Thursday, May 31, 2018

Gumshoe Girl


Sheagan O’Hare got more than she bargained for when her newly inherited detective agency lands its first case; a missing person, embezzlement, and murder. Sheagan’s out to prove she can hang with the pro's, despite the constant reminder of her amateur status from an annoyingly attractive FBI agent, Colin 'Mac' MacEvine, who’s forced himself into her life.

How does she feel when an old high school friend hopes to ignite a new romance?

Will she be able to discover if detective work and love can mingle before someone gets hurt?

MY REVIEW
What a delightful mystery. I don’t even know if I’d call the genre romantic suspense. It’s almost a cozy. It’s your everyday mean mad cop, well maybe cute FBI agent in this book, who picks on a cute, very funny female Private Investigator type of story. But this is a fast-moving full of action mystery.

The characters here are well-defined and easy to see in one’s mind. There are three or four quite important characters and yet every one of them has his or her own distinctive personality. Being able to “see” a character as I read always makes a story much more enjoyable for me.  I did find 8 or 9 typos, more mixed up words than typos and this sort of thing ruins my reading rhythm, but this is a really good book. I’d be glad to send my typos to the author/publisher at any time. Would sure not want a few mix-ups to ruin such a great start for this author.

The setting is great. The complete picture of a new memorable character is perfect. Easy to read and definitely the start of what I hope will be a series to come. Kudos to Andi Ramos.


***This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review.


EXCERPT
“What are you doing here?” he hissed. “Why are you here? Go, now!” His voice was forceful, not the meek squeaky tone he’d used that morning.


Just then a tall, slim, middle-aged man flung open a door across the room. He looked angry, and seemed more irritated when he spotted the two of them.

“Lewis, what are you still doing here?” He approached the pair. “Weren’t you off the clock a half hour ago?” There was a lot of tension in his voice.

“I was just leaving, sir,” Lewis squeaked.

“Who the hell is this?” He gestured to Sheagan. The man was wearing an expensive suit, but his tie knot hung out of place to the side. He was red-faced and perspiring.

Before she could reply, Lewis piped up, “She’s my ride, Mr. Wellstood.”

Sheagan saw him clench his teeth as he put his arm around her and pulled her close.         “She was running late picking me up,” he added.

Lewis turned to Sheagan and grabbed her arm. As they reached the elevator, she said quietly, “I was just looking —”

He held his hand up for her to stop talking, which was just as well since she didn’t know how to finish the sentence.

He guided Sheagan into the elevator, and stood on the opposite side. He kept his head down and didn’t say a word.

Sheagan couldn’t stand the silence. She tried again. “Why did you…”

He looked up and glared at her through his wide-rimmed glasses. She saw the muscles in his jaw tighten. “Don’t!” was his only reply.

As soon as the door opened, she scrambled out of the elevator. Sheagan flew through the outer doors and to her car as quickly as possible. She didn’t notice which way Lewis went, and didn’t care.  


AUTHOR Bio and Links:  Andi will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Andi Ramos grew up in central Massachusetts where she still lives today with her family,
goat, and Boston Terriers. Her love for reading grew into a passion for writing. She dabbled with pen and paper for a long time and eventually stopped pushing her amusements aside and started developing those stories into novels. One of her favorite things to do is to hop into her motorhome with her family and write while traveling down the road as they journey to various destinations.

This is the author's debut book.






Twitter: https://twitter.com/andiramosauthor






Monday, May 28, 2018

You Never Forget your First Earl


With her three good friends all recently married, Elizabeth Turley is ready for some husband-hunting of her own. One gentleman in particular sparks her interest. Geoffrey, Earl of Harrington is tall, handsome, and dashing. He’s also just a bit too sure of himself. But Elizabeth has observed enough about the rules of attraction to pique the earl’s attention. Yet once she has it, the discovery of a troubling secret taints her future happiness . . .

Lord Harrington must marry or lose a prestigious position in Brussels, and pretty, well-connected Elizabeth fits his needs admirably. But could it be that he has underestimated his bride? She doesn’t bat an eye in the face of the danger they encounter overseas. She’s strong-willed, intelligent, and more enticing each day—yet also more indifferent to him. Now Geoffrey faces his greatest challenge: to woo and win his own wife, or risk losing her for good . . .

MY REVIEW
Definitely of the Historical Romance genre and definitely very easy to read. Set in the times of the Napoleonic Wars, this story speaks of politics and wars but only amongst the polite talk made at Balls long ago, where women were supposed to be well-versed in certain subjects to learn to carry on conversations with their prospects. Truly your girl in a “coming out” stage and a titled boy trying to find the proper wife, story. Nonetheless, it’s a delightful love story and I enjoyed it. It was even a little humorous at times which I thought kept it moving along well.

Romance is not my favorite genre but I enjoyed this book. There is no explicit sex, at least to me, nothing that did not fit in the story and the characters were not just defined but likeable. They were easy to know. I am talking about the whole family…the Marchioness of Somewhere, the Lord, the Earl, the Lady…well you get my point. Each family was discernible living in times of war, politics and slaughter. To make it real but yet a pleasant read, Quinn described the homes, the riding out in carriages, the Balls, even the beautiful Teas to allow us to enjoy her storyline and yet give us a hint of what went on at the time. I think she did a good job at this.

Let me tell you what else she did. She gave this book a title to make me think this book would have a whole ‘nother ending than it did. What a sassy lady.

This is Book 5 in her “The Worthingtons” series. There is no question it could be read as a stand-alone but I think it’s probably worth checking them all out.  


***This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review.


EXCERPT

“Harrington.” Mr. Gavin Turley, the eldest son of Viscount Turley, hailed Geoff as he stepped through the door. “Haven’t seen you in weeks. What have you been up to?”

“I’ve been with my father.” He sat in the large leather chair on the other side of a low table. A footman brought him a cup of tea, and he took a sip. It was comfortable being known in a club well enough that they knew what a fellow drank. Coffee might smell good, but he couldn’t stand the taste. He thought of not mentioning his most pressing dilemma, but he was desperate. “If you must know, I’m in the market for a wife.”

Turley stared at Geoff for a few moments, then turned his attention to the teacup that he twisted around before looking up again. “Are you indeed?”

“Yes.” Geoff nodded. “And quickly. You might have heard . . . Well, it is no matter.” There was no need for the whole world to hear from him how shoddily he had been treated by Lady Charlotte. Making sure that others knew he wished to marry, however, was prudent. After all, he was an eligible match for any lady.

“Tell you what,” Turley said, leaning forward. “Come around to my father’s house this afternoon on Green Street and join us for tea.” Turley raised a dark blond brow. “If you don’t have other plans, that is.”

An image of a lady with the same light flaxen hair came to Geoff’s mind. Lady Charlotte had introduced him to Miss Turley. The sister of Mr. Turley and the daughter of Viscount Turley. “Do I recall correctly that you have a sister who is out?”

“You do.”  He leaned back in the dark brown leather chair. “She is enjoying her first Season. She is very pretty—at least I think so—and amiable as well. Even when I try her temper, she manages not to give me a bear garden jaw.”

He debated telling the man that he had already been introduced, but decided not to. Joining Miss Turley for tea was as good a place as any to begin, Geoff supposed. “I have no other obligations. In fact, I would be delighted.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:  
Ella will be awarding a signed copy of the book (International Giveaway) to 5 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.


USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.
  
She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, and a Portuguese Water Dog. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat. After cruising the Caribbean and North America, she completed a transatlantic crossing from St. Martin to Southern Europe. She's currently living in Germany, happily writing while her husband is back at work, recovering from retirement.





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Wednesday, May 23, 2018

A Hasty Grave

Amateur Sleuth

Finding a large hole on one’s property is one thing; finding a body in it the following day is quite another.

Rona and her ex-husband, Johnny, also discover a sheet of paper at the gravesite, symbols looking like code or treasure hunting glyphs.  What’s it mean?  Does it have any bearing on the man’s death?

Add to this mix the old Finley-Tennet feud and an elderly Finley’s nebulous recollection of James/Younger outlaw days. Does she have the clue to the cache’s location?

When a second death pushes Rona and Johnny into a deadly game of hide-and-seek with the killer, she learns—nearly too late--just how deeply Johnny still loves her.

MY REVIEW
A really enjoyable mystery. This could almost be called a cozy but it has all of the twists and turns of a somewhat more complex plot. This time Rona and her ex seem a bit closer and McAlan keeps you hoping all the way through that they’ll get back together. However, that’s something you’ll have to find out by reading the book; at least as far as this reviewer is concerned. There are once again a few historical hints in this book as there were in the first one. I’d call it historical flavor more than anything else. I loved all of its hidden messages and the puzzles that Johnny and Rona try to solve. Don’t get me wrong, this was not a deep subject, or a hard to read, heavy book. It is a fun read that will keep you wondering who is the bad guy or girl, along with of course, a few dead bodies. You know…all the things a mystery is supposed to have.
Jessie McAlan seems to be as good at describing her characters and keeping them alive as she was in the first book.  The small town of Klim and its inhabitants are still working and playing and of course spreading gossip faster than a speeding bullet. And then there’s Linn House. It sounds as beautiful as ever with its beautiful Mississippi river accompaniment flowing by and McAlan does it justice by her beautiful descriptive writing.   
This is the 2nd book in her series called “The Linn House Mysteries” and it is as good as Book 1 titled “The House on Devil’s Bar”.  Wonder when Book 3 is due?

***This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT
She’d set her laptop on the coffee table and was getting out dessert plates and mugs when the bell to the side door rang. She cracked open the window, saw it was Johnny, then ushered him inside.

“First time in quite a while I’ve been given the eye.” He gave her a light kiss on the cheek. “Wouldn’t a peep hole in the door work better?”

“I just wanted to be certain it was you. Can you install a peep hole?”

“Nothing to it, especially for a man who’s put in those picture windows in his shop.” He flung his cap onto the kitchen table and shrugged out of his jacket. “Why the precautions all of a sudden?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’m not busy the rest of my life. Except for October 28th. I’ll be occupied with the gallery’s opening that day. But the other ten thousand nine hundred fifty days are yours.”

“How long is that?
“Thirty years, give or take a leap day or two. I want to make sure I’m not skimping on our time together.”

“You plan on living to one hundred seven?”

“I don’t see why not. I have to make up for our year of separation and divorce.” He dished two servings of the pudding cake into the bowls, set them and the mugs on the tray, and took them into the den. “So, what’s this long story that requires precautions? I love stories. I was brought up on stories.”

“This isn’t Little Red Riding Hood. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“So it’s something else with a big bad wolf.”


AUTHOR Bio and Links:  Jessie McAlan will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

A family trip to the Big Spring area in the Missouri Ozarks introduced Jessie to the wonders
of nature.  Her summer stints as a camp counselor and canoeing instructor cemented her enthusiasm.  This love of the natural world and the river flows through her Linn House mysteries.

In 2001 Jessie graduated from Webster University with a BA degree and departmental honors in English.

She lives in the St Louis, MO area, and spends as much time as she can writing mysteries and watching the barges on the river.











Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Strawberries and Strangers

Cozy Mystery


Exclusive beach party takes a murderous turn.

Dumped by her cheating husband, Jenny King is trying to build a new life in the small seaside town of Pelican Cove. Locals are lining up at the Boardwalk Café for her tasty cakes and muffins. But when her aunt is accused of killing a stranger, Jenny is forced to set her apron aside and put on her sleuthing cap.

Jenny battles with the cranky local sheriff and quirky local characters to get to the truth. Aided by her new friends, she will move heaven and earth to find out who the dead stranger was and what he was doing in Pelican Cove.

If you like cozy murder mysteries with friendly small towns, scenic settings, yummy food and a touch of romance, you will like Strawberries And Strangers.

Buy now and get hooked on the brand new Pelican Cove Cozy Mystery Series. Book 2 and Book 3 are coming soon in May 2018.


MY REVIEW
Cute cozy in the small town of Pelican Cove. Jenny is a fantastic cook who came to live with her Aunt Rebecca, who now wants to be called Star. If you’re wondering if Star was once a hippie, you got it. After breaking off a really bad marriage, Jenny cooks in a restaurant called Boardwalk Café. This is a cute mystery so there has to be a dead guy, right? Well this one happens to have Star’s paintbrush in his hand.
This is just a fun, easy read. It has all of your characters present for a cozy setting in a small town. The sweet café owner, Petunia, the good friend, the snoopy ladies group as well as a snooty ladies group and of course, a handsome cop. The characters came alive and the town was described so well I wanted to live there. I thought there were a few times that Jenny seemed a little over-ardent about clearing her aunt, but then I think you have to have a reason for your amateur detective to keep “detecting” or you’d have no plot.

Leena Clover has two series available online.  This is Book 1 of the Pelican Cove Cozy Mystery series. Better check them all out.

***This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT
The Newburys were the richest family in the town of Pelican Cove. Although they didn’t share the honor of being the ‘first family’, they tried to make up for it with plenty of wealth. Rumor had it their coffers were full of gold, gold they had dug up from the sea. They had a sprawling ocean facing estate spread over ten acres. Unlike most houses in town, it was newly built. Anything built in the last fifty years was considered new in Pelican Cove.

“But you’ve been open twenty five years, haven’t you, Petunia?”

“That’s just how long I owned this café, dear. It was around a long time before that.”

“So the Newburys never came to the Boardwalk Café?”

“They got rich in the great storm,” Petunia whispered, leaning forward. “And they built that big castle of theirs.”

“Upstarts!” Star snorted.

Petunia rolled her eyes and turned toward Jenny.

“They got rich and uppity, I tell you. I guess they thought coming to this café was beneath them.”

“Then why have they hired us now?” Jenny asked.


Leena Clover will be awarding  a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Leena Clover grew up reading mystery books. Some of her favorite authors are Agatha Christie, M C Beaton and Donna Andrews. Now she is trying her hand at writing whodunnits, making them as nail biting as possible while keeping them cozy. Her love for food is evident in all her books. Readers can find yummy treats in the pages of her books, along with friends that last a lifetime.

Connect with Leena at her website http://leenaclover.com or write to her. She looks forward to hearing from you.


The book will be on sale for only $0.99.

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Sunday, May 20, 2018

The Last Prejudice

Mainstream Drama (GLBT)

When Ed Connor slips into a coma his wife, children and their families arrive at the hospital to await his recovery. They gather around his bedside and begin reminiscing about the good old days but as the hours pass stress begins to take its toll causing long held family secrets and unresolved issues to surface. A disagreement over a DNR order put Ed’s sons, Steve and Peter, at odds and the family speculates that their anger is really about an event that led to their falling out when they were teens. While in his coma, Ed exists somewhere between life and death and wonders what he could have done differently when Steve tried to tell him that he was gay. The family is drawn into the bitter battle between Peter and Steve, and they fear things will never be right between them again. It’s now up to the family to devise an intervention as a last ditch effort to bring these two battling brothers back into the family.


MY REVIEW
Out of the mouth of babes... Children say the darnedest things now and then…

Really a tear jerker at times. But… a good story with some reminders about life and how quickly we can miss what we really meant to do. This is a life lesson but not one in a preaching mode. It’s a really intense storyline. Sometimes it will make you angry and sometimes it will make you sad. Others, will make you laugh. It’s about how prejudice and arguing within one’s family can make us all  miss some of the most important moments of our lives. How a small difference can hurt and can involve each and every person in our family, no matter what age. 

Much of this story is based on memories and what family members didn’t realize about one another. Almost all of the setting is in a hospital room. Sounds impossible doesn’t it? However, I think because the dialog is written so well, the scene or setting only adds to helping the story become more passionate at times. It also takes excellent character definition to tell a story this way and Blodgett seems to have done it quite well.  

Bill Blodgett has 3 or 4 other books all with good reviews. Each one looks like a different genre. Takes a good author to write in such different genres and get good reviews. Better check him out.

***This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT
The coffee cup shattered when it hit the white porcelain kitchen sink. She had just poured it and added a splash of half and half before she looked out the kitchen window to check on him. Oh well, if it makes him happy. Some things I just can’t change, she thought. Then he slumped over the steering wheel of the lawn mower. Fortunately the mower’s safety mechanism shut the mower down when he fell to the side and onto the newly mowed lawn.

The shattering of the cup had barely quieted before she was through the screen door and at his side. She pulled him the rest of the way off the mower and felt for a pulse. She found it. Thank God.

“Ed! Ed, can you hear me? Don’t do this to me, you stubborn old fart. I told you not to be mowing this damn lawn.”

His eyes opened when she cradled his head in her lap, and he mumbled something. She leaned closer. “… broken…” was all she heard.

“Broken? Ed, what’s broken?”

When he didn’t respond, she pulled back to look at him. His eyes went vacant and then slowly rolled back and closed.

“Help me, please… Anyone, please help me!”

She shrieked until someone heard her. Within minutes Beth, her neighbor, was at her side. “Jan, my God, what’s happened?”



“Call 911.”

Bill will be awarding an digital copy of Unrequited to 5 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. (see below)

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

I still live in the community where I met and married my lovely wife, Janice. Actually, she lived around the corner from me and we both ignored each other until our teen years when the hormone thing kicked in and we suddenly realized that the cute little girl skipping rope and that goofy boy riding a bike had both grown up.
We are the proud parents of April and Lindsay; both of whom are now married. April married Darren and they have two beautiful boys, Brian and Owen. Lindsay married Tim and they have two beautiful children: Kailyn and Evan.

 I enjoy hiking, kayaking, camping with my family, golfing, making candles, and restoring my antique European sports car, a 1972 MGB.

They say to write from what you know, so I do. I write of love, life and relationships.


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Thursday, May 17, 2018

Brewer and Reut


Read about this book and see the GIVEAWAY and EXTRA FREE GIVEAWAYS             by clicking HERE





Read about this book and see the GIVEAWAY by clicking HERE




Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Unbreakable Bond

Paranormal Romance

Sometimes fate gets it all wrong.

Zoey Kent has lived with that fact ever since she turned eighteen and learned that the man she loved could never be hers. He’s a born shifter, a wolf, and she’s a mere human. Fate doesn’t care if on paper they’re a perfect pair. She isn’t his fated mate and she’s resigned herself to the knowledge that someday, she’ll have to watch Michael mate with another. It’s never crossed her mind that there might be someone else out there for her, that she would be the one to mate another, to choose another over everything she’s ever known or wanted.

Sometimes fate gets it all right.

Rafe Hudson left his pack behind years ago. Physically and mentally scarred from an attack that left his parents and twin dead, he walked away from his responsibilities as Alpha. He never intended to return but lone wolf or not, he can’t leave Michael open to an attack he’s learned is coming for his only brother. What he didn’t know was that going home would mean scenting his mate, the one person in the world that could make him whole again, that could give him everything he thought he’d lost. His pack, his home and his family.

But fate always has a plan.

There’s no way Michael’s brother is her future, is there? Just like there’s no way that the girl his brother has loved since they were kids, was always meant to be his, right?

Only fate knows why they were brought together but there is one thing for sure, the sparks between Zoey and Rafe are undeniable. The bond between them is unbreakable. And together… they’ll change the face of the pack forever.

MY REVIEW
This was really not my genre but in truth, it was really a page turner. I am a very “black & white” person so believing and reading about the paranormal never sits quite right with me. On the other hand, I read Sci-Fi through many years and I don’t suppose one is more believable than another.  While this may be paranormal, it is also a story of caring and loving and it has a lot of action. Except for the shifting thing, it was almost as if a native tribe was trying to steal another tribe’s land.

One thing Jess Bryant accomplished that I find really hard to believe, is that in my mind, I constantly had a picture of what characters looked like and what they looked like after shifting. Before I read this book I would have told you that was not possible.


Did Bryant make a believer out of me? Romance and paranormal are still not my favorite genres but am I glad I read this book? Sure I am.

***This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review.


EXCERPT
Zoey felt her jaw fall open. Rafe. Michael had called him Rafe again. Add in what he’d just said about the pack being his and that meant he was exactly who she’d thought he was when she got that first good look at him.


Her mind was whirling, “Michael? What’s going on? Tell me. Now. Because what my head is telling me can’t possibly be right… can it?”

Michael sighed, started to reach for her again and then must have thought better of it considering the threat hanging in the air. He swiped his hand across his jaw instead. When he met her eyes again, there was more than just concern there this time. There was also a good portion of sadness.

“Zoey, you remember my brother?”

“Rafael.” Her gaze automatically shifted back to him when Michael confirmed what she’d already put together, “Rafe.”

That flash of recognition hit her again along with something else. It had been a long time. She’d barely been a teenager the last time she saw him. He’d taken off after the accident that took his parents life and the life of his twin brother, the same accident that had made Michael Alpha of the pack.

It was the something else that distracted her though, the thing that definitely hadn’t been there when she’d known him before. The instant attraction to him was new. So was the urge to move towards him, to let him protect her, the belief that he was the one offering safety, comfort and home. None of that had been there when she’d known him before… before she’d turned eighteen, she realized.

Her head was still trying to figure out what that meant, how that was possible, when Michael’s next words confirmed what her heart had been trying to tell her all day. 

This was the important part. The impossible part. The part she never could have seen coming because it changed everything.

“He thinks you’re his mate.”

Jess will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. (see below)

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jess Bryant is an avid indoorswoman. A city girl trapped in a country girl's life, her heart
resides in Dallas but her soul and roots are in small town Oklahoma. She enjoys manicures, the color pink, and her completely impractical for country life stilettos. She believes that hair color is a legitimate form of therapy, as is reading and writing romance. She started writing as a little girl but her life changed forever when she stole a book from her aunt's Harlequin collection and she's been creating love stories with happily ever afters ever since.

Jess holds a degree in Public Relations from the University of Oklahoma and is a lifetime supporter of her school and athletic teams. And why not? They have a ton of National Championships! She may be a girlie girl but she knows her sports stats and isn't afraid to tell you that your school isn't as cool as hers... or that your sports romance got it all wrong.

For more information on Jess and upcoming releases, contact her at JessBryantBooks@gmail.com or follow her on her many social media accounts for news and shenanigans.

Links


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Tuesday, May 15, 2018

A Trail to Love

Historical Romance

Jack Billabard, mourning the loss of his wife and baby in childbirth, vows to never to love again. After their funeral at Fort Laramie, he rides into the Wyoming hills beyond the ranch he built for his wife. Through his grieving tears, an ancient tree appears, giving him the hope he doesn't believe is possible. For the next four years, he acts as a guide on the Oregon Trail, taking families to a new life while his looms lonely and stagnant.

The night before her abusive husband’s death, an ancient tree appears in Sarah Nickelson's yard as she agonizes over how to survive her marriage. The tree gives her hope she can’t help but reject. After all, a tree doesn't just appear out of nowhere. After her husband 's death, and with no options as a widow in Independence, Missouri, Sarah decides to travel to Oregon City as a Mail Order Bride.

During their trek west on the Oregon Trail, Jack and Sarah encounter one another, each afraid of being hurt again. Can they survive dogs and puppies, wind and rainstorms, Indians and unfavorable fellow passengers, while their love blossoms? Will the tree fulfill its promise?

MY REVIEW
Mail-order brides. A thing of stories and never really true? Mail-order brides existed and still do in many countries today. This happens to be a story about one of the 1800’s type. It’s genre is listed as Historical Romance. It seemed to have a touch of western flavor to me. I thought that just added color. This story also contains the genre “Romance”. I must say it was a very enjoyable read to me. Romance is not a genre I always enjoy but there is no explicit sex in this story; just a story about strong women, their lives, their families and their loves.

While fiction, this is also a very well-portrayed story of the position women could be put in back in that time. We lost our first names and definitely our birth surnames when we married. We became Mrs. So and So and in many circumstances our property was thought of as the husband’s property. When you hear people say “things are much worse than they used to be”, this is a cruel reminder of how untrue that statement could be.
This was a good storyline with interesting and well-developed characters. Some of them you could just picture because of the great description by this author. You could picture the good as well as the bad. You know…you have to have a few bad guys in any good story don’t you? There isn’t much description of the actual wagon train trip out west to Oregon but that is not the center of this book. This is a book about hardships, loves, family, kids, and relationships. This was just a sweet story that keeps you turning the pages. 
Tina Susedik also has several other books, all of which appear to have great reviews. Looks like they are all worth checking out to me.

**This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT
Since Peter had heard Tommy singing one afternoon, his pure, clear voice filling their house, he had the lamebrained idea of having him literally singing for their supper. The last thing she wanted was for Tommy to spend another night learning the ways of men and women in Independence's taverns. And with their booming town of three thousand people, there were plenty dens of iniquity to choose from.

In a few months, the city would swell as people wishing to start a new life in the west swarmed in with wagons, oxen, horses, and families. Taverns would explode with men's last opportunities to get drunk, which meant more crime, fights, and guns going off. Things a young boy didn't need to see.

Despite her disappointing marriage to Peter, she was content to stay in the two-bedroom log home she'd inherited from her parents when they'd died of the fever. Every once in a while, her husband talked of heading west to Oregon City. Lately, more often than not, she dreamed of him leaving her and Tommy alone and free from his outbursts.

"Darn it, woman, give me the boy. You're coddling him."

Behind her, Tommy whimpered against her back. "Shh, Tommy. It'll be all right." Her hand brushed against the fireplace poker. Could she hold Peter off with it? He was older, stronger, and angrier. Maybe she could reason with him. She huffed out a breath. As if that had ever worked before.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:  Tina Susedik will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. (see below)

Tina Susedik is an award-winning, multi-published author with books in both fiction and non-fiction, including history, children’s, military books and romances. Her favorite is writing romance stories where her characters live happily ever after. She lives in Northwestern Wisconsin and is a member of Romance Writers of America, Wisconsin Romance Writer's of America, Wisconsin Writer’s Association, and Sisters In crime. Her twentieth book will be released in November with her Chandler County book, Missing My Heart.  Tina also write spicier romances as Anita Kidesu.

Buy link for The Trail to Love: http://a.co/8IPpl7M

Social Media Links for Tina Susedik


RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY