Last Chance Beach #Romance #Reading @BonnieEdwards @LizFlaherty1


Last Chance Beach

LAST CHANCE BEACH is the island paradise where Dreams go to live again, and Wishes may come true. It’s Summer’s End on the island, and the cottages, condos, hotels, and bungalows are filled to capacity.

There’s plenty of time left to find summer fun and summer love, new romances and second chances, hot alpha males and heartwarming heroes, love at first sight and romantic delight, enemies to lovers and opposites attract.

Throw a log on the beach bonfire tonight and celebrate LAST CHANCE BEACH: Summer’s End, a special romance collection of 14 all-new short stories from bestselling and award-winning authors. These summer stories—created especially for this collection—will thrill the hopeful romantic in you. Some are sweet: some are sizzling! Some are humorous; some are serious. All the stories will make you sigh!

LAST CHANCE BEACH: Summer’s End will make you want to book a vacation to the island of legend and love, the place where soul mates find each other and love at first sight happens all the time!

Joan Reeves, NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
When they met, it was hate at first sight. Now they’re stuck in the same overbooked beach cottage and horrified to discover they have the hots for each other!

Liz Flaherty, USA Today Bestselling Author
Their lives are planned out…until they’re not! Are they in love or just stuck in a habit?

Nancy Fraser, Top 100 Bestselling Author
At a high school reunion; old flames meet again. Can they re-ignite what they once had and take a last chance on love?

Caroline Clemmons, Top 100 Bestselling Author
She faces a hard decision; he encourages her to choose with her heart. Will the solution drive them apart or into one another’s arms?

Maddie James, Top 100 Bestselling Author
It’s the typical annual week on the beach with the girls—until her summer fling from 20 years back shows up. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who couldn’t commit.

Jan Scarbrough, National Bestselling Author
The kids are grown; her husband has an important career, and she wonders if she still loves him, and if he loves her. Can she turn back the clock to save her marriage?

Kathleen Lawless, National Bestselling Author
Of all the beaches on the coast, who shows up on her beach? Him! A former competitive surfer runs into her former love, and revisits all the reasons things didn’t work out for them before.

Bonnie Edwards, National Bestselling Author
She wants a divorce—he doesn’t. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas!

Marcia King-Gamble, National Bestselling Author
She’s hiding from the paparazzi after a scandal. He’s the guy next door, an amateur photographer. Will he accept tabloid money for pictures of her? Or will he choose love over jumpstarting his career?

Kathryn Hills, Award Winning Author
Kat must convince her Gran to move to the mainland, but Gran—and hunky neighbor Ben—want Kat to takeover the B&B and antique shop. What will it take for Kat to stay? Some of Gran’s special island magic?

Connie Vines, Award Winning Author
She returns to Last Chance Beach to begin a new life. He’s a single dad on vacation with his pre-teen daughter. He’s worried his daughter may become too attached to her, but maybe he’s the one whose heart is at risk.

Laura Hunsaker, Award Winning Author
Can dreams of the future erase her nightmares of the past? She’s looking for a fresh start, but he’s rented the same beach cottage. One bed, two people? Whatever will they do?

Nora LeDuc
He’s handsome and in town for only 2 weeks. She wants someone interested in a fling. He wants someone interested in a ring.

Hannah Rowan
She won the big lottery, but doesn’t want anyone to know. He’s a fixer-upper specialist, but things aren’t always what they seem.

Excerpt from Hangover Husband by Bonnie Edwards

Now that Danny Carling had his career on track he focused on his next goal. Staying married to Stacy Leon. His little sister’s best friend had been tying him in knots since she first appeared in Jenna’s life.

A high school sophomore had been way too young, and he’d waited patiently for his crush to fade. It had taken years. He told himself he had not been waiting for Stacy to grow up. He’d moved on a long time ago, grown past the fevered dreams and yearning.

He’d had plenty of other women, appropriately aged and experienced and ready to say “so long” when his next assignment came in. Nothing in his life had been permanent. He’d chased every dream around the globe, taking photos that had won him awards, acclaim, and cash.

And then, last month, he’d gone to Vegas for Mason’s bachelor party while the bridesmaids had done their thing on the other end of the strip. As the men had wandered up the strip, the women had wandered down, crashing together somewhere in the middle. The only thing that wasn’t a blur was seeing Stacy, her luscious body glittering with sparkly stuff, her skirt tight and her top loose so her breasts could swing free.

Her eyes had widened when she saw him, and her lips had pouted when he’d pulled her into a bear hug. But she’d stayed under his arm and when the two groups separated again, they stayed together. Alone.

About the Author

Multi-published author Bonnie Edwards lives with her husband and pets on the rainy coast of British Columbia. Her earthy, irreverent love stories sometimes have a paranormal twist, like curses and ghosts, other times not. But her books always entertain and guarantee a happy ending.

With four ongoing romance series (Tales of Perdition, The Brantons, and The Christmas Collection) and contemporary family novels in her newest series, Return to Welcome, she rarely spends a day without writing. She has written novels, novellas, and short stories for Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) although now she publishes her work herself. Learn about more exciting releases by subscribing to her newsletter Bonnie’s Newsy Bits.

Welcome

Follow her on BookBub, a great site for readers and writers to connect and talk books!

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/bonnie-edwards

https://www.amazon.com/Bonnie-Edwards/e/B001IO9UTO

https://www.facebook.com/Bonnie.Edwards.Author/

Cocktails on Last Chance Beach is the companion recipe book to Last Chance Beach: Summer’s End Box Set – available right here at Amazon.

What’s not to love about savoring a fruity, icy cocktail in the dog days of summer? Or sipping a crisp spritzer to wake up your senses after a sleepy afternoon on the beach? Can any of us resist a tart margarita or the lure of a tequila sunrise during a beachside seafood dinner? Perhaps there are those who could resist all of the above–but not the authors of the Last Chance Beach: Summer’s End collection of romantic short stories set–where else?–in Last Chance Beach.

