Tag: Self-Published

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #361 | A Love Worth Waiting For by Lara Van Hulzen

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m quoting from the next book on my to-read-and-review list, which is A Love Worth Waiting For, the first book in Lara Van Hulzen’s new Nearlake series.

I love the cover! Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Sadie Woods unlocked the front door of her family’s antique store, Get and Gather, and stepped inside.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About A Love Worth Waiting For

Sadie Woods leads a structured life, and she likes it that way. As owner of her family’s antique store in the town where she grew up, she is surrounded by history. The past is full of intrigue and rich memories, while the present has bills piling up, her aunt battling breast cancer, and a future full of unknowns that have her grasping for hope.

Former professional football star James Larsen just wants a quiet life for himself and his teenage daughter, Maddie. Being Deputy Sheriff in the town he calls home is just right. In the wake of his wife’s death, he’s able to heal without too much attention, and life has become a comfortable routine he appreciates.

When Sadie’s shop is supposedly broken into, and James is the police officer called to the scene, the faded memories of attending high school together stir a connection neither of them is prepared for. While Sadie is knee-deep in trying to save her store, James is hesitant to let another woman into his and his daughter’s lives.

Both hesitant to trust, Sadie and James must brave a path that includes believing there is a love worth waiting for.

Find A Love Worth Waiting For online at:

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Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #359 | Wrapped Up In You by Jennifer Carr

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m quoting from Wrapped Up In You by new-to-me author Jennifer Carr.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

There are a number of ways to potentially lose a college baseball scholarship.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Wrapped Up In You

Wrapped Up In You by Jennifer Carr

Nash Montgomery is always up for a good time. But when a senior prank goes too far, his baseball scholarship is put at risk, threatening the future everyone expects him to follow. The consequences earn him community service at a local youth center where he discovers a passion that defies the path he thought had been laid out for him.

Cassidy is a talented musician trapped under the weight of her mother’s ambitious dreams for her. Desperate to carve out her own identity, she struggles to find her voice amidst the noise of others’ expectations.

Their worlds collide in Nashville when both earn a spot on Real American Country, a new reality TV competition for aspiring country stars. As they navigate the pressures of the spotlight, they’ll have to decide if they’re chasing their own dreams—or someone else’s. And along the way, they’ll discover that getting wrapped up in the right person can bring out the best in themselves.

Wrapped Up in You is a heartwarming tale about breaking free from the expectations of others, finding love, and discovering that the best path is the one you create for yourself.

Find Wrapped Up In You online at:

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Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #357 | Snow Globe Secrets by Laura Thomas

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Snow Globe Secrets by Laura Thomas, a new-to-me author.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Merry Christmas to me. Alexis James smoothed the cherry-red ribbon on the Christmas gift - the one she always purchased for herself - and her heart thawed for the briefest of moments.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Snow Globe Secrets

Shootings. Snow globes. Secrets.

When successful realtor, Alexis James, witnesses a shooting outside the bookstore in her hometown of Hollybrook, she soon realizes the perpetrator has unfinished business, and now she is caught in the crossfire.

Tom Harrington is a British, best-selling author who needs to honor a promise and find some answers in this Canadian winter wonderland—but trouble follows him across the ocean.

He read her like a book from the beginning…

As Alexis is swept up in a festive whirlwind of danger and love, Tom attempts to break through her ice queen persona. But when chilling walls close in, they both have to decide: can they share their truth, rekindle their faith, and risk their lives if they have any hope for a Happily Ever After?

Find Snow Globe Secrets online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

Instead of living the life you want to live, maybe you're living the one you think everyone expects you to live.

Book Review | The Larkspur House by Carla Laureano

Rose Cameron has escaped her wreck of a marriage and her thieving ex-husband with a beat-up car holding all her worldly possessions and arrived in Haven Ridge to take a job helping Erin Parker with a house in desperate need of a cleanout and repairs.

But Will, Erin’s twin, wants to sell the house, and gives Erin and Rose a month to come up with a way of making the house pay for itself.

This is a romance, so we know Rose and Will are going to get together once they get past their differences. But there’s also a house to clear out and hopefully something to find that will enable them to keep the house rather than selling their family heritage.

If you’ve read the previous books in the Haven Ridge series (The Broken Hearts Bakery and The Beacon Street Bookshop), you might remember Will as the somewhat uptight accountant. In The Larkspur House, we get to see more about Will and Erin, which means we get to know more about Will. He’s a true gentleman who will do almost anything to protect his sister – a professional cellist.

Rose is a good person whose life hasn’t gone as planned because of her ex-husband’s bad choices. But she also has some things to learn about herself and about life.

I enjoyed seeing the developing relationship between Rose and Will, but I also enjoyed Erin and Will’s sibling relationship, and the growing friendship between Rose and Erin.

This wasn’t a coming home story. This was a running away story, and in her experience, those had the potential to be so much more interesting.

The Haven Ridge novels aren’t Christian fiction, in that while some of the characters go to church, that reads more like a scene location than an underlying character trait. But they also aren’t general market romance, in that there isn’t any swearing or sex scenes (which, if you think about it, seems out of character for red-blooded adults who don’t have a religious or personal reason for not sleeping with their significant other).

But they are good contemporary romances which offer some solid insights into life and love …

In my experience, you can answer all someone’s fears and objections and they still won’t take a chance until you capture their imagination.

Overall, The Larkspur House is a solid contemporary romance with an element of mystery thrown in, and perhaps even a sprinkling of magic.

Recommended for fans of sweet contemporary romance from authors such as TI Lowe, Amy Matayo and Courtney Walsh.

About Carla Laureano

Carla LaureanoCarla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

You can find Carla Laureano online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About The Larkspur House

Rose Cameron holds the record for bad decisions. Not only did she drop out of grad school to get married, but her husband wasn’t who he pretended to be—and his shady business dealings threatened both her reputation and her freedom.
With no job, no friends, and her bank account nearing zero, an online job posting offers a place to escape from her shattered life: house assistant in a historic manor in the tiny town of Haven Ridge, Colorado.
But the Larkspur House isn’t the refuge she expected. For one thing, it’s not just a house, but a derelict, honest-to-goodness American castle. For another, the co-inheritor of the house—the brusque, uptight Will Parker—makes no secret of his desire to see her gone.
He’s more interested in selling the place before it crumbles into the Colorado landscape or bankrupts the trust that maintains it. Just when Rose is convinced she’s made yet another terrible decision, she stumbles upon hidden secrets within Larkspur House’s storied history—ones that could bridge the gap between her and Will, making Haven Ridge her forever home.
But try as she might, Rose can’t escape her past…and her own secrets just might destroy the new life she’s begun building.

Find The Larkspur House online at:

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Truth lurked in the shadows. If only I could find the light.

Book Review | Dead Ahead (Ruthless the Killer #1) by Susan J Bruce

Dead Ahead is the first book in The Ruthless the Killer Mystery series.

I thought the series name was a typo when I first saw it, but it’s not: Ruth Smythe’s unfortunate nickname is Ruthless the Killer. It’s inaccurate (as she—and we—will learn). But, as Ruth says, logic rarely stands a chance against the ghosts of the past.

Ruth has returned to Australia from the USA to the stone cottage she has recently inherited from her father. She’s looking for peace and quiet, but events get in the way: she’s barely moved in before someone is murdered in her barn. And things basically go downhill from there.

Dead Ahead is the first book in what promises to be an enjoyable cozy mystery series. Sure, it has the inevitable “problem” of all cozy mystery series: the unrealistic ratio of murderers (and victims) to regular people (is there anyone still alive in Midsomer?). But let’s be honest—that’s why we read cozy mysteries.

Dead Ahead has everything cozy mystery readers want.

A small town setting, complete with quirky townsfolk. A slow-burn not-there-yet promise of romance between Ruth and the local hunk. The ex-girlfriend. A whole cast of characters who could have motive for murder (or who could be future victims).

And it’s got the plucky and likeable amateur sleuth who may or may not solve the mystery (because to tell you would be a spoiler),but who certainly gets involved to the point she annoys the real investigators.

The story is set in Australia, and the setting definitely adds to the story. Dead Ahead does use Australian spelling and vocabulary, and the “Aussie lingo” defined at the beginning. The lingo isn’t forced into the story in a cliche stone-the-crows way, but in a way that reads as authentic to the characters and which doesn’t distract from the story.

Overall, Dead Ahead is an enjoyable read, recommended for cozy mystery fans.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Susan J Bruce

Susan J Bruce

Susan J Bruce is a former veterinarian turned award-winning author, professional copywriter and animal artist. Susan’s veterinary background invades her writing and animals run, fly, or crawl into nearly all of her tales. When Susan’s writing group challenged her to write a story that didn’t mention any animals—she failed! Susan lives in sunny South Australia with her husband, Marc, and their furred and feathered family. This currently includes a fat tortoiseshell cat, a rescue cockatiel, and an irrepressible ShiChi (Shih Tzu x Chihuahua) who thinks her mission in life is to stop Susan writing.

Running Scared is Susan’s first novel and was awarded the 2018 Caleb Prize for an unpublished manuscript.

Find Susan J Bruce online at:

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About Dead Ahead

A deliciously twisty Aussie cozy mystery with a side of rom-com!

Ruth is desperate for a fresh start, but a body in her shed, an inconvenient romantic attraction, and a secret childhood reputation as a ‘harbinger of death’ get in the way.

As they do…

Murder and mayhem mingle with matters of the heart as Ruth soon discovers the town holds buried secrets and scandals—some of which may even involve her own late father.

But when a close friend goes missing, and the police fear the worst, all Ruth can think about is unravelling the mystery and finding her friend.

Can Ruth solve the crime in time to save her friend? Will she succeed or will bad luck be the death of her?

Dead Ahead has slow-burn romance, heaps of heart, murder and mayhem, small town vibes, friends who care, a grumpy cat and a mysterious meta plot. The final HEA of the romantic subplot will be at the end of the series—but there will be lots of fun in-between.

Find Dead Ahead online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #349 | Dead Ahead (Ruthless #1) by Susan J Bruce

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Dead Ahead by Australian author Susan J Bruce, which is the first book in her new mystery-meets-rom com series, Ruthless the Killer.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

It’s never easy to make a fresh start with a reputation like mine, especially when you believe your own bad press.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Dead Ahead

A deliciously twisty Aussie cozy mystery with a side of rom-com!

Ruth is desperate for a fresh start, but a body in her shed, an inconvenient romantic attraction, and a secret childhood reputation as a ‘harbinger of death’ get in the way.

As they do…

Murder and mayhem mingle with matters of the heart as Ruth soon discovers the town holds buried secrets and scandals—some of which may even involve her own late father.

But when a close friend goes missing, and the police fear the worst, all Ruth can think about is unravelling the mystery and finding her friend.

Can Ruth solve the crime in time to save her friend? Will she succeed or will bad luck be the death of her?

Dead Ahead has slow-burn romance, heaps of heart, murder and mayhem, small town vibes, friends who care, a grumpy cat and a mysterious meta plot. The final HEA of the romantic subplot will be at the end of the series—but there will be lots of fun in-between.

Find Dead Ahead online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #348 | Imminent Danger by Tara Grace Ericson

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m reading Imminent Danger, a romantic suspense novel by Tara Grace Ericson. I used to read a lot of romantic suspense, but this is the first I’ve read in a while.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

 

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

Kaylie was always afraid, but she'd never quit running.

About Imminent Danger

He’s desperate to protect this single mom and her daughter, but what if he’s putting them at an even bigger risk?

Kaylie Richards will do anything to protect and provide for her daughter. Which is why she works herself to the bone cleaning houses during the day and writing late into the evening. She doesn’t know anything about the mysterious single man she cleans for. But it wouldn’t matter, anyway. He’s just another client and she can’t afford anyone getting too close.

Anthony (Tank) Olson knows he’s not a warm and cuddly guy. Most people steer clear when they see him. So when Kaylie and her adorable toddler crash into his orbit, Tank keeps expecting them to run. Instead, he finds himself wrapped around the little girl’s finger and longing to win the approval of her mother.

When Kaylie’s past finds her, she runs to the only place she can think of–the safety of a giant of a man she knows instinctively can protect her family.

Tank steps in without a second thought, but will the dangers of his own work bring more risk to the ladies who have quickly taken up residence in his heart?

Find Imminent Danger online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #347 | Sure About You by Jaycee Weaver

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Eyes closed with my head resting against my hands, I inhale the crisp fragrance of spring on the unseasonably cool night air, fresh after a late spring rain.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Sure About You

She’d had her future perfectly planned. Now? She’s not so sure.

Isley:

Three things I love—quality food, eighties rom coms, and my custom-made planner.

Three things I loathe—internet trolls, traveling, and Walter Paxton.

Anita runs our online news site DFW Daily, and she’s dangling my dream job like the proverbial carrot. Now my weekend getaway to finally meet my online almost-maybe-sort of-boyfriend in LA has become a work trip with the man who irritates me most. So why do I find myself relying on him with every bump in the road (literally and metaphorically)? And why does he smell like a moonlit forest waterfall? Before this trip, my life was all planned out, but now I’m not so sure.

Pax:

Three things I love—stargazing, coffee, and pushing Isley’s buttons.

There’s no point in talking about dislikes. It’s more fun to take things in stride and enjoy all that life has to offer. Do I want Isley for a babysitter on this trip? Of course not. Though needling her is almost as fun as rescuing her. There’s plenty of both when nothing on this road trip goes according to her perfect plans. I’m in the driver’s seat, but she’s the one driving me crazy. Only I’m not so sure it’s in a bad way.

A shorter version of this book previously appeared in The 80s Rom-Com Club collection with books from Betsy St. Amant, Teresa Tysinger, Mikal Dawn, Bell Renshaw, and Jennifer Rodewald featuring contemporary twists on classic 80s movies. This newly expanded edition has been fully rewritten with significant changes and is about 30% longer than its predecessor.

As with all of Jaycee’s books, you can expect plenty of faith-friendly chemistry, banter, and kisses with no spice.

Find Sure About You online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #344 | Second Chance Sunset by Ellie Hall

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Second Chance Sunset by new-to-me author Ellie Hall, which is currently free on Kindle. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

It's a tale as old as time - girl does well in school, gets into college on a scholarship, and now waits tables to help - never mind.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Second Chance Sunset

They say true love only happens once in a lifetime. But what about a second chance with your first love?

Navy

College. Wait tables. Hospital. Repeat…until a customer with a smoldering smirk makes an offer I have to refuse…well, until I face cold, hard reality.

If I marry him so he can get his green card, I’ll be able to pay the bills. The only problem is, I was in love with him once before.

Cooper

I’ve heard all it takes is one look. Try two. When I see the sassy sweetheart of a waitress, I do a double take. Newsflash, she’s off-limits.

They say money can’t buy happiness…or a green card. However, it can buy a quick marriage of convenience. But that will cost me, especially since we have a past that I have to keep secret.

Find Second Chance Sunset online at:

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Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

In everything I do, I hear God. It turns out He's been here all along. But I was too busy trying to control my life to notice.

Book Review | The Grump who Doesn’t Belong Next Door by Emily Dana Botrous

Single mother Lottie (Charlotte) Alden is at home in the tiny town of Red Rock Place, Iowa. She’s happy being a farm girl, and happy to be raising her daughter alone in their rural paradise. But she’s a single woman surrounded by matchmaking mamas in a romance novel, so it’s pretty obvious she’s not going to be alone for long.

Lawyer Anthony Lucio is the cliché city man, in that he arrives in Red Rock Place without any farm-appropriate clothing or footwear. He’s also not a fan of rural smells (oops). I’m generally not a fan of the fish-out-of-water trope, especially when the fish-out-of-water is clearly unprepared for (usually) rural life. However, that’s normally the (often silly) heroine, so it’s a refreshing change for the man to be the simpering city dweller.

To Anthony’s credit, he can cook, thanks to a father who was a chef, and he’s not arrogant. He just prefers to live in the city (despite never having lived in a small town). And (almost predictably) he wants to get back to the city and get his impending promotion.

As suggested by the title, The Grump Who Doesn’t Belong Next Door is a grumpy-sunshine rom-com (and no prizes for guessing who is the grump and who is the sunshine). Grumpy sunshine isn’t my favourite trope, and this is not my favourite Emily Dana Botrous novel. (I think that is a toss-up between With Love, Melody and With All My Heart, Joy).

First person gives the novel a different tone. It does bring the reader closer to the point of view of the character telling the story, and I like that (well, as long as I like that character. There have been exceptions …) But one downside of first person is that it often means we only get that single point of view. Fortunately, we get both viewpoints in this novel. First person present tense isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the writing is solid and I liked the fact we got both points of view.

If you like grumpy-sunshine Hallmark-type rom-com with the obligatory cringey scenes, you’ll love The Grump Who Doesn’t Belong Next Door.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Emily Dana Botrous

Emily Dana BotrousEmily Dana Botrous lives in San Diego, California with her husband and their four children. She lived in 10 states before she settled on the West Coast where she plans to stay for awhile. She started writing short stories at age 10 and studied English in college. The only thing she enjoys more than writing is motherhood.

While there are a lot of things that matter to Emily, nothing is more important to her than Jesus Christ. It is her goal to point anyone who reads her writing toward Him. When Emily isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, long walks, music, and playing with her kids.

Find Emily Dana Botrous online at:

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About The Grump Who Doesn’t Belong Next Door

Grump Who Doesn't Belong Next DoorSmall-town Iowa? Not for this big-city attorney. Too bad his plans for a quick exit are mired by the girl next door.

Lottie: I have no time to waste on glass-half-empty people. My daughter and I have had enough of that in our lives, thank you very much. So when my neighbor’s grumpy son arrives in my hometown, turning his nose up at every Iowa corner, it’s no skin off of my back. But I can’t help teasing him. It’s sooo easy to ruffle his feathers. Plus, he’s easy on the eyes. Win win.

Anthony: My plan? Three weeks in Podunkville, Iowa until my mom recovers from her stroke. Then back to Atlanta. Civilization. My upcoming promotion to senior lawyer. I have no interest in forming any attachments in Red Rock Place. Even if my new next-door neighbor and her spunky daughter are a daily dose of sunshine I never knew my life was missing.

But then there’s the matchmaking. The fake date that isn’t really fake. The cake explosion. Oh, and the cow. (Really, God? We could have skipped that one…) Let’s just say, things are not going according to my plan.

The Grump Who Doesn’t Belong Next Door is a clean, Christian romantic comedy that will put a smile on your face and touch your heart.

Find The Grump Who Doesn’t Belong Next Door online at:

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