Archive for the ‘Contemporary Literature’ Category

What We Do For Love ~ Review and Giveaway

Posted: May 30, 2019 in Contemporary Literature, giveaways, reviews
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What We Do for Love by Anne Pfeffer

What We Do for Love
by Anne Pfeffer
Category:  Adult Fiction, 227 pages
Genre:  Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Publisher:  Bold Print Press
Release date:  May 21, 2019
Format available for review:  print, ebook (mobi, ePub, PDF)
Will send print books out:  USA
Tour dates: May 20 to June 14, 2019
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M (My book has a few instances of the F-word and Sh— and one somewhat explicit sex scene)
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My Review
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I do most of my reading when I go to bed at night. When I began reading this book, I figured I’d read a couple of chapters and go to sleep. That wasn’t the case. I was quickly swept up with the characters and the complications they faced and read it straight through. Not so good for when I had to get up in the morning, but I didn’t regret it. The writing just grabbed hold of me.

The author’s character’s were so genuine. Their hopes, fears, frustrations. I felt like I was included in their lives. It was such a difficult situation to be caught up in and I wish I could say I’d be as generous as Nicole was, but who knows. Your teenage sons comes home with a girl you had no clue about and they drop a bomb on you. Every parent’s fear hits you like a ton of bricks. And the more you learn, the worse it gets. The old ripple effect.

If you enjoy character driven books with complicated family situations, this would be a good one for you. It’s a fast read, the characters are easy to distinguish and I found their actions appropriate and believable. I hope to read more from this author.

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Synopsis
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“If Lorelai Gilmore of Gilmore Girls was dropped into a thriller, it might resemble this appealing novel.” –Kirkus Reviews

Thirty-eight year old Nicole Adams has given up on finding love. Instead, the single mother focuses on the things she cherishes most—her sixteen-year old son Justin, her friends, and her art. When she convinces a prominent Los Angeles museum to feature a piece of her work, a large-scale installation, she thinks her life has finally turned a corner. Then Justin brings a girl, Daniela, home to live with them. Daniela’s angry parents have thrown her out of the house, because she’s pregnant with Justin’s child.​Shattered, Nicole takes Daniela in and, in so doing, is drawn into the inner circle of Daniela’s family—a frightening world of deceit and violence. Nicole struggles to keep life going as normal. Forced to deal with people she doesn’t trust or like, fearful for the future of both her son and the grandchild they’re expecting, Nicole wonders if she can do what she tells Justin to do: always have faith in yourself and do the right thing.
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​Purchase Links: Amazon Add To Goodreads

About Author Anne Pfeffer

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Anne Pfeffer

Award-winning novelist Anne Pfeffer grew up in Phoenix, Arizona reading prodigiously and riding horses. After working in Chicago and New York, she escaped back to the land of sunshine in Los Angeles.

​She has worked in banking and as a pro bono attorney, representing abandoned children in adoption and guardianship proceedings. Anne has a daughter living in New York and is the author of four books in the YA/New Adult genres.
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Connect with the author:  Website ~ Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Visit The Tour Participants

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May 20  – Rocksprings Crafts – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 20  – The Pen & Muse Book Reviews – book spotlight
May 21  – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 22  – Cheryl’s Book Nook – review / giveaway
May 23  – A Fountain of Books – review / author interview
May 24  – Working Mommy Journal – review
​May 27  – #redhead.with.book – book spotlight / giveaway
May 28  – Library of Clean Reads – review / author interview / giveaway
May 29  – Southern Today Gone Tomorrow – review
May 30  – FUONLYKNEW – review / giveaway
May 31  – A Mama’s Corner of the World – review / giveaway
June 3   – eBook Addicts – review / giveaway
June 4   – Paulette’s Papers – book spotlight / giveaway
June 4   – The Hufflepuff Nerdette – review / author interview / giveaway
June 5   – StoreyBook Reviews – review / giveaway
June 6   – Svetlana’s Reads and Views – review / giveaway
June 7   – Books for Books – review
June 10 – A Wondrous Bookshelf – review
June 11 – Amy’s Booket List – review / guest post
June 12 – Peaceful Pastime – review
June 13 – Fur Everywhere – review / giveaway
June 14 – Adventurous Jessy – review / giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

The Next To Last Mistake by Amalie Jahn ~ Excerpt and Giveaway

Posted: March 19, 2019 in Contemporary Literature, Excerpt, giveaways, YA
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Thanks for visiting my stop on the virtual book tour The Next To Last Mistake organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Amalie Jahn will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

And don’t forget to enter, the giveaway!

The Next To Last Mistake

by Amalie Jahn

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Synopsis

Tess Goodwin’s life in rural Iowa is sheltered and uncomplicated. Although she chooses to spend most of her free time playing chess with her best friend Zander, the farm-boy from next door, her skills as a bovine midwife and tractor mechanic ensure that she fits in with the other kids at East Chester High. But when her veteran father reenlists in the Army, moving her family halfway across the country to North Carolina, Tess is forced out of her comfort zone into a world she knows nothing about.

Tess approaches the move as she would a new game of chess, plotting her course through the unfamiliar reality of her new life. While heeding Zander’s long-distance advice for making new friends and strategizing a means to endure her dad’s imminent deployment to the Middle East, she quickly discovers how ill-equipped she is to navigate the societal challenges she encounters and becomes convinced she’ll never fit in with the students at her new school.

When Leonetta Jackson is assigned as her mentor, she becomes Tess’s unexpected guide through the winding labyrinth of cultural disparities between them, sparking a tentative friendship and challenging Tess to confront her reluctant nature. As the pieces move across the board of her upended life, will Tess find the acceptance she so desperately desires?

Check out this peek inside:

I’m almost asleep, barely conscious of drifting off, when I’m startled by a noise outside my window. Before I have a chance to turn on the light and investigate, the sash slides open and someone steps into my room.

I hope beyond all hope I’m not dreaming.

“Zander?” I ask, not wondering if it’s him but why he’s here.

He’s all the way in the room now, standing at the foot of my bed. “Did I wake you?” he whispers.

“No,” I tell him. He blows into his hands, and I lift my blankets, inviting him under the covers to warm up.

“It’s colder than a polar bear’s butt out there.” He snuggles against me in my tiny twin bed like we’re still six-year-olds, camping outside in each other’s backyards. I wrap my arms around him, and he settles against my shoulder. “You left your own party.”

“It wasn’t really my party,” I say. “More New Year’s than anything else.”

“The cake was good. Red velvet. You would’ve liked it.”

There’s so much I want to say. Apologies I want to give. Promises I want to make. But the words are jumbled around in my head, and I’m afraid if I speak everything will come out all wrong.

“I didn’t have anyone to kiss at the ball drop,” he says eventually, and I wonder if whatever was in his Solo cup has gone to his head.

“Tina and Claire were there.”

He chuckles grimly and his voice turns serious. “We’ve been together every New Year’s since we were babies, you know that?” His words settle over me, and I strain under the weight of them. Heavier still is the burden of what he doesn’t say: And this might have been our last.

“I’m sorry,” I say, feeling the need to explain, “but it was so cold and I knew my dad was gonna need help with the herd and…”

He rolls over to face me, placing a finger over my lips. “It’s okay, Tess. I get it. It’s been hard being around each other for the past few weeks. I didn’t realize the anticipation of you leaving was gonna suck so bad. I didn’t know how horrible I was at long goodbyes.” Now he’s the one who’s apologizing. “I guess I didn’t know what else to do. I figured this day might be easier for both of us…”

“If you left me before I had the chance to leave you?”

“Something like that.” He sighs. “It wasn’t intentional. I guess I’ve been sorta messed up in my own head, thinking about not having you around. You’re the best part of my days.”

I blink back tears I don’t realize are already spilling down my cheeks. His admission is true for me as well—something we’ve always taken for granted.

“It’s only eighteen months, then we’ll both graduate and head to college together like we always planned. You and me. It’s not that long, right?”

“It’s not that long,” he agrees. “But it’ll never be the same, not having you right next door.”

His body is relaxed against mine, and I’m reminded of all the nights we spent together growing up, head to foot and back to back, me teasing him for his stinky feet and him making fun of my retainer. “Maybe someone better will move in here,” I laugh between sniffles. “Some Victoria’s Secret supermodel, schlepping around manure in waders and a thong.”

He chuckles, too, and I imagine him smiling in the darkness. “As tempting as she sounds, I still wouldn’t willingly trade you for her.”

There’s something unspoken in his words, a tiny invitation across a boundary we’ve never crossed. But I can’t cross it now. I won’t. There’s no reason to take something painful and make it complicated as well.

“I should go to sleep,” I tell him. “We’re leaving after the morning milking, and I gotta be alert enough to drive.”

He stirs under the covers and his warmth leaves my side. As he stands over me, silhouetted in the moonlight cascading through my window, I hear him sigh. Then, he leans down to place a kiss on my forehead like a father tucking in his child.

“Bye,” I say.

“Bye.”

“Love ya.”

“Love ya back.”

And then he’s gone, back through the window out into the night. I assume, in the wake of our farewell, it’s going to take me hours to fall asleep, but the next thing I know my alarm is going off, and it’s time to slide the chessboard of my past life on to the shelf and begin another match.

About Author Amalie Jahn

Amalie Jahn is a USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 8 young adult novels, including The Next To Last Mistake, her latest release (Light Messages Publishing 2019).

Amalie is the recipient of the Literary Classics Seal of Approval and the Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for her debut novel, The Clay Lion. She is a contributing blogger with the Huffington Post and Southern Writers Magazine, as well as a TED speaker, human rights advocate, and active promoter of kindness. She lives in the United States with her husband, two children, and three overfed cats.

When she’s not at the computer coaxing characters into submission, you can find Amalie swimming laps, cycling, or running on the treadmill, probably training for her next triathlon. She hates pairing socks and loves avocados. She is also very happy time travel does not yet exist. Connect with her right here in the present day at these social media sites:

Websites – http://www.amaliejahn.com and lightmessages.com/amalie-jahn
Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Visit http://www.amaliejahn.com to join Amalie’s FREE Readers Group and in addition to receiving promotional discounts, sneak peeks, and monthly newsletters, your membership will now grant you exclusive access to bonus material (shorts and novelettes) delivered right to your inbox!

Amazon / B&N / Apple / Kobo

Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Mute & Haze by Christine Bernard ~ Blitz and Giveaway

Posted: August 22, 2018 in Adult Fiction, Contemporary Literature, giveaways
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Mute & Haze Box Set
by Christine Bernard
Publication date: July 20th 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary
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Mute cover
Synopsis

This box set includes Mute and Haze.

Mute – Book one:

Can you get by for an hour without talking? A day even? What about a month? Or nine?
Rebecca Marley sets herself a nine-month challenge with only one rule: She isn’t allowed to communicate with anyone. She is to become mute. How hard could it be? Yet, what starts as a challenge, soon becomes a journey of self-discovery as Rebecca has only herself for company. Will this time be the peaceful respite she so desperately seeks? Or will she confront aspects of herself that a noisy world hides so well?
Faced with love and heartache, she soon learns to find solace in silence.

Haze – Book two:

Not all problems can be solved with a mute button.

Everyone knows Rebecca Marley. She’s the crazy, brave and introspective woman who spent nine months without talking. Everyone loves her. She’s raw, honest and relatable. She’s also rich and famous, although I’m sure you knew that already. You’ve probably read her articles, or her book, or seen one of her many interviews. She’s also socially anxious, self-conscious and self-degrading, but she tries to keep that to herself. Her once-silent world has changed, and the noise has engulfed her. It’s also about to get noisier, as Rebecca agrees to a new challenge, perhaps even crazier than before. This story picks up from Mute, and follows Rebecca on a new journey, one which we all face today. It begs the question, ‘how do we find quiet in a deafening world?’

 
Purchase: Amazon
Author Christine Bernard
Mute author

Christine Bernard is a South African author, with an obsession for good coffee (or wine), books and guinea pigs. She’s also a graphic and layout designer who illustrates on the side, but she’s happiest when writing. She enjoys writing mystery/suspense and contemporary fiction.

If you want to know when Christine’s next book will come out, please visit her website on www.christinebernard.com and sign up to her newsletter.

Author links: Facebook / Website / Twitter / Goodreads

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Mute giv

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Letting Go Of Gravity ~ Author Guest Post and Giveaway

Posted: July 21, 2018 in Contemporary Literature, giveaways, YA
Tags: ,
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Letting Go of Gravity
by Meg Leder
Published by: Simon Pulse
Publication date: July 17th 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
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Synopsis
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“The anticipation and slow burn of Parker and Finn’s relationship is electric…[an] absorbing novel that will appeal to fans of Rainbow Rowell.” —Booklist

Parker struggles to reconnect with her twin brother, Charlie—who’s recovering from cancer—as she tries to deal with her anxiety about the future in this powerful new novel.

Twins Parker and Charlie are polar opposites.
Where Charlie is fearless, Parker is careful.
Charlie is confident while Parker aims to please.
Charlie is outgoing and outspoken; Parker is introverted and reserved.
And of course, there’s the one other major difference: Charlie got cancer. Parker didn’t.

But now that Charlie is officially in remission, life couldn’t be going better for Parker. She’s landed a prestigious summer internship at the hospital and is headed to Harvard in the fall to study pediatric oncology—which is why the anxiety she’s felt since her Harvard acceptance is so unsettling. And it doesn’t help that her relationship with Charlie has been on the rocks since his diagnosis.

Enter Finn, a boy who’s been leaving strange graffiti messages all over town. Parker can’t stop thinking about those messages, or about Finn, who makes her feel free for the first time: free to doubt, free to make mistakes, and free to confront the truth that Parker has been hiding from for a long time.

That she keeps trying to save Charlie, when the person who really needs saving is herself.

Purchase: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo
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Enjoy the guest post from Author Meg Leder
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Back in 2000, strange messages started appearing on major overpasses in my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, e.g. “TONY DANZA IS MY DAD” and “I PLAY YOGA.” Each time I saw one, I was surprised, confused, and delighted. Later identified as the work of artists Buddy Lembeck and Darius Jones, they were my first introduction to the marvelous world of street art.
In Letting Go of Gravity, my main character Parker goes through a similar experience. When strange messages start appearing on bridges in her town, she wants to know what they’re about. Ultimately they become the first step in her journey of self-discovery.
I was really excited to work street art into a novel, because I love it. For me, it represents a disruption of the everyday, a little bit of the unexpected that asks you to stop and look at the space around you differently. Parker in particular needs that jolt to start thinking about her world in new ways.
If you’re looking for some similar inspiration, here are some artists to check out:Invader: An anonymous French street artist, Invader places ceramic tile compositions of old video game characters around major cities. You never know when one will appear, which makes finding them all the more exciting. There’s even an app, so you can register the ones you find, like a scavenger hunt!Tatyana Fazlalizadeh: This artist uses street art to combat harassment, creating posters with images of women and captions about their experiences being harassed. Titled “Stop Telling Women to Smile,” the project is an incredibly powerful statement about the way words are used to control women in public spaces, and how women can take some of the power back.Os Gemeos: Identical twin brothers from Brazil, Os Gemeos create vibrant murals inspired by folk art, hip hop, and Brazilian culture. Their creations are both dream-like and grounded in the world around you, and their appearance in the world makes you feel like you’ve discovered a little bit of magic.Steve Powers: Powers used to create street art under the name ESPO. Now a full-time artist, he creates word-based and iconic images under his own name. Bright, blocky letters share messages like “YOUR EVERAFTER IS ALL IM AFTER” and “LETS ADORE AND ENDURE EACH OTHER.” (Powers’ work majorly inspires the street artist in my book.)Jenny Holzer: Conceptual artist Jenny Holzer’s work involves using words to deliver brief truisms on billboards and walls and galleries. Each one is strange and wonderful, e.g. “Protect me from what I want” and “In a dream you saw a way to survive and you were full of joy.” Holzer’s work startles you out of the everyday, asking you to question and tease out what she means.

These are only a few of the artists who inspire me. Are there some you love? I

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Aythor Meg Leder
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letting go author
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A former bookseller and teacher, Meg Leder currently works as a book editor in New York City. Her role models are Harriet the Spy and Anne Shirley. She is the coauthor of The Happy Book, and spends her free time reading, looking for street art, and people watching. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Author Links:  Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

My Monday Minis Reviews #64 ~ Showcasing Bette Lee Crosby

Posted: August 14, 2017 in Contemporary Literature, Fantasy, reviews, Romance
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Welcome to My Monday Minis where I share short reviews about books I’ve read.

When I was first offered a book to review from Bette Lee Crosby, I was hesitant. Contemporaries aren’t really a genre I read much of. Many years and lots of books later, I’m so happy I accepted.

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Passing Through Perfect

The Wyattsville Series #3

by Bette Lee Crosby

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Genre: Historical / Contemporary / Romance

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My Review

I adored the first two books in this series, Spare Change and Jubilee’s Journey. Once again Bette has us step back to earlier times,  where we meet Delia and Ben as they fall in love and fight to stay together despite what other’s may want.

Bette can write with a southern twang. Her descriptions of settings, how people comport themselves and what the consequences are for defying family seep into you.

This is a story of hope and despair, of fighting against prejudice and finding goodness in the least likely of places. Passing Through Perfect is an excellent choice for the title of this book.

From the first sentence I was hooked and never looked back, turning each page and relishing the saga of two young lovers defying their families to be together and the travesty that befalls their decision.

4 Stars

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Synopsis

Benjamin Church came to the grange hall expecting to meet someone else, but then the girl in a red dress looked across the dance floor and smiled…

Passing through Perfect is a heart-wrenching, Southern family saga that starts on the night Benjamin fell madly and completely in love with Delia. Once he tasted the sweetness of her kiss, he envisioned them spending the rest of their life together.

He didn’t stop to consider her daddy was a learned Pastor and her mama a woman with a college degree; he only knew she set his heart to racing. When he touched his mouth to hers, he forgot the hardships of being a sharecropper, forgot what it was like to work from dawn ‘til dark and forgot that nothing in Grinder’s Corner ever really changed.

Benjamin’s only thoughts were about lying together every night, sitting side by side on the front porch, and raising a family. Yes, he knew there’d be heartaches. Every couple had their share of heartaches, it was to be expected; but he never imagined such a tragedy would befall their family.

Winner of the 2016 RONE Award for Inspirational Fiction and the 2016 Readers Favorite Gold Medal.

Amazon

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Memory House

The Memory House Series #1

by Bette Lee Crosby

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Genre: Fantasy / Contemporary / Romance

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My Review

I was spellbound by this moving story about Ophelia and the young guest, Annie, who finds her way to her doorstep and her heart. These two women were a delight to meet and each one holds a special place in my heart.

Ophelia is nearing 90 and time is running out for her. Annie is a young woman with no direction, drifting through life and looking for her place to call home. Was it fate that brought them together? I like to think so.

I loved this story. The excitement to see what would happen, to see if what I wanted to happen would and where these two women wound up kept me flipping the pages. Every time something I wanted to happen did, I looked up, wanting to share what I just read. No one was there.  Probably a good thing as I would have spoiled the book for them.

I can share this with you though. Bette has a way of sprinkling connections to her other books into this story. I recognized characters and events, and even some of the objects that held memories. It endeared this book to me even more.

I finished with a sigh of delight and a twinkle in my eye. Magical.

  5 Stars

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Synopsis

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A MEMORY TO OUTLIVE ITS OWNER?

Ophelia Browne knows the answer is yes. She knows because she’s been granted the unique gift of finding and caring for those forgotten memories. But now she’s nearing ninety, and Browne women seldom live beyond ninety.

Before time runs out Ophelia must find a successor. Someone who can take hold of the gifts and keep the memories from fading.

When broken-hearted Annie Cross shows up on the doorstep of The Memory House Bed and Breakfast, Ophelia knows she is the one. The two women forge a bond of friendship as they sip magical dandelion tea and share stories. When Annie starts to sense the memories Ophelia is delighted, but then a thread of violence begins to unravel and Ophelia fears things have gone too far.

Amazon

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

The Accidental Art Thief ~ Book Tour & Giveaway

Posted: June 19, 2017 in Contemporary Literature, giveaways
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The Accidental Art Thief
by Joan Scheighardt
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
 
For a quarter of a century forty-five-year-old Zinc has worked as a
caretaker for a wealthy old man, living in a small casita on his
ranch in New Mexico. She doesn’t make much money, but she has the old
man, her dogs, and gorgeous views of the mountains. She is basically
a very content recluse who doesn’t invest much time thinking about
what she might do if her circumstances change. So when the old man
dies suddenly, and his daughter all but throws her off the property,
Zinc is forced to reinvent herself—and quickly. With a touch of
magical realism and a collection of offbeat characters, The
Accidental Art Thief explores the thin line between life and death
and the universal forces that connect all things. 

“Zinc is an engaging, quirky, and utterly unique heroine, instantly
likeable, with a hefty mixture of strong intelligence and
overwhelming naivety…. While the novel is realistic, there is
subtle magic woven in nearly every line, as coincidence and confusion
come together into what might be termed the wisdom of time, spirit,
and love.” ~ Magdelena Ball, CompulsiveReader.com, author of
Sublime Planet, Black Cow, and other titles.
“Schweighardt populates her modern-day odyssey through the southwest with
fascinating, quirky characters thrust into a complex (and hilarious)
web of emotional turmoil, poignant misperceptions, and downright
lies. As laugh-out-loud funny as it is thought provoking.” ~
Julie Mars, author of the memoir A Month of Sundays: Searching for
the Spirit and My Sister, and the novels Rust, Anybody Any Minute,
and The Secret Keepers.
“A sensitive, gripping, artfully rendered novel that kept me reading
from the first page to the last.” ~ Faye Rapoport DesPres,
author of the memoir-in-essays Message from a Blue Jay.
 
 
Joan Schweighardt is the author of five novels, and more on the way. In
addition to her own writing projects, she writes, ghostwrites, and
edits for individuals and corporations. 
 
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 
 
 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

The Friday 56 #151 ~ Silver Threads

Posted: May 12, 2017 in Contemporary Literature, The Friday 56
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Welcome to The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

 

This is a really fun meme!

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find a sentence or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Then go over to Freda’s Voice and leave your link so we can visit your 56!

My 56 for this week is from:

 Silver Threads

The Memory House Series #5

  by Bette Lee Crosby

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Genre:  Contemporary Fiction

 My 56 from the eBook.

…Drew began to see them side by side. Mother and daughter. Alike in a thousand different ways. Until recently.

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Read on if you want to know more.

Synopsis

High above the clouds in a place no mortal has ever seen, there is a Scale of Life that is held in balance with stones of happiness and sorrow. The Keeper of the Scales sees impending disaster for Drew Bishop and heaves a huge sigh. He places a rose-colored stone on the happiness side of Drew’s scale, but it is not enough. The danger is too great. When Drew Bishop’s wife is killed in a random act of violence, he is left with a traumatized daughter and a job teetering on the brink of disaster. He believes this is as bad as it can get, but he is wrong. Now the Keeper must scan the vast landscape of lives to find a silver thread to ease Drew’s pain. That is the only chance Drew has for happiness, and the Keeper knows it. He is powerless to do anything else; instead, he can only wait and hope the thread spools into happiness for Drew and his little girl.

Amazon

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Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

Dreaming Sophia ~ Because Dreaming Is An Art ~ Trailer and Giveaway

Posted: March 6, 2017 in Contemporary Literature, giveaways
Tags: , , ,
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Dreaming Sophia

Because Dreaming Is An Art

by Melissa Muldoon

Genre:Contemporary Women’s Fiction

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Synopsis

Dreaming Sophia is a magical look into Italy, language, art, and culture. It is a story about turning dreams into reality and learning to walk the fine line between fact and fantasy. When tragedy strikes, Sophia finds herself alone in the world, without direction and fearful of loving again. With only her vivid imagination to guide her, she begins a journey that will take her from the vineyards in Sonoma, California to a grad school in Philadelphia and, eventually, to Italy: Florence, Lucca, Rome, Verona, Venice, and Val d’Orcia.

​Through dreamlike encounters, Sophia meets Italian personalities—princes, poets, duchesses, artists, and film stars— who give her advice to help put her life back together. Following a path that takes her from grief to joy, she discovers the source of her creativity and learns to love again, turning her dreams into reality.

Buy the Book:

Amazon – print

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Barnes & Noble – ebook

Inktera-ebook

Author Melissa Muldoon

Dreaming Sophia Melissa Muldoon

Melissa Muldoon is the Studentessa Matta-the crazy linguist! In Italian, “matta” means “crazy” or “impassioned”. Melissa has a B.A. in fine arts, art history and European history from Knox College, a liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, as well as a master’s degree in art history from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She has also studied painting and art history in Florence.

Melissa promotes the study of Italian language and culture through her dual-language blog, Studentessa Matta (studentessamatta.com). Melissa began the Matta blog to improve her command of the language and to connect with other language learners. It has since grown to include a podcast, “Tutti Matti per l’Italiano” and the Studentessa Matta YouTube channel. Melissa also created Matta Italian Language Immersion Tours, which she co-leads with Italian partners in Italy.

Dreaming Sophia is Melissa’s first novel. It is a fanciful look at art history and Italian language and culture, but it is also the culmination of personal stories and insights resulting from her experiences living in Italy, as well as her involvement and familiarity with the Italian language, painting, and art history.

As a student, Melissa lived in Florence with an Italian family. She studied art history and painting and took beginner Italian classes. When she returned home, she threw away her Italian dictionary, assuming she’d never need it again but after launching a successful design career and starting a family, she realized something was missing in her life. That “thing” was the connection she had made with Italy and the friends who live there. Living in Florence was indeed a life-changing event! Wanting to reconnect with Italy, she decided to start learning the language again from scratch. As if indeed possessed by an Italian muse, she bought a new Italian dictionary and began her journey to fluency-a path that has led her back to Italy many times and enriched her life in countless ways.

Now, many dictionaries and grammar books later, she dedicates her time to promoting Italian language studies, further travels in Italy, and sharing her stories and insights about Italy with others. When Melissa is not traveling in Italy, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is married and has three boys and two beagles.

Melissa designed and illustrated the cover art for Dreaming Sophia. She also designed the Dreaming Sophia website and created the character illustrations that can be found in the book and on the Dreaming Sophia websites.

Connect with the Author:

​Website  ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Youtube ~ Pinterest

Dreaming Sophia Melissa Muldoon and Sophia Loren

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Giveaway ~ 40 Something ~ A Novel About The X- Generation

Posted: March 2, 2017 in Chick Lit, Contemporary Literature, giveaways
Tags: , , , ,
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40 Something
by Shannon Peel
Genre: Chick Lit, Contemporary Fiction
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Five women navigate life while juggling careers, children, family, and the

men in their lives.

Charlie is bored with the family tradition of Sunday Dinner so she brings a

friend her family won’t approve of to spice things up a bit. Will

this friend go too far and cause too much damage?

Rose only wants to do what is right and keep her family safe. How can she

do that when the world is so dangerous and her teenagers so willful.

Will helping a friend invite trouble into her perfect world?

Lindsay loves to have fun and enjoys the company of men. She is a modern

playgirl who will stop at nothing to get a man’s attention. Will she

find what she’s looking for or something unexpected?

Sophie wants to keep the peace and keep everyone happy, especially her

ex-husband, so her children will live with her full time. Will she

lose the children if she can’t afford to take care of them?

Justine wants to escape her perfect life, she just doesn’t realize it. Will

she find the passion that is missing or will she continue to hide

behind her computer screen?

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Shannon Peel grew up in Enderby, BC where her family’s root run deep. Growing

up where television was either non existent or very limited she

relied on books & imagination to escape into the world

beyond.

She went to UBC to study and earn a general studies BA with a

concentration in Political Science and Economics. Macro analysis of

world events, social justice and human motivations became a passion

of hers. This passion is a driving force in all her stories, which

have political, economic, and social justice undercurrents.

After a career in the financial field she decided to stay home and raise

her two children until school age. In 2007 she return to the

workforce as a sales / marketing / advertising professional. She

currently resides in BC’s Lower Mainland with her two teenage

children.

Shannon Peel is a creative, intelligent professional with a 20 year proven

track record in sales, marketing, customer relations, project

management, presentations, and communication.

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Five eBook copies and a $15 Amazon Gift Card.

Click on the rafflecopter link above to enter.

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Book Trailer and Spotlight on Revelations by T. Marie Alexander

Posted: December 20, 2016 in Contemporary Literature, Trailer, YA
Tags: , ,
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Revelations
T. Marie Alexander
Publication date: January 27th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Have you ever craved something so badly that all reason was just an excuse getting in your way?

Have you needed something so desperately that you didn’t care how you got it or who you hurt in the process?

I have—and not that long ago.

Acceptance.

Acceptance… from family and friends…

Acceptance of the person I am inside and not outright rejection.

It didn’t come easily for me, and now I believe the world needs to know just how ruthless life can be. How that overwhelming yearning for acceptance can mold you into someone you don’t recognize when you look in the mirror. I’m through hiding behind one façade after another—it’s time for the world to meet the real me.

~Antoinette Justice

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

BOOK TRAILER:

 

Author T. Marie Alexander

T. Marie Alexander lives in Arkansas. She can be found sitting at a computer on any given day, usually writing or looking up something to do with fashion. When she is not doing either of those things, she’s reading on her Kindle or binge watching Roswell on Netflix time and time again. She shares her apartment with her husband and some annoying ghost that like to take her belongings. Her dream of becoming an author started around the age of seven when she would glue small pages together and write about her favorite thing at the time, boy band crushes. T. Marie writes Young Adult Science Fiction and Paranormal Fiction.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 

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