Can't Stand the Heat

Genre: Contemporary Romance

With three successful TV series under her belt, including her cousin Kandy’s, executive producer Stacy Peters is ready to helm her own show. But to make that happen, she has to do her network boss one favor first—spend two months on a ranch in Montana wrangling the notoriously difficult director of Beef Battles. Apparently, he eats producers for breakfast. Yet all Stacy can think when she meets the lean, rugged man is how hungry he makes her . . .

Dominic Stamp—Nikko to his very few friends—has had enough interference from TV newbies. And when Stacy climbs out of the car in Montana, he’s not convinced she’s even old enough to drive, much less produce his show. But he can’t deny that the long-legged blonde with the stubborn will and the dazzling smile whets his appetite. And as Stacy proves her talent with the crew and the budget alike, Nikko vows to prove to her that love is on the menu for both of them . 

EXCERPT

This couldn’t be the new executive producer.

She looked like an intern, barely out of college, not the seasoned television producer Teddy Davis had emailed him about.

The one he’d emailed back saying he neither wanted nor needed.

Hair the color of champagne fell just below her shoulders in a soft cascade of waves and ripples. Even in the heat and humidity engulfing them it looked fresh. Her face was a perfect heart, a tiny dip in the center of the hairline bifurcating her brow into two perfectly aligned sections, her flawless chin falling into a delicate point. She had one hand out to shake his, the other shading her eyes from the strong and harsh afternoon sun, but underneath her fingers he was able to make out a pair of sloe-shaped eyes in a deep, forest green.

Taller than average but small boned, her legs took up most of the lissome body. With her lips held together in a tight line, she reached him.

“I’m Stacy Peters, Mr. Stamp.”

He stopped and planted his feet, his gaze shifting to her outstretched hand and then back up to her face without taking it. Her eyes narrowed into a determined glare and it looked as if she wasn’t going to back down until he shook it. With reluctance, he did.

Like the rest of her, her fingers were narrow and thin as they coiled around his.

A blast of heat instantly warmed and calmed his entire body like a few shots of his favorite Irish whiskey did after a rough and painful day. The subtle aroma of vanilla floated to him, filling his senses with the sweet fragrance. The persistent, throbbing ache in his left leg the liquor helped chase away was momentarily forgotten with his hand rooted in hers.

MY REVIEW

I am not a romance genre fan.  I loved this book.  Couldn’t put it down til I found out the ending. Part of the reason I enjoyed this book was its setting and the occupations of the characters. Maybe I should add that I also loved the book because the storyline was about producing cook-off reality television shows.  Not just reality cooking but on a ranch out West, learning to cook the freshest beef and ingredients ever. A beautiful ranch in the West, wow.

I am never ever this much of a cheerleader about a book like this but it contained a little of everything. The scenic description by Peggy Jaeger made you feel as if you were right there on that ranch. Right there with her characters, from Stacy, the newly assigned Executive Producer and the ranch hand to the raving Technical Director and his sweet young daughter trying to find her way. Each character had a personality of his or her own and I liked them…well…most of them, but that’s how it’s supposed to be isn’t it? Being best friends with all of the characters would be a pretty bland book. There’s some sadness in this book along with some anger but it has its humorous and its sweet moments too.  I didn’t feel there was any type of explicit sex in this book. There was longing and loving but nothing embarrassing to me and romance was very seldom the main topic.  When I say nothing embarrassing to me, it means a lot.  One of the reasons romance is not usually a genre I enjoy reading is because some of it does embarrass me; makes me feel

uncomfortable.  That’s not anything I’m ashamed to say here, it’s just true.  This book was tough and sweet and so well-written that you really wanted it to end your way.  It’s worth reading to see what really does happen.

This is Book 3 in the Will Cook for Love series. This book could definitely stand alone but somehow having looked at the great ratings Jaeger has online, I’d read all three books in this series and hope she’s busy writing Book 4.

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

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card (see Giveaway below)

Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, Peggy brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she has created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

Tying into her love of families, her children's book, THE KINDNESS TALES, was illustrated by her artist mother-in-law.

Peggy holds a master's degree in Nursing Administration and first found publication with several articles she authored on Alzheimer's Disease during her time running an Alzheimer's in-patient care unit during the 1990s.

In 2013, she placed first in two categories in the Dixie Kane Memorial Contest: Single Title Contemporary Romance and Short/Long Contemporary Romance.

In 2017 she came in 3rd in the New England Reader's Choice contest for A KISS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS and was a finalist in the 2017 STILETTO contest for the same title.

A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, she is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.

Website/Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072?ref=bookmarks

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mmj122687/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-jaeger

Rafflecopter GIVEAWAY

Serial Wives

Genre:Crime Fiction

Why would a rich girl become a prostitute?
Three years ago Joy refused to sleep with an ex boyfriend. When he committed suicide, her guilt was enormous. To punish herself she opted to serve as a prostitute for three years.

How far would you go to protect your child?
Cora loves her convict husband despite - or because of - his bad boy ways. But now that he's back in her life, she has their daughter to consider. Is a faulty father better than no father at all?

A serial killer…
A serial killer who murders women and displays their bodies dressed in a white sheet with a fencing mask covering the face. Who will be next?

EXCERPT
Zero’s shared office at the police station looked bleaker than usual. Not even nine o’clock and the morning was already too full of coffee and too scant on breakfast. After three hours in bed, Zero had chosen an extra fifteen minutes of snoozing instead of muesli and shower. She was regretting the no-muesli decision.

“So,” Zero said. “I got that list of psycho reasons for wanting to kill prostitutes.”

Kath raised her eyebrows. “Thought you’d get too sucked into the TV to do any work.”

Of course she did.

“Didn’t even switch it on. Used the Internet. According to Dr Google, scenario one is we could be looking at a man who has issues with women as such. He hates women and wants to hurt them, and the prostitute is simply an easy option. We’ll call him Bitter Boy.”

“Right.”

“The second scenario is that he despises prostitutes specifically. The attacks could be his mission to rid the world of women who, in his eyes, are morally unacceptable.”

“The Missionary.” Kath got up, reached for a blue marker and printed the two nicknames on the whiteboard, right below the photos and names of the two victims. Rebecca Mahoney, also known as Raven. Stella Baxter, a.k.a. Sirocco.

Zero wondered if their department would ever get a Smart Board. Unless Smart Boards were so smart they helped the police solve crimes, the official line went, the department would stick to the status quo in technology, thank you very much.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:  Yvonne Walus will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly   drawn   winner via rafflecopter during the tour. (see below)

You won't believe this, but when I'm not a novelist I'm actually a Doctor of Mathematics. A business and data analyst. A wife and a mother. Most of all though - I am a writer (in several languages) hoping to change the world one book at a time.

My heritage is inter-continental. I was born and raised in Poland. When I was twelve, my family and I emigrated to South Africa. Your teenage years are usually your formative years, so it’s no surprise I consider South Africa my second homeland. For the past twenty years, I’ve lived in New Zealand, and people ‘back home’ tell me I’ve become a real Kiwi.

Crime fiction is my passion. My childhood hero was, predictably, Hercule Poirot. I've changed my mind several times since, and for a time I was totally into Harlan Coben's super-rich super-able Win (Windsor Horne Lockwood), but my current favourite is Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch… I mean, Sherlock Holmes.

My co-ordinates:

https://www.yvonnewalus.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Yvonne-Walus-author-206745219335573

https://twitter.com/hotyve

http://yewalus.blogspot.co.nz/

Here’s a link to the promo video for my latest book: http://stairwaypress.com/book/serialwives/.

Print version: http://stairwaypress.com/book/serialwives/

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Serial-Wives-Introducing-Zero-Zimmerman-ebook/dp/B07B2RQHGW

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

Everything We Lose

Historical Young Adult

Two friends--one black, one white.
Torn apart by an attack gone wrong.
One escapes into war, the other is sold into slavery.

Told from alternating viewpoints, one black and one white, Surviving the Fatherland author Annette Oppenlander delivers another stunning historical tale set against the epic backdrop of the American Civil War--a breathtaking examination of the power of hope and friendship, and the endurance of the human spirit to find a way home.

Tennessee, 1861. Fifteen-year-old farm boy Adam Brown would do anything to protect his friend Tip, a slave at the neighboring plantation—even if it means fighting Nathan Billings, the rich and obnoxious landowner’s son. But when it seems his attack has killed Nathan, Adam has no choice but to run away and join the Union Army under an assumed name. Together with Wes, a chatty soldier with a few secrets of his own, Adam embarks on a traumatic odyssey through the war-torn Midwest. As his soul darkens with the atrocities of war, all he wants is to go home. But in order to do that—if he survives—he must face his past.

Unbeknownst to Adam, sixteen-year old Tip is sold to a farmer who takes drunken pleasure in torturing his slaves. Tip quickly realizes that if he wants to survive he must run. Ahead lie hundreds of miles of unknown country, infested by slave owners, traders, starvation and cold. And so begins a journey of escape and recapture, of brutal attacks and unexpected kindness. When a rescue by the Underground Railroad goes terribly wrong, Tip finds himself caring for a pregnant runaway, his journey seemingly at an end. They have reached the Ohio River, a vast watery expanse impossible to cross. It is only a matter of time before roaming slave traders will pick them up—he will never see his mother and his best friend again.

NOTE: The book will be on sale for $0.99 during the tour.

EXCERPT  

Adam rushed to the opening that was closest to the stables and peeked out. Nathan’s mother, wearing a gown of crisp cotton with a soft pattern of cornflowers, its blue reminding Adam of his own mother’s eyes, stood waiting outside. She held a dainty umbrella of cream-white lace to shade out the sun and a pair of riding gloves. “If you don’t come soon, I must go back inside,” she said, her voice almost too quiet to hear. “It is dreadfully hot today.”

“You think she look in here?” Tip whispered.

Adam shook his head and kept watching the yard. His mind screamed leave. Yet he stood with indecision. He couldn’t go outside while Janet Billings was near. Thoughts of what he’d done roiled inside his head, panic drying his mouth.

To his relief, Janet Billings slowly wandered back toward the main house when Wilkes crossed her path. She was too far for Adam to hear, but Wilkes’s voice boomed easily across the lawn. “Sure, M’am, I’ll be happy to search for him. Give me a few minutes…I’ll be right back.”

To Adam’s horror, Wilkes headed straight toward the stables and then made a sudden turn toward the grain shack. Obviously it was well known that Nathan Billings liked to torture Tip.

Adam leaped from the window, grabbed Nathan’s feet and pulled him toward a stack of burlap sacks. He had mere seconds to hide them both. From the corner of his eye he saw Tip turn on his side, pretending to be asleep. Desperately yanking at the sacks to make space, he pushed Nathan, who felt soft as a bag of flour, and himself into the opening and cowered low.

The door flew open. “Mr. Billings, are you in here?” Wilkes rushed to Tip’s cot. “You awake, Boy?”

Tip grumbled and rubbed his eyes. “Something wrong?”

“Have you seen Master Nathan?”

Tip shook his head, his brown eyes wide. “No, Sir.”

“I wonder why the shack was unlocked,” Wilkes mumbled as he turned and walked back out.

“They pick up wheat for the kitchen earlier,” Tip offered, but the overseer was already gone, the chain rattling on the outside.

Adam slowly rose as Tip sat up on his cot. Their eyes met.

They’d both be hanged come morning.

MY REVIEW:

I fell in love with this book.  There’s only one thing I can find to disagree with.  Its genre is marked as Young Adult and I cannot think of an adult who wouldn’t enjoy it just as much.  I couldn’t seem to read it fast enough to see what would happen with each chapter.

This book is set in the times of the Civil War, the times when people owned people, people had friendships that they couldn’t even acknowledge. While this book is set in the times during the Civil War, it is not a book about war. It is about families and experiences of people trying to live in the midst of the War. The War cannot help be mentioned because so many of the hardships as well as freedoms were by-products of the War. There is much emotion in this book.  Oppenlander found a way to realistically touch on many emotions and yet in my opinion, there is nothing in this book that any age can’t read.   

Each scene is so very vivid, as if you can see the farms and beautiful old homes ravaged by the war as well as the shacks many slaves lived in.  Each personality was so well-defined that you could picture them in your own mind.  That’s the key to a well-written book. One where you can step into the story, feel where you are and be a part of the people around you. Where you can feel their pain and their joy. Really an excellent book to put on your “to be read” list.

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

AUTHOR Bio and Links:  

Annette will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. (see below)

Annette Oppenlander is an award-winning writer, literary coach and educator. As a bestselling historical novelist, Oppenlander is known for her authentic characters and stories based on true events, coming alive in well-researched settings. Having lived in Germany the first half of her life and the second half in various parts in the U.S., Oppenlander inspires

readers by illuminating story questions as relevant today as they were in the past.

