WHISKEY ON OUR SHOES by Tonya Preece – Pop-Up Blog-Hop: Review and Giveaway

WHISKEY ON OUR SHOES

Tonya Preece

Contemporary Romance / New Adult

Publisher: Champagne Book Group

Page Count: 238 pages

Publication Date: February 12, 2023

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Eva dodges the fans, media, and gossip that follow her supermodel mom and rock star family members by wearing disguises. After an aimless gap year, she struggles to figure out what she wants from life. She moves in with her famous guitar god brother in Austin while he recovers from a drunken stage stunt accident and tries to stay sober. When a hot Texas cowboy named Alex takes Eva by surprise, she risks her safety and security of anonymity by letting him into her unconventional life.

Alex is captivated by Eva and promises to protect her privacy. Yet he has a secret of his own—the fling he had with an older woman is fraught with scandalous potential for him and now Eva. He broke free of that mistake months ago, or so he thought. As things heat up with Eva, his old flame returns and won’t leave him alone.

Just when Alex thinks he has the reins on the situation, his ex teams up with a gossip reporter hell-bent on invading Eva’s privacy. The resulting exposé, with a sly spin on a recent encounter with his ex, is Alex’s worst nightmare, and Eva’s unsure what to believe. Can she face the world with Alex at her side or will she return into hiding?

Purchase on Amazon:

Paperback │ eBook

I don’t normally read young adult romance, preferring love stories with main characters thirty and older since those are what I write but every once in a while, I shake things up and try something different. When the opportunity to join the blog hop for Whiskey on Our Shoes came up, I jumped in right away because the cover and blurb caught my interest.

I’m glad I did because I enjoyed this coming-of-age story. I find that my prejudices did not apply. The main characters Eva and Alex are youthful but are not childish. They are appropriately daring to experience new things and at the same time cautious of making mistakes. Their reluctance to share their secrets is natural and relatable even for older adults like me.

Except for a couple of detestable secondary characters, I like the people in this story. I especially like Eva for her genuine kindness particularly towards Alex’s sister Lena and her lack of desire to be in the spotlight. She’s down-to-earth despite her celebrity background and incredibly easy to root for. I also like Alex for his sweetness and his display of respect towards his parents. His confusion with regard to Angie appeared authentic and it was totally understandable.

The depiction of family dynamics, both the solidness of Alex’s and the dysfunction of Eva’s, seems to be reflective of real life. That for me is a plus, along with the balance in the light and emotional moments.

Ms. Preece crafted an engaging and well-paced story that is current, fresh, and appealing for romance readers of all ages. The focus on consent is commendable. It’s more slow burn than I prefer but it fits the characters in the story.

There’s also a great sense of place. The descriptions transported me to Austin, Florence, and San Antonio, which made me miss my former residence. I’m glad I get to visit through the pages of this book.

Thanks to Lone Star Lit for including me in the blog tour and bringing to my attention a fantastic source of entertainment.

Tonya Preece writes romance and contemporary young adult fiction and incorporates music into all her books in one way or another. She lives near Austin, TX where she’s a small business manager for a forensic engineering firm. She and her husband enjoy traveling, live music, wine, and spoiling their fur babies.

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THREE WINNERS

Grand Prize: autographed paperback & $10 Amazon gift card;

2nd Prize: autographed paperback;

3rd Prize: eBook

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THE PUPPY ADVENTURES OF PORTER & MIDGE – Pop-Up Blog Hop: Review and Giveaway

THE PUPPY ADVENTURES OF PORTER & MIDGE:

OUT AND ABOUT

Jennie Chen and Giselle Nevada

Children’s Book / Pet Books / Pet Care

Publisher: Raise the Woof Press

Page Count: 38 pages

Publication Date: May 16, 2023

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Introducing The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge: Out and About – a quick introduction to early socialization and training for puppies that will make them outstanding canine citizens and wonderful family pets.

Kids will love following along with the two puppies’ story set in Austin, Texas, as they learn about how to take care of their own puppy. This is the first book in a series of story books, journals, and activity books.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:

“Gift this book to any new puppy owner you know!”–Lynn M. Hayner, Author at dogster

“Chen and Nevada write in an easy and enjoyable style…If you are a dog lover, this storybook is for you. Help your children become the best dog companion they can be.” -Philip Van Heusen, Reader’s Favorite

Purchase on Amazon

Review_preview

My fourteen-year-old son and I read The Puppy Adventures together and after we finished it, we shared the sentiment of wanting to go to the nearest shelter to adopt a dog. Not right away though, according to my son. Not until he’s read the book a few more times to make sure he knows how to train the future new member of the family to behave like Porter and Midge. That speaks well of the authors. Having the children CJ and Lora take full responsibility for training the puppies in socialization shows readers of similar age that they can do it too with proper guidance and enough preparation.

We were both greatly impressed with the illustration. The variety of sceneries, the sheer number of individuals and elements in each frame, the intricate details of the features particularly of the animals, the vibrant personalities of the book’s stars Porter and Midge, and most especially the diversity of people represented. My Filipino American boy saw himself in the pages of the book and that’s a huge credit to Ann Kelble, Jennie Chen, and Giselle Nevada for ensuring multicultural inclusion.

Providing both entertainment and instruction, this book is equally appropriate for middle-grade and adult readers. Many of the long passages are informative but might require more assistance and a little more discussion with the parents or teachers before younger kids could absorb their message. What is certain though is that all dog lovers and potential puppy companions will enjoy this gem of a book.

Thanks to Lone Star Lit for including me in the blog hop for this book. I truly cherish spending quality reading time with my son — a rare opportunity that this pop-up has given me.

Jennie Chen is a homesick Austinite who founded Keep Austin Dog Friendly. Over the last 20 years, Jennie has owned Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs and Lowchen. She has earned numerous titles in conformation, competitive obedience, rally, herding, animal assisted therapy, and more. She is passionate about the relationship people build with their beloved canines, and she has been an advocate for people living with disabilities who need a service dog to live independently. She is active in various dog clubs and can be seen on AKC.TV from time to time.

Giselle Nevada has owned several mastiffs, acquired both from reputable breeders and via rescue. Fostering rescued mastiffs and helping them work through their issues led to a keen interest in socialization as a means of preventing future issues. She loves working with her dogs and has dabbled in carting, conformation, agility, rally, trick dog, nose work, and many other canine sports. Her puppy Porter is a testament to early socialization – he has achieved many performance dog titles and has done commercial work. He also has a role in a movie called Match Me If You Can directed by Marian Yeager.

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The Puppy Adventures of Porter & Midge: Out and About

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PRIDE NOT PREJUDICE, A Romantic Charity Collection – Featured New Release

Pride Not Prejudice

A Romantic Charity Collection Celebrating the LGBTQIA+ Community

About the Anthology

Pride Not Prejudice is a charity collection of 22, never-before-published, brand-new stories featuring and benefiting love and Happily Ever Afters across the gender and sexual identity spectrums. Proceeds from both ebook and paperback will be donated to four nationally renowned organizations in support of LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized and oppressed communities in the United States, including PLANNED PARENTHOOD, HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN, NATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSGENDER EQUALITY and HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ADVANCING LGBTQ+ MEDICAL TREATMENT AND EQUALITY.

BUY LINK: https://books2read.com/u/4EJqDg

About The Authors

The following contributing authors are either NYT or USA Today bestselling or LGBTQIA+ or BIPOC own-voice authors who are allies, parents, or children touched by the need to read more romance where people of all identities and orientations find love.

Amalie Howard ~ April White ~ Camille Duplessis ~ Chencia C. Higgins~ Cynthia St. Aubin ~ Darynda Jones ~ Erica Ridley ~ Hildie McQueen ~ Jade Lee w/a Kathy Lyons ~ Janna MacGregor ~ Jennifer Ashley ~ Mila Finelli ~ Kerrigan Byrne ~ Kim Loraine ~ Kristan Higgins ~ Mira Lyn Kelly ~ Piper Huguley ~ Robyn Peterman ~ Rosalind James ~ Ruby Dixon ~ Sara Ney ~ Skye Warren

Please note: **We are not affiliated with these charities, but are a collective of authors who hold human rights, dignity, and the ability to love and live without fear incredibly sacred.**

CONFESSIONS OF A KNIGHT ERRANT by Gretchen McCullough – Pop-Up Blog-Hop: Review and Giveaway

CONFESSIONS OF A KNIGHT ERRANT

by Gretchen McCullough

Humorous Fiction

Publisher: Cune Press

Page Count: 240 pages

Publication Date: October 18, 2022

Scroll down for a giveaway!

Confessions of a Knight Errant is a comedic, picaresque novel in the tradition of Don Quixote with a flamboyant cast of characters.

Dr. Gary Watson is the picaro, a radical environmentalist and wannabe novelist who has been accused of masterminding a computer hack that wiped out the files of a major publishing company. His Sancho Panza is Kharalombos, a fat, gluttonous Greek dancing teacher, who is wanted by the secret police for cavorting with the daughter of the Big Man of Egypt.

Self-preservation necessitates a hurried journey to the refuge of a girls’ camp in rural Texas. Then a body turns up nearby that is connected to Middle East antiquities, and they are on the run once more.

CLICK TO PURCHASE

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With its kooky characters, zany situations, offbeat humor, and marvelous sense of place, Confessions of a Knight Errant is an immensely entertaining read. Its episodic format lends itself well to a cinematic adaptation, particularly that of a situational comedy. Hollywood, check this thing out!

Leading the memorable cast of multicultural characters is Dr. Gary Watson/Smith/Cooper, a professor, author, environmentalist, wrongfully accused cybercriminal, and compulsive liar with Daddy issues. His wild misadventures, ridiculous conversations, and off tangent musings elicited many smiles and chuckles from me. So authentic was his male voice that I had to constantly check who the author is. I appreciate the talent it takes to do that effectively.

I also admire Ms. McCullough’s skill in incorporating so many named characters in the story and making each distinct and recognizable. I cannot decide who is the most fascinating character after Gary — the dramatic and charismatic Kharalombos, the multi-talented Gudrun, or the efficient Mary Alice. Why choose? All of the above.

If there’s one thing guaranteed to make me like a book, it’s that it must transport me to the setting of the story. Confessions of a Knight Errant does that and more. It flew me to Egypt during the Arab Spring in 2011. Despite the light tone, I experienced the chaos and uncertainty in Cairo through Gary’s observations and Kharalombos’s despair. This book also returned me to the German enclaves of the Texas Hill Country, an area I’m very familiar with having lived in both San Antonio and San Angelo. And the girls’ camp took me back to the time many decades ago when I was a Camp Counselor at a Girl Scouts’ summer camp. I simply love traveling through books.

And that’s why, despite the unconventional style of storytelling, the prolonged suspension of disbelief required of the readers, and the nonsensical dialogues, I’m giving this a high rating and recommending it to everyone who needs a light distraction from everyday troubles.

Thanks to Lone Star Lit for providing me with a copy to review and for the opportunity to join the blog-hop.

Gretchen McCullough was raised in Harlingen Texas. After graduating from Brown University in 1984, she taught in Egypt, Turkey, and Japan. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and was awarded a teaching Fulbright to Syria from 1997-1999.

Her stories, essays and reviews have appeared in The Barcelona Review, Archipelago, National Public Radio, Story South, Guernica, The Common, The Millions, and the LA Review of Books. Translations in English and Arabic have been published in: Nizwa, Banipal, Brooklyn Rail in Translation, World Literature Today, and Washington Square Review with Mohamed Metwalli. Her bilingual book of short stories in English and Arabic, Three Stories From Cairo, translated with Mohamed Metwalli, was published in July 2011 by AFAQ Publishing House, Cairo. A collection of short stories about expatriate life in Cairo, Shahrazad’s Tooth, was also published by AFAQ in 2013.

Currently, she is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Rhetoric and Composition at the American University in Cairo.

* American University Faculty Webpage *

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ONE WINNER!

In Confessions of a Knight Errant, readers get a taste of the Hill Country. One winner will, too, with a one-pound bag of pecans from Berdoll Pecan Candy & Gift Company!

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“SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS” by Dina Gachman – Pop-Up Blog Hop: Review and Giveaway

“SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS”

by Dina Gachman

Grief & Bereavement / Love & Loss / Parenting & Relationships
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Page Count: 240 pages
Publication Date: April 11, 2023

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A heartfelt exploration about what it means to process grief, by a bestselling author and journalist whose experience with two devastating losses inspired her to bring comfort and understanding to others.

Since losing her mother to cancer in 2018 and her sister to alcoholism less than three years later, author and journalist Dina Gachman has dedicated herself to understanding what it means to grieve, healing after loss, and the ways we stay connected to those we miss. Through a mix of personal storytelling, reporting, and insight from experts and even moments of humor, Gachman gives readers a fresh take on grief and bereavement—whether the loss is a family member, beloved pet, or a romantic relationship. No one wants to join the grief club, since membership comes with zero perks, but So Sorry for Your Loss will make that initiation just a little less painful.

In the spirit of Elizabeth Kubler Ross books like On Grief and Grieving, or C.S. Lewis’s A Grief Observed, So Sorry for Your Loss is the perfect gift for someone who is grieving. With her blend of personal experiences, expert advice, and just a little bit of humor, Gachman has provided a compassionate and compelling resource for anyone looking for grief books.

PRAISE FOR SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS:

“Gachman perceptively puts words to the uncomfortable realities of loss…and deconstructs its social myths, helping readers feel less alone. Those facing loss will find solace here.” —Publishers Weekly

“So Sorry for Your Loss is a monument to the work of remembering and a testament to the immutable love of family and the grief that forever changes us.” —Lauren Hough, New York Times bestselling author of Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing

“So Sorry for Your Loss is a meditation on loss that reminds us how to go on living.” —Deirdre Fagan, author of Find a Place for Me and The Grief Eaters

CLICK TO PURCHASE ON:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Bookshop

This book wrecked me and affirmed me all at the same time. The first is self-explanatory and expected given the title and subject matter. The second is surprising and what made me appreciate “So Sorry For Your Loss” and Ms. Gachman’s writing of it even more.

Grief does not discriminate.”

Going in, I knew I was going to be emotional reading this book. Many years ago, my dad died after a long illness. Three months later, my husband and I had to make the devastating decision to say goodbye to our beloved pet Baldr, a German Shepherd/Siberian Husky mix we considered our first baby. To say I could relate to the author with her consecutive losses of loved ones is an extreme understatement. While our circumstances were vastly different, the common denominator of grief connecting us was enormous.

Between her sharing of her personal experiences and her extensive research on the subject, Ms. Gachman articulated eloquently what I was feeling at the time but haven’t been able to put into words. The pain that was actually physical, the holding on to objects to retain continuing bonds, the internal conflict between trying to keep it together and the temptation to fall apart, the need to talk, the search for a community that understands the same or similar loss — these were all defined and expounded on in this book. These for me were affirmations that my expression of grief, my prolonged mourning, was valid, perhaps even universal.

Despite our best intentions and loftiest goals, there is one outcome that is 100 percent guaranteed in romance and in life. Each one of us will, at some point, take our last breath.”

The inevitability of my mom and my parents-in-law passing on is always at the back of my mind. In some ways, I’ll be prepared for the grief that is to come, having gone through it before with my dad. This book helps as well. It has been educational as much as it has been evocative. The sections about hospice care and stages of grief have been eye-opening for me. When the time comes, I will likely reread and look up my forty-three annotations, especially those welcome bursts of humor (Plutarch! Tinder! Dolly!) that balanced the heavy weight of the subject of grief.

Huge thanks to the author’s publicity team for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss and to Lone Star Lit for allowing me to share my thoughts on this absolute gift of a book.

Dina Gachman is a Pulitzer Center Grantee and a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Vox, Texas Monthly, and more. She’s a New York Times bestselling ghostwriter and the author of Brokenomics: 50 Ways to Live the Dream on a Dime. She lives near Austin, Texas, with her husband and son. Photo credit Jessica Comiskey.

Website ◆ Instagram ◆ Twitter

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Three winners each receive a signed copy of

So Sorry for Your Loss

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WINNING MAURA’S HEART by Linda Broday – Book Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway

WINNING MAURA’S HEART

The Hangman’s Daughters Series, Book # 1

LINDA BRODAY

Western Romance / Clean & Wholesome / Historical Fiction

Publisher: Severn House

Date of Publication: March 7, 2023

Number of Pages: 256 pages

Scroll down for the Giveaway!

The Calhoun brothers are identical twins but on opposite sides of the law. Cutter is a deputy Marshal, Jonas an outlaw. When Cutter attempts to break his brother out of a notorious gang, they are shot, and Maura finds one of them wounded, close to the mission – but which brother is it?

Maura Taggart is an outcast, the daughter of a hangman and tainted by association – no reputable man wants her as his wife. And now she is homeless, along with her sister and the group of children in their care. Armed with pure grit, she finds a nearby mission where the nuns agree to take them in and set up an orphanage. But trouble is just around the corner . . .

As the stranger regains his strength under Maura’s care an attraction between them grows, yet how far can she trust him? And why has he brought trouble to their door? With the orphanage under threat can Maura trust this handsome stranger both with their safety and with her heart?

UNIVERSAL PURCHASE LINK:

https://books2read.com/u/3LVQ9D

From the incredibly evocative first page, Winning Maura’s Heart grabbed my attention and my heart and didn’t let go until the tenderly sweet ending. This story of outcast sisters, abandoned children, an unforgiving society, and morally ambiguous men had me tearing up in parts and once again admiring Ms. Broday’s remarkable writing prowess. She is an auto-read for me whenever I get a hankering for a good old-school Western romance.

You’ll never get anywhere by sitting down and giving up.”

Maura Taggart joins the long list of Ms. Broday’s amazingly stalwart heroines. Along with her sister Emma, she somehow survived being driven out of San Antonio by ungrateful citizens while taking care of more than a dozen orphaned children armed only with her indomitable will, innate kindness, and unshakeable faith in a higher power. In saving a half-dead man, an abused child, an alcoholic uncle, and many lives, she is the embodiment of a true heroine.

By contrast, Calhoun is not a clear-cut hero. There is a mystery surrounding his real identity and he exists in the gray area between bad and good. I really appreciate how Linda wrote him as well as Max Taggart. Both men earned redemption through their actions. Such is the power of love.

New life was born from hopeless despair.”

Nothing symbolizes love more than children. In this story, they provided both touching moments and funny scenes. They supplied the light to balance the heavy and dark threats of violence and abuse.

Indeed, Ms. Broday penned another action-packed and adventuresome novel that also taught me something new (hint: spiderweb) while satisfying my romance-loving heart. Her talent is so extraordinary, I’m willing to accept the improbabilities that happened in the story to bring about a happy-ever-after.

Thank you, Linda, for this book. And thank you, Lone Star Lit, for providing me with the opportunity to review this story and be included in the blog tour.

I’m a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of western romance novels and short stories. Watching TV westerns during my youth fed my love of cowboys and the old West and they still do. On a still day, I can often hear the voices of American Indians, Comancheros, and early cowboys whispering in the breeze here on the high West Texas plains. We refer to this land as “cowboy” country and men here still ride the range just as cowboys of old. My stories focus on family life and almost all have children.

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THREE WINNERS:

GRAND PRIZE: tote including a signed copy of Winning Maura’s Heart, strawberry & chocolate tea, Cowgirl hand lotion, bath bombs, personalized cup;

2nd Prize: eBook copy Winning Maura’s Heart;

3rd Prize: $15 Amazon gift card

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WHEN JASMINE BLOOMS by Tif Marcelo – Featured New Release

WHEN JASMINE BLOOMS

by

Tif Marcelo

BLURB

From USA Today bestselling author Tif Marcelo comes a timeless tale of motherhood inspired by Little Women about one woman’s grief, hope, and second chance with the daughter she lost.

It’s been two years since Celine lost her daughter Libby. Desperate to escape her grief, Celine throws herself into her work, determined to be the strong, capable woman the world believes her to be. But there’s no fooling her family.

A shocking intervention brings an impossible choice: confront her grief or risk losing the family she still has. Reeling, Celine wonders what her life would have been like if she’d chosen her first love instead of her husband and avoided this pain altogether.

Celine wakes the following day and is shocked to realize that what-if has become reality. She’s with her high school sweetheart, her daughters aren’t quite her daughters, and her home is being rented by the daughter she thought she’d lost forever.

As she reconnects with Libby in this parallel world, Celine is forced to face the problems in her real life: her unwillingness to move forward, the tension that’s always rocked her family, and the hard truth that not everything can be fixed by a mother’s love.

Buy links:

Tif’s Website
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

ABOUT TIF

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 Away, Once Upon a Sunset, The Key to Happily Ever After, and the Journey to the Heart series.

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DANCING WITH THE DEVIL By Emma Brady – Preorder Feature

DANCING WITH THE DEVIL

Emma Brady

BLURB

He returned to New York with more muscles, more money, and a taste for revenge…

Robert Donovan left New York as a broken-hearted boy. To avoid scandal ruining his older brother’s engagement, Robert was packed up and sent out West to live with his uncle. He spent his time there wisely, growing into his good looks and gathering money at the card tables. His plan was to return to New York a most desirable man, to catch the eye of the woman he had loved all his life and who hadn’t returned the feelings. Then he could turn the tables on her and make her feel the kind of loss he suffered.

Becca O’Hare had grown up with all three of the Donovan brothers, but it was the middle son Brandon who stole her heart. He left shortly after announcing their engagement, to pursue a lead for the family business, and never returned. Now, five years later, her family is pressuring her to move on and find another suitable husband. She can’t help but notice how much Robert has changed. From his muscled body in a suit to his fancy hotel business, he has become the type of man any woman would want.

Can Becca let go of her guilt and let her heart fall for the new man Robert has become? Will Robert go through with his plans for revenge if she does? Or can the two of them find a new future together?

Out on April 25. Amazon preorder link: Dancing-Devil/B0BZTMPKG7

ABOUT EMMA

Emma Brady is an author who resides in Kansas. She went to school to be a librarian but now works for a company that sells fine art online. She has two nephews and two dogs, with whom she enjoys spending time. Her long-time interest in Victorian love stories led to her becoming an author.

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SWEET COMFORT by Kimberly Fish – Pop-Up Blog-Hop

SWEET COMFORT

Comfort and Joy Trilogy, #1

KIMBERLY FISH

Women’s Fiction / Later-In-Life Romance

Second-Chance Romance / Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Fish Tales

Page Count: 359 pages

Publication Date: January 21, 2023

Scroll down for a giveaway!

Welcome to the hometown everyone wants to call their own.

Gloria Bachman, a retired bank executive, has eight weeks to flip a location on Comfort’s High Street into a boutique chocolate shop. Defying expectations for “women of a certain age,” Gloria rediscovers talents and a sharpening of skills. If only she could read people as well as she does a spreadsheet. Even with the renovation in good hands, the subsequent struggle to name the shop brings Gloria and her business partner into conflict with a shady citizen. While Gloria is capable of remaining in her retirement rut while opening a business, two competing social groups try to lure her into their networks, causing Gloria to wonder if she ever knew Comfort at all. A murder rocks the community and revives investigative instincts honed by years in the banking industry.

Mason Lassiter, a disgraced CEO, has his own dramas to escape and the offbeat town seems the perfect place to recover his self-esteem. What was to be a quick reversal of fortunes becomes a quest to right a deeply felt injustice. Fascinated by the women driving the energy of Comfort, he extends his stay to find out why the small town is the backdrop to their best tales. Tangling with his neighbor Gloria becomes his favorite pastime and the key to unlocking the mystery of his past—if he can convince her to trust him.

Chocolate and joy become the glue bringing an unlikely cast together, which just might change Gloria’s and Mason’s course for the better. With characters familiar from previous Comfort novels and introducing fresh names, Sweet Comfort will entertain those who like their stories seasoned with coziness and sweet, second chances.

Purchase on Amazon

My favorite small-town Texas series is back in the form of a spin-off trilogy. This first book Sweet Comfort lives up to its title with its familiar (from Comfort Stories) and newly-introduced characters welcoming readers with warmth, charm, romance, cozy mystery, and best of all, gourmet chocolates.

It always feels like a homecoming whenever I read a Comfort story by Kimberly Fish. She writes a smooth-flowing, slow-burning story featuring fully fleshed-out characters set in a place that makes me want to visit and revisit often.

This latest installment delighted me especially because Gloria Bachman is the main protagonist. I was intrigued with her in Comfort Foods and I’m happy she gets not just one but three stories that are focused on her life and relationships in the Comfort and Joy series. Now that I’m a Golden Girl myself, I love reading stories centered around people of the same generation proving we still have a lot to contribute to society despite our advancing years. Gloria, with her new venture into business ownership and her deepening involvement in the Comfort community, proves that and more.

It was entertaining to read her vacillate between openness and reluctance in dealing with her neighbors, business associates, and potential love interest in Mason Lassiter. I loved that Ms. Fish infused her with kindness, smarts, and savvy as well as lingering baggage from her past, a healthy suspicion about strangers, and occasional self-doubt that made her a well-developed person.

Truly, all the named characters in this story are multifaceted, from Drue to Wanda to Joynella and even the hapless Ted Bodine. The only character that needs more fleshing out is Mason. I guess we’ll know more about him in book two Finding Comfort, which I’m really looking forward to reading.

I enjoyed this story immensely. I do consider it more contemporary women’s fiction than a cozy mystery though. The murder mystery aspect lacks suspense, a sense of urgency to find out the identity of the killer, and a direct threat to Gloria’s well-being that would have created more tension.

A solid start to a new craveable series.

Kimberly Fish has been a professional writer in marketing and media for over thirty years, with regular contributions to area newspapers and magazines. As an accidental historian, she wrote two novels, The Big Inch and Harmon General, both based on factual events in Longview, Texas that changed world history. Kimberly also offers a set of contemporary women’s fiction novels and novellas, based in the Texas Hill Country, that reveal her fascination with characters discovering their grit and sweet, second chances; all four of the novels have won distinguished awards. Sweet Comfort is her latest novel, the first book in the Comfort and Joy Trilogy.

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MIDNIGHT DUET by Jen Comfort – Featured Book Review

MIDNIGHT DUET

Jen Comfort

BLURB

Self-professed diva Erika Greene has it all: a starring role on Broadway, legions of fans, spectacular natural talent. But after an accident on stage leaves her face scarred and her career in shambles, Erika retreats to Paris, Nevada, where she’s inherited a ramshackle opera house in desperate need of some TLC.

Erika pours her savings into the building, but it’s not enough to stave off the greedy gaze of local casino developer Raoul Decomte. With foreclosure imminent, she makes a fast cash grab and leases the space to some unexpected tenants: a German hair metal band, fronted by glam rock god Christof Daae.

Erika is tempted by Christof’s low-slung leather pants―and even more by his ambitions for international superstardom―but he’s off-limits. The rest of his band thinks he’s still dating their beloved keyboardist, who is conveniently not present on this jaunt to the American Southwest. When Erika discovers Christof’s been unceremoniously dumped and is trying to keep it under wraps, she makes a deal to keep his secret…for a price, of course.

Christof is desperate to hold the rest of the band together after his keyboardist’s departure, but he can’t maintain the charade forever. Nor can he resist the opera house’s mysterious proprietor, who tempts him with midnight singing lessons. It isn’t long before sensuous nighttime interludes turn into smoldering backstage encounters.

But can their newly ignited passion survive the searing light of day? Or will their beautiful duet turn into a brokenhearted power ballad for one?

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ABOUT JEN

Jen Comfort is originally from Portland, Oregon, and dabbled in astrophysics before spending a decade working in restaurants in New York City and Portland. Now, she writes romantic comedies about hot nerds with very cool jobs. She spends her free time growing plants destined to die before their time, playing video games, and encouraging her two cats and malamute-husky dog to become internet famous with zero success.

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REVIEW

As a musical theatre junkie, I was both excited and apprehensive to read this gender-swapped retelling of “Phantom of the Opera”, one of my top ten favorite musicals of all time. It had the best stage production I’ve ever seen when I watched it performed in London, beating “Les Miserables” (also featured in this story) and “Miss Saigon” by a mile. It felt like the chandelier whizzed by my head before it crashed onto the stage. I can fondly recall now that I screeched like the croaking Carlotta during that scene. A fabulously immersive experience that can’t be replicated in the pages of a book.

The advance warning of the “unlikable heroine” also made me wary enough to set my expectations low even though I was never turned off by strong, unconventional female lead characters. Add the angsty tone of the blurb and I was prepared to give it three stars and call it a day. I’m glad I didn’t because I loved the book! I love Midnight Duet so much that I bought an eBook and an audiobook to add to the paperback copy I received from Wunderkind PR. I only ever do that if I love the book.

It was over the top, melodramatic, totally bonkers, utterly bananas and I love it! I love the main characters Erika and Christof, both of them divas of the first order. I loved the supporting cast as well, from Sybille down to Jean and Javert. I loved the humor, the heart, and the steam. Oh, wow, the heat. The sexytimes were fire!

TBC.