Thursday, February 28, 2019

"On Thin Ice" by Julie Cross


EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
On Thin Ice
(Juniper Falls Book 3)
by Julie Cross

On Thin Ice (Juniper Falls Book 3) by Julie Cross

On Thin Ice is the third book in the Juniper Falls series by Julie Cross. Also available: Off the Ice (read my blog post) and Breaking the Ice (read my blog post).

Juniper Falls series by Julie Cross

This release week blitz and giveaway is hosted by Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours.


Description
Brooke Parker never expected to find herself in the tiny town of Juniper Falls, Minnesota. Of course, she also never expected to lose her dad. Or for her mom to lose herself. Brooke feels like she’s losing it … until she finds Juniper Falls hockey. Juniper Falls girls’ hockey, that is.
Jake Hammond, current prince of Juniper Falls, captain of the hockey team, and player with the best chance of scoring it big, is on top of the world. Until one hazing ritual gone wrong lands him injured, sitting on the sidelines, and - shocking even to him - finding himself enjoying his “punishment” as assistant coach for the girls’ team.
As Jake and Brooke grow closer, he finds the quiet new girl is hiding a persona full of life, ideas, and experiences bigger and broader than anything he’s ever known. But to Jake, hockey’s never just been a game. It’s his whole life. And leveraging the game for a shot at their future might be more than he can give.
Note: Each book in the Juniper Falls series is standalone.

Excerpt
It’s not that I can’t speak. Or that I don’t want to or don’t have anything to say. I do. But I’ve recently become addicted to listening. And it’s extremely difficult to talk and listen at the same time.
But try explaining that to a small-town high school guidance counselor and see where it gets you.
It got me regular—and mandatory—Friday appointments in Mr. Smuttley’s office (yes, that’s his real name, though I keep hearing other students call him a bunch of variations of it, most of them pretty nasty), where I continue to not talk about my feelings.
“How is your mother doing?” Smuttley asks.
I shrug. Not to be evasive, but because I have no idea. She doesn’t talk to me. All the pills the psychiatrist prescribes have turned her into a zombie version of my mother… Except, this isn’t completely true. A few days ago, she must have woken up from her drug-induced haze and decided to go to the store…in her pajamas. Then she got there, couldn’t remember what she came for, and broke down crying. The shop owner called my grandmother, who promptly came to pick her up. And now everyone in town either gives me this look of pity or they avoid eye contact altogether. Or, in Smuttley’s case, they try to get me to talk about the incident in a productive, helpful manner.
“How about we try something new today.” Smuttley stands and walks around his desk, heading for the door to his office. I’m still seated in my designated student chair when he swings the door open, gesturing that I should follow him out.
I stare at the name placard on the door: Joseph Smuttley.
If he just dropped one of the Ts, he’d have way less nicknames from the student body.
“Come on, Brooklynn,” he says, trying to look enthusiastic about his plan. “It’s my duty as guidance counselor to make sure you’ve been shown all the best places around the high school. Which includes the coffee shop next door.”
Brooke, not Brooklynn.
Only my grandmother calls me Brooklynn.
Sighing, I stand up and follow him out of his office and eventually outside. The October air in Minnesota is crisp, and even without us talking, the leaves crunching under our feet kill the awkward silence.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]


Praise for the Book
“I fall more and more in love with this series with each book. Once again Cross delivered a story with substance that incorporated family, friendship, romance, and left me hungry for the next book.” ~ Sam K.
On Thin Ice was one of those books that had me not wanting to stop reading, even when I should.” ~ Tara Peters
“I love this book so much. It is such a sweet and heartwarming story about teenagers who are trying to make the best decisions in life. […] It is a very well-written story. I enjoyed it a lot and I think all YA fans will love it!” ~ Fizza Younis
“I absolutely loved this book. On Thin Ice is the third book in the series, and though you'll care more about the secondary characters here in the book's most dramatic scene if you've read their stories too, you don't have to have read the other books to get its impact. Though this seems like a good place to end the series, my fingers are crossed that there's more to come!” ~ Beckymmoe
“I started this one late last night and stayed up way too late because I had a hard time putting it down (though I did eventually). There’s just something about the way Ms. Cross writes that sucks me in and has me compelled to read just one more chapter.” ~ Lenore Kosinski

About the Author
Julie Cross
Julie Cross is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of New Adult and Young Adult fiction, including the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, and Timestorm (St. Martin’s Press).
She’s also the author of the Letters to Nowhere series, Whatever Life Throws at You, Third Degree, Halfway Perfect, Chasing Truth, the Juniper Falls series, and many more to come!
Julie Cross was a longtime resident of central Illinois but has recently moved her entire family across the country to continue her academic studies at Stanford University.

Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win one of three copies of On Thin Ice by Julie Cross (US only).

Links

Books featured in this post:






Romance is in the Air featuring Donna K. Weaver


EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
With the Magic
(Twickenham Time Travel Romance Book 7)
by Donna K. Weaver

With the Magic (Twickenham Time Travel Romance Book 7) by Donna K. Weaver

During February and March, we will be featuring 14 fabulous authors who write clean romance. Today we feature Donna K. Weaver with With the MagicAlso available in the Twickenham Time Travel Romance series:

Twickenham Time Travel Romance series

This book blast and giveaway is hosted by Clean Wholesome Romance.


Description
When Gareth Hildebrand travels from the year 1850 to a future time, he’s not expecting to fall in love.
As the eighth Earl of Kellworth, Gareth is accustomed to getting what he wants. Then he encounters a woman he suspects is from the future – a utopian future that he feels compelled to see. He intends to get what he wants, but it will involve dealing with fae magic. And that could lead to disaster – for his heart.
Dr. Catherine Ryan is drawn to the handsome guest at Twickenham Manor, with his odd combination of childish excitement and old eyes that have seen too much pain. She loses her heart to him before she discovers the truth of when he’s from. Now she faces the biggest decision of her life!


Excerpt
Whenever Catherine had observed anomalies at Twickenham Manor, they’d always seemed to come from upstairs. Since the first time Catherine had toured the house, she’d felt a pull to seek out whatever was up those stairs. She let out a breath; she should return to the ballroom.
The Americans were passing her, and the tall woman who’d been crying said something that sent a chill down Catherine’s spine.
“I can’t bear that they’re all dead now.”
Dead? The comment brought a macabre feel to the evening, and Catherine’s curiosity-itch flared. She peered at the stairs again with narrowed eyes; she had to investigate.
But, if Aunt Nellie were to discover Catherine up there, would she be banned from coming to Twickenham again? She reminded herself that “curiosity killed the cat.” In her mind, her grandmother’s voice finished the old adage, “But satisfaction brought him back.”
Still, Catherine needed to ask herself if the risk would be worth it. These balls had become the one bright spot in her life. If she were to lose them too . . .
Then the ever-present pull gave a stronger tug, the sense that there was something else going on and she must investigate. The American woman had said “they” were dead. Catherine was a doctor. Surely she had a responsibility to investigate.
Glancing to make sure she was alone, she picked up her skirts and began the climb. Winded by the time she reached the last landing before the fourth floor, she paused to catch her breath, vowing to start exercising regularly. Catherine had been blessed with a fast metabolism, so people were forever thinking she was fitter than she was.
She climbed the last flight. The hallway was unremarkable, lined with paintings. Listening for the sounds of movement, she examined the portraits as she went down the hallway. She heard nothing, and she didn’t smell blood.
One door stood open, so she let the tug lead her inside. The long room held nothing but more paintings. How odd. There were a few chairs scattered around, but it didn’t look like it was meant to be a regular gathering place for people to sit together and talk.
Most of the pictures were busts of individuals, but in the center of the room hung a large painting of five people, three women and two men. Catherine blinked. It was the Americans, and their painted images wore the same clothing the five had on tonight. She shivered.
The young man she’d danced with hadn’t attended the Regency immersion vacation, having only arrived that day. When had someone had time to paint him? She’d also never heard that Twickenham had an artist on staff.
She studied the rest of the pictures in the room. Some were dressed in Regency clothing, but there were many others that spanned several eras. The one with the Americans was the only picture of such a large group. Whoever had arranged the paintings lacked any sense of design, leaving large sections of the walls empty.
That pull came again, as though Catherine had a string attached to her chest that drew her. This time it was to a portrait of a man placed to the right of the one with the Americans. Catherine came to stand before his painting, wondering who he was.
He appeared to be a little older than she was with a few silver strands at his temples. He also had what she’d call a regal bearing. She worked with enough surgeons and specialists who were used to being in charge, and this man had that look about him. He also wore an expression of someone with a fierce determination, the type of man people would steer clear of.
Catherine stepped closer to the painting. Behind the force of will that he projected, he had pain etched on his face. Her heart ached for him. What had happened to mark him that way?
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]


Praise for the Book
“This book made me laugh a little then cry a lot, and then left me very happy. I love it when a book can do that – keep me up reading until 2:00 in the morning, yet feel like it was totally worth it!” ~ Teresa
“I’ll be honest, fantasy and time travel are not genres I usually read. Because of this, I was a little overwhelmed at the beginning, but eventually found myself sucked into the story and had a hard time putting it down. Gareth and Catherine are so sweet together. I love their give and take with one another. They complement each other so nicely.” ~ Melissa
“This was so exciting and lovely how it all came together. I could see just how it all played out in my mind as I read. Excitement and danger was there, love and denial also. Two hearts brought together through time only for one to think they would bring the other down. Great ending and am looking forward to the next in the series.” ~ Lady the Owls

About the Author
Award-winning author, wife, mother, grandmother, Army veteran, karate black belt, Harry Potter nerd, online gamer.






Also by Donna K. Weaver:

Giveaway
Enter the blast-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash.


Links
Amazon (Kindle Unlimited)

Books featured in this post:





Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Romance is in the Air featuring G. G. Vandagriff


EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
Rescuing Rosalind
(Six Rogues and Their Ladies Book 4)
by G. G. Vandagriff

Rescuing Rosalind (Six Rogues and Their Ladies Book 4) by G. G. Vandagriff


During February and March, we will be featuring 14 fabulous authors who write clean romance. Today we feature G. G. Vandagriff with Rescuing Rosalind, ON SALE now for only $0.99.


Also available in the Six Rogues and Their Ladies series:


This book blast and giveaway is hosted by Clean Wholesome Romance.


Description
When frigate Captain Buckingham Kernow-Smith encounters a sprite in a topiary garden he pulls off her stocking cap, revealing the character of “Rosalind” from As You Like It, played, in this case, by the appealing Fanny Edwards.
Three years pass. The War over, Buck encounters his Rosalind at a ball, where she has developed into a notable beauty. However, her guardian confides to him that she is dancing on the very edge of propriety. Buck, who has been fighting the French since he was twelve, also finds the ton confining and sympathizes with Fanny/Rosalind’s plight as a properly reared young lady.
Together, they make a dangerous pair, toeing the line between propriety and scandal. When they push their fun too far, Fanny faces ruin and the demimonde. Will Buck confide his own secrets and overcome his life-long aversion to marriage? Can there be a happily ever after for someone as headstrong and impetuous as Fanny?

Excerpt
It had been many years since Captain Buckingham Kernow-Charles, Marquis of Deal, had strolled in the formal Ruisdell Palace gardens. The topiary animals that had so delighted him when he was twelve were now rendered even more magical by a frosting of snow. The last time he had seen them was that summer before he first went to sea. The giraffe, the boar, the jaguar, and . . . what was that?
Before him in the freezing mist appeared a slender, small youth dressed in tights, a belted tunic, and a comical hat that resembled nothing so much as a blue and red striped stocking.
“Marry, kind sir, how com’st thou here?”
He blinked his eyes, but the youth remained. His comely, almost feminine features had a puzzled look. Upon closer inspection, Buck saw signs of a bosom and smothered a grin.
“I am a guest of the duke. My name is Captain Kernow-Charles,” he said, forgetting his new title.
The apparition bowed from the waist. “And I, kind sir, am Gannymede. Welcome to the Forest of Arden.”
Buck’s forehead bunched in a frown. Gannymede? Shakespeare? As You Like It? Striding forward, he took hold of the end of the stocking hat and pulled. Out tumbled waves of thick auburn hair, descending to Gannymede’s waist.
“Thou art Rosalind, I think?”
“Thou dost not play fair, sir.”
He chuckled. “You are, quite obviously, a girl. Your disguise was futile. Does your mother know you are cavorting about dressed as a boy, boldly addressing strangers?”
“Rosalind” blushed a fiery red that clashed with her bounteous hair. “My mother is nothing to do with you, sir. She lives in Shropshire. I am sister to the duchess and may do as I please.”
“How old are you?” he asked with the sternness for which he was known aboard ship.
“I do not see that that is any of your business, sir.” Her eyes, an unusual shade of turquoise, snapped with annoyance.
“You may address me as Captain. My guess places you at sixteen. Am I wrong?”
“Quite wrong, Captain. I am to make my curtsey to the Queen in the spring. I am a great many months older than seventeen.”
He saw that she was beginning to shiver in her scant clothing.
“It is too cold for you to be out in this weather dressed as you are. Come back to the house.”
Looking mulish, she said, “I am not cold. Besides which, I am meeting Jacques.”
“If I know Jacques, he will not come out in such weather.”
“He wishes to write a poem about it.”
“A lament, you mean.”
“Possibly. May I say, you are quite overbearing, Captain? But at least you know your Shakespeare.”
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]


Praise for the Book
“Vandagriff’s Regency Austen-esque romance is perfect for any reader who loves a good old-fashioned romance and can enoy the journey of two people learning not to fear love while learning how to have faith in each other.” ~ Deseret News
“Regency Romance in the style of Austen and Heyer. Love as it’s meant to be written.” ~ InDtale Magazine
“Another Regency delight from G.G. Vandagriff!” ~ Meridian Magazine

About the Author
G. G. Vandagriff
G. G. Vandagriff is an Amazon #1 best selling author of Regency romance, however she has recently begun a Romantic Suspense series starting with the publication of Breaking News. It surrounds the events in a Chicago TV station’s investigative journalism unit and is lots of fun.
Her first novel The Last Waltz, the first novel in her 20th Century Historical Romance Series won the Whitney Award for Best Historical Novel in 2009. There are now two more books in that series–Exile and Defiance.
Her thirteen Regencies have been lauded by critics and compared to the witty novels of Georgette Heyer. She has also written a lively genealogical mystery series featuring Briggie and Alex, two wacky widows, as sleuths. Alex is in her thirties, Briggie in her sixties, and both have plenty of romance in their lives.
Vandagriff graduated from Stanford and received her master’s degree from George Washington University. She worked as an associate editor at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, an assistant treasurer in the Harvard Treasurer’s office, a bond analyst at Fidelity Investments, and an international banker for Continental Illinois National Bank (later acquired by Bank of America).
She and her husband David are the parents of three children and seven grandchildren, her greatest joys in life. Her favorite novel? Jane Eyre. She also loves Florence, Sundance Resort, Cubs baseball, hot chocolate, lilacs, and dachshunds.

Also by G. G. Vandagriff:

Giveaway
Enter the blast-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash.


Links
Amazon (Kindle Unlimited)

Books featured in this post: