By The Book

July Book Club Selection — The One You’re With

My book club is reading The One You’re With by Lauren K. Denton this month. This contemporary novel focusing on marriage has been on my TBR shelf way too long. Denton always delivers a thought-provoking read, so I am eager to discuss this one with my group. Have you read it? We’d love to know your thoughts.

Written in Lauren K. Denton’s signature Southern style, The One You’re With tells the story of a seemingly perfect marriage rocked by secrets from the past.

High-school sweethearts Mac and Edie Swan lead a seemingly picture-perfect life in the sleepy-sweet community of Oak Hill, near Mobile, Alabama. Edie is a respected interior designer, Mac is a beloved pediatrician, and they have two great kids and a historic home on tree-lined Linden Avenue. From the outside, the Swan family is the definition of “the good life.” And life is good—mostly. Until a young woman walks into Mac’s office one day. A young woman whose very existence threatens all Mac and Edie have built and all they think they know about each other.

Nineteen years after a summer apart, with a family and established lives and careers, the past that Mac and Edie thought they left behind has come back to greet them. For the first time, constants in their lives are called into question: their roles as parents, their reputation as upstanding members of the community, and the very foundations of their marriage. As they wade through the upheaval in both their family and professional lives, they must each examine choices they made long ago and chart a new course for their future.

Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren K. Denton now lives with her husband, two daughters, and one fluffy dog in Homewood, just outside Birmingham. In addition to her fiction, she writes a monthly newspaper column about life, relationships, and how funny (and hard) it is to be a parent. On any given day, she’d rather be at the beach with her family and a stack of books.

Find her at LaurenKDenton.com or on Facebook (LaurenKDentonAuthor) or Instagram (LaurenKDentonBooks).

Tags: contemporary fiction, Lauren K. Denton

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Categories What We're Reading

If You Liked . . . Cold Light of Day

30 Jun

Cold Light of Day by Elizabeth Goddard was my book club’s selection this month. It’s an easy to read romantic suspense good for a weekend of reading. If you liked it too, check out the following recommendations.

Set in Alaska

26 Below by Kimberly Woodhouse

In her new role as Emergency Operations Center director for Fairbanks, Alaska, Darcie Phillips prevents disasters. But none of her training can prepare her for the terror that’s coming.

As a cybersecurity specialist, Jason Myers is determined to ferret out any threats to the town he now calls home–and that includes his reckless brother and his ecoterrorist friends.

When an old woman’s wild prediction–widespread destruction as soon as the Fairbanks temperature falls to 26 below–hits national headlines, neither Darcie nor Jason sees a real risk to anything but tourism.

Then the bodies start dropping.

Darcie is relying on her experience and intelligence to stop a killer; Jason is relying on God to guide the way. They’ll have to work together to find the truth and prevent their Alaskan town from becoming a city of nightmares. The first in a thrilling new suspense series from best-selling author Kimberley Woodhouse, 26 Below will delight fans of Lynnette Eason, Irene Hannon, and Lynn Blackburn.

Missing Person

Vendetta by Lisa Harris

No one needs to push Nikki Boyd to excel on the Tennessee Missing Person Task Force. The case of her own missing sister, still unsolved after ten years, is the driving force in her work. When a Polaroid photo of a missing girl shows up at a crime scene, Nikki quickly recognizes similarities to the past. The closer she gets to the abductor, the more she feels that this case is getting personal, and that she is not the hunter at all–but actually the one being hunted.

With this explosive first book in the new Nikki Boyd Files, Lisa Harris takes readers on a fast-paced pursuit of justice that will have them holding their breath until the heart-stopping finish.

Female Police Chief

The Real Enemy by Kathy Herman

Brill Jessup would rather work than deal with the bitterness she feels about her husband Kurt’s infidelity. They’ve made a fresh start with Brill taking a job as the new police chief in a small East Tennessee town. Kurt is genuinely contrite and making every effort to show his commitment to Brill. Meanwhile Emily, their nine-year-old, is being the perfect little girl, as if she can make everything okay again. So why can’t Brill get over this anger? Work presents the perfect distraction as rumors and superstition are running rampant in the wake of the disappearances of seven people in seven days. As fear rises in the community, Brill works desperately to solve the mystery . . . until it threatens her family and she is forced to confront the real enemy.

Tags: Kathy Herman, Kimberly Woodhouse, Lisa Harris

Categories If You Liked . . .

First Line Friday — The All-American

30 Jun

Happy Friday! I am so excited about the latest book from Susie Finkbeiner. The All-American features the women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Susie is an outstanding author, and I just know this book will be my new favorite. And isn’t its cover wonderful?

Here’s the first line:

According to Mrs. Higginbottom — home economics teacher at Bonaventure Park High School — there were certain skills that the average girl needed to master in order to secure for herself a good husband, live in a nice home, raise clean-cut children, and serve her country.

Two sisters discover how much good there is in the world–even in the hardest of circumstances

It is 1952, and nearly all the girls 16-year-old Bertha Harding knows dream of getting married, keeping house, and raising children in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Bertha dreams of baseball. She reads every story in the sports section, she plays ball with the neighborhood boys–she even writes letters to the pitcher for the Workington Sweet Peas, part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

When Bertha’s father is accused of being part of the Communist Party by the House Un-American Activities Committee, life comes crashing down on them. Disgraced and shunned, the Hardings move to a small town to start over where the only one who knows them is shy Uncle Matthew. But dreams are hard to kill, and when Bertha gets a chance to try out for the Workington Sweet Peas, she packs her bags for an adventure she’ll never forget.

Join award-winning author Susie Finkbeiner for a summer of chasing down your dreams and discovering the place you truly belong.

Tags: historical fiction, Susie Finkbeiner

Comments 3 Comments
Categories First Line Friday

Spotlight On Contemporary Romance — Falling For The Cowboy Doc

29 Jun

Falling for the Cowboy Doc JustRead Blog + Review Tour

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Falling for the Cowboy Doc by Cari Lynn Webb, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About The Book

Title: Falling for the Cowboy Doc
Series: Three Springs, Texas #4
Author: Cari Lynn Webb
Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming
Release Date: June 27, 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance (Clean)

Can the rodeo cowgirl…

Win his love?

Professional roper Maggie Orr needs to secure a national sponsorship. And orthopedic surgeon Grant Sloan could derail her plans. Falling for the cowboy doctor is a distraction she can’t afford… Plus their careers are taking them in opposite directions. But from picnics to stargazing, Grant is reminding Maggie that there’s more to life than winning in the arena. Can they rewrite their dreams to include each other?

Excerpt

“News flash, Doc.” Maggie’s eyes danced. A thick resolve tinged her words. “The choice is mine to make. I decide who is best for me.”

“So, tell me?” Grant matched her beat for beat. Challenge for challenge. How could he not? She was magnificent. And if he’d been in the mindset for falling for someone, he would’ve fallen even more for her now. “Tell me, Maggie. Who would you choose?”

Her gaze lowered to his mouth. A tremor worked over her bottom lip. And he knew. She felt it, too. Whatever it was between them. Grant lost his breath and forgot his words. Walk away. Run.

“Are you scared I’ll pick you, Doc?” Her expression, intense and incredibly candid, kept him in place. The quiet frankness of her words speared right into his chest. A direct hit. But she wasn’t through. “Or are you more terrified I won’t?”

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

More Books in This Series

About The Author

Cari Lynn Webb

Cari Lynn Webb lives in South Carolina with her husband, daughters and assorted four-legged family members. She’s been blessed to see the power of true love in her grandparent’s 70 year marriage and her parent’s marriage of over 50 years. She knows love isn’t always sweet and perfect, it can be challenging, complicated and risky. But she believes happily-ever-afters are worth fighting for. She loves to connect with readers.

Connect with Cari by visiting carilynnwebb.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $45 Amazon gift card, signed print copies of the first two books in the Three Springs, Texas series (The Texas Seal’s Surprise and Trusting the Rancher with Christmas) and summer candy!

Falling for the Cowboy Doc JustRead Tours giveaway

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 28, 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 5, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Tags: Cari Lynn Webb, contemporary romance fiction

Comments 11 Comments
Categories Contests & Giveaways, What's New

Happy Release Day — The Lies We Believe

28 Jun

Happy release day to one of my all-time favorite authors, Lisa Harris. Her newest suspense novel, The Lies We Believe, book 1 in The Shadow Stalkers series, is available! Find out all about it below.

“Tell me what happened yesterday?”

I shift on the padded chair in my psychiatrist’s office, staring at the abstract watercolor on the wall as an attempt to avoid her question. “I saw my ex-husband, Lucas.”

“And. . .” Dr. Gabrieli prodded.

I don’t answer.

“Riley?

I finally look back at the doctor. “It wasn’t Lucas. Just. . .just someone who looked like him.”

“Exactly. You see, our minds are incredible machines but simply put, they don’t work like computers. Instead, they can unconsciously bend our perception of what is real and fill in the gaps, making it possible to perceive things that aren’t really there.” Dr. Gabrieli taps her pen against her notebook. “Think about an amputee who still feels his missing leg, or how it’s possible to see patterns in chaos. Memories are sprinkled with gaps, then we fill in those gaps with our own created recollections.”

False information.

Distorted memories.

Lies.

But what if my mind can’t decipher what are truths and what are lies? And what if the truth is even more dangerous than the lies my mind believes?

Riley Bishop is a single mother, working at home as a graphic designer to provide for her two children, Sadie and Oliver. But something is very wrong. Riley starts forgetting things—like appointments, where she put her keys, and where she parked her car. And then she thinks she sees her deceased ex-husband while out shopping. But as Riley begins to question her own sanity, her twelve-year-old Sadie goes missing. Soon Riley finds it harder and harder to know what is truth and what are lies as she is forced to question her own reality while she searches for her daughter.

Apprehending fugitives as a part of the SOG team gives Tucker Shaw the purpose and drive he needs to fight the demons from his past. When he’s called out on a mission to track down a group of endangered young girls, he has no idea how drastically his life is about to change. It’s a frantic hunt as the situation quickly spirals out of control with a final twist that has Tucker questioning everything he knows to be true.

USA Today and CBA bestselling author LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award finalist for Blood Ransom, Port of Origin, and Vendetta, Christy Award winner for Dangerous Passage, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 (Blood Covenant) and 2015 (Vendetta) from Romantic Times. She has sold over half a million books.

When she’s not working she loves hanging out with her family, photography, gardening, and traveling. For more information about her books visit http://www.lisaharriswrites.com.

Tags: Lisa Harris, suspense fiction

Categories What's New

Top 10 Tuesday — Most Anticipated Books of The Rest of 2023

27 Jun

Happy Tuesday all! I was in Alaska for two weeks and am still trying to get caught up here at home. It doesn’t help that there are some shorter road trips in store in the next few weeks. But with the piling up of chores and the mountains of laundry accumulating, I still have BOOKS as a major priority. 😉 Last week I shared some books that you need to add to your Summer TBR, many of which release July 2023 and after. Today’s list adds to those, so you better get reading!

Top Most Anticipated Books of The Rest of 2023

Break of Day by Colleen Coble (July)

Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl (July)

Countdown by Lynette Eason (August)

Facing The Enemy by DiAnn Mills (September)

Into The Fire by Irene Hannon (October)

The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater by Jaime Jo Wright (October)

Shadows at Dusk by Elizabeth Goddard (October)

You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Toni Shiloh (September)

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt (November)

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner (September)

Tags: Amanda Barratt, Christmas fiction, Colleen Coble, contemporary romance fiction, DiAnn Mills, dual timelines, Elisabeth Gifford, general fiction, historical fiction, Irene Hannon, Jaime Jo Wright, Katie Powner, Lynette Eason, Nancy Mehl, romantic suspense fiction, Toni Shiloh

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Categories Top 10 Tuesday

Happy Release Day — To Calm A Storm

26 Jun

I love a good Viking story! So I am in luck with To Calm A Storm, book 2 in the Tavland Vikings series by Heather Day Gilbert and Jen Cudmore. This historical romance, along with the first book in the series, To Love A Viking, is the perfect choice for a summer getaway or staycation. Check out all the details below.

Get swept up in an enthralling saga featuring women who rule the hearts of Viking men.

For years, Kadhrin has anticipated marrying her betrothed, Vikarr, who is now second in command only to the king. As she settles into married life, she becomes increasingly convinced that her husband would make a far better ruler than his distracted cousin, and she urges him to heed advisors calling for an overthrow.

Vikarr is honored to marry such a noble bride, but he hasn’t bargained for Kadhrin’s boldness. Although pleased by the growing passion between them, he struggles to understand her motivations. As rumors of an insurrection build, Vikarr is torn between the captivating woman who has laid claim to his heart, his loyalty to his king, and his growing desire to seize the kingship so he can unify his country against looming threats.

Caught up in a web of political intrigue and personal betrayal, Kadhrin and Vikarr must choose not only which war to wage, but also which side to stand on, even if it means sacrificing everything they hold dear.

Written by award-winning author Heather Day Gilbert and fresh voice Jen Cudmore, this thrilling Viking-era historical is the second novel in the Tavland Vikings series.

Award-winning novelist Heather Day Gilbert enjoys writing mysteries and Viking historicals. She brings authentic family relationships to the page, and she particularly delights in heroines who take a stand to protect those they love. Avid readers say Heather’s realistic characters–no matter what century–feel like best friends. When she’s not plotting stories, this native West Virginian can often be found hanging out with her husband and four children, playing video games, or reading Agatha Christie novels.

Find all her books and her newsletter signup at heatherdaygilbert.com.

Jen Cudmore‘s favorite type of book is a historical. Throw in a clean, sweet romance and she won’t put it down until she reaches the last page! Currently she is working full-time as a manager for a small medical clinic, and has enjoyed collaborating on this new Viking saga. Jen published a couple western novels and some short stories several years ago, and has blogged for various sites for over a decade. Working on this current project has been a good distraction from her recent empty nest. With her son serving in the Navy and her daughter off to college, Jen is seeking new adventures!

Tags: Heather Day Gilbert, historical romance fiction, Jen Cudmore

Categories What's New