Archive for June 20, 2022

The Right Kind Of Unexpected by Rayna York ~ Excerpt and Giveaway

Posted: June 20, 2022 in Contemporary Romance, giveaways, New Adult
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The Right Kind of Unexpected
Rayna York
Publication date: June 18th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Tess hasn’t experienced many kindnesses in her eighteen years. When her boyfriend abandons her at a small-town gas station, it’s just one more crappy event to add to the pile. Without a car, money, or cell phone, her options are limited, and calling her parents isn’t one of them. So when the family that owns the business throws her a lifeline, she grabs hold. Because even the worst situations can have a silver lining, and this one is a town called Jasper Creek, a diner everyone calls Earl’s, and a young mechanic named Colten Reed.

Rayna York’s standalone novel gives readers the small-town romance they crave with enough feels to make the heart sing. It’s the perfect feel-good, summer romance.

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Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

I rush to the bathroom at the side of the building and lock the door behind me. I can’t deal with this anymore. I grip the sides of the pedestal sink and drop my head, breathing deep. In, out, in, out, fighting for calm.

Why? Why did I think this was a good idea?

Three days ago, Dax and I were on our way to a gallery opening when I mentioned I’d never been to Disney World. He said he hadn’t either. I commented on how it would be fun to jump in the car and go. High school graduation was over, my parents were in Europe, I didn’t have any plans for the summer, so the next afternoon we were on the road.

Bad idea.

Horrible.

The worst.

I lift my sunglasses to the top of my head and startle at the red-rimmed, brown-eyed zombie staring back at me. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since we left, and I forgot to take my makeup off last night, then Dax was in such a hurry this morning.

Maybe our relationship was always a mess. I don’t know. We’ve only been together for six months. In New York, Dax and I got along great. There were parties, restaurants, people, and places to fill our time. Now, without the distractions and being stuck together in mostly confined spaces, I realize we don’t have as much in common as I thought. But it’s more than that. He needs to be right about everything and nags me until I concede to his views. I never noticed him doing that before. There are a lot of things I didn’t notice before.

I use a little soap and water on a paper towel and clean the black smears from around my eyes. It cleans the makeup off perfectly, but the dark circles and puffiness remain. I slide a hair elastic from around my wrist and pull my brown mop of humid-induced frizz into a messy bun.

With a deep sigh, I slide my glasses back over my eyes and push the door open into the bright sunlight. I take in the beautiful field dotted with wildflowers behind the gas station, then close my eyes and lift my face to the sun, disregarding the intensity on my pale skin. I breathe in the fragrant smell of green that only a sweltering heat can produce.

It’s time to put an end to this impromptu adventure. It ceased being fun after the first five hours. And it’s my car, my time, my money. With renewed strength, I turn on my heels, ready to confront Dax and get my car keys back. I’m heading home with or without my soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. I can drop him off at a bus station if he wants to continue the trip.

I round the corner of the building. Wait, what? Where is it?

I walk to the two ancient gas pumps and turn in a circle, taking in the white building with peeling paint, and everything else in the three-hundred-and-sixty-degree radius, but the car is nowhere in sight. I walk to the other side of the building, thinking he might have parked in a different location while getting something from inside, but the car isn’t there either.

About Author Rayna York:

Rayna York grew up with hippie parents that liked to adventure. Where change was the norm, books were her constant—a way to escape. As an adult, many careers came and went, but writing has always been her passion. Everything I knew to be true is her first published novel.

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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The Overlook Murder ~ A Wintergreen Mystery by Patrick Kelly

Posted: June 20, 2022 in Cozy Mystery, giveaways
Tags: ,
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The Overlook Murder

A Wintergreen Mystery

by Patrick Kelly

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Cozy Mystery/Police Procedural 
2nd in Series
Setting – Virginia
Chaparral Press LLC
• Number of Pages 320

It’s a short walk to the overlook but a long way down.

 

The rich entrepreneur Damian Susskind has recently survived a heart attack and quintuple bypass surgery. Suddenly aware of his own mortality, Damian summons his family and friends to Wintergreen to share the latest plans for his will. Unfortunately for Damian, one of those in attendance bears him malicious intent, and by the end of the day, Damian is dead.

 

Retired police detective Bill O’Shea is asked to help the short-staffed Wintergreen police department investigate an accidental death. Forensic evidence soon convinces Bill that this was no accident. There is plenty of motive to go around and more than a few suspects–the difficulty is tying a single killer to the crime. Will Bill and his friends solve the case, or will a Wintergreen murderer go free?

If you love beautiful mountain settings, a charming cast, and intriguing plot twists, you’re going to love the Wintergreen Mystery Series!

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Meeting the First Suspect

Cindy drove Bill down Laurel Springs Drive to a point where a uniformed officer directed traffic around a growing number of vehicles parked on the side of the road. Two Wintergreen police squad cars were already there, along with Evan Hale’s Land Rover, a Ford Escape, and Alex Sharp’s pickup. Cindy stopped her SUV briefly, and Bill hopped out. Interim Chief Alex Sharp had just arrived, and the two men met at the trailhead.

The Old Appalachian Trail branched from the road in a southwesterly direction. Speckles of sunlight broke through the forest canopy high above them. The air smelled lightly of decaying leaves from prior seasons. Lichen-patched boulders the size of cars and tiny houses lay on the mountainside, discarded carelessly by an ice age’s retreating glaciers.

Obviously anxious, Alex set a quick pace on the trail. He wore khakis and a light jacket, making Bill feel self-conscious in his catering outfit. The trail followed the contour of the mountain on a generally upward slope. The overlook was a little more than half a mile from the road, and they covered the distance in ten minutes. As they drew nearer, sunlight from the right brightened the forest.

Damian Susskind’s guests—Tanya Stafford, Lacey Akin, and Evan Hale—stood in a quiet cluster forty feet from the overlook with an officer named Rodríguez. Their faces were drawn. Lacey looked pale.

Alex waved Rodríguez over.

“What’s the story, José?” said Alex.

José pointed to where the trail continued south. “Officers Gentry and Hill went to search for a way to the bottom to see what can be done. EMS is on the way—should get here soon.” José consulted notes on his phone. “It’s not exactly clear what happened. The victim fell off the cliff—they all agree on that. But they were not together when he fell. The man—Hale—was standing back in the woods with Lacey Akin. Everyone agrees that Tanya Stafford and Susskind were out there on the rock.”

An offshoot from the main trail broke through the trees and met the solid rock at the mountain’s edge. The overlook itself was a ledge that ended abruptly in the open air. It stood alone now and peaceful, as if to proclaim its innocence—gravity deserved the blame. Wind blew up the mountainside and rustled the treetops.

“Here’s the real problem,” said José. “According to Lacey Akin, Tanya Stafford pushed Susskind off the cliff.”

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About Patrick Kelly

Pat Kelly was raised in Yorktown, Virginia, graduated from UVA, and left the state to pursue a corporate career. After settling in Texas, Pat married Susie, and together they raised two daughters in the awesome city of Austin. With the girls now grown and gone, Pat has pursued a lifelong love of writing stories.

Pat has written eight novels–books one and two in the Wintergreen Mystery Series, the Joe Robbins Series of five suspense thrillers, and one standalone novel of historical fiction (The Sheila Stories)

Pat is the winner of a Beverly Hills Book Award and a silver medalist for the Wishing Shelf Book Awards for adult fiction. He serves as Membership Chair of the Heart of Texas Chapter of Sisters in Crime.

Author Links

Webpage      Facebook    Twitter     Goodreads   Instagram

Purchase Links – Amazon – Kobo – B&N

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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