Friday, October 23, 2015

Goddess Fish Book Promotions Book Tours Book Review & Interview: Up and In




Up and In
by Deborah Disney

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GENRE: Women’s Fiction

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BLURB:

Distinctly middle-class parents, Maria and Joe have committed every bit of available income to giving their daughters Kate and Sarah the best education possible, which to them means attending the most exclusive girls school in the state. But when Kate befriends the spoilt and moody Mirabella, Maria finds herself thrust into a high society of champagne-swilling mother-istas she hasn't budgeted for. Saturday morning netball is no longer a fun mother-daughter outing, but a minefield of social politics.

While the increasingly neurotic Maria struggles to negotiate the school mum hierarchy, Joe quietly battles a midlife crisis and Kate attempts to grow up as gracefully as possible (without having her life ruined by embarrassing parents).

For every woman who has ever felt she may be wearing the wrong shoes, this is a book that will remind you - you're not alone.

Fans of Liane Moriarty and Fiona Higgins are sure to enjoy this debut offering from new Australian author, Deborah Disney.

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Who is your favorite author?

Too hard. Next. Just kidding – but it is a very hard question to answer – there are so many I love for different reasons. I was weaned on a diet of Dr Seuss and I adore his books to this day. I love his quirky way of seeing things. Elizabeth Gilbert is so incredibly generous with her writing gift. She is truly inspiring to so many people. A well-known Brisbane author, Rebecca Sparrow, has been extremely supportive of me with my first book. I reached out to her because from having read her work, and knowing that she is a big netball fan (Up and In being about a group of mothers whose daughters all play in the same netball team) I thought she might like it. Not only did she like it, she plastered all over Facebook how much she LOVED it and that was a huge boost for it in its early days. And then there are the truly wonderful author friends I have made – especially Sara Donovan who is totally a soul sister for me, and Tess Woods who I almost can’t imagine life without now. She is an amazing cheerleader for so many of us – I am in awe of her generosity and energy!

How many books do you usually read in a year?

Not as many as I would like, that’s for sure. But one of the biggest perks of being an author is that I can say I am reading ‘for work’ ;-)

If you could have dinner with one person past or present, who would it be and what would you talk about?

No brainer. My Dad. He passed away 5 years ago and I would give anything for another dinner with him! We would talk about everything and nothing – just like we always did.

What was your inspiration for Up and In?

I have been, over the years, frequently bewildered by the behaviour of some women I have encountered. When examples of similar behaviour kept popping up in conversations with friends who had seemingly encountered similar women who had the ‘ability’ to make them feel like crap for no good reason, I thought, you know, maybe I could write a book about this that would help women realise that none of this sort of rubbish behaviour says anything about them – it just says an awful lot about the people engaging in the rubbish behaviour!

Do you identify with any of the characters in Up and In?

I can definitely identify with the main character, Maria, wanting to do whatever she can for her children to be happy. One of the biggest challenges of parenting is being brave enough to let your children experience disappointment. It’s an important part of their growth as an empathetic human and it’s something I continue to work on as far as trying to shut down my Mama Bear instincts and just support them through their painful experiences instead of feeling like I should be going in and making all the wrongs right for them.



Excerpt:

There it was again. That damned full stop. How does so much passive aggression fit itself into such a tiny punctuation mark?

Fine with me.

‘Fine with me, full stop.’

‘Fine with me full stop, no x.’

‘Fine with me full stop no x, no way am I ever going to let you think you are in any way deserving of the lathered-up, flattery-filled, signed-off-with-a-kiss kind of email I always send to everyone else on this email list.’

And there you have it. That is what she was able to say to me with one little full stop.

Of course, if any of the obsessively-stroking-and-simultaneously-self-aggrandising netball mums on this email list ever decided just to hit ‘Reply’ instead of ‘Reply all’ to the coach’s weekly email, I probably wouldn’t know that this little full stop means that I am absolutely, categorically, no longer in the fold. Unfortunately, because I am still on the email list, every week my inbox fills with messages ending with ‘x’ – not emails addressed specifically to me, just a plethora of inappropriately ‘Reply all’ emails sent to every woman with a daughter in the Red Rockets Under 10 Division 1 netball team. Every ‘x-ending’ email I have read over this netball season has served to reinforce the knowledge that if I were the object of Bea’s contrived affections her response to my offer to organise a group gift for our daughters’ netball coach would instead have gone more like this:



(Reply all)

Oh Maria, you are always so thoughtful. Of course I had been planning to find Linney the perfect gift – she has done such a stellar job with the girls this season! Sadly, I am just run off my feet this week. With putting the finishing touches on the gala, and having the nanny taking time off for her final exams, I just haven’t had a chance to even think! You are a life saver! Truly. I can’t wait to see what you choose – you have such impeccable taste! By the way, where did you get those absolutely to-die-for wellies you were wearing last week? I absolutely covet them. I just have to have some. Anyway, I must press on, I have a hundred emails to get through. I see another one just popped up from the Governor’s Office. Did I mention that the Governor and his wife will be joining us at the gala? I have known him forever, of course. Just adored his Christmas card last year! Remind me to tell you about it. Thanks again for organising the gift. You are an absolute gem! Bea x



I guess, in a way, ‘Fine with me full stop’ is in fact a lot easier than the alternative. Back when I actually gave a damn what Bea thought of me, the alternative would have filled me with insecurity. What kind of ‘perfect’ gift would she have chosen for Linney? Did she really like my wellies? Would she ever choose them over her Louboutin ballet flats to go to an Under 10’s netball game – even when the grounds were covered in mud like when I wore mine the previous week – or did she really just plan to sit them on the porch by way of decor at her thousand-acre ‘hobby’ farm up the coast? How would I confess that I actually bought them at Kmart? And shit, shit, shit, the Governor is coming to the gala? It was bad enough that I had to hide from Joe that it was costing us $500 a head just to be at the gala, but now I would have to somehow convince him to pay a grand for a decent new dinner suit as well?

I have to wonder, though, if it was really such a relief to open up her fine-with-me-full-stop email, instead of receiving one of the phoney rambling prop-ups she sends to all the other netball mums – the ‘lower-case beas’ – then why did it feel like I had just had my face slapped?

Admittedly, I cared a hell of a lot less than I once would have. Before I realised that my name had been wiped off the Bea-list, ‘Fine with me full stop’ would have spiralled me into days of tortured analysis. What did I say that I shouldn’t have? Is she upset that I invited Lauren’s daughter for a play with Kate instead of asking Mirabella? What is it? What did I do? Did she wave to me in traffic and I missed it? Did Kate do something to upset Mirabella? Is it because Kate got a better score than Mirabella at the eisteddfod?

After being off the Bea-list for almost six months now, though, I have started training myself to see things differently. When I think about what got me wiped off the Bea-list in the first place, my reaction to her flagrant snubbery is now more a mixture of amusement and incredulity, rather than feeling any sense of self-recrimination.

Review: It is funny. I'm not a mom, nor did I ever have hopes of being one but I found I loved this book. There's something about this kind of story that makes me think of sitcoms. Fun sitcoms, that they don't make anymore, or a movie. I was trying to figure out how to cast this book the whole time I was reading

I found it amusing that as parents they were trying to be something that they weren't and how they were trying desperately to be liked by the wealthy parents that they were associating with because they were sending their children to the "right" school.

The parents from the right side of town are the Beas, with Bea being the Queen Bea so to speak. Maria's daughter Kate befriends her daughter Mirabella, and that's how everything starts. As the story goes on you see mother and daughter losing themselves trying to be like their friends or rather so called friends. It becomes apparent quickly that not many of the Beas are really friends with Maria and Kate, at times I thought, for the love of god, send her to a different school, get her out of these activities, Circus School? Who has this? What sane mum would pay for this?

I really wanted Maria to stand up to these women, especially when they were being particularly nasty.

This was really a light easy read that is really entertaining and super fun. The ending is perfect though I'm not sure Bea's response to Maria's message was really realistic considering her past behavior.

Rating: 4 stars

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Australian author, Deborah Disney, grew up in the regional city of Toowoomba and now lives in Brisbane with her husband and two school-aged daughters. Deborah has a BA/LLB from the University of Queensland and practised as a solicitor for a number of years prior to having children. She chose to specialise in litigation law as that seemed like the best preparation for what is now her looming battle – mothering her daughters through the teenage years. Deborah's first novel, Up and In, is a satirical look at the interactions of school and sporting mums.



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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE


Deborah will be awarding an eCopy of Up and In to 3 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour, and choice of 5 digital books from the Impulse line to a randomly drawn host.






a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Goddess Fish Promotions Book Review: A Lady Never Lies



A Lady Never Lies
by Stephanie Burkhart

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GENRE: Steampunk Romance

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BLURB:

Jocelyn Dunkirk is not your typical Victorian lady. She dresses in leather, wears goggles, and is not afraid to get a little grease under her fingernails. Gentlemen avoid her like a dirty rivet.

Richard Windsor, the Prince of Wales, travels through time to claim Jocelyn's heart, but if it isn't one challenge, it's another. He determines to be a constant, steady presence in her life, hoping to prove he'd make a worthy husband.

Jocelyn's facing a bucket full of problems. The prime minister wants her to assist in ending a coal strike before it cripples the nation while her father attempts to recover from a serious injury. Will Jocelyn's dedication to her country and family ruin the one chance she has at love?

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Excerpt One:

She swatted her hand next to her head like she was swatting a fly. Love could flitter away from her heart like a hummingbird for all she cared. Who needed it? Love hurt.

A knock rapped on the door, but before she could voice a reply, Richard walked in. He crossed the room, raw concern splayed over his face and he knelt before her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You look annoyed."

"A lady never cusses," she replied.

His lips tipped in amusement. "What else does a lady never do?"

"They never wear the same dress twice."

He pulled up a chair and sat in front of her. "I believe that."

"And a lady never lies," she said.

He slid his hand over hers and laced their fingers together. A sweet jolt pulsed up her arm and she smiled despite herself.

"So what's bothering you?" he asked.


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Review:  This is a fabulous steampunk series. A Lady Never Lies is book 3 in the Windsor Diaries series. I don't often stray much from contemporary novels, but when it comes to Stephanie Burkhart's series, I am always on board. If you've never tried this genre, her books are a wonderful place to start.

I recommend reading Victorian Scoundrel and A Gentleman and A Rogue before tackling this one, even though this can be read as a stand alone novel, especially if you are a fan of continuity. If that kind of thing doesn't bother you, by all means go ahead and read this one, you'll enjoy it either way.

In this book the usual cast of characters are present from the other books, but the main focus is on Jocelyn Dunkirk (from the past) and Richard, the Prince Of Wales (from the present).  An accident at the beginning of the book shapes the actions here, and results in a terrible injury for a focal character.

Jocelyn is a woman ahead of her time. She's definitely out of place in Victorian times, and it is her close relationship with her father that keeps her from jumping through time to be with Richard Windsor, the Prince of Wales.

It is a ring that Richard gave her that caused the accident at the beginning of the book that sets the ball rolling.

More time travel causes more problems in the future, especially when one of the time travelers tries to change history which will leave readers anxious for the next book to see what is going to happen next.

These books are short but the pacing is fast and never slows down. Once you are involved in the story it is hard to put it down.

Rating: 5 stars

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD.  She was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire.  After serving 11 years in the US Army she currently calls Castaic, California her home. Stephanie was married in Denmark in 1991 and has two young sons. She adores chocolate, is addicted to coffee and enjoys early morning walks.  She's also an assistant den leader for her son's Cub Scout den and is a Boy Scout mom. She writes paranormal, contemporary, and steampunk romance and has two children's books published with 4RV Publishing.

FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:

WEBSITE:

TWITTER:

FACEBOOK:

GOOD READS:

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BUY LINKS FOR A LADY NEVER LIES:

AMAZON KINDLE: http://amzn.com/B00KX6FD12  





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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Stephanie Burkhart will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Goddess Fish Promotions Super Book Blast: Pretty When You Cry



Pretty When You Cry
by Skye Warren

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GENRE: Dark Romance

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BLURB:

I came from a place of dirt floors and holy scriptures. They told me the world outside is full of sin, and the first night I escape, I know it’s true. Ivan saves me, but he does more than that. He takes me. He makes me his own girl.

My conditioning runs too deep. Ivan sees what I am.

That’s the thing about showing a mouse to a cat. He wants to play. And it’s terrifying, even for me. Because the only thing darker than my past is his.

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Excerpt:

So far a city looks exactly how I thought it would—gutted buildings and dark alleys.

A den of wickedness.

This morning I woke up on my floor mat in Harmony Hills. Sunlight streamed through the window while dust rose up to meet it. The white walls somehow kept their color despite rough dirt floors.

A desperate trek through the woods and a series of bus rides later, I made it to a city. This city. Tanglewood. It could have been anywhere. They’re all the same, all sinful, all scary—and the only thing that makes this one special is that I ran out of money for bus tickets.

My shoes are made of white canvas, already fraying and black from the grime of the streets. I made these shoes by hand when I turned twelve, and the heel on the left side has never fit quite right. But the bamboo soles lasted four years in the hills. Now they’re cracking against concrete. I can feel every lump in the pavement, every loose rock, every rounded hump as the sidewalk turns to cobblestone and then back again.

That’s not the worst part.

There’s someone following me. Maybe more than one person. I try to listen for the footsteps, but it’s hard to hear over the pounding in my ears, the thud of my heart against my chest. Panic is a tangible force in my head, a gritty quicksand that threatens to pull me down.

I could end up on my knees before this night is over.

But I don’t think I’ll be saying my evening prayers.

Men are standing outside a gate that hangs open on its hinges. They fall silent as I walk close. I tighten my arms where they are folded over my chest and look down. If I can’t see them, they can’t see me. It wasn’t true when I was little, and it’s not true now.

One of them steps in front of me.

My breath catches, and I stop walking. My whole body is trembling by the time I meet his eyes, bloodshot red in a shadowed face. “What’s your name?” he asks in a gravelly voice.

I jerk my head. No.

“Now that’s not very polite, is it?” Another one steps closer, and then I smell him. They couldn’t have showered in the past day or even week.

Cleanliness is a virtue.

Being quiet and obedient and small is a virtue too. “I’m sorry. I just want to—”

I don’t know what comes next. I want to run. I want to hide. I want to pretend the past fifteen years as a disciple of the Harmony Hills never happened. None of that is possible when I’m surrounded by men. I take a step back and bump into another man. Hands close around my arms.

A sound escapes me—fear and protest. It’s more than I would have done this morning, that sound.

I’m turned to face the man behind me. He smiles a broken-toothed smile. “Doesn’t matter what you want, darling.”

My mouth opens, but I can’t scream. I can’t scream because I’ve been taught not to. Because I know no one will come. Because the consequences of crying are worse than what will happen next.

Then the man’s eyes widen in something like fear. It’s a foreign expression on his face. It doesn’t belong. I wouldn’t even believe it except he takes a step back.

My chest squeezes tight. What’s behind me? Who is behind me that could have inspired that kind of fear? The men surrounding me are monsters, but they’re backing off now, stepping away, hands up in surrender. No harm done, that’s what they’re saying without words.

I whirl and almost slip on a loose cobblestone.

The man standing in front of me is completely still. That’s the first thing I notice about him—before I see the fine cut of his black suit or the glint of a silver watch under his cuff. Before I see the expression on his face, devoid of compassion or emotion. Devoid of humanity.

“We didn’t know she worked for you,” one of the men mumbles.

They’re still backing up, forming a circle around us, growing wider. I’m in the middle. I’m the drop, and the men around me form a ripple. Then they fade into the blackness and are gone.

It’s just me and the man in the suit.

He hasn’t spoken. I’m not sure he’s going to. I half expect him to pull out a gun from somewhere underneath that smooth black fabric and shoot me. That’s what happens in the city, isn’t it? That’s what everyone told me about the outside world, how dangerous it is. And even while some part of me had nodded along, had believed them, another part of me had refused.

There had to be beauty outside the white stucco walls. Beauty that wasn’t contained and controlled. Beauty with color. Only apparently I was wrong. I haven’t seen anything beautiful—except him.

He’s beautiful in a strange and sinful way, one that makes me more afraid. Not colorful exactly. His eyes are a gray color I’ve never seen before, both deep and opaque at the same time.

He steps closer, the light from a marquee sign illuminating his face, making him look even more sinister. “What’s your name?”

I couldn’t answer those other men, but I find something inside for him. I find truth. “I’m not allowed to say my name to someone else.”

He studies me for a long moment, taking in my tangled hair and my white dress. “Why not?”

Because God will punish me. “Because I’m running away.”

He nods like this is what he expected. “Do you have money?”

I have fifteen dollars left after bus fare. “Some.”

His lips twist, and I wonder if that’s what a smile looks like on him. It’s terrifying. “No, you don’t,” he says. “The question is, what would you do to earn some?”

Anything.

My voice is just a whisper. “I’m a good girl.”

He laughs, and I see that I was wrong before. That wasn’t a smile. It was a taunt. A challenge. This is a real smile, one with teeth. The sound rolls through me like a coming storm, deep and foreboding.

“I know,” he says gently. “What’s your name?”

“Candace.”

He studies me. “Pretty name.”

His voice is deep with promise and something else I can’t decipher. All I know is he isn’t really talking about my name. And I know it isn’t really a compliment. “Thank you.”

“Now come inside, Candace.”

He turns and walks away before I can answer. I can feel the night closing in on me, the sharks in the water waiting to strike. It’s not really a choice. I think the man knows that. He’s counting on it. Whatever is going to happen inside will be bad, and the only thing worse is what would have happened outside.

I hurry to catch up with him, almost running across the crumbled driveway, under the marquee sign for the Grand, desperate for the dubious safety of the man who could hold the darkness at bay. It’s the same thing that kept me in Harmony Hills for so long—fear and twisted gratitude.


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:



Skye Warren is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of dark romance. Her books are raw, sexual and perversely romantic.

Sign up for Skye’s newsletter:
www.skyewarren.com/newsletter

Like Skye Warren on Facebook:
facebook.com/skyewarren

Join Skye Warren’s Dark Room reader group:
skyewarren.com/darkroom

Follow Skye Warren on Twitter:
twitter.com/skye_warren

Visit Skye’s website for her current booklist:
www.skyewarren.com



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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE



Skye will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, October 16, 2015

Goddess Fish Promotions Book Review Wedding Date For Hire


Wedding Date for Hire
by Jennifer Shirk

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GENRE: Romance

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BLURB:

Maddie McCarthy is single, between jobs, and (oh, the shame) lives with her mother. To make matters worse, she's the maid of honor for her sister's wedding, and desperately needs a date. Then she sees her salvation—Match Made Easy, a service for women in Maddie’s exact position. If she can't find a boyfriend, she'll do the next best thing...

Hire one.

Trent Montgomery isn't actually part of Match Made Easy. He's just doing a favor for his cousin, but one look at the blonde who hired him, and he's totally hooked. Now Maddie thinks that the attraction sizzling between them is just “part of the package.” And Trent is running out of time to prove to her that her date-for-hire might just be her happily-ever-after...

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Excerpt 

Maddie ignored his question, planting both fists on her hips. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Helping you."

"You mean helping yourself," she spat.

"No, I mean helping you. Maddie, listen. You don't seem like the kind of woman who would call Match Made Easy on some whim. There must have been a pretty darn good reason. Or maybe even more than one. Start being honest with yourself, and don't let your pride about what happened in our past get in the way. I can help you with whatever that reason is in the present. If you let me."          

Maddie looked down at her hands, wrung together in one giant knot of tension. He was right. This woman didn't just want simple company at this wedding. There was definitely more to it. But he had to remind himself that whatever the reason was, it wasn't his concern.

After several long moments, she finally conceded. "Okay," she breathed. "Fine. I really don't have a choice at this point. You're hired."

Yes! He couldn't wait to tell his cousin. Luckily for his self-respect, he had seen the end zone before and was able to school his expression into a perfect mask of impassiveness.

"Great," he said. "Let's go talk to Kennedy then." He started in that direction but after several steps, realized Maddie wasn't following.

When he glanced back, he saw Maddie no longer wore the troubled expression of a defeated woman desperate for a date. Instead, she'd taken on a warrior stance with those glossed lips of hers settled into a fine tight line. "Look, hot shot, Sabrina may think that we're a couple, but my family can spot bad acting faster than Roger Ebert at a B-movie festival, so you better be convincing."

He advanced another step and had the satisfaction of seeing her lose a little of that tough-act bravado. "I can be very convincing," he assured her in a voice several octaves deeper than he intended.

"Well…all right then." She bit her lip. "I'm paying a lot for you so I don't want there to be any mistakes."

Trent managed to drag his eyes away from that shiny mouth of hers and grinned. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I guarantee I'll be worth every penny."

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Review: Sometimes you need a short fun romance to clear you head and make things enjoyable. This book was just what the doctor ordered.

I love stories where the couple is not really a couple, but then ends up a couple.

Wooo that almost doesn't make sense, but it does make for a sweet story.

Maddie and Trent are a great couple and it helps that they have a past history. Though I had a hard time figuring out how Maddie's mom, who she lived with,  couldn't figure out that her boyfriend isn't really her boyfriend, and while I'm at it what good sister would let her soon to be hubby pick a best man who dumped her sister and got her fired from her job?

Hmm. 

That was one thing I couldn't wrap my brain around, but this is romantic fiction and strange things happen here. That's what makes for fun reading, and that's what this is.

But let's talk about Maddie and Trent's back story.  Think Monica and Chandler from Friends. Maddie is a former fat girl who has some serious issues with trust and getting involved. A lot of people feel that there is a curse on the first born women in her family. Maddie seems to use that as a crutch to not get to involved, but when she needs a date for her sister's wedding and her nasty cousin Veronica starts needling her, she takes matters into her own hands, and that's how she ends up at Match Made Easy with Trent as her date for hire. And the cost for his services is pretty steep considering she's an out of work pastry chef. Trent was a high school football player with a huge ego and some nasty friends, that could have stood to learn a thing or two about bullying. Maddie was a victim.


Of course things start to unravel just when they both realize that they have feelings for each other as the week goes on. But not to worry, there's a happy ending here.



Rating 4 stars

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations.

She writes sweet (and sometimes even funny) romances for Samhain Publishing, Amazon/Montlake Romance, and now Entangled Publishing.

Lately she's been on a serious exercise kick. But don't hold that against her.

Feel free to follow her on Twitter or become a friend on Facebook.

Website: www.jennifershirk.com   
Newsletter:  eepurl.com/Q6TH1   

Wedding Date for Hire buy links:


Barnes & Noble--- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wedding-date-for-hire-jennifer-shirk/1122566787  

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Jennifer Shirk will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

RAFFLECOPTER CODE:




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Goddess Fish Promotions Book Review: The Christmas Cradle



The Christmas Cradle
by Charlotte Hubbard

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GENRE: Amish/Inspirational Romance

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BLURB:

For the peaceful town of Willow Ridge, November presents an early holiday surprise. Stranded in the snow, 18-year-old Lena Esh and her boyfriend Josiah Witmer need more than a place to stay for the night. Lena defied her strict family and their judgmental beliefs to run away with Josiah and have his baby. But she’s starting to wonder if he can prove as responsible as he is passionate. And she isn’t sure how—or if—they can ever find a place to truly call home.

Expecting their own miracle baby, Miriam and Ben Hooley rally the town to help the young couple, and Lena draws strength from their unexpected support. Though trouble may come calling, in this season of joyous rebirth, a little child will lead them. And two couples will see their dreams of forever family come true…


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EXCERPTS 



Ben cleared his throat. White frosting had run down a loaf of chocolate bread to puddle on the counter top, but he ignored the temptation to scoop it up with his fingertip. “What makes ya so sure you’ll be able to separate yourself from your child? Once it’s born, I’m guessin’ you’ll let Naomi run this place while ya take on your motherin’ duties.”

Miriam’s mouth clamped shut. Although Ben’s words were spoken gently, they had an unmistakable undercurrent. “Are ya sayin’ these things as an excited new dat—or as Preacher Ben upholdin’ the Old Order, tellin’ me to stay home after the baby’s born?” She gazed directly into her husband’s hazel eyes. “Or maybe ya think I should already be at home. Is that it?”

Ben’s lips flickered but he didn’t look away. “Bishop Tom’s been askin’ me about that—mostly because he’s concerned about your welfare and the child’s. But jah, you’re a preacher’s wife, Miriam, and there’s already been some murmurin’ about ya runnin’ this café, defyin’ Old Order ways,” he replied matter-of-factly. “And me, I’m wonderin’ how you’ll maintain a regular feedin’ schedule, and what you’ll do if the wee one’s sick, or—well, ya sure can’t be changin’ dirty diapers in this kitchen. Have ya even thought about such things? I sure have.”

Miriam suddenly needed to sit on the stool she kept close at hand. She’d known all along that their church leaders would expect her to take time off—or quit working altogether—after the baby was born. She sensed Bishop Tom was allowing her to work because she remained in the kitchen rather than carrying out orders or refilling coffee mugs, as she’d done before she married Ben at the first of the year. Amish wives were to remain modest and not to show their pregnant bodies in public.

But Tom and the others have all enjoyed eatin’ here these past several months—and where would they go if we closed up? Surely they know I run the Sweet Seasons more because I love feedin’ people than for the money. I—I’ve worked so hard to build up this business. The café has seen me through some tough times.

Was she overstepping her boundaries, thinking she could continue to work? Had she ignored her responsibilities as a wife and mother? Was Ben expressing his disappointment in her because she loved running her café even as she yearned to hold his child and raise it with him?

Are You disappointed in me, God? Have I been thinkin’ like a crazy woman, forgettin’ how You’d have me live this life You’ve blessed me with?


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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community in Missouri, longtime Missourian Charlotte Hubbard writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her Seasons of the Heart series. Like her heroine, Miriam Lantz Hooley, Charlotte considers it her personal mission to feed people. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie.

Website:  www.CharlotteHubbard.com

Facebook: facebook.com/charlotte.hubbard1

Buy Link:






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Review: I absolutely love the Seasons Of The Heart novels by Charlotte Hubbard. I've read nearly all of them, and this is a wonderful addition to the series and it is a Christmas book on top of it all. That's a plus for me. I adore romances with a Christmas setting.

This is the last book in the series and I'm going to be sad to see this series go, as I loved Willow Ridge and all the inhabitants.

In this book there are two couples Ben and Miriam who you will know from past books and Lena and Josiah, both couples are expecting babies, but they are at different points in their lives and relationships and find help in one another.

Lena is pregnant but not yet wed to Josiah, who is a very volatile young man. They are on their way to Higher Ground when they have trouble with their buggy in a snow storm. Hiriam is involved in their story which always brings drama to the story. He's just not a nice guy, as anyone that's read this series will know.

Josiah has done a lot of catering back in Iowa, and was going to work at Hiriam's supper club, but once in Willow Ridge he finds God has other plans for him.

Ben and Miriam help both Lena, who is struggling with Josiah's behavior and her pregnacy and Josiah grow up, while the younger two help them with some of the issues with Sweet Seasons.

The ending is really bittersweet and brings closure to everyone, knowing that all the drama that has been occurring will be at an end.

This is a beautiful uplifting story and a fabulous way to send off this grand series. If you haven't read any of these books, I urge you to do so. You won't regret it. All of them are stand alone novels, but you will see characters from other books mixing and minging.

Rating: 5 stars





GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE



Charlotte will be awarding $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, October 12, 2015

Goddess Fish Promotions Blurb Blitz: Heartbound



Heartbound
by P.I. Alltraine

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GENRE: YA Fantasy

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BLURB:

Petyr has never found it necessary to consider the humans as anything more than distant, inferior beings–until now. They are the cause of the fatal disease that has plagued his realm, taking the lives of too many of his kind. As a future leader of a realm in peril, Petyr must find a way to resist and cure the affliction. He must enter the unfamiliar realm, appear to be an ordinary eighteen-year-old human, observe and learn.

However, things don’t exactly go according to plan. Instead of embarking single-mindedly on his sober mission, Petyr meets an 18-year-old girl who does things to his emotions that he can’t quite fathom or control. Petyr is falling in love, and he almost forgets the gravity his choices have on his entire world. Despite the risk it poses to his life and hers, he wants to know her, and he wants her to know him–and his world.

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EXCERPT

I defied my fate the moment I leapt out of my apartment’s third-story window. I landed on the pavement without a sound. In the same instant, my feet blended into the measured pace in which humans carried themselves.

Gazing up at the sky, I tried to find something to remind me of my home, of my duty. The future leader of a realm in peril cannot be overcome by irrational desires, I thought.

Thick smoke obscured the heavens so much even the brightest stars were dull and barely visible. A reminder I was trapped in this city, in this realm. Too far away from everything I knew, too restrained, too human.

Through the chaos in my mind, I captured the image of the girl with brown and dark-auburn tones in her hair, the shine that bounced from her loose curls, the depth in her hazel eyes, and even the awkward half-smile when she caught me looking at her. But the memory wasn’t enough. I needed to see her again.

I kept walking until I reached the riverbank in the heart of London. The water rippled with a disheveled mesh of gold and red, reflecting a large architectural structure. My gaze lingered on the clock tower adjacent to the building, gauging its height. A temptation to feel even a fraction of my true nature became a need in every fiber in my body. No longer able to rationalize, my muscles coiled, and I let go. Wind enveloped me with its familiar warmth as I sprang across the River Thames. I aimed to land on the lower portion of the tower, to indulge in the pleasure of my ascent. Though too fast for human eyes, each maneuver, each somersault, each back flip was slow enough for me to savor every moment of my liberation.

On a part of the roof concealed from the passersby below, I was closer to the heavens than I’d been since arriving in the city. Still, I didn’t belong here. Hundreds of lights sparkled below me, each representing a life I didn’t comprehend. Allowing myself to break free from my human façade had made me a liability to the others. For a few moments of freedom, I let myself forget the importance of my purpose here—the lives that depended on it.

Somehow, having the girl’s image in my mind brought calmness within me. One that felt permanent. One that extinguished the sense of entrapment, despite the thick layer of smoke that was still very visible to me. I held on to the calmness as I regained the confidence to face the others.

The first three chapters of Heartbound can be read online at: http://www.amazon.com/Heartbound-P-I-Alltraine-ebook/dp/B0125TOMNO

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

P.I. Alltraine is an award winning poet and author. She has won several international poetry competitions, and her poems have been published in separate anthologies.

She teaches English Language and Literature in London. She earned her degree in BA English from Queen Mary University of London, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and Master’s in Teaching at the UCL Institute of Education, University of London.

Before moving to London, she lived in the Philippines where she was ensconced in the rich culture encrusted with dark myths and enchanted tales. She draws inspiration from these in her writing. Although she has lived indifferent places and experienced different cultures, she always enjoyed the constancy of writing in her life. Her favourite authors include John Milton, Virginia Woolf and James Joyce.

Links
‘unmoving’ spoken word poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2q4JxaN1fw

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

P.I. Alltraine will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

RAFFLECOPTER CODE: