Books, books, and more books for the romance lover! These sweet romances are perfect cozy reads.
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
🧚♀️ Kindle Unlimited Fantasy Book Fair 🧚♀️
Blurb:
Isaac knows the importance of fueling his magical powers with positive emotions. It’s been the simplest of rules to follow until now.
When Heather, a fellow witch, begs Isaac to help her reverse a spell that brought a vindictive faerie into the human realm, Isaac has no choice but to assist. He’s sure there’s a peaceful compromise to her prince of a problem. Only Heather hasn’t been entirely truthful about why this dangerous faerie refuses to leave. He’s even more powerful than Isaac. That is, if Isaac doesn’t tap into dark magic. When the faerie threatens to harm the people Isaac cares about, he abandons civility. He’ll burn down the faerie realm to protect his loved ones—if the faerie doesn’t kill him first.
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
What Lurks in the Dark on Wayward Lane?
Hi!
FRIENDS TO THE END
by C.L. Colyer
Bonus scene from Morgan’s POV
Morgan grabbed a can of soda and headed to her dad’s study to use his laptop. If her brothers wouldn’t tell her more about the vanishing house, she’d search the internet. She sat in the big leather chair, pulled her auburn curls into a low ponytail, and typed ‘vanishing house + Wayward Lane’ into the browser. The top result led to a real estate company, but others caught her eye. She clicked on one of them. A post from a popular ghost-hunting TV show filled the screen. The opening hiss of the soda can pierced the silence in the study. Morgan took a sip before leaning forward to read the article.
What Lurks in the Dark on Wayward Lane?
About an hour outside of Chicago, tucked between the homes along Wayward Lane, is Grimace Grove Cemetery, one of Illinois’s most haunted graveyards. Visit one day and you may see white lights floating between the tombstones, while on another, hazy human-like figures standing by the fence. Listen closely and you may hear the whispers of people long dead. But the strange phenomenon doesn’t stop at the graveyard. Visitors to the area have reported other bizarre sightings, none of which can be explained by experts. Who and what might be the cause of these unexplained events? We took a closer look at the town's sordid past and recorded it below—you be the judge.
The gangsters who visited the town for rest and relaxation during prohibition were known to cause trouble—illegal trouble. Is the shadowy cigar-smoking man who has been spotted in the middle of the street one of the former gangsters? Witnesses describe him as a stout guy, wearing a suit and a bowler hat like the ones worn back in the 1920s. A woman even claims he called her the “bee’s knees” as his spectral form blinked in and out of view. Is he the ghost of Franky—on the lam—Hood? You tell me.
Equally as disturbing as the ghost of a gangster are the reports of a phantom Model A roadster that barrels past oncoming traffic, leaving in its wake the roar of men’s laughter and machine gunfire. My money is on these men being more of the mobsters who used to frequent the neighborhood.
Reports of a young woman dressed in fringe and pearls, dancing the Charleston in the middle of the road are common. Drivers who stopped to tell her to get off the road swear that she vanished into thin air when they rolled down their windows. Eyewitnesses later matched her image to photos of Mary Porter, a nineteen-year-old flapper who died in a car accident on that exact stretch of the road in April 1923. She had been on her way home from a popular speakeasy, where she worked as a flapper.
But perhaps the most intriguing of the legends surrounding Wayward Lane is that of the disappearing house. This ghost hunter hasn’t found proof that the house, which is often described as an old Victorian-styled home with a long front porch, ever existed on the physical plain. But locals insist this home, known for having housed a venerated Civil War hero, burned down in the 1870s and that it, along with his wife, refuse to let go.
The mystery surrounding the house and its occupants may never be solved. Are the locals correct in saying that this house is occupied by the ghost of its last resident? Did her unwavering belief that her husband would return from the war and her determination to be there when he did trap her and the house in a time loop? Romantic? Yes. True? I’ll let you be the judge.
No wonder Morgan’s brothers refused to talk about the house and why her parents had forbidden her to search for it. Clearly, they believed the stories––maybe even thought she’d be kidnapped or swept away by the ghosts that lived there. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Adults can be so gullible sometimes.
She clicked back to the search results. The next blog post had similar information about Wayward Lane and Grimace Grove Cemetery. A chill went through her. It also confirmed what her brothers had warned her happened to anyone inside of the house when it vanished:
Rumors of people disappearing along with the house date back to the Civil War, when a soldier was last spotted entering that home and was never seen again. Others are believed to have met the same grim fate when they went to investigate decades later.
Every article, post, and newsletter Morgan read had a slightly different version of the legend, but the result was always the same. Wayward Lane was haunted. Decade after decade, dozens of people had witnessed things they couldn’t explain. Morgan let out a low whistle. Ghosts existed, and she lived within biking distance of the second most haunted location in Illinois.
She couldn’t wait to tell Zach the exciting news.
2021 Best Middle-Grade Finalist – N.N. Light Book Awards
“A compelling, gripping nail-biting page-turner. You’ll be on the edge of your seat waiting...dreading?... what happens next. I know you won’t be able to put the book down (I couldn’t).” ~ Allan Woodrow, bestselling author of over 30 books for children
“Friends to the End is a wonderful middle-grade paranormal mystery from start to finish ~ N.N. Light Book Heaven
Read FRIENDS TO THE END today
Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble | More Locations
The inspiration behind Grimace Grove Cemetery is loosely based on stories surrounding White Cemetery that I had heard as a teenager. Friends to the End is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of my imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Friday, September 8, 2023
It's an Audiobook Book Fair!
I'm excited to be participating in this book fair exclusively for fantasy audiobooks. With close to fifty audiobooks to choose from, fantasy lovers are bound to find something they'll enjoy!
🎧 Visit the fair! 🎧
Be sure to look for my YA paranormal romance/thriller CHALLENGING DESTINY while your there!
Blurb:
Logan Ragsdale and his younger sister, Ariana, have been marked, chosen to be unwilling participants in a war between angels and demons.
Logan can sense something's not quite right. Like an unexpected chill on a summer's day, he can feel the unseen closing in. He's had these feelings before and, each time, someone close to him died. He's afraid this time it might just be Ariana.
Logan's fears are soon confirmed when he discovers their new friends aren't human, but rather representatives from Heaven and Hell sent to Earth to ensure he and Ariana accept their roles in an ancient prophecy. Demons want Logan to open the gates of Hell. Ariana has the power to stop them, but if she chooses to side with Heaven to spare the lives of thousands of innocent people, she'll damn her brother for eternity.
Together, they must derail the biblical event if they hope to save themselves and the future of mankind...but what price are they willing to pay to keep the other safe?
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Small Town Romance Anyone?
It's Salted Caramel Bliss with a Wedding Kiss book birthday, and I thought it would be fun to answer a couple of questions from readers and share an excerpt, so let's dive right in!
(Q) What was the hardest part of writing this book?
(Q) What did I enjoy most about writing this book?
(Q) What genre of books do I enjoy reading?
The man who had broken my heart on my twenty- third birthday walked out of the backroom. Eight years was a long time. My heart had since healed. Or so I had thought. Seeing him again ripped open old wounds. And darn it if he didn’t look as attractive now as he did then. It would have been easier to run into him again if he were fat, bald, and ugly. But he was just as handsome as before—all tall and sinewy. He still wore his black hair shaved close to his head, and I recognized his Hawaiian shirt as one I’d bought.
After the long road trip, I had to be a sight and not a knock ’em dead one. I almost twitched my nose, ready to cast a spell to smooth my hair and add a little color to my cheeks, but stopped. With my luck, magic would decide the enchantment was for personal gain and turn me into a hag. I ran a hand over my head instead.
“A customer thinks your ice cream is delicious. What else?” Karly said.
“Thank you.” Roman threw a friendly grin my way. His mouth fell open. “Peyton?”
Since vanishing in a puff of green smoke wasn’t an option—partially because it would expose magic and partly because I wasn’t even sure that was possible—I returned his smile. I wouldn’t let him see me rattled.
“Do you two know each other?” Karly asked.
“Ah...yeah.” Roman’s jaw muscle twitched the way it always did when he was flustered. I bet he wished he could vanish in a puff of smoke too.
Author: Cherie Colyer
Cover artist: RJ Morris
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genres: Contemporary Paranormal Romance
Heat rating: PG13 Spicy
Book Blurb:
Roman Briggs built a life for himself in Siren’s Cove. He restored the Sugar Cones Ice Cream Parlor and turned it into a popular stop along the boardwalk. He has everything he needs until a certain blue-eyed woman wanders back into his life.
Seer and witch Peyton Woods isn’t sure why her latest visions feature a man and boy she’s never met. Determined to find out, she casts a spell that leads her to a small beach town in Maine and, to her utter surprise, the man who broke her heart eight years earlier.
Peyton's left with one question. Why didn't her magic show her him?
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Middle Grade Book Fair
“A compelling, gripping nail-biting page-turner. You’ll be on the edge of your seat waiting...dreading?... what happens next. I know you won’t be able to put the book down (I couldn’t).” ~ Allan Woodrow, bestselling author of over 30 books for children.
5+-stars
“If you love quirky fantasy adventures, you’ll want to read this book.” – N.N. Light Book Heaven
5-stars
“Atticus Everheart, Fifth Grade Tutor, and Monster Hunter? was a spooky and delightful read.” – Long and Short Reviews.
~~~
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Summer Romance Book Fair
Thursday, July 6, 2023
Christmas in July Book Fairs
It's the holidays in July!
I teamed up with some amazing authors to bring you a wide selection of holiday themed books. With so many books to choose from, romance readers are sure to find something they'll enjoy. But don't take my word for it, follow the links below and see for yourself.
This first Book Fair features books from sweet romances to stories with some spice.
Click here to browse the selection and find your next book boyfriend.
If you prefer sweet romance, this is the book fair for you. There are dozens of books to choose from.
Click here to peruse the selections.
Be sure to look for MERRY LITTLE WISHING SPRITZ while you're there!
Do you know someone who enjoys romance? Tell them about the event. The more the merrier!
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Salted Caramel Bliss with a Wedding Kiss: Did you know?
Fun tidbits
2. Salted Caramel Bliss with a Wedding Kiss is part of The Wild Rose Press's One Scoop or Two series. Each novella is a standalone book set in a beach town.
3. The book's title had to have a flavor of ice cream in it to be a part of the series.
4. Ice cream dates back to the mid-1600s. A man working for a Spanish Viceroy in Naples was credited with being the first person to write down a recipe for sorbet and later creating a milk-based icy treat.
5. Salted Caramel Bliss with a Wedding Kiss is my second small town, contemporary, paranormal romance. Both books have a touch of magic woven into the stories.
6. Witches often get a bad rap for being evil, but most witches are quite the opposite, living by the rule of harm none and believing in a peaceful existence.
7. A seer is a person with the gift of sight. They can see the past as well as the future. Peyton's premonitions are usually of the future.
8. Siren's Cove is a fictional town in Maine. Its inspiration came from Ogunquit, ME, which I've only seen in pictures.
9. The terms mermaids and sirens are often used interchangeably. These half fish, half human creatures live in the sea. Many legends depict both mermaids and sirens as having alluring voices that lead sailors to their deaths.
10. Mermaids have magical powers much like faeries.
About the book
Title: Salted Caramel Bliss with a Wedding Kiss
Series: One Scoop or Two (each book is standalone)
Author: Cherie Colyer
Cover artist: RJ Morris
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genres: Contemporary Paranormal Romance
Tropes: Small town romance, second chance
Blurb:
Roman Briggs built a life for himself in Siren’s Cove. He restored the Sugar Cones Ice Cream Parlor and turned it into a popular stop along the boardwalk. He has everything he needs until a certain blue-eyed woman wanders back into his life.
Seer and witch Peyton Woods isn’t sure why her latest visions feature a man and boy she’s never met. Determined to find out, she casts a spell that leads her to a small beach town in Maine and, to her utter surprise, the man who broke her heart eight years earlier.
Peyton's left with one question. Why didn't her magic show her him?
Read it today!
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Apple ~ More Sellers
I'd love to hear from you. What's your favorite summer read? Do you have a book recommendation?
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Guest Author: Mary Morgan
Multi award-winning romance author, Mary Morgan resides in Northern California with her own knight in shining armor. However, during her travels to Scotland, England, and Ireland, she left a part of her soul in one of these countries and vows to return.
Mary's passion for books started at an early age along with an overactive imagination. Inspired by her love for history and ancient Celtic and Norse mythology, her tales are filled with powerful warriors, brave women, magic, and romance. Now, the worlds she created in her mind are coming to life within her stories.
If you enjoy history, tortured heroes, and a wee bit of fantasy, then travel back in time within the pages of her books.
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Chatting with author Deb Aronson
I'm thrilled to have Deb Aronson, author of How to Raise a Rhino, with me today. Her non-fiction middle-grade biography is currently on sale through bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and anywhere else books are sold.
Save the Date! Deb is having a virtual book launch hosted by Save the Rhino International on June 15. Click here to register for the event!
Before we learn more about this fun book, let's get to know Deb!
Deb, can you tell us about the research you did before writing this book?
I first heard about Anna Merz from her obituary, which had an accompanying photo of a full grown rhino resting its chin on her shoulder. My response was, “Whoa!!” what’s the story here? I did some online research, tracked down Anna’s goddaughter, met with her in Cornwall, England. She put me in touch with many, many people who had known and worked with Anna when she was alive. The next thing I knew, I was on a safari to Kenya, to the sanctuary Anna had created, where I stood at the site of her home (which had been dismantled per her request upon her death), saw black rhinos for myself (along with elephants, cheetahs, lions, hyenas, warthogs and more) and tried to imagine what her life must have been like by talking to many people who knew her.
Tell us about a book that stayed with you long after you finished reading it.
An adult book that I can’t stop thinking about is The Water Dancer, by Ta Nehisi Coates. The tone of this book was at times menacing, at times magical and at times eye-opening. It’s the first book I’ve read that shows how white allies’ goals can be very different from their black brethren’s goals. The magical realism in it made the story feel other worldly, but the brutality of the plantations and the life of what he calls the “Taskers” is heart rending.
A Sporting Chance: How Ludwig Guttmann Created the Paralympic Games (MG NF), by Lori Alexander. It never occurred to me to wonder how the Paralympic Games came to be, but Alexander does a great job weaving in both Guttmann’s personal experiences and world events that intersected in such a way as to create this idea and opportunity for Guttmann. It’s also really well illustrated with both photographs and drawings. This is a book I wish I had written!
How did you become an author?
I always loved to read but I never imagined myself as an author. Who would want to read what I had to say? The journey from that mindset to now was a long one with plenty of stumbles. I did a lot of short form writing for non-profits most of my career but at some point I wanted a new challenge; to write for kids and to try my hand at fiction. The fiction part fizzled, but I got the opportunity to write a MG biography of E.B. White, my hero, and that got me started on my current path.
Describe yourself in 5 words or less.
Exuberant, shy, energetic, lazy and multi-faceted!
Peek between the pages...
A slow-moving convoy drove away from the bright lights of Nairobi, toward the snowy peaks of Mt. Kenya to the north. The armed men in the lead truck held their rifles at the ready. Their eyes constantly scanned the vicinity, prepared to shoot to kill to protect their cargo. The third and last truck carried more armed men dressed in the same khaki uniforms of the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS). And a veterinarian.
Between them, a pickup truck carried a large wooden crate.
Wedged next to the crate sat a little, brown-haired white woman.
The woman shivered in the cold night air; she worried about the creature in the crate; she knew an attack could come at any moment. She was cold. She was anxious. She was scared.
She was ecstatic.
This was Anna Merz and the crate held her dreams. Anna had created a vast sanctuary where black rhinos could live safe from poachers. All she needed was rhinos to fill it. These first black rhinos would have babies and those babies would have babies and in this way the population of black rhinos might slowly recover.
The presence of this first, real-live rhino made her dream feel possible.
“Many people have asked me, ‘why rhinos?’” she wrote. “Did I particularly like them or have a ‘thing’ about them? The answer is very simple: the rhinos are in Kenya and I was in Kenya, and the rhinos were in terrible trouble.”
About the author:
Deb has been a freelance writer for kids since 2008, when she joined SCBWI. She loves to write nonfiction stories about ordinary people (usually women) doing extraordinary things; stories she wishes she’d had in middle school.
“How to Raise a Rhino” is her third children’s book.
Her true story of the famous filly who beat all the boys Alexandra the Great: The Record-Breaking Filly Who Ruled the Racetrack was published by Chicago Review Press in 2017.
Deb has 12 houseplants, 7 boats, 2 kids and one cat. When she’s not writing or researching, Deb likes to sail, putter in her garden and read, though not all at the same time.
Her fourth book, “King Cobras”, will come out in August 2023.
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Book Tour & Giveaway: Chupacater and the Haunted Piñata by George Lopez & Ryan Calejo
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the CHUPACARTER AND THE HAUNTED PIÑATA by George Lopez & Ryan Calejo Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About the Book:
Title: CHUPACARTER AND THE HAUNTED PIÑATA
Author: George Lopez, Ryan Calejo, & Santy Gutiérrez (Illustrations)
Pub. Date: May 30, 2023
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 320
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/CHUPACARTER-AND-THE-HAUNTED-PINATA
In this hilarious follow-up to ChupaCarter,
world-famous entertainer George Lopez delivers a spooky tale of mystery,
revenge, and friendship starring 12-year-old Jorge and Carter, the fearsome but
friendly Chupacabra!
Inspired by his own childhood and packed with clever illustrations, George
Lopez's sequel to ChupaCarter sees Jorge finally feeling at
home in his new town, thanks to his awesome friends Liza and Ernie—and
especially Carter, the chupacabra.
New kid Jorge is shocked to learn
that his beastly friend Carter isn't the only legendary creature in Boca falls.
Every few years, the town is terrorized by a haunted . . . piñata?
Rumor has it that the petrifying party decoration floats around setting eerie
fires to avenge a long-ago betrayal. Jorge can't help but laugh, until a rash
of green fires forces the townspeople to consider moving away, including the
parents of his pals Ernie and Liza!
With Carter at their side, the three
friends are in a race against time to catch the real culprit before they're
separated forever . . . or the whole town is set aflame. Which will come first?
My thoughts...
I'm halfway through this entertaining and humorous children's book. Jorge and his friends are searching for an arsonist. It may or may not be the dreaded, terrifying haunted piñata, which makes an appearance in this small town every six years. Together with Carter, their chupacabra friend, Jorge and his friend muster up the courage needed to chase down the clues, many with laugh-out-loud outcomes. They haven't yet found the culprit, but I'm excited to continue reading to see how the rest of the story unfolds.
Oh, and I can't forget to mention the lively illustrations sprinkled throughout the book.
About George Lopez:
George Lopez is a New York Times bestselling
author, stand-up comedian, actor, and talk show host. He made waves as the
star of the most successful English-language prime-time television series about
Latin Americans in recent history. His successful stand-up comedy showcases his
idiosyncratic point of view and impeccable comedic timing. He lives in Los
Angeles.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon
About Ryan Calejo:
Ryan Calejo is an award-winning
author born and raised in sunny south Florida. His critically acclaimed Charlie
Hernández series has been featured in half a dozen state reading lists and has
earned starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus,
was a Texas Bluebonnet Master List Selection, and won an International
Latino Book Award, a Sunshine State Young Readers Award, and a Florida Book
Award (Gold Medal). He lives in Miami.
Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon
Giveaway Details:
1 winner will win a finished copy of CHUPACARTER AND THE HAUNTED PIÑATA, US ONLY.
Ends June 20th, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
5/22/2023 |
Review or Excerpt/IG Post |
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5/23/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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5/24/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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5/25/2023 |
Excerpt |
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5/26/2023 |
IG Post |
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5/27/2023 |
Excerpt |
Week Two:
5/28/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/29/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/30/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/31/2023 |
Review |
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6/1/2023 |
IG Review |
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6/2/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/3/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Three:
6/4/2023 |
IG Review |
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6/5/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/6/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/7/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/8/2023 |
Review |
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6/9/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/10/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Four:
6/11/2023 |
IG Review |
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6/12/2023 |
IG Review |
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6/13/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/14/2023 |
IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post |
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6/15/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/16/2023 |
Review/IG Post |