CARINA GASKELL – Featured Author

CARINA GASKELL

Romance Author

ABOUT CARINA

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
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/Carina_Gaskell
Amazon: .amazon.com/Carina-Gaskell/author
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@carinagaskellwrites
Facebook: facebook.com/carinagaskellwrites

CARINA’S BOOKS

Second Chance Books

When 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.

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

True North

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.

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

WORLD RUNNING DOWN by Al Hess — Featured New Release

WORLD RUNNING DOWN

Al Hess

BLURB

A transgender salvager on the outskirts of a dystopian Utah gets the chance to earn the ultimate score and maybe even a dash of romance. But there’s no such thing as a free lunch…
–––

Valentine Weis is a salvager in the future wastelands of Utah. Wrestling with body dysphoria, he dreams of earning enough money to afford citizenship in Salt Lake City – a utopia where the testosterone and surgery he needs to transition is free, the food is plentiful, and folk are much less likely to be shot full of arrows by salt pirates. But earning that kind of money is a pipe dream, until he meets the exceptionally handsome Osric.

Once a powerful AI in Salt Lake City, Osric has been forced into an android body against his will and sent into the wasteland to offer Valentine a job on behalf of his new employer – an escort service seeking to retrieve their stolen androids. The reward is a visa into the city, and a chance at the life Valentine’s always dreamed of. But as they attempt to recover the “merchandise”, they encounter a problem: the android ladies are becoming self-aware, and have no interest in returning to their old lives.

The prize is tempting, but carrying out the job would go against everything Valentine stands for, and would threaten the fragile found family that’s kept him alive so far. He’ll need to decide whether to risk his own dream in order to give the AI a chance to live theirs.

Buy Links:

Amazon
Penguin Random House

ABOUT AL

Al Hess (he/him) is the author of World Running Down and the self-published Hep Cats of Boise series. Semi-finalist in the SPSFC with Mazarin Blues.

When not hunched before a computer screen, Al can be found at his art desk. He does portraits in both pencil and oil paint and loves drawing fellow authors’ characters nearly as much as his own. He writes cozy and uplifting stories with queer, trans, and neurodiverse representation.

alhessauthor.com

instagram.com/alhess_artist

alhessauthor.com/subscribe

goodreads.com/author/Al_Hess

Happy Book Birthday – NEW YORK ENGAGEMENT

Love takes you to unexpected places
Krista Lopez has traveled from the white sands of Boracay Island to the bright lights of New York City for love. Once again out of her element, Krista embraces Carpe diem as a motto. With her boyfriend by her side, she has confidence to take on The Big Apple and the prospect of …

Meeting the Parents
Blake Ryan won the approval of his girlfriend’s conservative family when they met in the Philippines. Now, he’s eager to introduce the woman he loves to his Irish-American clan. To share his past with her as he prepares to ask her to be part of his future. But an urgent call in the middle of the night reminds him that things can change …

In a New York Minute
A terrible crime and his family’s mixed reception of Krista conspire to derail their plans for a stress-free vacation. Will the circumstances cool Krista and Blake’s romance? Or will they seize the day and strengthen their bond?

Now available from your favorite etailers:

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To my husband, B, and our son, Stevie, for always inspiring and supporting me.

To my editor, Linda Hill, for giving me proper guidance. This could have gone so differently if you didn’t show me the way.

To Trish Smith, for brainstorming the plot with me.

To my high school kabarkada, Dr. Love Mariano and Grace Soriano, for the expert medical consult.

To my Beta Readers: Milly Bellegris, Gena Gilliam, Sue Schober, and Violet Olivo, for your invaluable input. They improved my story tremendously.

To my cover artist, Lucy Rhodes, for finding Krista in New York. I adore working with you. You’re so spot on and we’re super in-sync. I always look forward to our working chats.

To Tessa Dare, for giving me the idea for Krista’s back story.

Thank you all. Marami’ng salamat.