This blog is for those 18 and older.

Monday, November 30, 2020

Holiday Pick: Dash & Lily

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we can officially dive into the season of merriment. Although, I know a few of you already have. You just can't help yourselves, can you? Lol. My pick for the joyous season is Dash & Lily. I admit to only have watched it on Netflix, so I'm wondering how the book(s) stand up to the show. If anyone knows, please comment. If you haven't seen or read it, it's time. Even the scroogiest of people will enjoy Dash's take on the dubious holiday. And Lily will warm that frosty heart right up.





Sunday, November 29, 2020

 


The Highlander’s Unexpected Proposal

(The Brothers of Wolf Isle)

By

Heather McCollum


Adam Macquarie needs a bride to re-establish his dying clan, and Lark Montgomerie needs an escape from her horrible life, but they are both hiding secrets that could ruin everything for them and Wolf Isle.






Blurb ~

A lass begging to marry him might top the list of “oddest things to happen,” but Chief Adam Macquarie is desperate. And no matter how much he hates to do it, he’s not above lying to get what he wants. Starting with the fact that he just omitted the truth about the situation back at his home—where there are no women and only a handful of other people. Because he has a secret need for a wife himself, one she won’t be too happy about when she finds out.


Lark Montgomerie is thrilled the brawny chief agrees to save her from her drunken father’s machinations of wedding her off to the first fool that agrees. He’s easy on the eyes and no one can be worse than her current options. Now a new life awaits her, on an exciting Scottish isle no less, and nothing will dampen her spirits. That is, until she arrives in her new homeland and realizes more than a few things are amiss…


~ What readers are saying ~

Smexxy highlanders, a feisty heroine, a cursed isle, an alleged witch and pirates! From start to finish The Highlander’s Unexpected Proposal is a book impossible to put down! Highly recommend!” -Veronica W., Goodreads

“This book is filled with mystery, adventure, love, hot ‘sexy times’, hope, strength & adversity. Great book and I can’t wait for the rest of the series!!” -Carey H., NetGalley

“The Highlander's Unexpected Proposal by author Heather McCollum steals your attention from the get-go. Intriguing characters, a few twists in the plot and some returning characters from past stories by Ms. McCollum ensure that the pages keep turning.” -Talking Books Blog



Buy Links ~



Author Bio ~ 


Heather McCollum is an award-winning, historical romance writer. With over twenty books published, she is an Amazon Best Seller and a Readers’ Choice winner.

 

When she is not creating vivid characters and settings, she spends her time educating women on the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer. She is a survivor and resides with her very own Highland hero and three spirited children in the wilds of suburbia on the mid-Atlantic coast.




Contact Links ~



Website: www.HeatherMcCollum.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherMcCollumAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HMcCollumAuthor

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathermccollumauthor/



Friday, November 27, 2020

Veronica Reviews: THE HIGHLAND ROGUE by Amy Jarecki

 



The Highland Rogue


(Lords of the Highlands, Book 7)


by


Amy Jarecki




4 Stars

Historical Romance



“He had become her heart, her courage…she vowed to be his strength in his hour of need.”






Sir Kennan Cameron has made a name for himself as a Highland privateer working for the crown…he’s also made many an enemy.  After fighting off a vicious attack and being left for dead, Kennan finds himself washed ashore on a deserted isle.  Barely alive, Kennan awakes to the sight of a beautiful yet wild looking lass, who takes him in and nurses him back to health.  How she has managed to survive all this time alone is a mystery to him, but one he plans to puzzle out…as soon as he finds a way off the island and back on his path of vengeance against the man who stole his ship and killed his crew.


Forsaken by her family and clan, Divana Campbell has been alone on her little island for years.  Managing to fend for herself, she is shocked to see a lone man washed up on her shore and heading into her hovel of a home.  Seeing he is wounded, Divana does everything she can to keep him alive.  No one is more surprised than Divana to learn her castaway in none other than the son of the mighty Laird of the Cameron Clan.  Never could he see her as anything but a bloody Campbell…or could he…


Kennan and Divana are two strong-willed individuals with an instinct for survival and loyalty.  Their journey to their happily ever after is as turbulent as the seas they traverse, but so is their love affair…

Amy Jarecki has written a high seas romantic adventure with everything I’ve grown to love in this series.  Highly recommend and can’t wait for the next installment!



Sharing what I love, 



Veronica




**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **



AMAZON BUY LINK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

The Substitute (The Wedding Pact #1) by Denise Grover Swank

 Megan  Vandemeer has a huge problem with an easy solution.  Well, easy for friends to tell her what to do, but you know how hard it is to fess up to a situation.  All Megan has to do is open her mouth, and done!  

But the long, deceptive, and mind bending resolution is what she chooses.




Megan is supposed to get married this weekend at the huge expense of her parents.  They've never met the groom.  Let's not forget, Megan chickened out on telling her parents that they broke up several months ago.

Short term solutions is all she can come up with.  So she's on a plane headed for her hometown wedding. 

After Josh helps Megan off the plane because she passes out from mixing air-sick meds and alcohol, he is helpfully mistaken as her fiancé.  Granted, he has an ulterior motive. 

Josh's architecture  firm believes Megan's father's firm stole plans for a big job.  If Josh can search out her father, he can get the plans back.  Pretending to be her fiancé until Megan formally breaks up with him and stops the wedding is a small price to pay.

Oh, my!  Which event will Megan follow through with the breakup?  At the gathering of which side of the family, or the rehearsal dinner, or the dress fitting, or when?  Josh is actually a nice guy.  he's hot, and he kisses fabulously. 

How can a person fall in love after a few days?  Love or lust, Megan and Josh are tangled together in a lot more than the sheets!

Happy reading,

Dawn


Thanksgiving 2020

 


          

          Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are well and staying safe. 
Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the United States and because it’s 2020, things are a little different. I did take PTO for the week, so I hope to get some writing done, but I am not having friends/family over for Thanksgiving dinner, which I have always done in the past. It was a mutual decision given the circumstances of this year. Oh, I’m still cooking, but a lot less than usual. Instead of three pies and a cheesecake, I’m just making the cheesecake. Instead of two dozen deviled eggs, I’m making half. Not having a relish tray, nor half the other things I usually do. It’s just my DH and I (and the dogs, of course), and really, we don’t need all that food.
Still, I am very thankful…and let me tell you why (yes, I’m counting my blessings because I have been truly blessed). These are in no particular order. 
I have my health (knock wood) and so does my DH, though he’s having issues with blood pressure. We are keeping ourselves safe and sticking close to home as much as possible and when I do go into the office twice a week, I wear a mask, physically distance, wash my hands (a lot) and wipe down everything I touch with disinfectant wipes. It just seems like the best thing to do since I’m very fond of the people I work with.
I’m thankful that I have a job I love.
I’m thankful for friends and family (and the friends I’ve made my family).
I’m thankful for the son I adore.
I’m thankful for my DH, who shares my quirky sense of humor (okay, I’ll admit, his sense of humor is definitely quirkier) and makes me laugh. We’ll be married 40 years come January and I can tell you, quite honestly, there’s no one else I’d rather spend my life with (that’s not to say he doesn’t drive me crazy, because he does. I’m sure I drive him crazy as well). 
I’m thankful I have a roof over my head and food on my table.
I’m thankful I have the opportunity to write romance novels that hopefully make people laugh, cry, and believe in happy endings.
Plain and simple, gentle readers, I am very thankful for everything and truly blessed.
Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Sunday, November 22, 2020

New Release ~ IN THE WRONG SIGHTS by Tracy Brody

 


In the Wrong Sights

(Bad Karma Special Ops, Book 4)

By

Tracy Brody



*A Second Chance Military Romance





Blurb -

A TRAUMA NURSE THE CARTEL WANTS DEAD

Cassidy O’Shea overheard what should have been a patient’s deathbed confession—except the cartel hitman lived. She’s lost two years of her life being in witness protection, but nothing will stop her from attending the funeral of Hal, her ex-stepfather and the only father figure she’s ever known. Except her quick trip to Fort Bragg is exactly what an assassin hoped for.

 AN ELITE SOLDIER WANTING JUSTICE

Learning his Special Ops mentor was murdered, AJ Rozanski’s suspicions turn to Hal’s mysterious stepdaughter who appeared at the funeral. He’s stunned to learn her testimony is needed to bring down the head of a major arms cartel. When the marshals request the Bad Karma team’s aid to persuade Cassidy to stay in the Witness Protection program, AJ is determined to convince her to do the right thing—and to find Hal’s killer. He’s supposed to be protecting her, not falling for a woman he may never see again.

A PAWN IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM

An attempt on her life sends Cassidy to the only people she trusts—and back into AJ’s arms. His team sets a trap for the assassin who killed Hal, but that won’t end the threats to Cassidy and her family. The only way to escape spending her life in WITSEC is for the hitman she helped save to testify against the head of the arms cartel, except he’s not motivated to talk. Can she outlast and outwit him in a deadly game of survival?


Heat level: Steamy. Contains sexual content/on the page. Not overly explicit.
Profanity: Moderate (These are military characters)
Contains hunky heroes, a strong female heroine, and a military working dog.


 Buy Link - 

 Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FNTZ5GR/


- Excerpt -

The weight of the casket and lifeless body of Master Sergeant Hal Boswell matched the heaviness in AJ’s soul. If he hadn’t been the one to discover Hal, to press two shaky fingers to the cold flesh of his throat, he might not have accepted the death of his mentor.

A heart attack. AJ’s jaw locked recalling what the coroner had speculated. No way. It had to be something else. Hal was as fit as when he’d served on Special Forces teams. He’d endured multiple tours of duty. Survived too many dangerous missions to count. For him to die of a heart attack was like surviving a gunfight and then dying from the flu shot.

AJ wanted this to be a bad dream. Instead, he joined five other elite warriors—men Hal had molded into the best of the best—and moved toward the open grave. Even at eleven hundred hours, the heat and humidity of a cloudless North Carolina morning made sweat trickle from the rim of his dress uniform hat, down his neck, and under the crisp collar of his shirt. His white-gloved hand gripped the casket’s handle as he and the other pallbearers took short, precise steps. Steps closer to the void in AJ’s life left by Hal’s passing.

Had he done enough to show his appreciation while Hal was alive? There’d be no more weekend trips to Hal’s fishing cabin. No more wrangling over who caught the biggest trout. God, he hoped Hal had no doubt of his respect and the father-and-son type of bond that went beyond Hal’s mentoring.

The forty or so mourners seated were other lives Hal had touched: members of the Army’s Special Forces community; former teammates; members of the Selection cadre; men he mentored. All of them turned out in uniform to pay their respects.

However, there were no grieving widows at this funeral. Chief Lundgren contacted at least two of Hal’s ex-wives, but the few women among the group were wives attending with their husbands. No true family to hand the flag to.

A flash of movement to his left drew AJ’s gaze to the lone woman in running shorts and a T-shirt. Her long, lithe limbs churned, and her dark-red ponytail swung as she ran along the asphalt drive bordered by tall pines. Right toward them.

Protesters at military funerals usually had signs and typically didn’t come solo. Was she curious? Her questionable choice of locations aside, with its acres of white tombstones standing like rows of dominoes, why intrude on the one ceremony taking place?

Jeez, lady. Have some respect.



- About the author -

Tracy Brody has written a series of single-title romances featuring the Bad Karma Special Ops team whose love lives are as dangerous as their missions.  A SHOT WORTH TAKING and IN THE WRONG SIGHTS won the Golden Heart for romantic suspense in 2015 and 2016.  DEADLY AIM was a four-time finalist in the Golden Heart.

She has a background in banking, retired to become a domestic engineer, and aims to supplement her husband’s retirement using her overactive imagination.  Tracy began writing spec movie and TV scripts, however, when two friends gave her the same feedback on a script, saying that they’d love to see it as a book, she didn’t need to be hit over the head with a literal 2” x 4” to get the message.  She joined RSW and developed her craft and is still working on using commas correctly.

Tracy and her husband live in North Carolina.  She’s the proud mother of a daughter and son and now a mother-in-law.  She invokes her sense of humor while volunteering at the USO.  You may spot her dancing in the grocery store aisles or talking to herself as she plots books and scenes while walking in her neighborhood, the park, or at the beach on retreats with friends.

She has a free novelette, UNDERCOVER ANGEL, that is available exclusively to her newsletter subscribers -   https://www.tracybrody.com/newsletter-signup


Where to find me -

Website: https://www.tracybrody.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TracyBrodyBooks

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracybrodybooks/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tracy-brody


Friday, November 20, 2020

PLEASURES OF CHRISTMAS PAST by Lexi Post ~ Currently FREE on All Retailers!!!

 

    

Pleasures of Christmas Past

 by 

Lexi Post 


 Jessica is assigned a hot, Scottish mentor who confuses her heart. But will he protect her soul?



When present-day American social worker Jessica Thomas is assigned her first case as a spirit guide, she’s excited to serve as the Spirit of Christmas Past for her client and prove she knows her profession well. Unfortunately, her mentor, the very hot, very single, and very Scottish Duncan Montgomerie has little faith in her ability and plans to catch her when she falls. As far as she’s concerned, he’s going to be waiting a very long time. 

Bachelor Duncan Montgomerie hails from late 18th century Scotland where he enjoyed life to its fullest, something he continues in death. Having been dead a while, he is well equipped to handle the afterlife where time doesn’t exist and phasing is the norm. What has him stymied is his connection to the uptight Jessica and the strange feelings he’s experiencing being around her, even though she refuses to listen to his advice. Duncan needs to figure out what it all means and fast because the rules change after death and the path Jessica is headed down could cost her her soul. 


Do you like Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? How about a steamy Scottish Christmas Carol series? It all starts with PLEASURES OF CHRISTMAS PAST. Well, of course it does. ðŸ˜Š


AMAZON US   AMAZON AU    AMAZON CA    AMAZON UK

AMAZON FR    AMAZON DE    AMAZON ES

B&N   APPLE BOOKS    KOBO


About Lexi:

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.


But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. From hot paranormals to sizzling cowboys to hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her cat in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you will never see her without a hat.