Book Cover

Jack Gets His Man Cover Reveal

Romantic Comedy
Date Published: July 1, 2015

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Jack’s life is awesome. His store is making money hand over fist and his best friend has found love. So what if he’s feeling a bit restless and put out about his upcoming birthday and his ex is being a pain in his fabulous behind? That’s nothing he can’t handle. But then his smoking hot new bookkeeper discovers things at the store aren’t actually as they seem. Someone is playing fast and loose with the finances. Jack’s bestie and his gal pals, the gray-haired knitting detectives, jump at the chance to solve Jack’s problems. When they aren’t re-enacting scenes from spy thrillers, they’re setting Jack up on dates and generally insinuating themselves into his love life. They’re determined to find love for Jack as well as his missing money. Will Jack catch a thief or find love? Either way Jack’s going to get his man.
EXCERPT
“Hands in the air. Drop to your knees,” was shouted at them. Blinded by a flashlight, it was impossible to identify the speaker.
Martha huffed. “There is no way I’m going to my knees, young man.” She yelled at the light.
“Me either. I’ll never be able to get up again.” Ally agreed and put her hands on her hips in protest.
Jack shook his head but quickly dropped to his knees. Only he would get caught while snooping with two grandmas who refused to listen to the police. He hung his head and pretended he was somewhere else, anywhere else.
The cop lowered his flashlight and brought out a pair of cuffs. He started walking towards the group but stumbled when he took in Ally and Martha. He shook his head. “Are you ladies willing to go quietly into my squad car?” He asked.
Ally and Martha took one look at the cop and nodded. “Wherever you want to go officer,” Martha responded. Oh great. Now they were flirting with the arresting officer. Jack waited patiently on his knees until the cop reached him. He was cuffed and then dragged to his feet.
“Come on ladies,” the officer stated while pulling Jack to the cop car.
There were two squad cars in Damien’s driveway. Betty, Rosemary, and Rose were already sitting in the backseat of the other car. They waved as Jack passed with Ally and Martha in tow. Jack shook his head at them and looked for Izzy. She sat in her car and mouthed sorry but didn’t make a move to help them. Jack knew it wouldn’t help anything if Izzy got out of the car. She’d just get arrested as well but still he stuck his tongue out at her. The cop scanned the area to see where Jack’s tongue was pointed. Izzy immediately started up the car and, with a squeal of the tires, took off. Jack chuckled.
“Aren’t you going to turn on the siren,” Martha asked once the cop was back in the patrol car and they were headed to the police station. Ally bobbed her head in excitement. Jack hung his head.
The cop chuckled. “Normally perps don’t like the siren on.”
“Why not?” Ally leaned forward to get a better look at the officer.
“They don’t want to be seen being hauled to the police station,” was the officer’s perfectly acceptable answer.
Ally and Martha huffed. They leaned back and crossed their arms across their chests. “Well, that’s just boring,” Martha said to Ally. Ally nodded in agreement.
The quiet didn’t last long. “So, officer,” Martha began. “Are you single?” Jack tried to make himself disappear at this point but unfortunately closing his eyes and wishing he was anywhere else in the world but in the back of a cop car that smelled like piss with two elderly troublemakers turned matchmakers was a bust.
“I’m single ladies,” the officer readily answered. “But don’t get your hopes up for your granddaughters. I’m also gay.” Jack prayed for a hole in the floor of the sedan to open up and swallow him whole.
Ally and Martha clapped in glee. The officer turned around in surprise before quickly returning his attention to the road. The quick look was all Jack needed. It appeared that he’d been arrested by a man hot enough to be Mr. January in the police calendar. Although it was dark in the car, he couldn’t miss the curly brown hair and eyes the color of rich chocolate. He’d bet the man was made of muscles as well. He nearly sighed but caught himself just as he saw Ally and Martha looking at him for a response. He buried his face in his chest. Luckily, they had arrived at the police station.
About the Author


I was born and raised in Wisconsin, but think I’m a European. After spending my senior year of high school in Germany, I developed a bad case of wanderlust that is yet to be cured. My flying Dutch husband and I have lived in Ohio, Virginia, the Netherlands, Germany and now Istanbul. We still haven’t decided if we want to settle down somewhere – let alone where. Although I’ve been a military policewoman, a commercial lawyer, and a B&B owner, I think with writing I may have finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up. That’s assuming I ever grow up, of course. Between tennis, running, traveling, singing off tune, drinking entirely too many adult beverages, and reading books like they are going out of style, I write articles for a local expat magazine and various websites, review other indie authors’ books, write a blog about whatever comes to mind and am working on my sixth book.

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Side by Side by Jana Kelley

Book Review

Side by Side by Jana Kelley was a very unique book.  I have never read a book like this one before and I have to say that I think more people should write books like this one.  I didn’t want this book to end because it was so interesting watching the characters grow and learn about other people and their personal beliefs.  I love how this book was inspired by things that the author went through so that always makes the book seem more real or at least it does to me.  This was a great book and I was sad when it came to the end of the book.  I would recommend this book to everyone who is looking for an interesting book or a unique idea because this was both of those things.

Side by Side

About The Book

Side by Side (New Hope Publishers, April 2015)

In the dusty, Islamic country of Sudan, Mia’s life collides with that of another young woman.

A young Christian American mother, Mia finds more than one dark secret on the streets of Khartoum. She finds Halimah, a young, upper-class Arab student with a bright future in her family’s business whose risky and secretive decision has put her life in danger. What happens when the path of young mother intersects with that of a spunky Sudanese student? God transforms them both . . . forever.

Part of New Hope® Publishers’ contemporary missional fiction line, Side by Side opens the reader’s eyes to the life of Muslims in Sudan as well as some of the struggles that Christians face when living under Islamic law. The reader will be inspired to pray for those who are persecuted for their faith as well as pray for the salvation of those who persecute.

Jana Kelley

About The Author

Jana Kelley is a Texan who hardly ever lives in Texas. Raised in Southeast Asia, Jana developed a love for cross-cultural living early in life. Her love for writing came soon after. Jana returned to Texas to attend college. She and her husband married a month after she graduated and by their second anniversary, they were living in a remote African town. Together with her husband and three boys, Jana enjoys travel and overseas living. After thirteen years in Africa and the Middle East, Jana and her family moved to Southeast Asia where they currently live.
Find Jana online: website, Facebook, Twitter

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Visiting The Sins by Melanie Denman

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Visiting The Sins by Melanie Denman was an interesting book to read.  I am going to start by saying that if you are offended by some swearing than this book isn’t for you.  The only reason I say that is because it happens throughout this book.  It didn’t happen a ton and it wasn’t anything that bothered me but it may bother some other people.  I had a hard time reading this book at times because one of the last names of one of the characters is the same last name of someone I know so it was weird for me to read this book and not think of the person I know.

Anyway lets get back to the review of this book.  This book did make me smile while I was reading it quite often.  I have to say that my favorite character was Pokey and that is because she reminded me of people I used to work with when I worked at the nursing home as a CNA.   I wasn’t a huge fan of Rebanelle and I am not 100% sure why but she really did get on my nerves.  I loved reading this story and see things through the characters eyes.  I loved how different people narrated throughout the whole book so you were always getting different views and that is always a fun change from books where just one character narrates the story.  I really did enjoy this book and I can’t wait to read other  books by this author.

Visiting the Sins

About The Book

Set in the Bible Belt of Deep East Texas, Visiting the Sins is a darkly funny story about mothers and daughters, naked ambition, elusive redemption, and all the torment it’s possible to inflict in the name of family.

Down through the decades, the lofty social aspirations of the feisty but perennially dissatisfied Wheeler women — Pokey, the love-starved, pistol-packing matriarch; Rebanelle, the frosty former beauty queen turned church organist; and Curtis Jean, the backsliding gospel singer — are exceeded only by their unfortunate taste in men and a seemingly boundless capacity for holding grudges. A legacy of feuding and scandal lurches from one generation to the next with tragic consequences that threaten to destroy everything the Wheeler women have sacrificed their souls to build.

Melanie Denman

About The Author

Melanie Denman is a native of Nacogdoches, Texas and a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University. An eighth-generation Texan, and a former banker and cattle rancher, she currently lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is working on a second novel.

Connect with Melanie:  Website  ~  Facebook  

 

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Authentic Arts: Venice Travel Guide

Authentic Arts Series

About The Books

VENICE A Travel Guide

Book Description for Authentic Arts: Venice Travel Guide

Every traveler to Venice wants to go home with a special souvenir–a carnival mask, a piece of Murano glass, a handcrafted piece of lace. But selecting which mask or which goblet to buy can be an intimidating experience. How do you know if you’re buying something authentic, something made in Venice, something made in a traditional way? How do you gauge how much you should pay, and how do you know if you’re being ripped off? How do you determine if you have fallen prey to one of the city’s many tourist traps?

Laura Morelli, an art historian and trusted guide in the world of cultural travel and authentic shopping, leads you to the best of the city’s most traditional arts: Murano glass, carnival masks, gondolas, lace, paper, and more. This indispensable guide includes practical tips for locating the most authentic goods in one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world. Packed with useful information on pricing, quality, and value, and with a comprehensive resource guide, Laura Morelli’s Authentic Arts: Venice is the perfect guide for anyone wanting to bring home the unique traditions of Venice.

Artisans of Venice is the companion to Laura Morelli’s Authentic Arts: Venice, A Travel Guide to Murano Glass, Carnival Masks, Gondolas, Lace, Paper, & More. Put both books together and you’ll be the most knowledgeable traveler in Venice!
Artisans of Venice

Book Description for Artisans of Venice: Companion to the Travel Guide

Going to Venice? Don’t buy anything in Venice until you read this book!

Buyer Beware: Venice is full of tourist traps and mass-produced souvenirs passed off as authentic. Do you know how to tell the treasures from the trash?

In Venice, it’s not easy to tell the treasures from the trash. This is true now more than ever before, as increasing numbers of carnival masks, glass, and other souvenirs flood into Venice, imported from overseas and passed off as authentic. There is no substitute for an educated buyer. Laura Morelli helps you locate the city’s most authentic artisans–those practicing centuries-old trades of mask making, glass blowing, wood turning, silk spinning, and other traditions. Wouldn’t you rather support authentic Venetian master artisans than importers looking to turn a quick profit without any connection to Venice at all?

Venice boasts some of the most accomplished master artisans in the world. Here’s how you can find them.

Laura Morelli leads you beyond the souvenir shops for an immersive cultural experience that you won’t find in any other guidebook. Artisans of Venice brings you inside the workshops of the most accomplished makers of Venetian fabrics, Murano glass and millefiori, carnival masks and masquerade costumes, gondolas, Burano lace, mirrors, marbleized paper, hand-carved frames, and other treasures. This book leads you to the multi-generational studios of some 75 authentic master artisans. If you’re reading on your Kindle device, tablet, or smartphone, you can click directly on their street addresses for an interactive map, and link to their web sites and email addresses directly from the guide. A cross-referenced resource guide also offers listings by neighborhood.

Laura Morelli, an art historian and trusted guide in the world of cultural travel and authentic shopping, leads you to the best of Venice’s most traditional arts. Laura Morelli’s Authentic Arts series is the only travel guide series on the market that takes you beyond the museums and tourist traps to make you an educated buyer–maybe even a connoisseur–of Florentine leather, ceramics of the Amalfi Coast, Parisian hats, Venetian glass, the handmade quilts of Provence, and more treasures.

Bring Laura Morelli’s guides to Venice with you, and you’ll be sure to come home with the best of Venice in your suitcase.

Laura Morelli

About The Author

Laura Morelli holds a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University, where she was a Bass Writing Fellow and Mellon Doctoral Fellow. She authored a column for National Geographic Traveler called “The Genuine Article” and contributes pieces about authentic travel to national magazines and newspapers. Laura has been featured on CNN Radio, Travel Today with Peter Greenberg, The Frommers Travel Show, and in USA TODAY, Departures, House & Garden Magazine, Traditional Home, the Denver Post, Miami Herald, The Chicago Tribune, and other media. Recently her art history lesson, “What’s the difference between art and craft?” was produced and distributed by TED-Ed.

Laura has taught college-level art history at Trinity College in Rome, as well as at Northeastern University, Merrimack College, St. Joseph College, and the College of Coastal Georgia. Laura has lived in five countries, including four years in Italy and four years in France.

Laura Morelli is the author of the guidebook series that includes Made in Italy, Made in France, and Made in the Southwest, all published by Rizzoli / Universe. The Gondola Maker, a historical coming-of-age story about the heir to a gondola boatyard in 16th-century Venice, is her first work of fiction.

Connect with Laura: Website  ~  Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  about.me

 

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Overkill by Amy Saunders

Overkill by Amy Saunders
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: January 13

About the Book

Summer in Portside: The
beach! The gelato! The murder…
Belinda’s peace from scandal and her
grandmother is short-lived when a painting – and then a body – wash up on her
favorite beach. As she and Bennett team with Det. Jonas Parker to figure out
how the two connect, a possible art forgery comes to light – and another
victim.

Belinda continues to grow into her new role as
a part-time amateur detective, swimming through suspects and broken
connections, while Bennett starts to rebuild his life, and Jonas breaks free
from work to pursue a potential new romance.

With the heat of summer upon them, the future
is more unpredictable than ever.



Participating Blogs


The Little
Reading Cabin
 
Author Bio
Amy Saunders is a mystery
lover with a soft spot for humor and romance–and the ocean. She lives in Massachusetts, and loves
to bake and watch movies. She’s the author of one mystery series and three
standalone mysteries. Learn more about Amy and her books at her website.
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Books, Blogs, Reality

Books, Blogs, Reality by Ryan Ringbloom
New Adult Contemporary
Date Published: October 2014

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Life can suck…
When reality becomes overwhelming, seeking comfort in fictional fantasies keeps hope alive.  And while this escape may be a little delusional, it’s also therapeutic.
Sharing secrets is daunting, but virtual friends don’t often judge and they are always ready to share a glass of wine…or three…while typing out life’s latest endeavors.
Brooke believes obstacles only add to romance, not detract. Rachael longs for a more intense relationship, or so she thinks. Lizzie misses the excitement in her life, but sometimes new situations find you when you’re not even looking. And Jess believes a tiger can change his stripes. It can’t.
Bound by a shared passion for blogging about happily ever afters, these four young women use keyboard therapy to work through their expectations, anxieties, and inadequacies, all with the hopes of achieving the perfection found in romance novels.
Completely blinded by what they think life should be, they navigate their unique paths in search of what they envision is right. But when reality taunts them with persistent curve balls, will they be strong enough to choose wisely? Or will their happy endings escape them?
*Mature content 18+
EXCERPT

It’s not uncommon for people to have two sets of friends. The
“real” friends; these are the ones who live nearby, the ones you see or talk
with occasionally (less and less as time goes on). Then there are the “virtual”
friends; these are the ones you talk to (well, type to) every day. The latter
group comes from all over. You’ve never actually met any of them and yet you
trust them with some of the deepest, most intimate thoughts and details of your
life. You share way too much information and in return, they over-share way too
much back.
On Brooke Bloomfield’s twenty-third birthday, she went to
lunch with her real life best friend, Lauren. The two girls had a very nice
time. They gossiped in between chews, catching up, because even though they
lived only ten minutes away from each other, they still hadn’t seen each other
in quite some time. When the bill came, Lauren grabbed it, insisting she treat
Brooke on her special day. They hugged goodbye at their cars and promised to
meet for lunch or a drink soon.
Later that same night, Brooke let loose and celebrated her
birthday in a much more exciting way, at a computer-generated party with her
three online BF’s, Rachael-XXOO, Lizzie1214, and JessRomance93. In a relatively
short time, all three of these girls had come to know more about Brooke than
anyone else.
Similar tastes in books kept connecting them through book
tours and blitzes. Comments on posts and reviews turned into discussions over
emails. Tweets bounced back and forth between the four of them endlessly, until
one day they discovered a social website designed for readers, where they could
all chat privately amongst themselves. Within no time, their virtual
discussions went from benign topics such as books they all loved, hated and/or
felt somewhere in between, to a hell of a lot more serious things.
It’s funny the things a person will share with people they
don’t actually have to face. Like a diary into which they feed their emotions
and it types back.
Brooke Bloomfield
ReaderGirlBrooke
NY  ~   Brookesbeenreading.blogspace.com
Blogger, dedicated romance reader, and reviewer. I spend a
lot of time with my many fictional boyfriends. Addicted to cherry ice pops and
cupcakes with pink frosting.
~
ReaderGirlBrooke: Hey guys!
Lizzie1214: Wine is open. Time to celebrate!! The big two-three!
JessRomance93: Hey, birthday girl! I just opened a beer. Does
everyone have a drink now?
Rachael-XXOO: Got mine. Happy Birthday Brookey!!!  Did you get the pic of Preston’s
package all wrapped up in a bow?
ReaderGirlBrooke: Thanks guys. I just poured a glass of red.
Yes, Rachael – great pic! *blushes
Rachael-XXOO: You’re not blushing. You love it. I’m sure you
saved it with all the other dirty pics I send you.
Rachael-XXOO: By the way, did you guys finish Fix My Heart
yet? I’m only 45% in.
ReaderGirlBrooke: Yes!! Loved! Five stars. A guy exactly
like Grant is what I wished for when I blew out my birthday candles today at
lunch.
Lizzie1214: I gave it five stars, too.
JessRomance93: It was good. Meh. Three stars.
ReaderGirlBrooke: Jess, are you serious? Only three stars?
How did you not fall in love with Grant? He was perfect!
JessRomance93: Yeah, Grant was perfect. But a little too
perfect, don’t ya think? Guys like that don’t exist.
ReaderGirlBrooke: Are you just saying that because of you-know-who?
JessRomance93: This has nothing to do with that asshole. I
just thought the way Grant rescued Cassandra was a little over the top.
Rachael-XXOO: Um, hello. What part of “I haven’t finished
yet” did you all not understand? Remember, we don’t discuss a book until
everyone is done reading.
ReaderGirlBrooke: Sorry! We’ll stop. Just make sure to stay
away from my blog until you’re done reading. My review is getting posted
tonight.
Rachael-XXOO: I’m probably reading slower than usual because
my own love life has been picking up lately.
JessRomance93: Nice, Rach! Do we get some dirty details
later?
ReaderGirlBrooke: Wah! The only love life I have lately
requires batteries.
Rachael-XXOO: Yes! I’ll give details later. And speaking of
dirty details, did you get my special little birthday care package, Brooke?
ReaderGirlBrooke: Yes, but I haven’t opened it yet. I
figured I’d wait till we were chatting.
Lizzie1214: Open it! Tell us what fun, twisted things
Rachael sent you.
Rachael-XXOO: Yeah, go ahead and open it up, birthday girl!
ReaderGirlBrooke: HAAA! I didn’t know they made so many
things in the shape of a penis. Lollipops, straws, a lipstick, pasta, and a
toothbrush! OMG! Where did u find a penis toothbrush?
Rachael-XXOO: I ordered everything online. Do you like the
theme??
ReaderGirlBrooke: I love it! Thank you!! I’m taking a pic of
everything right now to send you guys.
Lizzie1214: Will you actually eat the pasta and the
lollipops? I wonder what they taste like.
JessRomance93: Ew, yuck. What do you think it tastes
like?
Rachael-XXOO: Go ahead, Brooke, try a lollipop and tell us
if tastes like a pecker.
ReaderGirlBrooke: Yum. It does. 😉

 

About the Author
Ryan Ringbloom
Twitter: @ryanringbloom
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