Oppenlander’s bestselling true WWII story, Surviving the Fatherland, was elected to IWIC’s Hall of Fame, won the 2017 National Indie Excellence Award and is a finalist in the 2017 Kindle Book Awards. Her historical time-travel trilogy, Escape from the Past, takes readers to the German Middle Ages and the Wild West. Uniquely, Oppenlander weaves actual historical figures and events into her plots, giving readers a flavor of true history while enjoying a good story. Oppenlander shares her knowledge through writing workshops at colleges, libraries and schools. She also offers vivid presentations and author visits. The mother of fraternal twins and a son, she recently returned to her home, Solingen, Germany where she lives with her husband and old mutt, Mocha.

Website: http://www.annetteoppenlander.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aoppenlander

Pinterest: annoppenlander

Blog: http://www.annetteoppenlander.com/blog/

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078WQBQQ5

GIVEAWAY

A Hole in One

Genre: Mystery

Hoping to promote the Glass Dolphin antiques shop, co-owners Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland agree to sponsor a hole in one contest at a charity golf tournament. The publicity turns out to be anything but positive, however, when Arabella’s errant tee shot lands in the woods next to a corpse.

They soon learn that the victim is closely related to Arabella’s ex-husband, who had been acting as the Course Marshal. With means, opportunity, and more than enough motive, he soon becomes the police department’s prime suspect, leaving Arabella and Emily determined to clear his name—even if they’re not entirely convinced of his innocence.

Dogged by incriminating online posts from an anonymous blogger, they track down leads from Emily’s ex-fiancé (and the woman he left Emily for), an Elvis impersonator, and a retired antiques mall vendor with a secret of her own.

All trails lead to a mysterious cult that may have something to do with the murder. Can Arabella and Emily identify the killer before the murderer comes after them?

EXCERPT

Levon smiled, the full-on one he tended to keep in reserve, and Arabella felt something tug inside of her. She had heard quite enough about Gilly Germaine and how amazing she was. It wasn’t as if she was jealous, exactly, more like she felt Levon slipping away from her little by little. They might not be married any longer, but she never stopping thinking of him as a friend, someone who knew her and loved her, blemishes and all. Since Gilly had arrived on

the scene, Levon had become more and more distant. This past month he’d been all but absent. Today was the first time they’d spoken in two weeks.

It didn’t help that she’d recently split up with Aaron Beecham. For a small town cop, he seemed to be on duty more than off.

“I should get going,” Levon said, interrupting her thoughts. “Gilly is relying on me.”

I’m sure she is. “I better get going as well. We’re starting on number two.”

“Just remember not to hit the ball until the shotgun sounds.”

“Gilly’s using an actual shotgun? I thought everyone used sirens or horns these days.”

Levon laughed. “Gilly’s as much of a stickler for research as you are. She thought it would be more authentic if she used a shotgun, too. You of all people should appreciate that, Arabella. After all, isn’t that your motto? Authenticity matters?”

It was, but Arabella didn’t like it that Gilly had adopted the same motto.

She didn’t like it one bit.



MY REVIEW       For a link to my review, click HERE.

Does getting divorced mean you don’t like each other?  It surely means you don’t want to get back together, right? On the other hand, it surely means you’d help one another out of a little predicament, right?  Unless maybe it’s murder.

This is a fun, easy read.  There are some very sweet unexpected moments in this book making it have some twists and turns as well as reminding us there are good people in this world too. A nice change. It doesn’t involve much golf if that’s what you’re worried about. The golf and the hole-in-one pertain to a charity to help kids, well…and a big prize for big kids too. Other than being just a really enjoyable read, I liked this book because the main character, Arabella, owns an antique shop called The Glass Dolphin. This was not a book filled with chapters full of tips on antiques but it does touch on them and I enjoyed reading about a few very collectible pieces. This is a community where everyone knows everyone and rumors fly like bats in the night.  The characters were likeable while not especially dissimilar from other books of this type. That sounds as if I don’t think the author developed her characters well and that is not my intent.  I’m only saying there were the expected characters as there are in many books of this type; your handsome cop, an ex-husband, a business partner, a jealous woman, and your community gossip. Nonetheless, I can tell you I didn’t put it down for a minute til the very end.

This is Volume 2 of a series titled “Glass Dolphin Mysteries” and I see Judy Penz Sheluk has really good ratings on many of her books. Let’s just hope she keeps writing more entertaining ones like this.

AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

During the tour Judy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter. (see below)

An Amazon international bestselling author, Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries (THE HANGED MAN’S NOOSE and A HOLE IN ONE) and The Marketville Mysteries (SKELETONS IN THE ATTIC). Her short crime fiction appears is included in several collections, including LIVE FREE OR TRI.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she currently serves on the Board of Directors as the Regional Representative for Toronto/Southern Ontario.

Find Judy on her website/blog at www.judypenzsheluk.com, where she interviews and showcases the works of other authors and blogs about the writing life.

Social Media Links

Website/Blog: http://www.judypenzsheluk.com

Facebook Author: 

https://business.facebook.com/JudyPenzSheluk/?business_id=736294013145101

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudyPenzSheluk

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/judypenzsheluk/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Penz-Sheluk/e/B00O74NX04

Buy Links for A HOLE IN ONE:

 Amazon: http://authl.it/9f0

Barnes & Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-hole-in-one-judy-penz-sheluk/1127967500

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/a-hole-in-one-3

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Judy_Penz_Sheluk_A_Hole_in_One?id=IERMDwAAQBAJ

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/a-hole-in-one/id1350574649?mt=11

Barking Rain Press

https://barkingrainpress.org/a-hole-in-one/ -1473022241950-de2dbbf6-9e98

GIVEAWAY

Wendi Zwaduk and Howard Weiner

                    Blood Relations Series                                                      Book 2:  Love lessons series

  read more here                                                                                  read more here

One for the price of two

Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Crime

Fraternal twins are raised by an ambivalent aunt who provides an unusual childhood experience. One twin leaves home to join the armed forces and is ultimately assigned to a Special Forces unit conducting clandestine operations in North Korea. The death of one his unit members produces an introduction to an organized crime family specializing in murder for hire. The funeral for the family's son and an interest in their daughter brings new blood and methods to the family business.

EXCERPT:

Bell hadn’t given the matter substantial thought beforehand. He expected to be greeted by an undertaker and a funeral hearse. That’s what the briefing packet stated. Instead, the hangar held only a recent model pickup truck—badly in need of a wash and wax. The truck belonged to the sister, not Uncle Seb. Yet another oddity.

The airport personnel maneuvered the cargo lift to the rear door of the plane. The metal casket glided across the bed of rollers in the plane’s cargo hold and onto the lift platform’s roller mat. A single member of the ground crew completed the task, and the cargo lift pivoted toward the pickup truck where two ground crew slid the casket onto the bed of the truck and closed the truck’s lift gate.

Carrullo’s sister and uncle moved to the truck. At the last moment, the sister looked in Bell’s direction and motioned for him to join them. Bell grabbed his army issued duffle and hustled across the expanse of oil stained concrete for his trip to meet the rest of the Carrullo clan.

The ride from the airport to the family home in North Hills was uncomfortable. The sister said nothing. Not a single word. By contrast, Uncle Seb continued the outward signs of shock and grief.

The truck emerged from the Fort Pitt Tunnel, crossed Three Rivers at the Point, and continued north on I-79 to the Wexford exit. Carrullo regaled Bell with stories about the area’s frequent snowfall and how the cinders spread on the roadways turned the white snow into a dirty palette of brown. Carrullo hadn’t exaggerated. They drove past mile after mile of dirty snow.

Bell wore only his uniform, having forgotten to take an overcoat, muffler, or gloves. He wanted to ask if the truck’s heating system worked. It was a newer model after all, but the prospect of interrupting the uncle’s wailing and the sister’s quiet resolve seemed inappropriate. That and the empty coffee cups, crushed bakery boxes, and discarded fast food wrappers on the floor suggested comfort wasn’t a high priority. By the time the truck turned onto the family homestead’s driveway, Bell lost all feeling in his feet and hands.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:  Howard Weiner will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.  (see below)

Howard Weiner is a recent addition to the literary genre of fiction. Writing mysteries, thrillers, crimes—with a touch of romance—an approach described by one reader as “one bubble off.” Many authors sharing the genre have characters whose fortune is determined by others. They literally have dodged the bullet that otherwise would have killed them. Weiner’s characters make their own fortune—good or bad—and they live with the results.

Weiner’s own experiences are blessed with no small number of noteworthy characters and events. He brings these slightly off-kilter individuals to life, complete with their own stories and dramas. Like the child prodigy in his first novel, "It Is Las Vegas After All", who comes to the starting edge of adulthood and then loses the approval of his doting parents, the

sponsorship of one of America’s great institutions of higher education, and gains the enmity of his girlfriend’s father—an international arms dealer—to become a home-grown terrorist operating on U.S. Soil.

A survivor of rich, nuanced bureaucracies in the public and private sector, Weiner writes about characters whose career choices and decisions are morally questionable. A student of personal behavior in complex circumstances, Weiner brings these often cringe-worthy characters to life. Some are amoral, others immoral in a narrow slice of their lives, yet they otherwise look and act like people we all know from work or even childhood. Like one of the female leads in his novel, "Serendipity Opportunity", an out-of-the-box thinker who flunks most of life’s basic relationship tests, yet she is someone you never want pursuing you in the cause of justice. There’s a former foreign security official who uses his protected status as a witness for federal prosecutors to provide cover for his own mayhem and murder in Weiner’s third novel, "Bad Money".

Many of Weiner’s stories are born out of real life events: The mix-up in luggage claim at the airport in, "Bad Money", the chronic high school slacker in "Serendipity Opportunity" whose one stroke of good fortune creates his opportunity to perpetrate a complex series of frauds, or the brilliant student in "It Is Las Vegas After All" who uses his prodigious talents toward an evil end.

As a former federal official, Weiner can neither confirm nor deny having the highest security clearances in classified security programs. Yet, his knowledge of the dark web, criminal organizations, and security organizations takes stories from the popular press to the next level.

Amazon Author Central Web Site:

The book will be $0.99 during the tour.

https://www.amazon.com/One-Price-Blood-Relations-Book-ebook/dp/B07BC6GHDW/

Author Page https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KE771A

Author Web Site:  https://www.hdweiner.com

GIVEAWAY

Written Together

Genre:  Contemporary Erotic Romance

What if the woman he needs is the one he thought was out of his league?

Adam Pallas knows what he wants out of life—to teach history, to be happy and to have a hot woman by his side. He’s got one out of the three. He should be happy, but he’s not. There’s one woman who grabs his attention every time. The catch? She’s very much out of his league. Can being himself actually snag him the woman of his dreams?

Melissa Murphy isn’t looking for love, but every time she sees Adam her plans go sideways. The English teacher knows there’s a confident, hot man hiding behind the slightly nerdy history buff façade. But her past and the things she wants between the sheets tend to scare men off. She believes the odds may be stacked against them. Could it be their lives are perfectly written together after all?

EXCERPT

©Copyright Wendi Zwaduk 2018

She gripped the papers tight. Dear God. What if Adam found out from someone else before she could tell him the whole truth? Would he bolt? They were just friends, but some people were turned off by the idea of role-play and the other things she liked in the bedroom. Adam would probably be one of them. The man seemed so vanilla and wound so tight. And she was drawn to him. Go figure.

She sighed. No wonder she couldn’t make love work in her life.

Adam rounded the corner and waved. His grin widened and the spring entered his step. She snickered. The guy was so silly, but cute. She loved his determination. He’d cherish the woman who secured his heart. The memory of the hug the day before came to mind. She could feel his arms around her again. Warm, inviting and safe. She stopped in her doorway and waited for him to reach her part of the hall.

The jealousy showed up again. She had no ties to Adam other than the hug, but thinking of him with someone else stabbed deep in her gut. She wasn’t the type to chase guys who weren’t interested. What about Adam? Was he interested? Or just looking for friendship?

No, she’d focus on the platonic part of the pairing. God knew she needed more guy friends in her life and fewer dead-end boyfriends for her brothers to torture.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Wendi will be awarding a bracelet made by the author and a signed swag pack to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. (see below)

Wendi Zwaduk is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories

range from the contemporary and paranormal to BDSM and LGBTQ themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com and the former AllRomance Ebooks. She also writes under the name of Megan Slayer.

When she’s not writing, she spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. Find out more about Wendi at:

http://www.wendizwaduk.com/or on her blog: https://wendizwaduk.wordpress.com/

Find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads and Amazon.

www.facebook.com/wendizwaduk.meganslayer

https://twitter.com/WendiZwaduk

https://www.instagram.com/wendizwaduk/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/wendi-zwaduk

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3495446.Wendi_Zwaduk

http://www.amazon.com/Wendi-Zwaduk/e/B003KA589U 

GIVEAWAY

Sophie Washington : The Gamer

Genre: Children's Middle Grade

Forty days without video games? Oh no!

Sixth-grader Sophie Washington and her friends are back with an interesting book about having fun with video games while keeping balance. It’s almost Easter, and Sophie and her family get ready to start fasts for Lent with their church, where they give up doing something for 40 days that may not be good for them. Her parents urge Sophie to stop tattling so much, and encourage her second-grade brother Cole to give up something he loves most, playing video games. The kids agree to the challenge, but how long can they keep it up? Soon after Lent begins, Cole starts sneaking to play his video games. Things start to get out of control when he loses a school electronic tablet he checked out without his parents’ permission, and comes to his sister for help. Should Sophie break her promise and tattle on him?

EXCERPT

Now that I am getting older and am in the sixth grade, I can understand more of what our pastor is saying in the sermons. Today, he was talking about how hard it can be to stay away from things we like that may be bad for us.

“Temptation is a daily struggle for all,” he preached.

“The struggle for me is staying awake for two hours,” complains Cole. “I wish I could have been with my friends in children’s church.”

Cole prefers going to the special service for kids, and was mad that Mom and Dad made us join them in the main church this morning.

“It’s getting closer to Easter, and I want you to get a better understanding of what the holiday is all about,” Dad explains. “In children’s church, all you pay attention to is the snacks.”

“Those donuts they bring in are good!” Cole exclaims.

“Maybe we can stop by the donut shop on the way home.” Mom squeezes his shoulder.

I roll my eyes. Since Cole is the youngest, he’s my mother’s pet.

“Have you kids given any thought as to what you want to give up for Lent?” Dad asks.

“What’s Lent?” questions Cole.

“Lent represents the 40 days Jesus was in the desert and the devil tried to tempt him, or get him to do things he shouldn’t do,” Mom explains. “During the 40 days before Easter, we celebrate Lent by giving up something we like to eat or do that keeps us from thinking of more meaningful things, just like Jesus did.”

MY REVIEW:
While designed for children 4-6, I don’t think there is anyone who wouldn’t enjoy this easy but very interesting read.  I also don’t think there are too many people who wouldn’t identify with it in one sense or another.  Definitely a message many children and parents could benefit from.
In today’s life of social media and digital games, we all sometimes find it difficult to concentrate or focus on what is most important.  This is true of adults and kids.  How do we accomplish this and more importantly, how do we teach our kids to do so.  Ellis’ book teaches a lesson in self-control and yet none of this book seems like a lesson. Portrayed in a narrative by the 6th grader, Sophie, this seems like a realistic story of a family, their children, and the everyday problems they face. 
This is also a well-designed book. Its easy to read with just enough graphics to follow the story.  Well-written, well-designed and timeless.

There are several other “Sophie” books and all have good ratings.  Seems like it would be prudent to check them all out.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:  Tonya Duncan Ellis will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. (see below)

Tonya Duncan Ellis was born and raised in Louisville, KY. She loves reading so much that as a child she took books with her everywhere. She knew she wanted to become a writer after an article she wrote was published in her hometown newspaper when she was a teen.

Since then, Tonya has worked as a journalist and freelance magazine writer. She's an award-winning author of the Sophie Washington children's book series, geared towards readers ages 8 to 12. The books recount adventures of Houston, TX preteen Sophie Washington and her diverse group of friends. Each funny and heartwarming story teaches lessons about friendship, responsibility, truthfulness and perseverance. Books in the series include Queen of the Bee, The Snitch, Things You Didn't Know About Sophie, and The Gamer. When she's not writing, Tonya enjoys reading, biking, swimming, travel and spending time with her husband and three children. She lives in Houston, TX.

Website: www.tonyaellisbooks.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyaDEllis

https://www.amazon.com/Sophie-Washington-Tonya-Duncan-Ellis/dp/1457526492

BOOK VIDEO:

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