Monthly Archives: October 2021

New Release Spotlight! A Little Christmas Spirit by Sheila Roberts Sets the Holiday Mood

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Here it is, not even Halloween, and I’m spotlighting Christmas stories. Why? you might ask. The answer: I’m a sucker for a good Christmas story and load up my Kindle with new releases as soon as they come out so I have plenty to read through the holidays. These days, authors are releasing their books earlier and earlier, trying to get some footing in an overcrowded market, so it’s a good time for readers to stack their holiday TBR list with some of the best new books out there. For the next few weeks I’ll be spotlighting Christmas reads. I’m sure you’ll find a few to put you in the spirit. This week I’m featuring a new title by Sheila Roberts, A Little Christmas Spirit.

About the Book

The best Christmas gifts—family, friendship and second chances—are all waiting to be unwrapped in this sparkling new novel from USA TODAY bestselling author Sheila Roberts.

Single mom Lexie Bell hopes to make this first Christmas in their new home special for her six-year-old son, Brock. Festive lights and homemade fudge, check. Friendly neighbors? Uh, no. The reclusive widower next door is more grinchy than nice. But maybe he just needs a reminder of what matters most. At least sharing some holiday cheer with him will distract her from her own lack of romance…

Stanley Mann lost his Christmas spirit when he lost his wife and he sees no point in looking for it. Until she shows up in his dreams and informs him it’s time to ditch his scroogey attitude. Stanley digs in his heels, but she’s determined to haunt him until he wakes up and rediscovers the joys of the season. He can start by being a little more neighborly to the single mom next door. In spite of his protests, he’s soon making snowmen and decorating Christmas trees. How will it all end?

Merrily, of course. A certain Christmas ghost is going to make sure of that!

Start reading now!

About the Author

Sheila Roberts lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels have been published in several languages. Her book, Angel Lane, was an Amazon Top Ten Romance pick for 2009. Her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas, was made into a movie for the Lifetime Movie Network and her novel, The Nine Lives of Christmas, was made into a movie for Hallmark . You can visit Sheila on Twitter and Facebook or at her website.

New Release Spotlight! Viola Shipman, The Secret of Snow

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Viola Shipman is back with a new novel!

Book Description

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Summer Cottage 

“A beautifully written story about second chances. Fans of women’s fiction won’t be able to put this down.” —Publishers Weekly 

The forecast is calling for a reluctant homecoming and regrettable decisions with a strong chance of romance … 

When Sonny Dunes, a SoCal meteorologist whose job is all sunshine and seventy-two-degree days, is replaced by a virtual meteorologist that will never age, gain weight or renegotiate its contract, the only station willing to give the fifty-year-old another shot is the very place Sonny’s been avoiding since the day she left for college—her northern Michigan hometown. 

Sonny grudgingly returns to the long, cold, snowy winters of her childhood…with the added humiliation of moving back in with her mother. Not quite an outsider but no longer a local, Sonny finds her past blindsiding her everywhere: from the high school friends she ghosted, to the former journalism classmate and mortal frenemy who’s now her boss, to, most keenly, the death years ago of her younger sister, who loved the snow. 

To distract herself from the memories she’s spent her life trying to outrun, Sonny throws herself headfirst into covering every small-town winter event to woo a new audience, made more bearable by a handsome widower with optimism to spare. But with someone trying to undermine her efforts to rebuild her career, Sonny must make peace with who she used to be and allow her heart to thaw if she’s ever going to find a place she can truly call home. 

Start reading now!

About the Author

Wade Rouse is a popular award-winning memoirist and internationally bestselling author of twelve books, which have been translated into twenty languages and selected as Today show Must-Reads, Indie Next Picks and Michigan Notable Books. Rouse writes fiction under his grandma’s name, Viola Shipman, to honor the woman whose heirlooms inspire his writing. He lives in Michigan and California, and hosts Wine & Words with Wade, A Literary Happy Hour, every Thursday.

Connect with Viola Shipman

Viola Shipman Website

Wade Rouse Website

New Release Spotlight! Beyond the Crushing Waves, Historical Fiction by Lilly Mirren

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This seems like an ambitious novel and goes along with my recent British theme. I am normally interested in all things Brit but I’m especially enthralled now as a trip to the United Kingdom is on my 2022 agenda. Expect to see more books from English authors in this space.

About the Book

Two generations from one family face heartbreak and injustice in this poignant and emotional novel inspired by true events. For readers of Before We Were Yours and Where the Crawdad Sings.

Married to her dream man, and with a baby on the way, Dr Mia Sato’s life is in perfect order.

When her beloved grandmother has a fall, the photograph clutched in her hand prompts Mia to ask questions her grandmother isn’t willing to answer. Then she cries out a confession that rocks Mia to her core and leads her to make a shocking discovery of a past filled with lies, broken families and forced child migration.

Mary Roberts is a poor gutter child living in a council house in 1950’s London. When she and her sister are given away to an orphanage by their mother, they could hardly imagine the turn their lives were about to take.

Harry Evans is an orphan who finds himself with Mary and her sister on a ship bound for Australia. To a farm for children, where abuse and neglect are rife. A journey that will change their lives forever, and from which they’ll never return.

Based on one of Britain’s most secret and shameful real-life scandals in which over 100,000 British children were forcibly deported to Canada, South Africa, and Australia over several decades. Lilly Mirren’s heartbreaking, captivating and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us that no matter where the journey leads us, our hearts will always find their way home to those we love.

Start reading now!

About the Author

Lilly Mirren is a USA Today Bestselling author. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband and three children.

She always dreamed of being a writer​ and is now living that dream. When she’s not writing, she’s chasing her children, doing housework or spending time with friends.

Her books combine heartwarming storylines with achingly realistic characters readers can’t get enough of. Her debut series, The Waratah Inn, set in the delightful Cabarita Beach, hit the USA Today Bestseller list and since then, has touched the hearts of hundreds of thousands of readers across the globe.

Connect with Lilly Mirren

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Books I Love! The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan is Women’s Fiction on the Road

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It took me all summer and then some to get into this book but am I glad I did! I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Georgina Sutton, and it completely captivated me on so many levels. It’s great women’s fiction, an enlightening “coming of age” novel for a woman in mid-life and her octogenarian mother, and a woman in transition, with many truths laid bare. Even the teenage daughters grow a bit. A wonderful read!

About the Book

Get swept into a summer of sunshine, soul-searching and shameless matchmaking with this delightfully big-hearted road trip adventure!

Kathleen is eighty years old. After she has a run-in with an intruder, her daughter wants her to move in to a residential home. But she’s not having any of it. What she craves—what she needs—is adventure.

Liza is drowning under the daily stress of family life. The last thing she needs is her mother jetting off on a wild holiday, making Liza long for a solo summer of her own.

Martha is having a quarter-life crisis. Unemployed, unloved and uninspired, she just can’t get her life together. But she knows something has to change.

When Martha sees Kathleen’s advertisement for a driver and companion to share an epic road trip across America, she decides this job might be the answer to her prayers. She’s not the world’s best driver, but anything has to be better than living with her parents. And traveling with a stranger? No problem. Anyway, how much trouble can one eighty-year-old woman be?

As these women embark on the journey of a lifetime, they all discover it’s never too late to start over.

My Take

From the moment they take off you know the cross-country adventure of Kathleen and Martha will be transformative and fun. Each has something to prove, both have something to come to terms with: For Kathleen, it’s old heartbreak and abandoned relationships, for Martha it’s poor choices and a divorce. Liza, too, has to come to grips with her marriage (is it failing?) and finding herself after devoting years to raising her spoiled, unappreciative twin daughters.

As a lover of anything British I checked out this audiobook and found myself on an American journey across Old Route 66, a road much traveled for those seeking answers, change, growth, opportunity and adventure. Our unlikely duo find all. Back in England, Liza takes her own adventure full of temptations and a rebirth of her previous self, whom, she finds, she’s been missing for quite a long time.

The narration is superb, the clipped British tones of Georgina Sutton carrying the story well.

Recommended for lovers of strong women’s fiction, heroines of an unexpected age, romance on the road, and renewal stories.

Start reading now!

About the Author

Sarah Morgan is a USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author of romance and women’s fiction. She has sold over 21 million copies of her books and her trademark humour and warmth have gained her fans across the globe.

Sarah lives near London, England and when she isn’t writing or reading, she likes to spend time outdoors hiking or riding her mountain bike. 

Join Sarah’s mailing list at http://www.sarahmorgan.com for all book news. For more insight into her writing life follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook/AuthorSarahMorgan and on Instagram at @sarahmorganwrites Contact Sarah at sarah@sarahmorgan.com

New Release Spotlight! Dachshund Through the Snow, A Christmas Story for Children from Michelle Medlock Adams

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Here it is, not even Halloween, and I’m spotlighting Christmas stories. Why? you might ask. The answer: I’m a sucker for a good Christmas story and load up my Kindle with new releases as soon as they come out so I have plenty to read through the holidays. These days, authors are releasing their books earlier and earlier, trying to get some footing in an overcrowded market, so it’s a good time for readers to stack their holiday TBR list with some of the best new books out there. For the next few weeks I’ll be spotlighting Christmas reads. I’m sure you’ll find a few to put you in the spirit. This week I’m featuring a kids’ book. Here’s Dachshund Through the Snow.

Book Description

The size of your stature is not the measure of your heart. For one tiny Dachshund, this was a mighty big lesson.

Crosby was teeny. Even for a miniature dachshund. In fact, he was the teeniest dachshund in the whole town. But his small stature and big heart made Crosby one of the best burrowers in all of the North Pole. That’s why he couldn’t wait to enter the North Pole Animal Olympics and burrow his way to a gold medal. Finally old enough to compete, Crosby goes to town to register on Dec. 23, but when he encounters lots of hecklers and bullies who make fun of his small size, Crosby loses his confidence. With his tail tucked between his legs, he burrows as fast and far away from town as he can, running smack dab into a stranded Santa and his divine destiny. 

Will this unlikely hero save Christmas? 

Four to eight-year-olds will be on the edge of their seats as this holiday picture book page-turner unfolds.

Start reading now!

About the Author

Michelle Medlock Adams is a best-selling author and an award-winning journalist, earning top honors from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Hoosier State Press Association.

Author of over 100 books with more than 4 million books sold, Michelle is also a New York Times Bestselling ghostwriter and has won more than 70 industry awards for her own journalistic endeavors, including the prestigious Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book in 2020, 2019 and 2018 for “How Much Does God Love You?” “Dinosaur Devotions” and “My First Day of School”. And, over the past three years, she has added several first place honors from the Christian Market Book Awards, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, and the Illumination Book Awards in multiple categories.

Michelle is married to her high school sweetheart, Jeff, and they have two daughters, Abby and Allyson, two sons-in-law, two granddaughters and two grandsons. She and Jeff share their home in Southern Indiana with a miniature dachshund, a rescue Greyhound/Lab mix, and two cats. When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys bass fishing, cheering on Indiana University sports teams and the Chicago Cubbies, and all things leopard print.

Connect with Michelle Medlock Adams

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Twitter and Instagram: @INwritergirl

New Release Spotlight! Christmas in Tinsel Tree Village: A Holiday Novella by Viola Shipman

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Here it is, not even Halloween, and I’m spotlighting Christmas stories. Why? you might ask. The answer: I’m a sucker for a good Christmas story and load up my Kindle with new releases as soon as they come out so I have plenty to read through the holidays. These days, authors are releasing their books earlier and earlier, trying to get some footing in an overcrowded market, so it’s a good time for readers to stack their holiday TBR list with some of the best new books out there. For the next few weeks I’ll be spotlighting Christmas reads. I’m sure you’ll find a few to put you in the spirit. This week I’m starting with the latest from Viola Shipman, an author I discovered and fell in love with this summer. Here’s Christmas in Tinsel Tree Village.

Book Description

Neve Ford, once the queen of Christmas, no longer loves the holidays. While she once reveled in the magic of the first snow of the season and her collection of heirloom decorations, they now serve as reminders of the husband she lost too soon. With so many painful memories haunting her small Michigan hometown, Neve moved away and never looked back.

Now working in Chicago, and a social media star thanks to her spectacular Christmas windows, Neve’s sole focus is creating crowd-drawing displays—and ignoring the pleading letters her grandmother continues to send from home. But then her job unexpectedly takes her back to Michigan to curate displays for a Christmas festival. An expert at avoiding her past, Neve plans to slip in and get gone…until word of her return leaks out. The walls Neve built around her heart may be strong, but with some unexpected help from the community, Neve will learn that she can’t outrun family bonds—or the promise of hope that only Christmas can give.

Start reading now!

About the Author

Viola Shipman is the pen name of Wade Rouse, a popular award-winning memoirist and internationally bestselling author of 12 books translated into 20 languages and selected as Today show Must-Reads, Indie Next Picks and Michigan Notable Book. Rouse chose his grandma’s name, Viola Shipman, to honor the woman whose heirlooms inspire his fiction. He lives in Michigan and California, and hosts Wine & Words with Wade, A Literary Happy Hour, every Thursday.

Connect with Viola Shipman

Viola Shipman Website

Wade Rouse Website