Happy Valentine's Day

 

            Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!
            This coming Sunday is Valentine’s Day. For many, this is the day their spouses will gift them with chocolates in heart shaped boxes and red roses and romance--perhaps a special dinner at their favorite restaurant. Or a well-planned surprise weekend away.
            This is not the norm in my house and never has been. My DH’s idea of romance is doing an oil change or replacing the brakes on my car. His idea of romance is being home every night (he once turned down a job driving trucks cross country because he didn’t want to be from home (and me?) for that many days). His idea of romance is providing for the family.
             And you know what? I’m okay with that. I know he loves me and yes, he proves it every day (and seriously, there is a difference between romance and love). Maybe that’s why I read and write romances, because that sweep me off my feet romance is not part of my life. Truthfully? I don’t need to be swept off my feet. I’m too practical for that and while I love roses (preferably yellow) and chocolates, I would probably have a cow if money was spent on flowers and candy when the electric bill or the mortgage was due. I am happy with just a card (my DH is really good at picking out cards that make me go all misty-eyed). 
            Give me stability instead. Give me the fact that I know he’ll be home every night. Give me support in my writing endeavors. Give me laughter (which he does). Hold my hand when I’m feeling blue and let me know you’re there and always will be.
            We’ve been married 40 years now, been together 41. We’ve raised a son and sent him off into the world to make his own way, hopefully remembering the lessons we taught him. We’ve weathered many storms and upheavals—two hip surgeries and broken ribs (his), a cancer scare many years ago (mine), job losses and home repairs. There’s a wonderful scene in Yours, Mine, and Ours (the original version) where Henry Fonda is explaining to Lucille Ball’s daughter what love really is and you know, he’s right. It isn’t all candy and flowers and fireworks…it’s the every day things…dentist appointments and buying ground beef instead of filet mignon. It’s making compromises for your partner or your children. It’s knowing, at the end of the day, that special someone is there.
            Happy Valentine’s Day! Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!
            Marie

New Release ~ STORM OF EON by Anna Hackett

 

Storm of Eon

Eon Warriors, Book 7

by

Anna Hackett

When a Terran weapons scientist finds herself the target of deadly alien assassins, only one fierce alien warrior can keep her safe.

Blurb ~

Weapons scientist Dr. Finley Delgado wants to get her new laser defense weapon operational to protect Earth from the insectoid Kantos invasion. She has to make this work. She’s failed in the past and people paid with their lives, and she won’t fail again. What she doesn’t need is a big, brawny warrior that Space Corps orders her to work with getting in her way. Finley wants her solitude, not a massive distraction in the shape of a tall, hard Eon warrior.

Security Commander Sabin Solann-Ath is a warrior through and through, like his entire family before him. He’s disciplined, dedicated, and hiding a dark secret he’d prefer to keep buried. He won’t allow anyone or anything to disrupt his control. When he’s ordered to Earth to help with a secret weapon, he vows to do everything he can to help their allies, even work with a statuesque, prickly scientist. He and Finley get off to a rocky start…but when the Kantos send a team of assassins after Finley, Sabin will do anything to protect her.

Sent to a secret facility deep in the Australian desert, Finely and Sabin are drawn closer and closer. She sees beyond the warrior to the man, and he uncovers a passionate woman. But Finley threatens everything Sabin has fought hard to control, and as they fight off the devious Kantos, they both will face the demons of their pasts.

~ Buy Links ~

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

AMAZON AU

AMAZON CA

About the Author ~

Anna Hackett is a USA Today bestselling romance author who’s passionate about fast-paced, emotion-filled contemporary and science-fiction romance. She loves writing about people overcoming unbeatable odds and achieving seemingly impossible goals. Some of her bestselling series include Galactic Gladiators, Eon Warriors, Treasure Hunter Security, and Team 52.

Anna lives in Australia with her real-life hero and their two little boys. For more information on Anna and her books visit www.annahackett.com.

Author contact links ~

Website: https://annahackett.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnnaHackettAuthor

Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnnaHackettReaderSquad

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

Veronica Reviews ~ IN BED WITH THE EARL by Christi Caldwell

 

In Bed with the Earl

(Lost Lords of London #1)

by

Christi Caldwell

★★

2-Stars

Historical Romance

Reporter Verity Lovelace has been tasked with tracking down and writing a story on the lost heir, the Earl of Maxwell, or be left without a job and destitute. Having her younger sister to care for, Verity will stop at nothing to fulfill the assignment...even if it means climbing down into the depths of the London sewers to find a man wishing to be left alone...

Malcom North has put his brutal past behind him. Memories of being kidnapped and beaten are well buried, and he's well established himself as a King within the London underground. But when his past comes looking for him, Malcom is forced to accept his new place in society and his life being headline news...

Malcom and Verity's road to HEA is not an easy path, but together, they forge ahead to find love and acceptance...

This story is very difficult for me to review. While I'm sure several readers will enjoy this book, I had a very difficult time connecting with the characters. In fact, I started and stopped several times just trying to get into the story. But I wouldn't let my lack of interest deter you from reading what could be your next fav story. If you are a fan of this genre, I’d recommend giving it a try.

AMAZON LINK

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. **

The Devil Drinks Coffee by Angela Corbett writing as Destiny Ford

 Not truly about the devil, but rather let's decide which hot hunk, Spence, Dylan, or Hawke will win the independent journalist's interest.  Kate wonders how she gets so lucky to be the center of so many men's attention.  Yet, she has a murder to solve before anybody gets in her pants.

After a breakup, Kate takes her career back home to Branson Falls, Utah.  Kate doesn't follow the Mormon practices, and she does drink coffee which is secretly called "hot chocolate" as a cover.  The local gossip tree, The Ladies, has it in for her from the start.  But Kate doesn't care because Spence hires her at his newspaper.  He's charming, good-looking, and easy to work with.  Is he the one?

Chelsea Bradford is found floating in Emerald Lake, and Kate can't believe the police are correct in labeling it an accidental drowning.  One thing Kate learned while away at college is that "boob manipulations" can go a long way with convincing men to do what she wants.

Hawke, a mysterious PI, gloms onto Kate immediately.  He wants to be partners in solving this alleged crime.  The locals don't know much about him, probably because the most notable thing is his tight ass and omnipotent presence.  Will she get extra close to Hawke?

And the player comes out to play.  Dylan, local politician, claims Kate as his girlfriend because he wants to find out more about Chelsea's death.  Maybe he's settled down and wants to get serious.

It's a fun story, letting the crime get in the way of wandering eyes and hands.  Not knowing which man really gets Kate's attention in all the right ways is a mystery in itself.

Happy reading,

Dawn

  

 

New Release ~ BJORN CURSED by N.J. Walters

 

Bjorn Cursed

Forgotten Brotherhood, Book 4

By

N.J. Walters

Blurb ~ 

Lucifer is up to his old tricks, causing problems for the Forgotten Brotherhood. This time, he’s had a woman removed from the Norse afterlife and placed her right in the path of Bjorn Knutson. After the slaughter of his wife and family centuries ago, tortured and broken, Bjorn was cursed as the first Norse werewolf. Now he’s been tasked by Odin himself with killing the woman who escaped. Failure is not an option.

Before he can track her, he stumbles across a woman being accosted by three men in the middle of the night. Even though she’s human, he intervenes and is shocked to recognize the face of the one woman he could never kill — his wife Anja.

She’s also the one he’s hunting…and if he doesn’t kill her then both their lives are at stake.

~ Book Buy Links ~ 

AMAZON      ENTANGLED PUBLISHING     B&N   

  KOBO     IBOOKS

Teaser ~

With the tattoos flowing over his face and body, he was like something out of a nightmare rather than anyone’s idea of the perfect lover. He’d always been a warrior, more at home on a battlefield than trying to broker peace talks. Now he was even deadlier. People feared him—humans and paranormals alike. Only she’d ever looked at him with love.

About the Author ~

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

~ Author Contacts ~

Website: http://www.njwalters.com

Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gdblg5

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

A POCKET IN TIME (Time Weavers Inc. #2) by Lexi Post is available for Pre-order!

 

A Pocket in Time 

(Time Weavers, Inc. #2)

by Lexi Post

Releasing February 22!

The long awaited second book in the Time Weavers Inc. series is now available for pre-order!

Katz Almira’s mission is clear—travel to the past, steal the note that ruins the world, travel back to the present. Easy. She’s the best pickpocket Time Weavers, Inc. has ever had. Posing as a poor widow in Regency London, she convinces her target, Lord John Byron, a man as sexy as he is wealthy, to take her in off the streets. But at her request to keep her hidden, instead of his cushy manor, he allows her to stay in a warehouse full of orphan boys he cares for there.

It’s the perfect place to hide, and bonus, her new roommates can help her find the mysterious note. With John as their pseudo-father, they know what he does every day, and with who. Katz can’t afford any distractions, but she soon finds herself getting attached to the orphans—and John—even helping him plan for their futures.

Each day she spends in the past is another day closer to her deadline, another day closer to returning to her own time, and another day John and this makeshift family get dangerously closer to her heart. But Katz staying in the past would have dire consequences for them all…

 BUY LINKS:

Amazon 

AppleBooks 

Kobo 

Barnes & Noble 

Amazon UK  

Amazon AU   

Amazon CA 

To catch up on the series, check out the 1st book, On Highland Time, on sale for a limited time for 99¢!

When Diana Montgomery travels back to 1306 Scotland to change history back, she’s not prepared for the ruggedly handsome warrior with a kind heart and a steadfast loyalty—the Laird she’s supposed to ensure dies.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble 

AppleBooks 

Kobo  

Amazon UK  

Amazon AU  

Amazon CA 

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 two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you will never see her without a hat.

Website

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Home Repairs and Writing

 

       Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

I love my house. I really do (and it’s a good thing, too, because with the pandemic, the DH and I are spending more and more time at home). It’s the perfect size for us and our four-legged fur babies. We’ve been here for twenty-four years. But, it’s an older home (it’s actually my age) and back when they built it, we didn’t have some of the compliance rules we have now so when something breaks or isn’t working right or we try to do an update, we’re always in for a surprise. When we ripped up the carpet in the living room, we found lovely hardwood flooring…except it was only in one part of the living room…the extension that was added years later was just pieces of plywood fitted together. Plus, whoever laid the carpeting poured tar all over the hardwood to make sure the moisture barrier stayed in place. Really? Who does that?                   

Anyway, you may remember the saga of my old house and having most of my plumbing replaced last year. Well, the plumbing issues returned (in the places where it wasn’t replaced) and I realize, I should have had the entire house replumbed because we developed a leak…

In our younger days, my DH and I would fix these problems ourselves, but as with older homes, we’re not as young as we used to be and find we just can’t do it (heck, sometimes just rolling out of bed the wrong way makes us hurt for days! Can you imagine trying to twist ourselves into pretzels to reach a pipe? The leak was behind the kitchen sink!)

I am thankful that I have good plumbers. They come in (fully masked and with a ‘can do’ attitude), assess the issue, and fix it. No muss, no fuss. I’m also thankful I have a crawl space under the house which made the pipes easier for them to reach and replace.

As I sat here listening to the high-pitched whir of the drill (the pipe needed to be cut out entirely and replaced), it occurred to me that home repairs are a little like writing. You’re going along and everything is going smoothly until KABOOM—you develop a leak or write yourself into a corner. There are only two options at that point—you can try to write yourself out of that corner by patching it up as best you can or—and this is a big one—you go back to where you started writing yourself into that problem and delete those words. It may be only a few sentences or paragraphs or it could be pages and pages. Maybe even a whole chapter! In the end, you hope the fixes you put in place were the right ones.

Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie