★ Book Blast ★ WISHES FOR CHRISTMAS by Fern Michaels—Excerpt + Giveaway!

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WISHES FOR CHRISTMAS

(in paperback)

WISHES FOR CHRISTMAS

by Fern Michaels

Release Date: Oct 27, 2015

Kensington Books

New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels brings together the beloved heroines from two celebrated series—the Sisterhood and the Godmothers—for a holiday to remember…

This Christmas, instead of finding and punishing bad guys, all Maggie Spritzer wants is to bring a little more joy to the world—especially to a beloved teacher from her past. And as the Sisterhood unites to find her, they learn that no holiday treat is as fulfilling as giving to others…

Meanwhile, with a little help from the other Godmothers, Toots Loudenberry is preparing for Charleston’s annual holiday showcase of historic homes. But when the Godmothers sense trouble with one of the decorators, they must tackle a mystery and hope for a happy ending…

When Sisters and Godmothers unite, the result is a warm and wonderful holiday—with a special touch of magic…

Exclusive Sneak Peek of—

WISHES FOR CHRISTMAS!

This year, for some reason, I want . . . no, I need to make the angels sing. I want to hear them sing. Does that make sense?” Maggie asked fretfully. 

“Of course it makes sense. I think it’s a wonderful idea. Count me in,” Annie said. “Now, you know if you include the boys, the fund would grow substantially higher,” she said slyly. The others agreed as they all started to eat. 

“Not so fast,” Myra said. “Dear,” she said, addressing Maggie, “did you forget we have an organization that Abner is in charge of that donates yearly, very generously and very heavily, during the holidays? Any new charity or person is always welcome. I thought we all had agreed to that. Last year alone, we donated—anonymously, of course—over one billion dollars, which we confiscated from that monster, Angus Spyder. So, I’m not quite sure what it is you want us to contribute to, and while I have no problem with that at all, I guess I just don’t understand the end result here.” 

The women stopped eating long enough to stare at Maggie, waiting to see how she would respond. 

“I guess I didn’t fully explain, because I’m not clear in my own mind. Sometimes late at night, when I can’t sleep, I think about my life, my childhood, my family and wonder, as I think most people wonder, if I could do things over, what would I do differently? Is there some wrong in my past life that I never made right, for whatever reason? Just think about that for a minute. I have an instance, and I’ve never forgotten it. I don’t know if money can or will right that situation, but I want to look into it and try. It’s not the same as what Abner is doing with Spyder’s money and all those other people’s money we helped ourselves to. This is personal. That’s the best way I can explain it to you all. Does it make more sense now?” 

“Well, yes, dear, it certainly does,” Myra said. “I think you might be on to something. Let’s run this up the flagpole. Now that I understand where you’re going with this, I think we should include the boys in this.” 

“I agree,” Isabelle said. The others were quick to agree. 

“We can’t call them now. It’s too late,” Yoko said. “They’ll be miffed that they weren’t included in this luncheon.” 

“Then we’ll do a repeat tomorrow at my house,” Nikki said. “That’s when we’ll run it up the flagpole, and they’ll never know this was a rehearsal for tomorrow. How about that for sneaky? Do you all agree?” 

“What are you going to serve?” Kathryn asked, her mind jumping ahead to the menu. 

“How about a little of everything that is takeout?” Nikki laughed. 

 “Works for me.” Alexis giggled. Not surprisingly, it worked for everyone. 

“So, let’s get to the dessert, Maggie,” Annie said. 

The women talked nonstop as they devoured the peach cobbler, the main topic being that memories, for the most part, were a wonderful thing, be they sad or happy. 

“How much money are we talking about?” Yoko asked. “The reason I ask is that Harry and I are going to China next month, and that always puts a big dent in our budget.” 

 “It doesn’t matter how much, Yoko. If it’s fifty dollars, that’s fine. If it’s two hundred fifty thousand dollars, that’s fine, too. The point is it has to be our own personal money, whatever we can afford. Gus’s insurance money is just the cherry on top. I’ll be putting my own money in, too. It will all go into one fund, and then, when we’re ready to distribute it to whoever needs it, we’ll vote on it. I think that’s fair. If you all want to keep your amounts secret, that’s okay, too. We should vote on that tomorrow. In the end, it might not even come down to money. Maybe there is someone out there from our past who needs something other than money. Something we can provide for them that no one else can. That kind of thing.” 

“I think this is a wonderful idea,” Myra said. “I can’t wait for tomorrow. Thank you so much, Maggie, for bringing this up. Sometimes I think we forget that it’s better to give than to receive. Oh, this is going to be such a wonderful Christmas. The true meaning of it. Truly, truly.” 

Annie swiped at her eyes. “Myra’s right. This is just what we all need. We’ve been getting complacent. I agree with Myra. I can’t wait till tomorrow.” 

Twelve minutes later, right on schedule, Maggie’s kitchen and dining room were back to normal, with just the autumn centerpiece in the middle of the table. A second round of fresh coffee was served as the girls talked nonstop about what was going to transpire the following day. 

“It’s going to take a lot of research to track down people from our past,” Isabelle said. 

“And who better to do that than our four in- trepid reporters, meaning Ted, Dennis, Maggie, and Espinosa?” Nikki chortled. 

“We need a name for this project,” Alexis said. 

The group threw out names and titles, but it was Yoko who came up with the one they finally agreed to. Bright Star. 

The Sisters all clapped, making their newest project official.

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FERN MICHAELS is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Sisterhood and Godmothers series, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy-five million copies of her books in print. 

Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret. 

Visit her website at: www.fernmichaels.com

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★ Book Review ★ MURDER AND OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS by Lida Sideris!

Murder and Other Unnatural Disasters by Lida Sideris

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (September 30, 2015)

Watch out Southern California! There's a new entertainment attorney in town and she's got game. Only problem is, it’s not the one she should be playing.

Corrie Locke belongs behind a desk, not behind a Glock. She should be taking VIP calls, not nosing around a questionable suicide. Instead, she's hot on the trail of a murderer. Luckily, she's the daughter of a late, great private eye and she's inherited his love of sleuthing…and illegal weaponry. It doesn't help matters that her gene for caution is a recessive one. Corrie finds herself in the center of a murder case, unearthing suspects in shocking places. With a cold-blooded killer on the loose, Corrie will have to up her game, or die trying.

Cove Member Robin Reviews—MURDER AND OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS!

Not even a law degree and a new job in the entertainment industry can shield Corrie Locke from her father’s infamous reputation or her own adventures in the private investigation business. 

On her first day on the job Corrie learns that there is something odd about the senior leadership of the company. Even more disturbing, she is told that an employee recently committed suicide and a friend of the deceased believes that he was murdered, and he forces Corrie to investigate in order to keep her new job. She is assisted in her sleuthing by an eclectic group of people, including a security guard looking for excitement, and a close male friend, who treats her like a sister but Corrie wants the relationship to be much more than that. 

To make matters worse, one of Corrie’s former clients, a professional athlete, begs her to find his missing cat, his good luck charm, and is incapable of doing anything without the cat. No matter what Corrie does her past keeps coming back like a bad dream and her love life is going nowhere. 

Fans of Stephanie Plum or Carlotta Wren (The Body Movers series) will enjoy this lighthearted cozy mystery with its quirky characters and all the antics that Corrie gets herself into.  There are also a couple of “hunky” guys in the book that add a touch of romantic tension to the whodunit. The plotline seems to be a little choppy but that does not impact the overall reading experience. I am hoping that Lida Sideris will provide us with more adventures with Corrie and her madcap friends; this was a delightful read and I looking forward to more fun and a good laugh with Corrie in the future.

Praise:
Murder and Other Unnatural Disasters is a delightful twisting maze complete with Hollywood film production, murder and mayhem, sexy and quirky characters and a smart lawyer who is trying to make sense of it all. —Kimberley Troutte, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

 

Purchase Links:

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About Lida Sideris:

Like her heroine, Corrie Locke, Lida Sideris hails from Southern California and worked as an entertainment attorney for a film studio. She has written numerous magazine and newspaper articles, a poem or two and a teleplay. She shares her home with her family and an assortment of dogs and chickens. She was the recipient of the 2014 Helen McCloy/Mystery Writers of America scholarship for mystery writing.

Murder and Other Unnatural Disasters is her first novel.

Find out more about Lida at her website and connect with her on Facebook.

★ Book Review ★ TIGER HEART by Katrell Christie & Shannon McCaffrey!

We're so excited to share our review of TIGER HEART: My Unexpected Adventures to Make a Difference in Darjeeling, and What I Learned about Fate, Fortitude, and Finding Family Half a World Away by Katrell Christie with Shannon McCaffrey for TLC Book Tours!

About TIGER HEART:

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: HCI | October 6, 2015

Synopsis:

Katrell Christie never intended to visit India. In fact, her ideal vacation was a tropical beach where she could relax with a margarita in her hand. But when this former art student turned roller-derby rebel met three teenage girls at a crowded Buddhist orphanage in Darjeeling, she knew she had to help. What started as a trip made on a whim would prove to be a life-altering experience that would change the fate of these lost girls.

In her new book, Tiger Heart: My Unexpected Adventures to Make a Difference in Darjeeling and What I Learned About Fate, Fortitude, and Finding Family Half a World Away (October 2015), Katrell tells her remarkable story – from her quirky Atlanta tea shop to her fight for her young scholars halfway around the globe. Two scholars in the program are set to graduate from college and move on to pursue advanced degrees.

Most of the girls Katrell met in India faced grim futures as laborers or domestic servants. Some might have been relegated to lives of sexual exploitation. For them, she founded The Learning Tea, which has offered scholarships to 15 young women in Darjeeling, providing them with tuition, housing, clothing and medical care.

Katrell has us sipping tea with her at roadside tea huts, tasting hot samosas, dodging feral monkeys, and roaming the chaotic streets of Mumbai. The smells of small villages waft from the pages as we accompany her on her riveting and sometimes hilarious adventures across the globe in her mission to empower the young women who have become a part of her family. Join us in experiencing then sharing the inspiring story of one woman and her mission to make a difference through the power of educating girls.

Cove Member Cheryl Reviews—

TIGER HEART!

Tiger Heart by Katrell Christie & Shannon McCaffrey was a very daring book to read. 

Katrell finds herself doing many odd jobs and having an equally odd lifestyle. She has many multi-faceted friends, and it just appears that she enjoys her life to the fullest. 

After buying a tea shop and working her tail off, she finds herself taking a vacation to India, of all the places she could go to. She meets three orphaned young girls in an orphanage and finds out they will be put out onto the streets when they turn 17. They would live on the streets and will probably become beggars or prostitutes and Katrell feels a need to help them. 

She returns to America and begins to explain to friends and customers about the girls and how she wants to find a place for them in the world by giving them a home and scholarships to higher education.  She plans dinner parties once a month to raise money. The dinners are authentic Indian vegetarian food at $20 a person, she put a fishbowl on her counter for any change customers can spare. 

She returns to Darjeeling, India and sets up a home for these girls.  These girls are very surprised that she did return as promised. She visits and purchases her tea from the farms of Darjeeling and even begins selling her tea online with all proceeds going to the orphans.  She names her project The Learning Tea. Many friends will join her over the years to see her and to meet these young ladies; and to get a chance to see the real India, not the 4-star motel India. They will work with Katrell on these jaunts every 6 months in India, and together they share many adventures. 

Katrell Christie writes a good memoir, sharing enough about her experiences without appalling the reader, while being light-hearted at the same time. I enjoyed reading this book and I will be going onto Facebook to follow Katrell's charity and her tea shop, Dr. Bombay's.

Purchase Links:

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Katrell Christie is the founder and owner of The Learning Tea, a project which provides schooling and a safe haven for impoverished young women in India. Through her efforts with The Learning Tea, Ms. Christie has changed the lives of many women living in Darjeeling, India. Visit TheLearningTea.com for more information.

Shannon McCaffrey is an award-winning reporter focusing on investigative stories for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.She is an avid reader, a mother, and a runner.

Author Links:

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★ Book Blitz ★ MERRY MARY by Ashley Farley—Sneak Peek + $75 Giveaway!

We're excited to share Ashley Farley's latest novella, MERRY MARY as part of the book blitz organized by Xpresso Book Tours!

Merry Mary by Ashley Farley 

Publication Date: October 15, 2015

Genres: Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

A young woman longing for a child stumbles upon a Christmas miracle.

Investigative journalist Scottie Darden is photographing the homeless for her Lost Souls series when she makes a discovery that could change her life forever. Under a makeshift tent in subzero temperatures in a downtown city park, she finds a woman’s dead body with her infant child. Without her cell phone to call for help, Scottie makes the split-second decision to take the baby home. Her initial instinct is to provide the baby with food and shelter until her family can be located. But as her fondness for the baby grows, she finds herself facing a life on the run or worse—prison time for abduction.

Curl up with Merry Mary this holiday season. A heartwarming story of the powerful connection between a caring soul and an innocent child in need.

Exclusive Sneak Peek—

Chapter One of Merry Mary!

The first rays of pink sunshine ushered in another day of suffering for the people who called Monroe Park in downtown Richmond home. An early winter storm had dumped six inches of snow on the city. With no clouds to blanket in warmth, temperatures had dipped into the teens for the third night in a row. 

Scottie Darden parked her 4Runner alongside the dirty snowbanks on Main Street. She pulled her stocking cap down over her blonde mane and tucked her camera inside her down coat. Grabbing the two Bojangles’ bags and carton of coffee from the backseat, she trudged through the snow to a cluster of men and women huddled around a burning trash can. 

Eyeing the bags of food, the group of five homeless people navigated toward Scottie. She handed out sausage biscuits and paper cups of coffee. 

Scottie had stumbled upon the Five by accident a year ago while investigating a series of muggings in the area. Their despondent faces had such a profound impact on Scottie that she’d returned the next day with warm blankets and buckets of fried chicken from Lee’s. Their gratitude had moved her even more, and over the next twelve months, she’d stopped by on a regular basis, always delivering nourishment and supplies. She’d seen others come and go, but this core group of five banded together like a family. 

“I brought extras today.” Scottie held up the second bag. 

Mabel gestured toward a row of makeshift tents fifty feet in front of them. Her name wasn’t really Mabel. At least not as far as Scottie knew. With gray hair pulled back from her café au lait face, the old woman reminded Scottie of the housekeeper who once worked for her grandmother. 

Scottie had never exchanged names with any of the Five. She’d grown to know them by their physical appearances instead. 

Buck was a strapping black man of about thirty, the one Scottie feared the most because of the temper she sensed smoldering just beneath the surface Then there was Pops, the oldest male, with leathery skin the color of dark chocolate. While he never showed his teeth, Scottie often detected the hint of a smile tugging along his lips. She’d named the woman with the plain face and dull green eyes Miss Cecil after her third grade teacher. She referred to the man in the wheelchair, with both legs amputated at the knee, as Dan, after Lieutenant Dan in the movie Forrest Gump. 

Scottie offered each of the Five another biscuit before moving to the makeshift tents. She passed out biscuits to women and men who were buried under blankets and sleeping bags. She heard the faint sound of crying outside the fourth tent. She tapped lightly on the cardboard door. When no one responded and the crying grew louder, she pulled back the cardboard and peeked inside. 

“Hello in there,” she called in a soft voice. “Can I interest you in some breakfast?” 

The crying intensified to a squall. Beneath a threadbare blanket, Scottie made out the unmoving form of an adult-size body and the flailing limbs of a smaller figure next to it. 

“Hello.” Scottie dropped to her knees and crawled inside. “Can I hold your baby for you while you eat a biscuit?” 

When the adult body remained still, Scottie peeled back the blankets to reveal a baby—three or four months old if she had to guess—with blonde peach fuzz on top of her head and a beet-red face. A girl, judging from the dirty pink fleece sleeper she was wearing. She pulled the covers back the rest of the way and gasped at the sight of the woman’s gray skin and purple lips. Scottie assumed the woman was the baby’s mother. She backed slowly out of the tent. “Someone, please help!” she cried. “I think this woman in here is dead.” 

The Five fled the scene, along with every other homeless man and woman in sight. Scottie patted her pockets for her phone, then remembered she’d left it connected to the charger on her bedside table. She surveyed the area for help—a policeman, a student, a businessman on his way to work—but the park was deserted. 

Scottie crawled back inside and picked up the baby, rocking her back and forth until she settled down a bit. She scooted over closer to the baby’s mother and checked her wrist and neck for a pulse, but there was none. The woman had been dead long enough for her skin to grow cold. Her eyes were closed, but her rosy lips were turned up into a smile, as though she’d seen an angel. Poor woman was probably no more than twenty years old. 

Scottie pulled the blanket over the woman’s face and said a silent prayer. 

Getting to a phone to call for help was the only thing on her mind when she zipped the baby inside her coat and made a dash for her car.

Grab Your Copy Now!

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About the Author:

Ashley Farley is a wife and mother of two college-aged children. She grew up in the salty marshes of South Carolina, but now lives in Richmond, Virginia, a city she loves for its history and traditions.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save. SAVING BEN is not a memoir, but a story about the special bond between siblings.

HER SISTER'S SHOES—June 24, 2015—is a women's novel that proves the healing power of family.

Look for MERRY MARY this holiday season, a heartwarming story of the powerful connection between a caring soul and an innocent child in need.

Official Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads 

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★ Blog Tour ★ THE SWEET SPOT by Stephanie Evanovich — Excerpt + Giveaway!

★ Enter to Win ★

 a copy of BIG GIRL PANTIES!

THE SWEET SPOT

Stephanie Evanovich

Release Date: Sept 29, 2015

Mass Market Paperback

Avon Books/Harper Collins

The amazing Stephanie Evanovich returns with The Sweet Spot, the sizzling story of everyone’s favorite couple from her New York Times bestseller Big Girl Panties: hunky professional baseball player Chase Walker and his sassy wife Amanda

When pro baseball player Chase Walker first meets Amanda at her restaurant, it’s love at first sight. While Amanda can’t help noticing the superstar with the Greek-god-build, he doesn’t have a chance of getting to first—or any other—base with her. A successful entrepreneur who’s built her business from scratch, Amanda doesn’t need a Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. And a curvy girl who likes to cook and eat isn’t interested in being around the catty, stick-thin herd of females chasing Chase and his teammates.

But Chase isn’t about to strike out. A man who isn’t interested in playing the field, he’s a monogamist who wants an independent woman like Amanda. His hopes rally when she discovers that squeaky-clean Chase has a few sexy and very secret pre-game rituals that turn the smart, headstrong businesswoman on—and into his number one fan.

Then a tabloid discovers the truth and turns their spanking good fun into a late- night punch-line. Is Amanda ready to let loose and swing for the fences? Or will the pressure of Chase’s stardom force them to call it quits?

Exclusive Excerpt of THE SWEET SPOT!

“Cold Creek Grill.  How may I help you?”  She answered the phone as if her day was right as rain.  She was a business woman, first and foremost.“I need a reservation for tonight,” a gravelly voice barked into the phone.  The caller was either on a cell phone with a bad connection or had a mouth full of marbles.  

“Of course sir, what time are you looking for?” 

“Seven,” he said impatiently and Amanda pictured him running to catch a subway.  

“Let me make sure I have that available,” she told him, trying to buy time while she booted up the computer at the podium a few feet away.  She moved the phone to the other side of her head, forgetting it was a war zone and her hair crackled near her ear. 

“Trust me, sweetheart, you have a table available.” 

“Sir?” She didn’t know what to be more offended by, his use of the word sweetheart or the underlying threat that she better be able to seat him.  And she determined he was just some arrogant blowhard who was sitting with his feet up on his desk overlooking the water and a fat stogy in his mouth. 

“A superstar is having dinner at your restaurant; you don’t want to make him wait.” 

“All of our guests at the Cold Creek are VIPs Mr…?” 

 “Maybe I should speak to the owner?” he cut her off and she thought she heard more spit squish out of the end of his cigar. 

“I am the owner.  My name is Amanda Cole.  To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?” 

“Don’t seat us someplace high traffic like near the front.  He’s not there to be an advertisement.  You’ll get your photo op.” 

It sounded so scathing, like she was some sort of a bistro whore looking to make a buck, as if she would be interested in taking a picture with him in the first place.  Supreme Court justices and past presidents dined at the Cold Creek without incident.  “Mr. What-ever-your-name-is, I’m not only concerned for the comfort of our guests, but the safety of my staff.  And we have had some high profile guests in the past.  Several are regulars.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I heard that.  That’s why I’m calling.  But lady, you never had anyone this big,” he said with an air of superiority that was nothing short of skin crawling.  At least he had upgraded her to lady.  

If he wasn’t being such a total jack-ass, she might have taken him more seriously.  “Would you like to tell me who he is, so that I might inform security?” she said with overt sarcasm.  He could either take being spoken to in kind, or he would start to ream her out and she would hang up on him and he could dine elsewhere, bad business or not. 

There was a pause and she thought he may have hung up on her first.  But then he said, “No.  Better you don’t know till he gets there.  Someone tips off TMZ and the night’s a bust.  And he brings his own security.” 

“Will they be joining you for dinner?” 

His laugh was particularly smarmy.  “They’re not paid to eat.”

So he wasn’t only rude, he was also a tyrant.  “That’s fine, sir, they can stand guard with mine.”  Only hers were imaginary. She no longer cared if the computer was ready.  It was a Weds, they were rarely fully booked, and this man and his famous guest seemed intent on dining there.  He was probably going to be more aggravation than anything else, even if he was only half as self-important as his representative. “You’re all set, dinner for two at seven.  Would you like to leave me a name or is there a code word or what?”  

There was another pause, and once again Amanda was given the false hope that he may have hung up and saved her from a night of inconvenient distractions at the very least.  But then she heard him on the other end, it sounded like a snort. 

“You’re spunky, kid,” he told her.  “Name under Alan Shaw.  I’ll be there at 6:50.  I don’t like to wait either.  And make sure there are good steaks on hand, he’s a meat-eater.”

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Stephanie Evanovich is a full-fledged Jersey girl from Asbury Park who began writing fiction while waiting for her cues during countless community theater projects. She attended New York’s School of Film and Television and acted in several improvisational troupes and a few small-budget movies, all in preparation for the greatest job she ever had, raising her two sons. 

Now a full-time writer, she’s an avid sports fan who holds a black belt in tae kwon do.

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