The authors have teamed together for this exclusive box set–chock full of original and never before published short stories–and to create this recipe book of our favorite cocktails to enjoy at the beach. Some of these cocktails are featured in our stories, and some not, but all are guaranteed to whet your thirsty summer whistle!

We hope you try out and enjoy each of these recipes soon–perhaps while you are reading our stories! We’ve provided a story excerpt along with each of our recipes.

The Last Chance Beach: Summer’s End box set features the following bestselling and award-winning authors and their stories. You can purchase it today at Amazon. Read stories and recipes by: Joan Reeves, Liz Flaherty, Caroline Clemmons, Nancy Fraser, Maddie James, Jan Scarbrough, Kathleen Lawless, Marcia King-Gamble, Kathryn Hills, Connie Vines, Laura Hunsaker, Nora LeDuc, Hannah Rowan.

Jacquie Biggar1 Comment

July Book Reviews


A wonderful review for The Sister Pact by Diana Peach of Myths of the Mirror!

Myths of the Mirror

I’ve been writing like a madwoman, so fewer book reviews this month – but some good ones!

My offering of  4 and 5 star reviews includes romance, historical fiction, mystery, family drama, superheroes, and prehistoric fiction. I hope you enjoy browsing.

Click on the covers for Amazon global links.

*****

The Sister Pact by Jacquie Biggar

I read this book in a day and thoroughly enjoyed the distraction. It’s a romance, but so much more than that. The story has a maturity to it that I appreciated, genuine characters struggling with all kinds of relationships, old hurts, forgiveness, and love.

Holly Tremaine is ill and, forced to leave her job, returns to the dysfunctional home of her childhood. You couldn’t cut the tension with a chainsaw, and she immediately wonders what the heck she just did. An old beau enters the scene, but so do old wounds, misunderstandings, and hurtful…

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Inspiration and Invention


Pat Amsden​ shares a post on Word by Word​ on finding inspiration in trying times.

Word by Word

Ideas

Necessity Is the mother of invention. Lockdowns throughout the world and, particularly in Canada and the United States, made us realize our world was changing. Even with a vaccine it will likely be over a year if not more before life as we knew it will resume.

In the meantime, we’re finding new ways to connect and new ways of doing things. Life goes on. We learned things about ourselves and our loved ones. Some were good, some were bad. Toilet paper assumed a weirdly important role in our psyches. And a lot of bread was baked. Some people made beer and some people made wine. Some found ways to make things easier for their community.

Gardening centers ran out of or were unable to get seeds. I suspect some of us are going through seed catalogs online as my mother did upon the arrival of the Stokes cataloge.

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#BookReview- Honeysuckle Season #WomensFic


From bestselling author Mary Ellen Taylor comes a story about profound loss, hard truths, and an overgrown greenhouse full of old secrets.

Adrift in the wake of her father’s death, a failed marriage, and multiple miscarriages, Libby McKenzie feels truly alone. Though her new life as a wedding photographer provides a semblance of purpose, it’s also a distraction from her profound pain.

When asked to photograph a wedding at the historic Woodmont estate, Libby meets the owner, Elaine Grant. Hoping to open Woodmont to the public, Elaine has employed young widower Colton Reese to help restore the grounds and asks Libby to photograph the process. Libby is immediately drawn to the old greenhouse shrouded in honeysuckle vines.

As Libby forms relationships and explores the overgrown—yet hauntingly beautiful—Woodmont estate, she finds the emotional courage to sort through her father’s office. There she discovers a letter that changes everything she knows about her parents, herself, and the estate. Beneath the vines of the old greenhouse lie generations of secrets, and it’s up to Libby to tend to the fruits born of long-buried seeds.

Biography

A southerner by birth, Mary Ellen Taylor’s love of her home state, Virginia, and its past is evident in her contemporary women’s fiction, from her first The Union Street Bakery, set in Alexandria, to her latest, Spring House, which takes place on the state’s Eastern Shore. In Spring Cottage and prior novels, Mary Ellen’s protagonists search for their place in the world. They explore issues of family, home and belonging, and their stories entwine with those of the locales in which they unfold, encompassing mysteries past and present.

Richmond born, Mary Ellen has lived there most of her life. She grew up in a family that appreciates stories of all kinds, from a well-told anecdote to a good yarn or a tall tale. Perhaps it was inevitable that she would embrace her storytelling heritage, walk away from her marketing job and challenge herself to become a published author.

“I realized early on the tremendous power stories have to inspire laughter, love, sorrow and even fear. It didn’t matter if they were found in the pages of a book, spoken in hushed tones around a campfire, or shared at an old-fashioned family reunion. Stories create connections, and I knew that was what I wanted to do,” says Mary Ellen.

Alongside writing, cooking and baking are important creative outlets for Mary Ellen, who’s been known to name recipes in honor of her characters. Just a few years ago, she earned her Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate at the University of Richmond’s Culinary Arts Program. “In some ways, I liken baking to my efforts as a writer. You need to learn the basic tools of the trade before you can push the limits and create a distinctive sweet dessert or savory novel.”
Her two passions —writing and baking—merged for the first time in The Union Street Bakery. Since then, she’s shared favorite recipes, connected to her books Sweet Expectations, At the Corner of King Street, The View from Prince Street, Winter Cottage and Spring House.

Mary Ellen is also known nationally as New York Times and USA Today bestselling suspense novelist Mary Burton. Together, they have published thirty-eight novels, with Mary Burton’s latest, I See You, debuting October 2019.
When not traveling or holed up writing, Mary Ellen spends time with her husband enjoying their empty nest and spoiling their miniature dachshunds, Buddy, Bella and Tiki.

Photo by Brianna Martinez on Pexels.com


My Review

The prologue on this story drew me right in. A young woman on the run, a dirty sheriff, a mystery, all the key ingredients for a great read.

Then chapter one happened and I was confused as to what was happening. A different young woman, in a different generation, divorced and recovering from the recent death of her father. Libby is a photographer and meets the owner of a generations old estate while shooting a wedding. She is invited to photograph the renovations on the estate and soon discovers several long buried secrets that could change everything she knows about her family.

While I enjoyed the author’s writing style, I found the book slow going and easy to set aside. That said, if you enjoy family dramas, this is a solid read worth four stars from me.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

“I voluntarily read an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.”

Check out all of my book recommendations on BookBub

Jacquie Biggar19 Comments

Visiting #CanadaBeaches- #SundayStills


Sunday Stills Photo Challenge

Cathy Ryan from Picture This is hosting the #SundayStills challenge while Terri Webster Shrandt is away. This week’s theme- beautiful beaches. You can join the challenge here.

Stormy waters facing Fisgard lighthouse

Whether stormy or calm, the beach near our home is fascinating.

Posing

Logs from the mills up island drift with the currents and land on the shore to weather into driftwood or return to nature.

Herons

Herons, ducks, geese, and even the occasional swan enjoy the bounty from the sea provided at low tide.

Woodpecker created from driftwood
People love to feed the birds

Or accept nourishment from their human friends.

Birds of a feather…

Some of the driftwood pieces are huge!

Ever-changing, our coastline is never boring ❤

Jacquie Biggar18 Comments

Sunday Lines: Sunday, August 2nd


The authors from Word by Word​ share encouraging lines every Sunday in August with the theme- When You’re Ready to be Inspired.
Stop by and share your thoughts, we’d love to hear from you 🙂

Word by Word

Here are a few encouraging #SundayLines provided by our #WordbyWord authors with the theme WHEN YOU’RE READY TO BE INSPIRED and ideas for finding solitude, a voice, new ideas or maybe a purpose.

Interested in learning more? Click on the pictures below to gain more insight about each author.

I read all genres but when writing I read in my genre. It helps to keep me focused.

Marian Lanouette

“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.” ~ Albert Camus

Sharon Wray

Take a walk in the forest and listen to the silence. Before you know it you’ll be thinking up ….

Pat Amsden

The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. ~ Vince Lombardi

Jacquie Biggar

We’re always unbecoming, and becoming, so look forward, not back.

Kathryn Jane

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#CoverReveal- Hiding Cracked Glass by @JamesCudney4 #Suspense @Shalini_G26


HIDING CRACKED GLASS BY JAMES J. CUDNEY

Series Name: Perceptions of Glass

Book #1 Name: Watching Glass Shatter

Book #2 Name: Hiding Cracked Glass (cover reveal for this one)

Publication for Book #2:

Next Chapter, October 8th, 2020

PreSale / Amazon Link:

Pending from Publisher

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54399989-hiding-cracked-glass

About the Book

An ominous blackmail letter appears at an inopportune moment. The recipient’s name is accidentally blurred out upon arrival. Which member of the Glass family is the ruthless missive meant for?

In the powerful sequel to Watching Glass Shatter, Olivia is the first to read the nasty threat and assumes it’s meant for her. When the mysterious letter falls into the wrong hands and is read aloud, it throws the entire Glass family into an inescapable trajectory of self-question. Across the span of eight hours, Olivia and her sons contemplate whether to confess their hidden secrets or find a way to bury them forever. Some failed to learn an important lesson last time. Will they determine how to save themselves before it’s too late?

Each chapter’s focus alternates between the various family members and introduces several new and familiar faces with a vested interest in the outcome. As each hour ticks by, the remaining siblings and their mother gradually reveal what’s happened to them in the preceding months, and when the blackmailer makes an appearance at Olivia’s birthday party, the truth brilliantly comes to light.

Although everyone seemed to embrace the healing process at the end of Watching Glass Shatter, there were hidden cracks in the Glass family that couldn’t be mended. Their lives are about to shatter into pieces once again, but this time, the stakes are even higher. Someone wants to teach them a permanent lesson and refuses to stop until success is achieved. 

 

About The Author

Background

James is my given name, but most folks call me Jay. I live in New York City, grew up on Long Island, and graduated from Moravian College, an historic but small liberal arts school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with a degree in English literature and minors in Education, Business and Spanish. After college, I accepted a technical writing position for a telecommunications company during Y2K and spent the last ~20 years building a career in technology & business operations in the retail, sports, media and entertainment industries. Throughout those years, I wrote some short stories, poems and various beginnings to the “Great American Novel,” but I was so focused on my career in technology and business that writing became a hobby. In 2016, I refocused some of my energies toward reinvigorating a second career in reading, writing and publishing.

Author

Writing has been a part of my life as much as my heart, my mind and my body. At some points, it was just a few poems or short stories; at others, it was full length novels and stories. My current focus is family drama fiction, cozy mystery novels and suspense thrillers. I think of characters and plots that I feel must be unwound. I think of situations people find themselves in and feel compelled to tell the story. It’s usually a convoluted plot with many surprise twists and turns. I feel it necessary to take that ride all over the course. My character is easily pictured in my head. I know what he is going to encounter or what she will feel. But I need to use the right words to make it clear.

Reader & Reviewer

Reading has also never left my side. Whether it was children’s books, young adult novels, college textbooks, biographies or my ultimate love, fiction, it’s ever present in my day. I read 2 books per week and I’m on a quest to update every book I’ve ever read on Goodreads, write up a review and post it on all my sites and platforms.

Blogger & Thinker

I have combined my passions into a single platform where I share reviews, write a blog and publish tons of content: TRUTH. I started my 365 Daily Challenge, where I post about a word that has some meaning to me and converse with everyone about life. There is humor, tears, love, friendship, advice and bloopers. Lots of bloopers where I poke fun at myself all the time. Even my dogs have had weekly segments called “Ryder’s Rants” or “Baxter’s Barks” where they complain about me. All these things make up who I am; none of them are very fancy or magnanimous, but they are real. And that’s why they are me.

Genealogist & Researcher

I love history and research, finding myself often reaching back into the past to understand why someone made the choice he or she did and what were the subsequent consequences. I enjoy studying the activities and culture from hundreds of years ago to trace the roots and find the puzzle of my own history. I wish I could watch my ancestors from a secret place to learn how they interacted with others; and maybe I’ll comprehend why I do things the way I do.

Websites & Blog

Website: https://jamesjcudney.com/

Blog: https://thisismytruthnow.com

Amazon: http://bit.ly/JJCIVBooks

Next Chapter Pub: https://www.nextchapter.pub/authors/james-j-cudney

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/james-j-cudney

Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamescudney4

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesJCudneyIVAuthor/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BraxtonCampusMysteries/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsMyTruthNow/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jamescudney4/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamescudney4/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jamescudney4

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescudney4

Genres, Formats & Languages

I write in the family drama and mystery genres. My first two books are Watching Glass Shatter (2017) and Father Figure (2018). Both are contemporary fiction and focus on the dynamics between parents and children and between siblings. I’m currently writing the sequel to Watching Glass Shatter. I also have a light mystery series called the Braxton Campus Mysteries with six books available.

All my books come in multiple formats (Kindle, physical print, large print paperback, and audiobook) and some are also translated into foreign languages such as Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and German.

Goodreads Book Links

Watching Glass Shatter (October 2017)

Father Figure (April 2018)

Braxton Campus Mysteries

·       Academic Curveball – #1 (October 2018)

·       Broken Heart Attack – #2 (November 2018)

·       Flower Power Trip – #3 (March 2019)

·       Mistaken Identity Crisis – #4 (June 2019)

·       Haunted House Ghost – #5 (October 2019)

·       Frozen Stiff Drink – #6 (March 2020)

Jacquie Biggar21 Comments

A Study in Summer: Hide and Seek


A beautiful post on family and the simple pleasures of summer by Sharon Wray​ on Word by Word​

Word by Word

“Summer set lip to earth’s bosom bare, And left the flushed print in a poppy there. ” ~ Francis Thompson,“The Poppy,” 1891

(This is a repost of a blog journal entry I wrote years ago, pre-pandemic. But I wanted to share it because while it’s slightly melancholic it’s also filled with hope. I hope you enjoy it.)

Although Summer is half over, I’ve been collecting days like drifting leaves, both in my memory and with my camera. It’s a bittersweet chore because I know these days will be gone in a single breath, replaced by school clothes, pumpkin carvings, and Christmas plays. Hopefully these summer journals will one day remind my children that although summers in Virginia were hot and lethargic and almost unbearably humid, they once found an unbounded joy in just being.

Hide and seek was a favorite with my children and their cousins. A lot of…

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enter to win on @BookSweeps today — plus the rest of the exciting High-Tech Crime Solvers Series from a great collection of authors… AND a brand new eReader :D #amreading #Giveaway


BookSweeps Thriller BookGiveaway!

Today, I have a fun surprise to share with you…

I’ve teamed up with the rest of the fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of High-Tech Crime Solvers Series to 2 lucky winners!

Oh, and did I mention the Grand Prize winner gets a BRAND NEW eReader? 😁 

You can win my novel Virtually Gone, plus the complete High-Tech Crime Solvers series!

Enter the giveaway by clicking here 👉 bit.ly/HighTechCrimeSolvers-July2020

Good luck and enjoy!

Jacquie Biggar

Exclusive Excerpt of Virtually Gone

Matt spent the rest of the afternoon filling in a case report and waiting for the ME’s phone call. Paperwork was a necessary evil in a police detective’s job description. He’d seen too many cases thrown out of court due to an inaccurate paper trail—besides, it helped to ensure he didn’t overlook any of the facts. Not that there were many to miss.

Three women; all of differing backgrounds and religions. One, a young woman out to meet friends. The second, an Asian biology student at the University of Victoria. And now, Emily Carter; the youngest at just sixteen. She’d argued with her boyfriend, Alexander Friedman, and run off down the trail, straight into the hands of a heartless killer.

Matt clenched his teeth against the pounding in his skull. Ever since the concussion he’d suffered while chasing a perp a couple of months ago, he’d been getting sudden blinding headaches. He’d laughed when the doctor had suggested avoiding stress. Kind of tough to do in his line of work. He massaged his temples and popped a couple of pain killers, then stood, stretched his back, and crossed the bullpen to refill his coffee cup with the black sludge Esposito insisted on brewing. Matt caught Dan just as he was about to rinse out the pot. “Hold up there, I’ll take that.”

The wiry cop turned and grinned. “I’ve finally drawn you over to the dark side, huh?”

Matt scowled as the thicker-than-wallpaper-paste liquid poured into his mug. “It’s no wonder you’re so damn skinny, this shit’ll rot your guts out.”

Dan laughed and gave him a well-aimed jab to the kidneys. “What’s your excuse then, Roy?”

Matt grunted. “Do that again and your old lady will be having that kid without you.” Esposito’s wife, Prudence, was due to give birth to their first child any day now, making Dan more haywire than ever.

“Ha, that would leave you to give her comfort and you can forget that idea. My Pru only has eyes for me.” Dan winked.

It was true, too. Anyone who saw those two together knew they were a match made in heaven. Didn’t mean he couldn’t poke fun at his friend though. “Is that why she chose me to be the godparent, then? Better watch out, old man, I might just steal her away from you one of these days.”

Dan shook his head and carried on with the coffee-making process. “In your dreams, man. In your dreams.”

Matt was relieved the exchange, along with the pain pills, had worked to bring his headache down to a dull roar. He decided to take a break from the reports to add the details from the latest crime to his murder board. He’d always been a visual thinker and found using a cork board with photos of the victims, as well as any evidence, on one side and a list of suspects on the other helped him to focus. At the moment, the victims’ columns were filling up with information while the suspect pool remained noticeably empty, but he hoped today’s attack would turn the tide. If only the ME would call.

Matt turned when Connor entered the quiet conference room, yanking the tie from his neck. “Have I mentioned how much I hate getting called to court?”

Amen to that. Talk about a time suck. Half the cases ended up being dismissed anyway. It was enough to make a guy pull out his hair. Speaking of which… “Did you hear about the assault on the Galloping Goose today?”

Connor threw the paisley tie on the table and took a hesitant sip of Matt’s coffee. He grimaced at the taste and set the cup down. “Yeah. It was on the radio. Jules interviewed you?”

“Interrogated, you mean. That woman is like a dog with a bone when she’s after a story.”

“I don’t like it; she’s barely recovered from her experience with the ABC Killer. Why can’t she be a sports reporter?” Connor shrugged out of his navy-blue suit jacket and undid the top two buttons on his dress shirt. “What do you have so far?”

Matt was still contemplating the benefits of knowing someone who could score cheap hockey tickets. “You should talk to her about that sports thing. She’d get plenty of excitement interviewing athletic types. Never know what kind of perks might come with that sort of gig.”

“You’re a pig, you know that?” Connor shook his head and stared at the board. “Is that her?”

Sobering, Matt straightened the slightly crooked school photo of the Carter girl lined up next to her crime scene images. “Sixteen-years-old, she had her whole life in front of her.” He had to swallow the fury brewing in his chest in order to lay out the facts. “Parents are June and Henry Carter, of the furniture warehouse Carters. They forbade her to date, so she sneaked out to meet her boyfriend. They claim they had no idea. One other child; an older son in university. He wasn’t available when I was there today.” He took a drink of coffee, barely aware of the bitter taste. “Boyfriend is in the wind. We have an APB out on him. I was thinking of heading over to the coroner’s office to try and move them along. Interested in a drive?”

Connor grabbed his jacket, shoved the tie into a pocket and threw it over his shoulder. “Sure, but you know Dr. Robinson doesn’t like to be rushed.”

“That’s why I’m taking you; he likes you better than me,” Matt said as they left the station and walked through the parking lot toward his Charger.

“When are you going to let me drive that thing? And he likes you just fine.”

Matt slid behind the wheel and started the car. The motor emitted a deep-throated growl, then settle to a contented purr. He waited until Connor was in and belted up to tell him, “Never, you drive like an old woman. It would be an insult to Nelly.” He patted the dash lovingly before shifting into gear. “Hang on.” He was kidding… sort of. Truthfully, the 5.7 litre engine fed his need for speed and every now and then he took it to the track. But not today.

Enter the Giveaway Today

Enter Here

Jacquie Biggar6 Comments

#NewRelease Last Chance Beach- Summer’s End #Romance #SummerReading @KathleenLawles6 @JoanReeves


LAST CHANCE BEACH: Summer’s End will make you want to book a vacation to the island of legend and love, the place where soul mates find each other and love at first sight happens all the time!

Hot August Night by Joan Reeves, NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

When they met, it was hate at first sight. Now they’re stuck in the same overbooked beach cottage and horrified to discover they have the hots for each other!

Something New by Liz Flaherty, USA Today Bestselling Author

Their lives are planned out…until they’re not! Are they in love or just stuck in a habit?

I Do…Again by Nancy Fraser, Top 100 Bestselling Author

At a high school reunion; old flames meet again. Can they re-ignite what they once had and take a last chance on love?

The Man in Gull Cottage by Caroline Clemmons, Top 100 Bestselling Author

She faces a hard decision; he encourages her to choose with her heart. Will the solution drive them apart or into one another’s arms?

That One Summer by Maddie James, Top 100 Bestselling Author

It’s the typical annual week on the beach with the girls—until her summer fling from 20 years back shows up. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who couldn’t commit.

Romancing the Spouse by Jan Scarbrough, National Bestselling Author

The kids are grown; her husband has an important career, and she wonders if she still loves him, and if he loves her. Can she turn back the clock to save her marriage?

Blue Sky Summer by Kathleen Lawless, National Bestselling Author

Of all the beaches on the coast, who shows up on her beach? Him! A former competitive surfer runs into her former love, and revisits all the reasons things didn’t work out for them before.

Hangover Husband by Bonnie Edwards, National Bestselling Author

She wants divorce—he doesn’t. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas!

One Last Shot by Marcia King-Gamble, National Bestselling Author

She’s hiding from the paparazzi. He’s the guy next door, an amateur photographer. Will he accept tabloid money for pictures of her? Or will he choose love over jumpstarting his career?

Secondhand Hearts by Kathryn Hills, Award Winning Author

Kat must convince her Gran to move to the mainland, but Gran—and hunky neighbor Ben—want Kat to take over the B&B and antique shop. What will it take for Kat to stay? Some of Gran’s special island magic?

Paradise Perfume by Connie Vines, Award Winning Author

She returns to Last Chance Beach to begin a new life. He’s a single dad on vacation with his pre-teen daughter. He’s worried  his daughter may become too attached to her, but maybe he’s the one whose heart is at risk.

Dreams of the Past by Laura Hunsaker, Award Winning Author

Can dreams of the future erase her nightmares of the past? She’s looking for a fresh start, but he’s rented the same beach cottage. One bed, two people? Whatever will they do?

Beach Kisses & Sunset Wishes by Nora LeDuc

He’s handsome and in town for only 2 weeks. She wants someone interested in a fling. He wants someone interested in a ring.

Can’t Buy Me Love by Hannah Rowan

She won the big lottery, but doesn’t want anyone to know. He’s a fixer-upper specialist who’s also keeping a secret.

                                                   ***

Grab your limited-time-offer collection here for only 99cents. https://amzn.to/3hJseeT

I LOVE Kathleen’s cover, don’t you?

Welcome to the blog, Kathleen Lawless. Can you tell us the inspiration behind your story in the Last Chance Beach- Summer’s End box set?

Like so many authors, I tend to pull real life experiences into my books.  I was only four or five when I watched my mother rescue a young boy who was drowning at the beach where we spent our summers.  That memory has never left me and finally it worked its way into BLUE SKY SUMMER, my contribution to a box set with 13 other bestselling authors.  LAST CHANCE BEACH: Summer’s End is a binge-worthy beach read collection for only 99 cents. 

***

Of all the beaches on the entire coast to see him again. . .

What are the chances?  Former competitive surfer, Alisha, heads for Last Chance Beach, where no one knows who she is. 

No one except Mark.  Talk about a blast from the past, and the worst kind of luck she chose this island for her vacation. 

When Mark sees Alisha on the beach, memories come flooding back, along with the pain he felt when she dumped him.   Her actions might have been well intended, but the results were a disaster.   

They’re older now.  Are they also wiser? 

Here is a snippet from my second-chance romance, BLUE SKY SUMMER.

         Alisha spread out her beach towel and lowered herself onto it, straightening a floppy sun hat to shade her face.  It was the first time this week she’d ventured to this particular cove, home to the island’s surfers.  The break was small this morning, and the few surfers in the water looked like beginners.

         She leaned back, resting her weight on her hands, and tried to remember what it had felt like the first time she’d caught a wave.  One initial rush of freedom, and she had been hooked.   

         She’d barely settled in to watch the action and live vicariously through others, when she saw a newcomer walk to the shoreline with a board under his arm.  Something about his long-legged, self-assured gait took her back fifteen years, and the first time she’d seen Mark.

         She gave her head a shake.  She hadn’t thought about him in years.  Much.  Just because this surfer was the same height and coloring . . .

         As he positioned himself on his board and headed for the break, she pulled out her binoculars, more to reassure herself it wasn’t him. 

         She zoomed in, and the bottom fell out of her stomach.  

         It was Mark! 

Kathleen Lawless blames a misspent youth watching Rawhide, Maverick and Bonanza for her fascination with cowboys, which doesn’t stop her from creating a wide variety of interests and occupations for her alpha male heroes. 

 Her hero, Steele, in UNDERCOVER, is a modern-day cowboy, so when she was wooed by a man called Steel— while he’s not a cowboy, he is an Alpha male and her forever hero.  Which is why all of her stories end Happily Ever After.

Not that she can ever stick to just one genre.  So many stories to tell—never enough time.

With close to 30 published novels to her credit, she enjoys pushing the boundaries of traditional romance into historical romance, romantic suspense, women’s fiction and stories for young adults.        

Sign up for Kathleen’s VIP Reader Group to receive a free book, updates, special giveaways and fan-priced offers.    http://eepurl.com/bV0sb1

Jacquie Biggar17 Comments

#TuesdayBookReview- No More Mulberries by @MarySmithWriter #WomensFic


Scottish-born midwife, Miriam loves her work at a health clinic in rural Afghanistan and the warmth and humour of her women friends in the village, but she can no longer ignore the cracks appearing in her marriage. Her doctor husband has changed from the loving, easy-going man she married and she fears he regrets taking on a widow with a young son, who seems determined to remain distant from his stepfather.
When Miriam acts as translator at a medical teaching camp she hopes time apart might help her understand the cause of their problems. Instead, she must focus on helping women desperate for medical care and has little time to think about her failing marriage. When an old friend appears, urging her to visit the village where she and her first husband had been so happy. Miriam finds herself travelling on a journey into her past, searching for answers to why her marriage is going so horribly wrong.
Her husband, too, has a past of his own – from being shunned as a child to the loss of his first love.

Biography

Mary Smith has always loved writing. As a child she wrote stories in homemade books made from wallpaper trimmings – but she never thought people could grow up and become real writers. She spent a year working in a bank, which she hated – all numbers, very few words – ten years with Oxfam in the UK, followed by ten years working in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She longed to allow others to share her amazing, life-changing experiences so she wrote about them – fiction, non-fiction, poetry and journalism. And she discovered the little girl who wrote stories had become a real writer after all.
Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni: Real Stories of Afghan Women is an account of her time in Afghanistan and her debut novel No More Mulberries is also set in Afghanistan.
Mary loves interacting with her readers and her website is http://www.marysmith.co.uk.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000934032543
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marysmithwriter
Blogs: http://novelpointsofview.blogspot.co.uk
http://marysmith57.wordpress.com/2014/07

Mary lives in beautiful south west Scotland and is currently working, with award-winning photographer Phil McMenemy, on an illustrated book on the town of Dumfries.

Photo by Suliman Sallehi on Pexels.com

My Review of No More Mulberries

When Miriam literally runs into the man of her dreams, Jarad, she doesn’t realize what a profound impact he will have on her future.

Convincing his family doesn’t come easily, but in the end their love triumphs and the young couple marry. Miriam takes to the cultural differences of her new country and thrives- until the sudden death of her husband.

Lost, desolate, but determined to raise their son in his father’s homeland, Miriam agrees to wed Iqbal and travel with him to his village to act as midwife in his clinic. Iqbal is kind and generous, but rigid in his belief of a woman’s place in his home.

Over time, resentment builds and when Miriam is offered a chance to get away to a teaching school for a couple of months she decides to accept.

What follows is a journey into the past for both Miriam and Iqbal, who carries burdens of his own.

This story is written with an obvious affection for the Afghan people and their culture. I enjoyed learning about a way of life so far removed from mine. Though Afghanistan has its problems, it’s a beautiful country with kind and caring people.

I give No More Mulberries 5 stars- this is a must-read!

Rating: 5 out of 5.
Check out all of my book recommendations on BookBub

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Jacquie Biggar30 Comments

Introducing THE STONES #newrelease #scifi #aliens


It’s here! The second book in the Astral Conspiracy series by Staci Smith Troilo​ writing as D. L. Cross is available today!

Staci Troilo

Ciao, amici! I know I was starting to sound like a tease. But this time, I mean it. The wait is over.

Astral Conspiracy Book 2, The Stones, has been released!

I know I recently mentioned a “binge drop” of the whole series. Well, for various reasons, that didn’t happen. I apologize. But rest assured, the rest of the series will release soon.

Until then, for more information, you can:

  • view the product page on my site (here), where you can also see a slideshow of pull quotes from the book
  • view the product page on my publisher’s site (here), where you can navigate to other Invasion Universe offerings
  • go directly to Amazon to get your copy (here)

The Stones will be available at other vendors soon.

I’m so excited to finally share this installment of the Astral Conspiracy Series with the world…

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Jacquie Biggar13 Comments

Sunday Lines: Sunday, July 26


The Word by Word​ crew are sharing lines to inspire and encourage on this last Sunday of July.

Word by Word

Here are a few encouraging #SundayLines provided by our #WordbyWord authors with the theme IN TIMES OF TROUBLEand ideas for finding joy, peace, humor, and inspiration.

Interested in learning more? Click on the pictures below to gain more insight about each author.

Tell someone they’ve made a difference. Perhaps they did or said something that moved you or someone else.

Kathryn Jane

Unplug all electronics including the television a half hour before bed and you’ll sleep more soundly and wake refreshed.

Marian Lanouette

If you’re sad, add more lipstick, and attack. ~ Coco Chanel

S.A. Taylor

Learn to laugh at yourself. None of us is perfect.

Marsha West

If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.~Robert Frost

Sharon Wray

Enjoy the simple things like ice-cream on a sunny day.

Pat Amsden

Before dark, listen to classical music and take a nice walk.

Vicki Batman

No occupation is so…

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Jacquie Biggar1 Comment

2020 Mid-Summer Middle Grade & Young Adult Book List


Sharon Wray​ shares a comprehensive list of books for summer reading on Word by Word​. Stop by and share your favorite Middle grade and YA books-we’d love to hear from you 🙂

Word by Word

I’m so happy about the new direction this blog has taken, and we’re all working hard behind the scenes to make this a place of beauty and courage and perseverance. One of the things we’re all passionate about is literacy. So, with that in mind, I’m posting my bi-annual reading list for preteen and teen readers: 2020 Mid-Summer Middle Grade & Young Adult Book List

As I’ve mentioned before, this is NOT a best-seller or new release list. A few of the books on this summer’s list won’t be released until early fall while others were published more than five years ago but only recently discovered. This is an ongoing, cumulative list of books the kids in my reading army have read that is updated twice a year.

We’ve all worked hard this year to read new-to-us authors and to search for books outside our comfort zones. With so many…

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#BookReview- In Moonlight and Memories by @JAWalkerAuthor #Romance #SummerReading


MOST LOVE STORIES HAVE ONE BEGINNING AND ONE ENDING. THIS LOVE STORY HAS MANY.

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker comes an epic story about sacrifice, friendship, and the awe-inspiring power of love.

Maggie: Ten years ago, Cash Armstrong stole my heart. Then he promptly joined the army—dragging my best friend with him—and left me crying on the front porch in a red sequined prom dress. Now he’s back. They’re both back. Cash, the one who still has my heart. And Luc, the one who saved my life.

Cash: How do you know if you’re at the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end? That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out since a traumatic brain injury made me “unfit to serve.” I’m back in New Orleans, and picking up the shattered pieces of my past means I must confront where my life’s journey began… and where it all might end.

Luc: Long ago, Maggie May was mine. Not mine in the way you might think. She was mine because she was my only friend. Then Cash came along and we became brothers by something stronger than blood. We became brothers by choice. When tragedy struck, I was forced to make a decision that changed all our lives. I thought, after ten years, it was safe to come back home. I was wrong…

Biography

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Julie loves to travel the world looking for views to compete with her deadlines. And if those views happen to come with a blue sky and sunshine? All the better! When she’s not writing, Julie enjoys camping, hiking, cycling, fishing, cooking, petting every dog that walks by her, and… reading, of course!

Be sure to sign up for Julie’s occasional newsletter at: http://www.julieannwalker.com

To learn more about Julie, visit her at http://www.julieannwalker.com. Or follow her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/julieannwalkerauthor and/or Instagram: @julieannwalker_author.

Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

My Review

Maggie’s doing just fine. Her dream of owning a bar (well hers and Cash and Luc’s dream) has materialized. She has the support of family and friends and a full life, so why do old memories continue to drag her down?

Cash had no intention of returning to New Orleans. He’d put the past (namely his father) behind him and kissed it goodbye. His only regret- Maggie. But when a suicide bomber almost takes him out while on tour, Cash gains a new perspective on life and comes up with a plan to fix the mistakes he’s made and that requires going home.

Luc fell in love with Maggie May from the awkward age of fourteen, but the moment she meets his friend Cash he knows they’re fated to be together. Bottling his feelings, he takes the next best thing, her friendship. It kills him to leave her when Cash goes on the run, but his buddy needs him.

Now that Cash and Luc are back, the Louisiana swamp is giving up her secrets. Will they handle the fallout, or will the bayou swallow them forever?

I loved this book!

There were so many great moments. The characters leap off the page, they’re so well-written. The relationships between Luc and Cash, Cash and Maggie, Luc and Maggie May- I loved them all.

Favorite Lines

I read a quote that pretty much sums up my situation. True love is not the number of kisses, or how often you get them. True love is the feeling that lingers long after the kiss is over.

In Moonlight and Memories- Julie Ann Walker

At first acquaintance, Luc comes off as an unobtrusive guy. Not so much meek and mild, but quiet. Self-effacing. And yet he has a particular brand of toughness I’ve only ever seen in other men of his ilk. Men who’ve come from the place where murky waters run through tall marsh grass. Where gators growl and bobcats howl.

In Moonlight and Memories- Julie Ann Walker

Sometimes the past is like that whole objects in mirror are closer than they appear thing. The trick to forgetting is simply not to look.

In Moonlight and Memories- Julie Ann Walker

There’s so many more, but I better quit now, lol. Buy the book, you’ll love it!

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Check out all of my book recommendations on BookBub

Jacquie Biggar17 Comments

#NewRelease The Butterfly Room by Lucinda Riley #WomensFic


TBR - RB banner

“Lucinda Riley once again has written a masterful saga.”– People Magazine

The Butterfly Room, an all-new unforgettable, second-chance-at-love romance from #1 International bestselling author Lucinda Riley, is available now!

The Butterfly Room_300dpi (1)

Full of her trademark mix of unforgettable characters and heart-breaking secrets, The Butterfly Room is a spellbinding, second-chance-at-love story from #1 International bestseller Lucinda Riley.

Posy Montague is approaching her seventieth birthday. Still living in her beautiful family home, Admiral House, set in the glorious Suffolk countryside where she spent her own idyllic childhood catching butterflies with her beloved father, and raised her own children, Posy knows she must make an agonizing decision. Despite the memories the house holds, and the exquisite garden she has spent twenty-five years creating, the house is crumbling around her, and Posy knows the time has come to sell it.

Then a face appears from the past – Freddie, her first love, who abandoned her and left her heartbroken fifty years ago. Already struggling to cope with her son Sam’s inept business dealings, and the sudden reappearance of her younger son Nick after ten years in Australia, Posy is reluctant to trust in Freddie’s renewed affection. And unbeknown to Posy, Freddie – and Admiral House – have a devastating secret to reveal…

TBR out now

Download your copy today!

Amazon: http://mybook.to/thebutterflyroom Apple Books: https://apple.co/2Ai5lPe Amazon Worldwide: https://amzn.to/2X6xMs8 Nook: https://bit.ly/2M3dI3s Kobo: https://bit.ly/2XAdVk9

Add THE BUTTERFLY ROOM to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3er9LC1

Meet Lucinda

Kirjailija Lucinda Riley ||| Author Lucinda Riley

Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland, and after an early career as an actress in film, theatre and television, wrote her first book aged twenty-four. Her books have been translated into thirty-seven languages and sold twenty million copies worldwide. She is a No.1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.

Lucinda is currently writing The Seven Sisters series, which tells the story of adopted sisters and is based allegorically on the mythology of the famous star constellation. It has become a global phenomenon, with each book in the series being a No.1 bestseller across the world. The series is currently in development with a major Hollywood production company.

Connect with Lucinda Facebook: https://bit.ly/3hcFFU5 Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2WxLIdX Instagram: https://bit.ly/3jeMQwR Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eGtEET Bookbub: https://bit.ly/3eIpUTa Website: https://bit.ly/2Ba6mcH

Connect with Blue Box Press https://theblueboxpress.com/

Jacquie Biggar12 Comments

Exploring the Weird and the Wild on #SundayStills #Photography


Aerial shot of helicopter flying over power lines

Weird and Wild Photography Challenge- Sunday Stills

This week, Terri Webster Shrandt challenges to find the weird and the strange in our photos. You can join the Sunday Stills challenge here.

I’m also participating in Becky B’s July Squares challenge. You can check it out here.

I was playing with an app on Facebook and came up with this weird and wacky photo of… Me!

Hello, Miss birdy, why don’t you ever fly away?

This wild hummingbird sat and talked to us for quite a while.

Wild cloud formation

Weird and wild moss hanging off a tree near the lagoon.

Weird and wild car seen on our travels.

My weird and wonderful Mickey dog. He was a 3lb. Mexican Chihuahua with a gimpy front leg, skin that turned pink in the winter, black in summer, and a tongue Gene Simmons would be proud of.

Jacquie Biggar15 Comments

Sunday Lines: Sunday, July 19


Word by Word​ is sharing lines of encouragement Sundays in July with the theme In These Troubled Times. Stop by for a visit, we’d love to hear from you.

Word by Word

Here are a few encouraging #SundayLines provided by our #WordbyWord authors with the theme IN TIMES OF TROUBLE and ideas for finding joy, peace, humor, and inspiration.

Interested in learning more? Click on the pictures below to gain more insight about each author.

“Without our memories, what do we have really? A fancy house, a nice car, those are all well and fine, but at the end of the day home is where the heart is and that means family.”

Jacquie Biggar, The Sister Pact

Before you go to sleep, choose one thing you can look forward to the next day.

Kathryn Jane

There’s nothing like 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep to bring your problems and life back into focus.

Marian Lanouette

Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our most accurate measure of courage. ~Brene’ Brown

S.A. Taylor

Before you go to sleep, write your to-do list for the next day.

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Jacquie Biggar2 Comments

Sacred Ground #Tanka Tuesday


And this is why I LOVE D. Wallace Peach!

Myths of the Mirror

pixabay image

The soil is charmed, morning-cool, and damp from last night’s dew. Droplets of light embroider a rose’s scarlet petals, and the zucchini by the stone wall lifts its giant green hands to catch the midsummer sun. Warmth drips like a fountain. The trees clap their leaves in approval. I don’t wear gloves and my fingernails are caked with dirt. Today, I’ll plant another batch of wrinkled kale and buttery coreopsis. I’ll pick broccoli and make a bouquet of wild daisies to brighten my kitchen sill. The bees hum a symphony. As I brush my fingers on my jeans, the enchantment of the hallowed earth sustains me for another day.

Despair cannot bind
A spirit to hopelessness
A heart to darkness
When rooted in sacred ground
Consecrated by the Earth

***

A haibun/tanka for Colleen Chesebro’s #Tanka Tuesday.

We had to use synonyms of Hex and Blessed (enchantment…

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Jacquie Biggar5 Comments

#Gardening- Nature’s version of Yoga #Meditation #Health @jacqbiggar


Gardening is Good for Your Health! Sharing my tips for staying healthy on Word by Word​

Word by Word

Gardening is Good for Your Health!

Even though we’re going through an unprecedented time, there are ways to enrich your mental and physical health.

Growing your own garden is beneficial to your well-being.

Fruits and vegetables picked fresh from the vine taste better, are nutritious, and gives intense satisfaction. You don’t need a lot of room to create a good food forest.

This is a 4×4 ft bed. It is home to a tree with five different varieties of apples, a peach tree, sage, oregano, thyme, lavender, strawberries, and blueberries.

The trick is to fertilize every two weeks and water regularly- not too hard, right?

This strawberry square is made with fresh berries from my yard.

Even if you don’t have room for a small garden, there are community plots in most cities. Caring for your own plants feeds your soul and is a healthy decision for your family…

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