fuonlyknew

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Where The Stars Cross organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Dottie Sines will award a $15 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Where The Stars Cross

by Dottie Sines

Genre: Historical Romance

Synopsis

In the depths of the Great Depression, Ellie suffers another crash—that of her marriage. She’s left struggling to restore her shattered life, feeling as damaged as the stained-glass panels she refurbishes for Chicago’s historic structures. While visiting her aunt in Marietta, Ohio, a charming river town, Ellie encounters towboat captain Wyatt and feels a searing attraction to him. But thanks to past and subsequent wounds, her attempts at opening herself to love seem futile. Her hope for love and her determination to find the place she belongs are further complicated by her tendency to make impulsive decisions. In her journey, Ellie draws on an unrealized level of courage and learns she must identify her brightest passions in charting her course.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Climbing from her automobile, Ellie ambled around to the sidewalk, where she tipped herself onto her toes to stretch her legs and flung out her arms with a moan, promptly smacking a hand into what felt like a human. She pivoted.

“Oh, my goodness, I’m so…” The “sorry” came a heartbeat or two later, followed by, “Are you all right?” even though there was no way this man wasn’t okay.

Tall and sturdy enough to survive much more than a little whack in the chest, his faded blue-and-white pinstriped shirt, tan leather vest, and well-worn trousers did nothing to detract from the toned lines of his body. A sampling of gray wove through the hair peeking out from beneath his newsboy cap. Slightly wavy, sandy blond hair, which on anyone else would need a good trimming but suited him fine. He hadn’t shaved in a day or two.

“Lengthy drive, I take it?” His mouth curved into a half smile, crinkling the corners of soft, hazel eyes. “Nothing like a good punch to work out the kinks, huh, Slugger?”

Ellie drew in her lips. A laugh didn’t seem appropriate right now. “Really, I am very sorry,” Ellie said. “You are all right, aren’t you?”

“I think I’ll be fine,” he said with a nod and a languid blink of those captivating eyes. “Ma’am,” he said with a tip of his cap before he and his comrades continued toward the river.

Ellie’s feet felt their way to the door of the five-and-dime. Wowee, did that bloke look better from the front or the back? Biting her bottom lip, she reached for the door handle.

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About Author Dottie Sines:

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Dottie scratched out her first fiction as a little kid transfixed by the books she read all those lazy summer days on the front porch swing. Two of her short stories have been published in The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park’s literary journal, Hemingway Shorts, having placed among the top ten entries in its annual short story contests.

Where the Stars Cross, Dottie’s first novel, is available for purchase at: Amazon

Where it’s on the Hot New Releases list for 20th century historical romance!

Author Links: Website / Facebook / Instagram 

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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.

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for The Secret Cottage organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Kate Ellingtom will award a $2o Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Secret Cottage

by Kate Ellington

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Genre: Historical Romance

Synopsis

Isabel Tate yearns for the simple pleasures she took for granted before scandal rocked her family two years ago. On May Day, she’s determined to forget her troubles and enjoy herself at the Claremont family’s annual festival.

Meanwhile, Robert Claremont steels himself to begin courting the haughty heiress next door, but his bashfulness is only one obstacle to winning her hand. Despite a deep sense of family obligation, he dreams of choosing his own bride.

Captivated by each other from the moment they meet, Robert and Isabel are kept apart by a misunderstanding until a chance encounter leads to friendship and more.

With opposition on all sides, they must overcome inconceivable odds to claim happiness.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Isabel glanced around the hall, curious about the townsfolk who would be her neighbors for the summer. As she looked around the room she was startled to see a man staring intently at her. Their eyes met, and she had the sense he’d been watching her for some time.

She looked away before he did and leaned over to whisper in her aunt’s ear. “Who is that man?”

Verity followed her gaze. “That’s one of the sons of the house. Robert Claremont.”

“Indeed?” Isabel stole another glance at him.

“Yes, and the man beside him is Mr. Kensington. He’s lived with the Claremonts since he was a boy. He’s a friend of your uncle’s.”

“Did you not say there was another brother?”

“Yes, and there he is.William Claremont, Robert’s twin.”

“Twin?” asked Isabel, taken aback. “They look nothing alike.”

“It sometimes happens that way.”

Isabel watched the Claremont brothers and their friend cross the hall to the high table. Once they were seated Isabel was able to study the brothers more closely. They were both tall and had blue eyes. William was blonde and exceptionally handsome. He looked confident, even arrogant, and Isabel knew at once he would be popular with the ladies. From the way he surveyed the women in the room, William knew it, too.

The other brother, Robert, was striking in his own way, with wavy black hair and high cheekbones. His angular face suggested haughtiness, but there was a lightness underneath— as if he was thinking of a jest but trying not to laugh.

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About Author Kate Ellington:

Kate grew up in a woodsy New England town where summer days at the lake seemed to last forever. She read her first historical romance at age eleven when a teacher challenged her to find a book in the library written by an author she’d never heard of. Thus began a life-long love of love stories.

After graduating from college with an art degree she settled in the Pacific Northwest, where she currently resides with her family.

Kate wrote her first romance when she was sixteen, then set her pen down for years until another story floated into her head out of the clear blue sky. She jotted it down, just for fun, but soon it took on a life of its own.

Author Links: Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Instagram

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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.

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for A Troubled Heart organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Tricia McGill will award a $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A Troubled Heart

by Tricia McGill

Genre: Historical Romance

Synopsis

Unsure of his real past or name, Finn O’Connor thinks he was born in Ireland and taken from his mother as a baby by a gypsy woman. As a toddler, an English woman then took him to London. About ten he fled to join a gang of boys who survived by their wits on the streets. Five years later, he was arrested for a minor crime and transported to The Colony of New South Wales for a 10-year term. In 1846 as transporting of criminals neared an end in NSW, he was moved to the infamous penitentiary at Port Arthur in Van Diemen’s Land.

On the day Finn received his papers of freedom an accidental meeting brought him into contact with 20-year-old Esther Blythe. Born in Surrey, England, genteel Esther is kind and caring. As a 4-year-old her parents brought her to Van Diemen’s Land where her Papa, a doctor, took on the task of providing medical aid to the prisoners at the Port Arthur penitentiary and its surrounding area. Sadly, both parents were killed in an accident, leaving Esther with no option but to work as a governess/nursemaid.

For reasons that even she did not comprehend, Esther took ex-convict Finn under her wing when they met outside the penitentiary hospital. Could be she saw a fellow lonely soul who simply wanted someone to have faith in him. Life seems to take a turn for perhaps the better from then on, but will these two lonely people overcome many obstacles to find the happiness they seek together as they face an uncertain future.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Esther sat with her head on her bent knees, staring at the flames before her. Luckily the rain had stopped as dawn crept nearer. One of the troopers had managed to get the small fire going using the flint he carried. After the two men had rummaged about in the ruins of the kitchen they returned with the blackened kettle and a couple of tin mugs. Pike, who was the youngest and had the very small makings of a moustache, said, “We carry tea and usually have our billycan with us, but as we were only on a short survey looking for any runaways, we carried just the bare supplies.”

He now handed her a mug of the brew, which was at least hot. “Thank you, this is lovely.” Esther hoped that when someone returned with supplies, they at least carried milk and porridge and perhaps some bread and cheese.

As he walked away to join his mate who was again sorting through the rubble that had stopped smouldering, Finn sat beside her and sipped on his drink. “How do you feel?” Giving her a thoughtful glance, he rubbed at his chin. “What a mess. Can you believe the woman would do such a thing?”

“Never in my life. I knew she was desperately unhappy of course, but how she could take a blade to her husband and then take her own life is a tragedy far beyond my understanding. You have probably seen more insane people than I have.”

“A few in my time.” With a shrug, he stared into his mug. “Most go crazy after spending a time in solitary with little food and no light.”

A thought occurred to Esther as her tummy roiled at the thought of the suffering of those folk, plus what she guessed might be hunger pangs. “I guess if they do not return later with supplies, we can always go over to the farm.” She nodded in the general direction of where she knew Nellie often went to collect milk, butter, and cheese. “I expect the farmer and his wife will be wondering at the flames they must have seen rising.”

As the words left her mouth, a wagon came trundling towards them. As it neared, the driver, a man that Esther had seen a few times, waved his hat as he stared at the ruins of the cottage. “What in the Lord’s name happened?” he asked as he pulled the horse up and jumped down. “The master sent me across to see what was amiss.”

Pike came over and put a hand up before asking the man’s name and what farm he had come from. Without too many details he then explained some of the happenings of the night, leaving out the murder and suicide. “Go back and tell your master that we would be grateful if he could supply us with a few necessities like milk and bread and perhaps he might have some fresh meat. When our Lieutenant returns, he will arrange payment.”

Nodding enthusiastically the man gave the ruins another quick glance, and then shook his head in Esther and Finn’s direction before climbing aboard and urging his horse into a near gallop.

“Would you like me to heat some water for you, Miss? Perhaps you might like to wash the grime off you,” Pike said as he sent Esther a smile. “It’s good luck that the well is still in working order.”

Esther returned his smile. “That would be lovely. How very thoughtful of you. I suppose I am looking as grimy as all you men are.”

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About Author Tricia McGill:

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Award winning author Tricia McGill was born in London, England, and moved to Australia many years ago, settling near

Melbourne. Horses and dogs feature largely in her books. She’s had a succession of dogs in her lifetime and a few horses along the way.

The youngest in a large, loving family she was never lonely or alone. Surrounded by avid readers, who encouraged her to read from an early age, is it any wonder she became a writer? The local library was a treasure trove and magical world of discovery through her childhood and growing years. Tricia is a dreamerwho still dreams every night; snippets from those dreams have translated into ideas for her books.

Although her published works cross sub-genres, romance is always at their heart. Tricia finds the research entailed in writing historicals and her other great passion, time-travels, fascinating.

Author Link: Website

Purchase Link: Amazon

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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.