Thanks to AToMR for letting me be a part of this amazing tour.

The Crimson Hunt Cover V Smith JPEG HI RES.jpg.0x675.egrvsvxhlfupu8fr03ak313rvqme7b9

Title: The Crimson Hunt (Book One: Eldaen Light Chronicles)

Author: Victoria H. Smith

Release date: November 7, 2012

Genre: Science Fiction Romance

Age Group: New Adult

Event organized by: AToMR Tours

Buy Links:  Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords | Print

Book Description:

College junior Ariel Richmond is working on year three of Project Normalcy.

Her house reeks of keggers past and her bestie is just a slight bit vulgar. But the thing is—they both aid in making life refreshingly uneventful.

So much for hard-earned mediocrity when Luca Grinaldi appears on the scene.

Luca’s sudden presence on campus is hard to ignore. Those bright eyes act like a beacon to unsuspecting females, and with features like his, he’s got to be moonlighting for GQ. Luca hopelessly captivates Ariel with his confidence and charisma, but the mysteries surrounding him make him nearly untouchable. And just when Ariel grows close enough to unlock his secrets, a tragic event sends her life in a downward spiral.

That steady life is no longer an option and allies quickly become scarce. The mysterious Luca seems to be the only one willing to help her—but with that trust comes the burden of his secrets. He has a dark mission of otherworldly proportions, and is willing to sacrifice as many lives as it takes to see it completed.

Gone are the days of simply maintaining normalcy, and if Ariel isn’t cautious with her trust, so soon may be her future.

The Crimson Hunt is a New Adult Science Fiction Romance.

Excerpt

I continued my rigorous review of the material. But as the night went on, I didn’t gain much ground. There were about fifteen chapters in the first half of the semester’s lectures. I was only up to chapter eight. There’d never be enough time for me to get them down pat before the midterm tomorrow. I wanted to cry at the thought. Laying my head in my textbook, I hoped the words would materialize into my brain.

“I think the book works better if you are actually reading it.” A gentle laugh accompanied the words.

I jolted, startled by Luca’s sudden appearance. I quickly raised my head, hoping to God there weren’t any page marks indented into my face. I rubbed my eyes, and Luca’s beautiful face appeared before me. “Don’t be so mean. I’m stressing out here. The midterm is tomorrow.” I said this though I didn’t really mind that he poked fun at me. It was really cute to see him joke.

I couldn’t help but notice how hot he looked tonight with his strong build lining his t-shirt. He should never cover his beauty with clothes and such things. He also wore a heather-gray carpenter jacket. I hoped my cardigan was enough for the weather when I left tonight.

“I was not trying to be cruel. I was just stating a fact.” He laughed again and sat on the edge of the table.

I smiled, his laugher bringing my anxiety down a bit.

“What are you caught up on? May I be of any use?”

There were a lot of things he could help me with at this point, but none of them had to do with Zoology.

About the Author

Victoria H. Smith

Victoria H. Smith has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. She puts it to good use writing romance all day. She resides in the Midwest with her Macbook on her lap and a cornfield to her right. She often draws inspiration for her stories from her own life experiences, and the twenty-something characters she writes give her an earful about it.

In her free time, she enjoys extreme couponing, blogging, reading, and sending off a few tweets on Twitter when she can. She writes new adult fiction romance in the sub-genres of science fiction, urban fantasy, and contemporary, but really, anywhere her pen takes her she goes.

Author social media links: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

 (1) eBook copy of The Crimson Hunt (Book One: Eldaen Light Chronicles).

Open International.

eBooks will be in mobi, epub, and pdf formats gifted from Smashwords.

All winners will be sent to the author at one time after the Jan. 25th date.

  • If a winner does not have an e-reader they can download the Kindle app for free to their computers on Amazon.

To enter, please leave your email address and answer this question, “What did you think of the excerpt?”

Contest ends Jan. 16th.

Thank you and Good Luck!

I am doing some author spotlights this month and one of them is the amazing Ella Medler. Each week I’ll be doing a review for one of her books and there will also be a guest post and some giveaways.

Blood Is Heavier

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Nick is living the American dream. He has a successful business, a beautiful home, he’s married to the love of his life, Maxi,  and has a 4-year-old son, Cameron, who steals his breath when he hears his laughter.

He never dreamed he’d settle down and be in such a rush to get home every day. It was his whole world now.

Then, it was all gone in an instant. With one phone call, his world comes tumbling down.

His wife calls him on his cell to remind him to pick up their son from a birthday party. She tells him his friend JB is at the house with her, waiting for him to return.

JB is a bad man, one he never hoped to meet again. He’s a part of Nick’s past. A past filled with killing. That JB was there with his wife sent chills down his spine. Nick knew him for what he was. Killers always recognize each other.

Nick wrestles with whether to pick up his son first or rush home to deal with JB. In the end, his decision doesn’t matter. It’s been taken out of his hands. The trap was too well set.

In a blinding flash of light, his hopes and dreams explode. One moment he sees Maxi waving at him in the window. In the next, the house disintegrates with a loud whoomp.

This scene made me think of the movie The Punisher. The part where they come and kill his whole family. The scenes don’t read the same but the feelings I had were as powerful. First there’s the shock and horror. Then there’s disbelief and sadness. Who could do such a thing?

I could see this scene play out in slow motion, like tunnel vision, Nick racing to his house, but there’s nothing left of it but a fiery pile.

The sharks from Nick’s past have caught up with him, and this is their warning to him. They now have his son, and he’ll do what they want or he’ll never hear his sons laughter again.

The last time Nick saw his wife she was smiling and waving to him, right before the house exploded. This vision would replay over and over in his mind, fueling the fires for the reckoning to come.

What becomes of one half when the whole gets ripped to shreds? When you have no hope, how do you continue to exist?”

They murdered his heart and now they’ve stolen his soul, his son. You know what follows. Rage and a deep, aching need to spill blood. And blood will be spilled.

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZS0wYCYzo]

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I loved the pacing of this book and how the author flashed back to different times in Nick’s past.

It was fun to read about how Nick and Maxi met and the pickle they got in. Their connection was quick, but that’s only natural when you might be about to die.

The author takes you to the past and back again, keeping the story flowing smoothly and filling in the details. She keeps you entertained and builds the mystery, dropping in hidden clues, making you go this way and that way like weaving through heavy traffic.

Make sure you set aside plenty of time before you settle in. You’ll have a hard time stopping before you reach the end.

Five smoking guns for the thrilling action and tantalizing suspense of Blood is Heavier.

       

Giveaway

Ella is graciously offering 5 e-books of Blood is Heavier for the giveaway!

Entry is easy. Just leave your email address and answer this question, “What would you do to protect your loved ones?”

Good luck!

Contest ends January 15th.

You will be seeing a lot more about Ella and her books here on fuonlyknew!

About the author

Ella Medler

I live in Cornwall with my husband and our two teenage daughters. Together, we care for a large assortment of pets, some small enough to fit in a fish tank, and some capable of causing you significant injury on impact. I was born in Transylvania but got chucked out due to my inability to grow fangs and reluctance to sleep in coffins.

My first book, MARTIN LITTLE, RESURRECTED is a lighthearted fantasy novel full of action and unique takes on life. It’s total escapism. Heartened by positive reviews on my first book, I published BLOOD IS HEAVIER, an action thriller, which is an explosive and emotional struggle to save a father’s most treasured possession. ETERNAL ISLAND, a paranormal romance, is now live. I have co-written it with a brilliant American author, Kristie S. Haigwood. My next release is book two in the Hunter Series, BLOOD IS POWER, which should be out before the end of the year. In the pipeline are sequels for all of the above and a spin-off from Blood is Heavier – Tequila’s story.

Future works

Blood is Power (Book Two in the Hunter Series)

Martin Little Takes Epic Action (Book Two in the Martin Little Series)

Deal With It – Tequila’s story

In collaboration with Kristie.S. Haigwood

Eternal Immorality

Eternal Inception

Contacts

Blog

Website

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

To purchase these books, click on the covers.

Books by Ella Medler

Books written with Kristie .S. Haigwood

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
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My teaser for today is from Swords & Sails
The Legacy of the Red Lion by David McAvoy II
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Swords & Sails: The Legacy of the Red Lion
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“Edward.” The Pirate Hunter said, glaring at him. “A shame for such a promising young man to throw in his lot with pirates. I will get out of this Edward, and believe me, when I do I’m going to make sure you hang right beside Wolfgang.”
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Having a great time reading this one! I can smell the briny scent of the ocean and taste the salt from the water’s spray on my lips. A good thing I don’t get seasick!
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This Woman’s Happy New Year!

Posted: December 31, 2012 in Holidays

The countdown has almost begun. The New Year is almost here. What will you be doing this New Years Eve?

Some of you will be at parties, shaking your bootie and celebrating with friends.

When Midnight comes around many of you will be kissing the person next to you!

Champagne corks will pop! Glasses will be raised!

An important thing to remember, Don’t let friends drink and drive! Take the keys away or give them up before the party begins!

Then get started! Celebrate! Look to the skies!

While my New Years Eve will not be doing any of these things, I will be spending it doing something I love!

I’ll be safely snuggled on my couch, current read in my lap. soothing glass of wine to sip and at the stroke of midnight I’ll raise my glass, hug my son and my sister, and ring in the new year with a good book!

Cheers! I’ll see you next year!

2012 in review

Posted: December 31, 2012 in Uncategorized

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 18,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

mailbox photo: MAILBOX MAILBOX.jpg

This is my own version of a bookhaul post where  I’ll be telling you about all of the books I got this week, whether print or e-book.

I got quite a few books this week, some free, some for review, and some I purchased just for my reading pleasure.

First up is freebies. I can’t help it. I just have to grab some. Here’s what I got this week.

Here’s what I received for reviews.

These are books I won.

This one my sister gave to me.

These are ones I bought. Some new and some used.

This is not a typical weeks haul. There usually aren’t this many.

I have many happy hours of reading ahead and a heck of a lot of notes to take!

You can click on the covers to purchase any of these.

So what did you get this week? See something you like? Do you have any of these? Leave a comment and let me know.

Perfect Strangers by Liv Morris is free Dec. 28th through Dec. 30th! I spotted this short story last night and had to have it. The cover is sassy and the contents fog up the car windows. Thanks so much Liv.

Go here to get your free copy! Don’t wait too long.

PERFECT STRANGERS - (A Love in the City Short)

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Here it is, New Years Eve, and Katrina is still hard at work trying to get her yearend reports done. When her boss comes in to shoo her home, she’s just finished with them. Now for a whole week off!

Finally the doors slide open and I practically jump in. As the cage starts to descend, I do a little happy dance. My vacation has officially begun. Yay, me!

I’m free for a whole seven days and plan on being a lazy sloth. Days filled with wearing yoga pants and watching old Audrey Hepburn movies are awaiting me. Oh, and ice cream. Lots and lots of chocolate ice cream.

Aah, a girl after my own heart.

When Katrina exits the building, she grows concerned. The supposed two inches of snowfall has turned into a winter blizzard and it’s going to be a tense, hazardous drive to meet her parents for dinner. If she’s careful, and takes it slow she should be okay.

Well, as fate, or cupid, would have it, she’s not okay.

Pulling out of the parking garage, I’m hit with a wall of snow. The weatherman said flurries were likely this afternoon, but this is close to being a complete whiteout.

A bus in front of her fishtails and she can’t escape the pileup that ensues. A bump on the head is her only injury.

When a handsome young man taps on her window, she assures him she’s okay and accepts his offer to wait for emergency vehicles in the warmth of his car. It may be a long wait, but things are looking up!

Quote I liked

Yeah, I tend to speak like a crazy person when I’m around a hot guy. I have a chronic condition of hormone-induced Tourette’s.”

I loved the conversation between Katrina and Drew. It’s funny how you find yourself telling things to a complete stranger. Their banter is funny and the sexual attraction is heating up.

I can’t resist a short story. It’s a great way to get a sampling of an author’s writing and after reading Perfect Strangers,  I know I like the way Liv Morris writes.

I was into the story from the opening and rubbed my hands together in glee as I read on. I had an idea of what was ahead, but had a great time getting there.

While I don’t wish to be stuck in the snow, if I were, I’d hope to “bump” into someone like Drew.

Four of Cupid’s Arrows for Perfect Strangers.

     

While on Amazon, I bought Liv’s other short story, Magic at Macy’s. It’s only 99 cents! and free for Kindle Prime Members. You can get your copy here.

Magic at Macy's

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I’m really loving the cover art for Liv’s Love in the City collection.

Yale University freshman Ally Brown is spending her first Thanksgiving away from home. Feeling alone and restless in a deserted dormitory, she sets off on an adventure to tour the amazing holiday window displays along New York City’s Fifth Avenue.

But her plans get sidetracked as she switches from tourist to stalker after spotting her crush, Jack Prescott, who is taking the same train into the city. He’s the handsome Editor in Chief of the Yale Daily News and the man of her dreams—if only she could work up the courage to speak to him.

Certain that it would take a miracle for Jack to notice her, Ally experiences her own “Miracle on 34th Street” when things take a surprisingly romantic turn, thanks to a little Magic at Macy’s.

I’ll be doing my review  for  Magic at Macy’s soon and can’t wait to read her first full length novel, Happy Hour, when it’s released.

About the author

Liv Morris

Currently Liv resides in Manhattan with her husband of twenty-eight years. They have three grown daughters who are scattered across the United States. She was raised in the beautiful Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri and feels blessed to have a supportive and close family.

Liv received a B.S. in Communication from the University of Maryland. She has published her first short story/novella in the “Love in the City” collection and is currently writing her debut novel, Happy Hour.

Contacts

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

To purchase her books, click on the covers

Today is your lucky day. To all fans of horror and the darkest depths of the human mind, What the Dark Brings is free now through December 30th.

Get your free copy here.

What the Dark Brings

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Follow Edward Lorn out of the light and into the darkest recesses of his mind.

What the Dark Brings is a collection of 19 short stories, beginning with “Literary Sweets”, a tender jaunt into Christmastime that proves all is not lost for one jaded gentleman. But by the time you reach the final tale, “Come to Jesus Meeting”, the darkness is all encompassing.

Tales of hope, heartache, and horror abound.

Come find What the Dark Brings

***As an added bonus to new fans, Edward Lorn has included his mini-anthology, Three After, complete and uncut, at the end of this collection. A total of 22 tales of terror coming it at over 40,000 words.***

Check out my thoughts on Edward’s Bonus stories.

Edward Lorn’s Three After takes you to the darkside with three chilling tales.

Three after

If you like your horror twisted and dripping blood, these three tales will give you that and then some. I will give you fair warning that Edward writes very descriptive, almost visual scenes, and they ain’t pretty.

1. World’s Greatest Dad

This is every father’s, hell, everybody’s worst nightmare.

Kimmy is gone. While Carl was trick or treating with his daughter, somebody snatched her. He was only distracted for a moment, but that was all it took.

The last time Carl saw Kimmy, she was talking to a man sitting in a rocking chair wearing a wolf costume. Now the chair is empty and Kimmy is gone.

They found Kimmy, but it was too late. Her body was discovered in a garbage bin, thrown away like so much trash.

Carl is consumed by grief and guilt. The police investigation is going nowhere. There is no consolation to be found.

Carl’s friend David inadvertently hands him a cup of coffee, the cup made by Kimmy. It reads World’s Gratest Dad and, yes, that is how she spelled it. Not able to bear it, Carl asks for a different cup. As he passes it back to David, the words on the cup change.

Help Her

He was the only one to witness it. Believing it to be a message from his daughter, Carl uses the messages that appear on the cup to try to save Her and find his daughters killer.

This is a story of redemption, betrayal and vengeance. What wouldn’t you do for your child?

2. An Affair To Remember

Jimmy has crossed the line. His rage at finding out his wife was having an affair, and with a jerk like Ray, pushed him over the edge.

What happens to Ray is horrific, but he has only himself to blame. Should have kept his pants zipped and stopped taunting Jimmy when he was caught.

But after brutally torturing and killing his wife and her lover, things get really bizarre for Jimmy.

Maybe Jimmy should have just walked away from the whole sordid mess.

3. Snuggles

She seems like such a sweet young girl. Elizabeth loves cats and she has three, Cuddles, Snuggles and Bumbles. Her favorite is Snuggles.

One day, her dad accidentally lets Snuggles outside. These are indoor cats and are not supposed to be let outside because of the road.

Yep, you guessed it. Her mom finds Snuggles in the road and tells her that he has gone to heaven.

Elizabeth is heart-broken and what she does to get Snuggles back is beyond belief.

This story goes from shocking to stomach-turning in a blink. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Five screams for really creeping me out!

           

Stay tuned for more reviews of Edward Lorn’s stories.

About the author
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Edward Lorn
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Edward Lorn is an American horror author presently residing in the southeast United States. He enjoys storytelling, reading, and writing biographies in the third person. Once upon a time, during a session of show and tell, a seven-year-old Edward Lorn shared with his class that his baby brother had died over the weekend. His classmates, the teacher included, wept while he recanted the painful tragedy of having lost a sibling. Edward went home that day and found an irate mother waiting for him. Edward’s teacher had called to express her condolences. This was unfortunate, as Edward had never had a baby brother. With advice given to her by a frustrated teacher, Edward’s mother made him start writing all of his lies down. The rest, as they say, is history. Edward Lorn and his wife are raising two children, along with a handful of outside cats and a beagle named Dot. He remains a liar to this day. The only difference is, now he’s a useful one.

Website

Twitter

Goodreads

To purchase these books, just click on the cover images.

 

Most of you know how much I like collections and short stories. Corpus Corruptum is an anthology with something for everyone.

I’m a huge fan of Adam and Evans Light and have read and reviewed many of their stories. These two brothers write horror like it’s meant to be written. Their short stories and collections leave you shaking in your boots.

I’m currently reading this anthology and will be reviewing it soon.

Now for the good stuff. It’s free to download from Amazon now until midnight on December 30th. Go here to get your free copy.

The Corpus Corruptum

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These stories are our mutant children, fever dreamed hallucinations that don’t necessarily fit into any particular genre – no matter how weird they are, we love them anyway.
THE CORPUS CORRUPTUM collection peeks into what happens when the body goes bad, the most universal of all human fears. We hope you enjoy it.

About the authors

About Adam Light and where to find him.

I have spent the better part of my life in northeast Florida, but I was born in West Virginia. I was consumed at an early age by an unquenchable thirst for the written word. Words, in general, when I think about it.

I was a quiet bookish kid, but after moving down south I grew into a wild and rebellious teenager. I grew my hair long, became enthralled with heavy metal music, and all the rest.

I’ve mellowed somewhat, but I love life, I love my family, and I love to write stories. I have a mad passion for it.

I am proud of the stories I have written and sincerely hope that readers like myself have enjoyed reading them as much as , and plan to continue tapping away at this keyboard until my fingers won’t move anymore.

Thanks to everyone who has supported my madness so far; I look forward to sharing much more of my mind’s crazy ride with you.

Goodreads

Amazon

To purchase Adam’s books, click on the covers.

Books written with Evans Light

About Evans Light and where to find him

Evans Light has lived here and there across the United States, from the mountains to the beaches to the desert, and currently chooses to reside in a warm, southern state where the living is easy.

Frequently drawn to uncommon experiences, Evans has thrown himself headfirst into a wide range of unusual situations, from testing low-level-entry parachutes with British Army Airborne units to travelling the vast reaches of inner space using sensory deprivation tanks. He is the proud father of fine sons and the lucky husband of a beautiful wife.

Evans Light has been in love with the written word from an early age, and works in a wide variety of genres, including horror, thrillers, sci-fi and humor – but stories of the “Weird Tales” variety still remain his favorite. Evans is currently hard at work completing a collection of short stories entitled “Obsessive Deceptions”. Each story from this compilation is being released as a stand-alone title on Amazon as it is finished. The first five have been collected in the anthology “Stories, Inc.”.

Evans is also writing his first full-length novel, which is expected to be released sometime before his death.

Author contacts

Goodreads

Facebook

You can find all of Evans Light’s books here.

Evans Light

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To join in, copy and paste these rules and the above banner into your Fanged Mania post and add your link to this week’s Fanged Mania post at Elisabeth Wheatley’s Blog. Fanged Mania is a Friday meme counting down to the release of Fanged Princess and displaying all things vampire and awesome. Fanged Mania posts can be a review of a vampire book, a quote from the latest Vampire Diaries episode, a showcase of a cool vampire book’s cover, or whatever you like so long as it is vampire related. Don’t forget, participants will be entered in the drawing to win a fanged-abulous prize pack!

The prize pack I mentioned includes Vampire Diaries and Breaking Dawn posters as well as a paperback copy of Erica Steven’s Captured (my review here) and the complete collection of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter stories by Jennifer Malone Wright, in paperback, too! =D

Oh, and the contest is international. And the more Fanged Mania posts you have, the more entries you get! So what are you waiting for? Hop on the bandwagon!

This weeks spotlight shines on Taylor Dean and her awesome series, Lancaster House!

Lancaster House

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Zoe Grayson needs a change. So, she moves to another state, purchases an old, dilapidated 1920s Victorian Mansion, and sets out to restore it to its former glory. As she begins the restoration, she finds herself falling in love with the old house . . . not to mention its illustrious builder, Mr. Lancaster. Zoe becomes obsessed with the house as she discovers its secrets; hidden rooms, secret passageways . . . and a mysterious man who seems to think the house is his. Who is he? More importantly, how does he live in her home unseen and unheard?

The unexpected answers leave her reeling—and questioning everything she’s ever known. To her dismay, Zoe’s actions land her in the local psychiatric hospital, scheming for ways to return to Lancaster House . . . and the love of her life.

I recently entered a contest for these books at fundinmental and I won! Man, the pictures here do not begin to show how beautiful the cover art is in print. I can’t wait to read these.

Here’s what Sherry @ fundinmental has to say.

“This was definitely a different twist on a vampire (?), ghost (?) or madwoman (?) story. I got about halfway through and thought WT. Never saw that coming. Now I get it, or do I?

A psychological thriller that will keep you guessing. The minute you think you have the answer, you better think again.”

Check out Sherry’s full review of Lancaster House here.

The Middle Aisle (Lancaster House)

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The Sequel to Lancaster House

Zoe Grayson is back in Lancaster House, ordered to bed rest for the duration of her unexpected pregnancy. Doctor Wade Channing, her overzealous psychiatrist, is living in Lancaster House, taking care of her, waiting on her, and tending to her every need. It seems to be the perfect arrangement.

There’s just one catch.

She has to tell him her story—everything that has happened in her life since the moment she escaped from Serenity Hills. It’s been quite an adventure to include renovating another home and a walk down the middle aisle.

But, that’s all over now. Nothing is real. It never was.

How did she end up in this miserable situation?

And here’s what Sherry has to say about The Middle Aisle.

“The ending left me stunned, I smiled as tears ran down my face. It was one of the best endings of any book I have read and left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling that lingered long after I had finished the book.”

For her full review go here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Taylor Dean

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Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense-you’ll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.

To find out what Taylor Dean is up to, follow the links below:

Website

Goodreads

To order any of the books below, simply click on the cover.