On this merry Christmas Eve we wish you all peace, comfort and joy.
Love,
The Women’s Fiction Review.
Book Blast – Love for the Holidays by Noelle Adams, Rachel Curtis, Samantha Chase & Zoe York
From fake relationships to secret affairs to best friends falling in love, everything changes at Christmas.
This holiday bundle includes five stories, from steamy to sweet, including two new, exclusive stories from New York Times bestselling authors.
HOLIDAY HEAT by Noelle Adams – After being hit with heartbreaking tragedy, Carrie has thrown herself into a hot, secret relationship with Matt. With Christmas approaching, she realizes she might want even more from her sexy, damaged artist, but the boundaries around their relationship make anything deeper than sex impossible. A new, steamy romance.
MISTLETOE BETWEEN FRIENDS by Samantha Chase – Lily and Cam have been friends all their lives, and their relationship has never been romantic. But when they pretend to be dating so they can spend the holiday with their families in peace, they realize their fake romance might actually be real. A new, sweet romance.
THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE by Samantha Chase – Spending the night trapped by a blizzard in a romantic Christmas cottage with the man she’s loved for years has Lacey wondering if fairy tales really do come true. A sweet romance.
EIGHT CHRISTMAS EVES by Rachel Curtis – One Christmas Eve, Cyrus Owen, the over-indulged teenage son of a wealthy businessman, finds ten-year-old Helen on the side of the road. Eleven years later, he is desperately in love with her. This is how it happens… A mostly sweet romance.
WHAT ONCE WAS PERFECT by Zoe York – For Laney, the worst part of returning to her hometown for Christmas is confronting Kyle, the man who broke her heart twelve years ago. When they rediscover their perfect chemistry, Kyle has to convince Laney to let him back into her heart. A steamy romance.
TWFR, in the spirit of the season, is very excited to share with you a special excerpt from LOVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS:
Excerpt from MISTLETOE BETWEEN FRIENDS by Samantha Chase
“Focus, Lily!” he snapped and then immediately apologized for his tone. “The holidays are here, my friend. That means that there will be a steady stream of parties and get-togethers that we are going to be forced to go to and will have potential spouses thrown at us from every angle.”
“Personally I’m waiting for them to just position us at the foot of the driveway with mistletoe over our heads and signs taped to our chests that say ‘Please marry us’.” The thought sent a shiver down her spine because she was really only partially kidding. Lately her mother had really seemed to kick up the campaign to marry Lily off. Not a day went by where Lily wasn’t asked if she’d met anyone decent or what her plans were for the future.
Dealing with her mother was an exhaustive full-time job within itself.
“I think it’s safe to say,” Cam began, breaking into her train of thought, “that neither of us is looking forward to another holiday season spent ducking and weaving through get-togethers to avoid the match-making patrol. Agreed?”
“Agreed. But what choice do we have? Other than packing our bags right now and both of us moving overseas to get away from the insanity?”
“I’m being serious here.”
“You’re always serious, Cam. I’m trying to get you to break that habit.” When she got no response from him she sighed with annoyance. “Okay, what do you have in mind?”
“We take ourselves off of the market. If we’re involved with other people, they can’t spend their time trying to marry us off.”
“But we’re not involved with other people; that’s the problem. Isn’t that what we’ve been talking about for the last hour? I’m so confused…”
“You’re not confused, Lily, and don’t play the ditzy card with me,” he said patiently. “I’m saying that we pretend that we are involved. We. You and me.”
LOVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS is available for .99 for a limited time on Amazon & Barnes and Noble
New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan’s Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40’s to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.
Her second book, a holiday novella titled “The Christmas Cottage” hit #10 on Amazon’s Overall Best Seller List on Christmas Eve. It was a great Christmas gift! Watching the numbers rise and fall is a daily roller coaster ride but definitely an exciting one! And on February 25th, she released the follow up novella – “Ever After”.
In March 2013, “The Christmas Cottage” was nominated for two Indie Romance Convention Award – Best Indie Romance Novella and Best Indie Contemporary Romance while Samantha was nominated for Indie Author of the Year! In August 2013, the video trailer for “Wait for Me” won an Oscar for Indie Author Book Trailer!
More titles quickly followed: “Catering to the CEO”, “Wait for Me” (Montgomery Brothers book 1), “Trust in Me” (Montgomery Brothers book 2), “In the Eye of the Storm”, and “Stay With Me” (Montgomery Brothers book 3) which hit the USA Today bestseller list upon it’s debut. “Catering to the CEO” was included in the romance bundle “Loving the CEO” – a five-book package – that made the New York Times and the USA Today Bestseller list.
When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, blogging, playing way too many games of Scrabble on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 24 years and their two sons in North Carolina.
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Noelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she teaches English, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.
She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.
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Rachel is a writer, a teacher, a romance reader and a dog-mom. She loves animals and art and hot men with soft hearts under a tough exterior. She tries to write love stories that feel real, even under likely circumstances.
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Zoe York lives in London, Ontario with her young family. She has an English degree and works at a university, so it was probably a foregone conclusion that she’d write a romance novel one day. She’s currently writing the third full-length novel in The Wardham Series, and plotting super secret books about heroes in uniform and on stage.
Connect with the authors
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We’d like to thank Goddess Fish Tours for allowing us to feature Noelle Adams, Samantha Chase, Rachel Curtis and Zoe York — the four wonderful women behind the collection LOVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS — today. We’d like to let our readers know of an exciting giveaway. One lucky winner will take home a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card!
Please enter below!
Cover Reveal – Entangled Moments by Dori Lavelle
Exciting news! There is a new Romance writer on the scene and her books are HOT!
We’re thrilled to be able to give you a first look at her cover for debut and forthcoming novel ENTANGLED MOMENTS. But first, a bit about the novel…
A deadly accident can take a life in more than one way.
Four years ago, Carlene Adams made a deadly mistake. A tragic accident derailed the future she’d hoped for, taking the life of the man she’d planned to spend forever with.
As a self-imposed penance for her solitary sin, Carlene has given up on every dream she ever had. She has committed to spend every remaining moment trying to make up for that one instance when everything changed.
Then she gets a second chance.
When Carlene meets Nick, the single kiss they share awakens the desires she shoved aside for so long. Suddenly she wants more than what she believe she deserves. Will she ever see him again? And if she does, what will that mean for her?
A thing of fate.
Leaving the life she built on regret, Carlene waits for fate to intervene. But just as she begins to believe in a fresh start, she’s forced to realize a horrible truth—one with the power to send her second chance crashing before it even takes off.
Nick isn’t who she thought he was. She isn’t the girl he believed her to be, either. Their lives were intertwined even before they met, and if Carlene tells him the truth, she’ll risk tearing them apart—for good.
** Due to sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. **
And now, the cover!
And….because we know we’ve piqued your interest, here are two quotes from the novel to hold you over!
Sexy, right? ENTANGLED MOMENTS will be released in December, just in time to heat up your holidays!
Dori Lavelle, is a mother, wife, and lover of happy endings and mint chocolate. She thinks love and chocolate make such a perfect pair. Give her a great romance novel with a hint of suspense and a mug of hot chocolate and she’d be one happy woman.
Growing up, Dori read a lot, and when she wasn’t happy with a particular ending, she wrote a different one, just for herself. Before long, she was writing stories when she should have been doing homework. The time has come for her to share the stories she cooks up in her head.
Connect with Dori:
- Website
- Newsletter
- Goodreads Author Page
- Blog
- Email her at Dori_lavelle@yahoo.com
- Goodreads Book Page
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We’d like to thank Dori Lavelle for giving us a first look at her cover and sharing with us some (steamy!) outtakes of ENTANGLED MOMENTS. Dori has graciously offered readers a chance to enter her pre-release giveaway. Enter below!
Happy Hanukkah!
Wishing you all a very Happy Hanukkah!
With Love,
The Women’s Fiction Review
Happy Thanksgiving
We hope today finds you happy, healthy, enjoying time with your family and friends, doing the things that bring you joy — whether its enjoying a good meal, watching a football game or reading a great novel before you slip into your tryptophan-induced, post-feast food coma.
Happy Thanksgiving,
The Women’s Fiction Review
Book Blast — The Gospel According to Prissy by Barbara Casey
Three Army veteran misfits, a college dropout, an unmotivated high school graduate accused of murder, a controversial warden of a women’s prison, and a little girl with the gift of prophesy – these are the people 31-year-old Lara Kruger invites into her life after suffering a miscarriage, a divorce from an abusive husband, and unemployment.
TWFR is very happy to be able to share a special excerpt from THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY:
The young child skipped through the tall trees and underbrush, unaware of the puddles created by recent rains or the low-lying tree branches and vines that swiped at her coveralls and scratched her bare arms. Hugging a doll that showed the wear of a favorite toy and a faint smudge of chocolate ice cream, the child pushed forward with determination. She knew where she wanted to go, and her face showed the intensity and resolve of a person much older than her five years. The black woman wearing the uniform of a prison guard struggled to keep up with her young charge. The thick green tangle of natural forest growth and uneven turf was more of a challenge to a woman her size and stature.
The child stopped when she reached a clearing, that place in the woods that wasn’t quite so overgrown and where the wild vegetation had been pressed from previous visits. In front of her was a tree, magnificent in size, ancient in age. She had reached her destination. She called it, quite simply, “the place.” Quietly, reverently, she approached the tree, reaching out and touching the familiar rough surface and its many irregular crevices. She squatted where some roots had pushed upward and were now gnarled and covered in bark before extending downward again deep into the soil. It was between two of these large root formations that the child placed the doll – a throne. Her hand explored the curvature of one darkened root, first touching the soft green moss, and then the small indented place that held water whenever it rained. It was moist. Satisfied, she knelt. Then, lowering her head and folding her dimpled hands together, she started to pray.
-THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY, Barbara Casey
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY is available on Amazon for $9.99 (Kindle) or $16.99 (paperback), buy your copy now!
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY is available on Barnes & Nobel for $10.99 (Nook) or $16.40 (paperback), buy your copy now!
Barbara Casey is president of the Barbara Casey Agency, representing adult fiction and nonfiction for authors throughout the United States, Great Britain, and Japan. She is also the author of numerous articles, poems, and short stories. Her award-winning novels have received national recognition, including the Independent Publishers Book Award, the Dana Award for Best Novel, and the Publisher’s Best Seller Award. Her novel, The House of Kane, released in 2008, was considered for a Pulitzer nomination, and her novel Just Like Family received special recognition by the 7-Eleven Corporation. Two other novels, The Gospel According to Prissy (released in the spring of 2013) and Shyla’s Initiative, both received an IPPY Award for Best Book in Regional Fiction. Her most recent young/new adult book, The Cadence of Gypsies, has been selected as an Amazon Best Read and received the 2013 IPPY Living Now Award.
In addition to being a frequent guest lecturer at universities and writers’ conferences, Ms. Casey served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Florida, and was the Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 through 2003.
Connect with Barbara:
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We’d like to thank Goddess Fish Tours for allowing us to feature Barbara Casey today and let all of our readers know that Barbara has graciously offered to award one lucky commenter a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. The winner will be chosen at random over the run of her tour. To enter, simply comment below and for additional entries follow the tour HERE.
Covet by Tracey Garvis-Graves
Reviewer: Liz Grace-Davis
Tracey Garvis Graves, the New York Times bestselling author of On the Island, returns.What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else?
Chris and Claire Canton’s marriage is on life support. Downsized during the recession and out of work for a year, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can reach him, not even Claire. When he’s offered a position that will keep him away from home four nights a week, he dismisses Claire’s concern that time apart could be the one thing their fragile union can’t weather. Their suburban life may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt so disconnected from Chris, or so lonely.
Local police officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he goes home to an empty house every night. He pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop and runs into her again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired to do some graphic design work for the police department, her friendship with Daniel grows, and soon they’re spending hours together.
Claire loves the way Daniel makes her feel, and the way his face lights up when she walks into the room. Daniel knows that Claire’s marital status means their relationship will never be anything other than platonic. But it doesn’t take long before Claire and Daniel are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line that Claire has sworn she’ll never cross.
Chris and Claire Canton never saw it coming. First they are living a nice and comfortable life with their two children. Then from one day to the next, Chris loses his job, struggles with the idea of not being able to financially support his family, and falls into a depression, which cuts right into the heart of their marriage.
When love in a marriage fizzles out, when the only topics between people who once loved each other revolve around mundane daily chores or the children, some people pack their bags and leave, start over. Others remain in their marriages and suffer behind closed doors while showing a different face to the outside world. Claire remains in her marriage in the hope that things would improve. When Chris finally gets a job, she’s hopeful that their relationship will finally heal, but things go from bad to worse. Now they have other problems facing them. Chris’s job keeps him away from her and the kids for long stretches of time. And when he is home, he doesn’t notice her and sleeps in a separate room.
While Claire takes care of the day to day responsibilities, her marriage unravels and loneliness overwhelms her. Then Daniel Rush, a handsome policeman, enters her life, making her heart beat faster, making her feel like a desirable woman again. As they draw closer, she can’t get Daniel out of her head. Driven by both desire and mounting guilt, Claire sways between being faithful to the man she married—the man who no longer fulfills her as a woman—or giving herself to a man who would give anything to do just that. Until she reaches a point where Chris’s indifference and his time away from home no longer shreds her heart.
Will Claire offer her heart and body to another man that’s not her husband, or will she and Chris find a way back to each other before they reach a point of no return? You have to read the book to find that out.
This was a heart-wrenching story. With every page, my heart did not only bleed for Claire but for all the three people in the love triangle. Someone was bound to get hurt in the end.
This beautiful book about broken love, forgotten promises, and new beginnings, pulls you right in, planting you in the heart of the story. You won’t be on the outside looking in. The story will hit a chord with many married people, especially those who try to hold a marriage together from a distance.
TWFR Rating: 5 Stamps … An instant classic and a new favorite
Take a Moment…
Take a moment to feel yourself breathing, to hear your heart beating. Don’t be in too much of a hurry that you don’t smell the freshly cut grass as you walk down your street. Don’t eat so fast that you don’t taste the food you’re eating. Take a moment to appreciate, to say thanks, to smile, to laugh. And be thankful that you can read this. There are many people around the world who can’t. Imagine living in a world of darkness. If I had to lose all my senses but one, I’d prefer to keep my sense of sight. Not being able to read would kill me.
The reason I’m writing this post is because on her Facebook page, Ashley has made a decision to find something to be grateful for every day (for the next few days). And I think it’s a fantastic idea. Many of us go through life with our eyes closed. And we forget all too fast. One day we might want something so much it hurts. Once we get that thing, we’re happy for a moment and then we forget and move on to the next desire.
So, what am I thankful for today,
My healthy baby daughter, a husband who supports my passion for writing, my friends (especially Ashley, who has come to mean so much to me), my family, this cheese cake I’m eating right now, a warm bed in winter…and so much more.
How about you? What are you grateful for?
Liz
A Book Box?
Hi all, Ashley here, just stopping by to post today because I took very interesting survey from St. Martin’s Press and I couldn’t help but to share!
We all know “subscription boxes” are a big deal. The big thing 2013 gave us (maybe?). You probably see the ads for them pop up on your Facebook timeline every now and then, chances are you might even have a subscription or at least know someone who does. People seem to love them, and the companies offering them are springing up all over the place. You can get your fill of almost anything — geekery, foodie-themed goodies, makeup, jewelry, clothes, pet supplies — pretty much every human and non-human interest conceivable could be delivered to your door monthly with new, surprising products for you to explore and behold.
But what about books?
I took a super interesting survey the other day (the link is provided below if you’d like to take it yourself) that basically gauged my interest, as a reader, in a “book box.” A monthly (or bi-monthly) subscription that would, for a fee, continue to feed my ravenous appetite for all things books.
But what really thrilled me? Under “genres of interest” they included Women’s Fiction. Hooray! You see, while there are plenty of read-worthy titles in this genre, and super talented authors standing behind those titles, it doesn’t get as much action as…say…YA or Sci-Fi or Mystery. So, how freaking awesome would it be to get a big brown box dedicated to the genre on my doorstep each month? Very freaking awesome.
The options also include how often you’d like a box and what you’d pay for me. Me? I could get on board with a bi-monthly subscription, and I’d love the see price come in below retail because that seems pretty much par for the course with these sort of services.
I did a little research and there doesn’t seem to be anything like this right now from publishing houses. But I have to admit, I sort of love the idea. Heck, I would plow my way through the interweb to be one of the first to sign up, that’s for sure and it would make my holiday shopping a bit less complicated for all the bibliophiles on my list.
What do you think? Would you sign up? Tell us in the comments below! And TAKE THE SURVEY.
Cover Reveal – Honeysuckle and Jasmine by Liz Grace Davis
Can I just begin with saying I am so excited to reveal this cover to you all? So, so excited!
As you may know, author Liz Grace Davis is a contributor and a driving force behind The Women’s Fiction Review. Without her willingness this blog wouldn’t be even partially possible. She is so funny and generous and kind, knowing her as been such a gift and I can honestly say, without exaggerating in the least, she one of my very best writerly friends. Her commitment to seeing that the WF genre reaches its fans and that the good books our genre has to offer spring from the shelves into the hands of readers is one of the many reasons our blog exists at all. So, naturally, when the opportunity presented itself to unveil the new cover for her novel Honeysuckle and Jasmine, it was simply a given we’d do it right here. And today is the big day!
Liz, I am all so proud of you…and I’m sure everyone agrees with me when I say: Your new cover is just gorgeous! Congratulations!
Ready?
Here is the brand new, never-before-seen cover for Honeysuckle and Jasmine…
I told you it was gorgeous! But believe me when I say, the cover isn’t the only gorgeous thing about Liz’s newest novel…the story is beautiful too!
Back Copy —
The past is never far behind.
Senia Loato’s life has been needled by disappointment, and the wounds that fester go beyond skin deep. She is certain if she puts miles between her and her tainted past, she will somehow outrun it. When she’s offered the chance to leave her island home of Mintang to become an au pair for three boys in Germany, she takes the opportunity to start running.
In Germany, she meets Miina, another African au pair. What builds between them is a life-defining friendship, one they will risk everything for.
And soon, they’ll be asked nothing less.
When Miina is betrayed and left stranded, Senia stands by her, risking much more than just her stay in Germany. She also stands to lose rich, handsome, turquoise-eyed Roman Dorenwald, the first man she has allowed into her heart.
But they’re risks worth taking.
Eventually, Senia makes a sacrifice that catapults her back to her past, where she’s forced to draw back the curtain and discover the shocking truth of her history.
Can she confront her nightmares, reach deep into her soul, and forgive those who have hurt her? Or is it easier to just keep running?
Honeysuckle and Jasmine is one of those brave novels that bleeds bareness of the soul and beauty from every single page. I was afforded the opportunity, back when this book was living on the screen of Liz’s computer, to read it as a beta, I could hardly concentrate on ‘doing my job’…the story consumed me whole. A reader called it ‘eye-opening’ and they were right, it is eye-opening. Partially inspired by true events, this book is one you should be reading…and with a cover so interesting and intriguing, how could you possibly resist? Snag your copy HERE.
The Women's Fiction Review 