

TRUE NORTH COVER

After Sophie’s long-term boyfriend decides he doesn’t want to marry her, she flies back home to her native Philippines with her tail tucked between her legs. Forget romance. With the help of Ninang, her wealthy grand-aunt on her mother’s side, she picks her pieces back up and throws herself headfirst into her dream project: opening a coffee shop on the famous beach resort island of Dalisay.

But there’s a catch. Ninang agrees to help fund the cost of starting a new business, if and only if Sophie hosts her younger sister, Narra, and their cousin, Layla for the summer. Fresh out of college, Narra and Layla have come to Dalisay for three months of fun and romance, and they refuse to leave Sophie out of it.

Enter Archie Hastings. A smooth-talking, motorcycle-riding Brit, he moved to the island to work at a non-profit and nurse a heartbreak of his own. When Narra indulges in a little too much fun and romance, he’s there to help Sophie save the day, only to find himself pulled into a scheme to get Sophie—and by extension, himself—laid.

Sophie just wants to be left alone. But love has a funny way of sneaking up on you, and this summer, on the beautiful sunny island of Dalisay, where the white sand is soft like powder and the blue sea impossibly clear, it might just catch her off-guard.

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True North releases on August 4, 2024. Preorder now! books2read.com/truenorthis1

 

 

A CHOCOLATE IS ANNOUNCED by Amber Royer – Book Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway

A CHOCOLATE IS ANNOUNCED

Bean to Bar Mystery, #7

By Amber Royer

Cozy Mystery / Culinary Mystery / Women Sleuths

Publisher: Golden Tip Press

Pages: 277

Publication Date: June 25, 2024

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SYNOPSIS

Felicity Koerber is finally getting her life together.  She has a fiancé, her bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand has become a gathering spot for the community, and she is ready to embrace whatever the future holds.  She’s ready for another launch party – despite the disaster at her grand opening, when she’d first gotten involved with solving a murder.  And this time she’s embracing her status as a sleuth.  She’s hosting a murder mystery weekend to celebrate the new Mystery Flavor line of craft chocolate bars.  She’s held a contest to choose the attendees, who will all stay at her aunt’s flip hotel and enjoy the island.  It’s all supposed to be perfectly random – only, Felicity starts to uncover connections between her guests.  When one of them winds up murdered, Felicity has to keep her aunt from becoming the main suspect.

The killer is very clearly calling Felicity out, leaving clues that mean little to anyone other than her.  But that doesn’t narrow down the suspect pool.  Her guests are there because they love the true crime podcast she’s been featured on.  And she can’t decide whether the killer wants her to catch them – or just wants to taunt her.

Meanwhile, Felicity is also playing host to her future in-laws and discovers that her fiancé’s sister, who is also a cop, is very competitive.  Can Felicity hold her own and make a good impression, while keeping her business together and her aunt out of jail?  And can Felicity solve it in time to protect the people she cares about from becoming additional victims?   

Satchmo the retired police dog turned therapy dog returns to help her sniff out a few clues, and one of the guests brings along a ferret named Cheeseburger, who keeps showing up in the most unexpected places.

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BOOK TRAILER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amber Royer writes the Chocoverse comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach.

Amber and her husband live in the DFW Area, where you can often find them hiking or taking landscape, architecture, and wildlife photographs.

If you are very nice to Amber, she might make you cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes, of course! Amber blogs about creative writing techniques and all things chocolate at http://www.amberroyer.com.

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REVIEW

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This is another solid installment in my favorite cozy mystery series. I was curious how Ms. Royer would handle the ending of the love triangle subplot that had been an ongoing thread in the first six books. I’m happy to say she resolved it satisfactorily, and it led to the introduction of fresh storylines and new relationships that would keep the series going for many more books to come.

The elements that kept me coming back for more–the title of the featured classic literature, the innovative food and chocolate creations, the ever-increasing quirky and distinct cast of characters, the animal participation, the logical and believable mystery solving, and the subtle romance–are all present and accounted for. 

The intensity of the danger to Felicity has been scaled down in this book and that’s welcome after the high-octane excitement of the previous one.  Like with the others, this is a quick and enjoyable read. 

4 out of 5 stars

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THIS TIME AROUND by Kimberly Packard – Book Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway

THIS TIME AROUND

by

Kimberly Packard

Time Travel Romance / Contemporary Women’s Fiction / Romantic Comedy

Publisher: Abalos Publishing

Date of Publication: June 11, 2024

Number of Pages: 286 pages 

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SYNOPSIS

Most of us would jump at a chance for a do-over of our teenage years…but what if our worst mistakes lead to our happily-ever-after?

Josie Gardner’s life revolves around her amazing children and her career. But, when her husband threatens to take her kids in their divorce, and the business she’s put most of her passion, time and money into building is at risk of failing, a panic attack shatters her grip on reality… and the present.

Josie wakes up in her teenage bedroom, thirty years in the past. She’s forced to relive her emotionally devastating senior year of high school — the year she cut her father out of her life, caused one of her best friends to sever ties, and turned away the boy she loved.

Determined to get back to her children in her own time, Josie tries to fix the mistakes she made, in the hope that righting wrongs will send her back to the present. But when tempted by her high school crush Josie faces the real possibility of losing her future for good.

Would you take a second chance for love…even if it meant losing everything?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kimberly Packard is an award-winning author of women’s fiction.

When she isn’t writing, she can be found planning her next trip, asking her dog what’s in his mouth or curled up with a book. She resides in Texas with her husband Colby, a clever cat named Oliver and a precocious black lab named Tully. 

Her debut novel, Phoenix, was awarded as Best General Fiction of 2013 by the Texas Association of Authors. She is also the author of a Christmas novella, The Crazy Yates, and the sequels to Phoenix, Pardon Falls and Prospera Pass, and her stand-alone titles Vortex, Dire’s Club and This Time Around. She was honored as one of the Top 10 Haute Young Authors by Southern Methodist University in 2019. Vortex was the 2019 winner of the Pencraft award in Women’s Fiction, and Dire’s Club, was awarded the 2021 General Fiction of the Year by the North Texas Book Festival.

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REVIEW

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This was such an engaging read that I finished it in one sitting. I truly couldn’t put it down. For four hours, Ms. Packard entertained me with a story that should be implausible but I accepted it wholeheartedly without blinking an eye. No suspension of disbelief necessary. I was hooked from the highly relatable beginning until the totally satisfying ending.

Life is to be lived, not managed. Friends are to be cherished, not controlled.”

I liked all the characters in this story. From Josie to her kids Aubrey and Ben; her best friends Em and Sofia; her parents Patricia and Alan; her three geeks Stuart, Matthew, and Jake; and the love of her life Daniel. I even liked the not-so-sympathetic side characters — Peter the ex-husband and Ruby the ex-best friend–for example. They are all somehow real and familiar, similar to flesh and blood people I’ve met in my life. 

Ms. Packard’s writing of Josie was superb. The author balanced the lead character’s forty-seven-year-old and seventeen-year-old selves amazingly well. 

That’s the thing about life. It’s the sum total of the choices, the mistakes, the right calls that we make up until that moment. If you change once of those … it completely changes who you are. Who you become.”

This Time Around has many elements that please me as a reader — themes of family and friendship, thought-provoking ruminations and discussions, evocative situations that elicit an emotional response, massive character growth, and a sweet romance. I look forward to reading more of this series and this talented author’s work.

4 Four-half-stars

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06/18/24Carpe Diem ChroniclesReview
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THE GHOST OF WHISPERING WILLOW by Amanda M. Thrasher – Book Blitz: Spotlight and Giveaway

THE GHOST OF WHISPERING WILLOW

Second Edition by AMANDA M. THRASHER

Children’s Horror / Fantasy / Magic / Chapter Book

Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press

Page Count: 246

Publication Date: January 9, 2024

SYNOPSIS

Stewart sees a ghostly figure out of the corner of his eye. He and his friend, Andy, begin a ghost investigation that leads to an adventure of a lifetime.  Coming face-to-face with a ghost, the boys make a decision to join forces with a group of girls, who have encountered a ghost of their own. The kids soon find that the ghosts that they’ve encountered are in imminent danger and need their help. Can the kids devise a plan to help the ghost in time? Will they be able to reunite a ghost with his lost family? Complete with a ghost village and a feud, this story takes on a life of its own.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author Amanda M. Thrasher was born in England and moved to Texas, where she lives with her family. She writes YA, general fiction, middle grade, early reader chapter, and picture books. She is the founder and CEO of Progressive Rising Phoenix Press.

AMANDA M. THRASHER

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THE ELEMENTAL DRAGONS by Sybrina Durant – Book Blitz: Spotlight and Giveaway

MAGICAL ELEMENTS OF THE PERIODIC TABLE
PRESENTED ALPHABETICALLY
BY THE ELEMENTAL DRAGONS
Magical Elements of the Periodic Table, Book 2
By Sybrina Durant
Children’s Picture Book / STEM / Chemistry
Publisher: Sybrina Publishing
Page Count: 44
Publication Date: March 9, 2024
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In this unique alphabet book, members of the Elemental Dragon Clan present 26 Magical Elements of the Periodic Table in alphabetical order. Each member of the clan has an element tipped tail. They also have magical powers based on the properties of their metals. There are no more perfect groups than unicorns and dragons to familiarize yourself with elements from the Periodic Table. Their theme is: “No Metal — No Magic. . .and No Technology.”
In this book, Antz starts out the book by introducing the very necessary metal, Antimony on his element page. Zora rounds out the alphabet by presenting scientific facts and other fun information about the metal, Zirconium, on her elemental page. In all, readers will get some great insight into the properties of 26 elements from the periodic table. Each page is full of amazing facts and tons of FUN. There’s a Magical Elemental themed periodic table, too!
This unique book will help tweens, teens and anyone else quickly absorb the elements of the Periodic Table.
REMEMBER. . .
No Metal,
No Magic…
And No Technology.
It’s Techno-Magical!
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Sybrina Durant is a unicorn author and entrepreneur. In addition to books, she offers unicorn-themed activities, t-shirts, and more. Plus, she has pulled together a collection of nearly all the unicorn books available today from hundreds of authors. They are categorized on her website by Little Kid, Middle Kid, and Teen Unicorn Books

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THIS FAMILIAR HEART by Babette Fraser Hale – Book Blog Tour: Review

THIS FAMILIAR HEART:
AN IMPROBABLE LOVE STORY
by
Babette Fraser Hale
Memoir / Relationships / Aging / Grief
Publisher: Winedale Publishing
Date of Publication: April 2, 2024
Number of Pages: 312 pages

In this intimate rendering of a relationship, we learn how deceptive surface impressions can be.

Leon Hale, author of Bonney’s Place, was sixty years old, a “country boy” who wrote about rural Texans with humor and sensitivity in his popular column for The Houston Post and, later the Houston Chronicle. Babette Fraser at thirty-six was a child of privilege, a city girl educated abroad, struggling in her career while raising a young son. No one thought it could work.

Even Hale himself held serious doubts. But it did endure. The interior congruencies they discovered through a long and turbulent courtship knit them tightly together for the rest of his life.

And when he died during the Pandemic isolation period, searing levels of grief and doubt threatened Babette’s understanding of the partnership and marriage that had sustained her for forty years. Had he really been the person she thought he was? Had he kept secrets that would forever change her view of him?

In candid, evocative prose, she explores the distorted perceptions that often follow the death of a cherished spouse, and the loving resolution that allows life to go on.

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Review_preview
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This Familiar Heart is such an affecting read, my review reads more like a sharing of my feelings rather than a formal literary critique.
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The act of writing is both a disclosure and a construct.”
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– I loved the present-tense narration because it places the reader right smack in the middle of the story as the events unfold. Surprisingly, I also liked the occasional interspersing of first-person memories/clarifications by Ms. Hale. I don’t usually appreciate such a device in fiction because it breaks up the flow of the story but it works for this memoir.
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… a sort of other-worldly vibe that makes his presence in the room feel like kind of a gift.”
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– Leon Hale’s POV feels authentic. His voice comes out strong. It’s as if he wrote the words himself. The depiction of him is realistic with many of his flaws and virtues equally revealed. This is excellent writing that could only come from someone who knows him deeply and who loves him greatly.
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Then there was that electricity–what I call his ‘shimmer’.”
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– I swooned at the romance, the instantaneous attraction, the palpable chemistry that leaps off the pages. Ms. Hale captured everything–the fears, confusion, and tears, the joys and thrills, the pushes and pulls–so vividly, it’s like a romance novel within a memoir. Except in this book the age gap, the disparity in economic backgrounds, and the emotional wounds are not mere tropes, they’re lived experiences.
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– I absolutely adore the letters. The bravery to lay oneself vulnerable in sharing something so personal amazes me. The fluidity and lyricism in the language are astounding and truly enviable. It’s a privilege to get a close glimpse into the lives of such remarkable people as Leon Hale and Babette Fraser Hale.
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You’ll hurt for a while, but you’ll be all right.”
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-The last part of this book was so hard to read. Tears clouded my vision for hours after I put the book down. But my difficulty for sure could not compare with the pain Ms. Hale had to go through in reliving those dark months. I have so much respect and admiration for her and gratitude for sharing her life and love with the world.
4 Four-half-stars

Babette Fraser Hale is the author of A Wall of Bright Dead Feathers, 2022 winner of the debut fiction award from the Texas Institute of Letters. Her stories have received notice from Best American Short Stories, 2015 and the Meyerson Award from Southwest Review. In addition to writing fiction, Babette has been a magazine feature writer, columnist, contributing editor, book editor, and publisher. She lives in Texas.

IT STARTED WITH A SECRET by Tif Marcelo – Featured New Release

It Started With a Secret background

IT STARTED WITH A SECRET

Spirit of the Shenandoah Book 1

by

Tif Marcelo


BLURB

It Started With a Secret cover

When one unforgettable night…
Leads to a whole new life…

When Jared Sotheby arrives in Peak, Virginia, to search for his identity—and his Filipino roots—he doesn’t anticipate an instant connection with a stunning woman he meets on his first night in town. And he certainly doesn’t expect her to be managing the B & B owned by the biological family he’s searching for!

One passionate night aside, Matilda Matthews needs a cook, and Jared, a chef, needs a way in. She’ll give him the job if he keeps his identity a secret—for now. Their subterfuge quickly grows complicated as Jared yearns for a connection—not only with his family, but also with the once-bitten Matilda. But first he’ll have to convince her to let a younger man into her heart…

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Buy links: 

Tif’s Website
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ABOUT TIF

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Tif Marcelo is a veteran US Army nurse and holds a BS in Nursing and a Master’s in public administration. She believes and writes about the strength of families, the endurance of friendship, heartfelt romances, and is inspired daily by her own military hero husband and four children. She hosts The Stories to Love Podcast, and is the USA Today bestselling author of In a Book Club Far AwayOnce Upon a SunsetThe Key to Happily Ever After, and the Journey to the Heart series.

Follow her here:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook


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AMETHYST, THE SHALLOWS – Pop-Up/Blog-Hop: Review and Giveaway

AMETHYST, THE SHALLOWS
by
Kellye Abernathy
YA / Magical Realism / Coming of Age
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Page Count: 296 pages
Publication Date: February 6, 2024
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“This is a night for being brave.”
In the aftermath of a devastating sickness that shatters their close-knit beach town, six lonely kids are drawn together during the unpredictable autumn equinox. Among them are fourteen-year-old Lorelei, who yearns to be an oceanographer, and her peculiar younger brother, Tad, who possesses an otherworldly curiosity.
When Lorelei has a strange and almost deadly encounter in a sea cave, her loyal boyfriend, Casey, cannot reconcile her fantastical experience with the rational world. Condi, Lorelei’s best friend, understands ocean magic but isn’t free to share what she knows. Kait, a girl from Ireland, regrets her impulsive move to America–all because of an odd occurrence involving her deceased boyfriend’s lost surfboard. When tides turn and the moon shifts, Isaac, the new kid in town who despises the ocean, is forced to face the truth–a profound and powerful magic lives in the deep.
Guided by a wise surf master, mystical old women known as the Beachlings, and an open-hearted grandmother, six kids embark on transformative adventures that challenge their beliefs about possibilities and the intense nature of love.
Amethyst, the Shallows is the companion novel to The Aquamarine Surfboard.
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Review_preview
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… how much cozy comfort there is to be found between the pages of a good book.”
     Filled with wonderful characters, vivid descriptions, and emotive prose, Amethyst, The Shallows is a transportative work of fiction that is simply magical.
If you have a book, you’re never alone.”
     This tale takes us to the mystical Dipitous Beach with its tight-knit community of children and adults who navigate highly relatable true-to-life issues like losses and illnesses as well as friendships and love. The book also transports us to the wonders of the underwater world with its amazing creatures, both imaginary and real.
Everything comes back to love.”
     While every one of the named characters is fascinating in their own right, I can’t help but have a favorite– the special little boy Tad Finch. His courage, intelligence, maturity beyond his years, and feeling with colors endeared him to me. I wanted to hug him whenever he appeared on the page. Truly, Ms. Abernathy made me care about the characters in this book–Lori and Casey, Condi and Isaac, Grand Ella, Andy, Trippy and Fancie, Kait and Vinnie, and even Figment, the octopus, and Guardian, the parrot.
     She also made me impatient to read the next installment in the series. I am totally invested in these stories now and am looking forward to enjoying them in the years to come.
… age never matters; these things are about bravery and heart.”
5 stars

Kellye Abernathy’s passions are writing and serving trauma survivors as a yoga teacher and practical life skills advocate. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary English Education from the University of Kansas. Her home is in land-locked Plano, Texas—where she’s dreaming of her next trip to the sea!

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