November 16, 2018

#Vacay by Cambria Hebert - Cover Reveal




#Vacay

Cambria Hebert
Publication date: December 3rd, 2018
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
A #Hashtag and BearPaw Resort Crossover Novella
VACATION MODE ON
#Vacay Itinerary:
—Make new friends
—Meet a big dog
—Kiss in the snow
—Don’t get lost
—Ignore the press
—Don’t make national news
—Drink all the cocoa
—Wear all the hoodies
—Eat all the food
—Get lit!



Author Bio:

Cambria Hebert is an award winning, bestselling novelist of more than twenty books. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.
Besides writing, Cambria loves a caramel latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching movies. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chorkie (the real boss of the house).
Cambria has written within the young adult and new adult genres, penning many paranormal and contemporary titles. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. A few of her most recognized titles are: The Hashtag Series, Text, Torch, and Tattoo.
Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.

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November 8, 2018

A Christmas Worth Billions Novella

A Christmas Worth Billions

A Christmas Worth Billions (Silver Script Novel Book 2) by Jaclyn Weist

Kindle Edition, 186 pages
Date released: December 19th, 2016 Publisher: Dragons & Fairy Tales Press
My Review: 3 of 5 stars
Goodreads Summary: The only thing Lily wants is for her children to have a nice warm home, and to make sure her family’s diner survives. When handsome billionaire David walks in and leaves a rather generous tip, he not only helps her little family, he also gives her something she hasn’t had for a long time—hope. After the loss of his beloved wife, David moves to a small town in New York, hoping to escape the memories, along with the pressures of his life as the president of the largest ad agency in the country. The last thing he expects when he meets with his pastor is to run into the woman who will change his life forever. David is willing to shower Lily with everything she needs, but Lily isn’t sure she can handle the kindness after everything she’s dealt with in the past. Will her bad memories keep them from being able to have a future together? Or will he be able to convince her that love is what makes life worth living?

I liked how it all ends on a happy note but honestly, it was too little too late. Much too late and oh, so predictable.
First of all, I don't know what attracted a millionaire to what appears to be a poor single mother struggling to provide for her two children. She was very stubborn to think she could handle it all by herself. Child Welfare would have had a field day if they knew her kids were getting sick because it was so cold in their house due to no electricity and heat and no food in her cupboards! Just saying. She couldn't afford to pay her house bills because the measly money she made from her business was all going back into the Diner that she was about to lose if she didn't muster up more business. She was barely surviving and had it not been for Mr. Wonderful aka David, she would have not survived the winter.

Lily was too ignorant and proud to accept David's willingness to help her though. David himself was a multi-millionaire who had recently lost his wife in a car accident and was grieving. In order to escape bad publicity and the press harassment, he heads to a small town far away from New York City. Lily and her kids were just what he needed to take his mind off of his pain.

A Christmas Worth Billions didn't feel like a novella to me. It was long enough to feel it dragging on and on.

Taking advantage of people's money is one thing but not accepting someone's help when they are willing to help you, doesn't make sense and well, incomprehensible to me. Besides that, it's hard to get real help when you need it. I am of the persuasion where you take what you can get. lol, It would have been really stupid for Lily to ignore David when she needed him. Duh, it was a no-brainer.

About the Author

Visit her Website
Jaclyn is an Idaho farm girl who grew up loving to read. She developed a love for writing as a senior in high school when her dad jokingly said she was the next Dr. Seuss (not even close, but very sweet). She met her husband, Steve, at BYU, and they have six happy, crazy children who encourage her to keep writing. After owning a bookstore and running away to have adventures in Australia, they settled back down in their home in Utah. Jaclyn now spends her days herding her kids to various activities and trying to remember what she was supposed to do next. Her books include the Silver Script Novels—Ring of Truth, A Christmas Worth Billions, Fashioned for Love, Change in Harmony, and Another Chance for Love, Love in Return, and Waves of Hope; and the upcoming Roping His Heart and Never Say Necklace.

November 7, 2018

Novella November: Wedding Bells


Wedding Bells

Wedding Bells (The MacAllisters of Rivers End, #4) by C.J. Hunt

Get it on Kindle Amazon,
Novella ebook, 96 pages
Published on: September 17th, 2018
Publisher: Thigh High Ink
Add to Goodreads

Goodreads Summary:

When Jenna Murphy escaped to Isaac MacAllister’s Big River Lodge last winter, she was the Christmas gift he didn’t know he needed. Now, she’s moved to Rivers End for good, and he and his six-year-old daughter, Sara, couldn’t be happier. Isaac knows what he wants. But he can’t seem to find the perfect moment to pop the question. Jenna has been in Rivers End for several months, and business is thriving. But she’s been too wrapped up in Isaac to even unpack her apartment. When his ex rolls into town after five years, she brings a sports carload of unfinished business with her. Sidelined by the drama, Jenna knows she should strike out on her own. But how can she, when all she wants is to be a part of Isaac and Sara’s life?
All Jenny and Isaac want are to live with each other professing their undying fidelity to love one another which doesn't include Isaac's meddling ex-wife Lauren. Isaac was married to Lauren and had a child who he now looks after. Lauren, his wife at the time, ran off with his best friend 5 years ago, leaving her daughter Sara behind as well.

It was an unforgivable mistake, but when she comes back insinuating herself into his and her daughter's life, Jenny is forced to back off. So she decides to enlist the help of her brother Eli and his girlfriend Ginger, Shannon and Lucas, to help unpack her things and settle into her apartment. Waiting for Isaac to ask her to move in might never happen.

Isaac had every intention to ask Jenny to move in with him and Sara, in fact, he never wanted to see her apart but when she was forced to back off because of Lauren, she found perspective. It would mean more to Jenny to be married instead. She needed a strong and more definite agreement on Isaac's part. She already loved him and Sara to pieces and needed to be sure it is what Isaac wanted, wrapped up in a pretty bow with a ring on her finger. They got married on Christmas Eve. (view spoiler)

FYI, I don't think Christmas is a good time to be married. IMO it doesn't make it any more special if that's what the allure is about.

Quote from CJ Hunt "This song makes me feel the way I feel about Jenna and Isaac together in Wedding Bells 🙂 I put it on repeat when I was trying to picture the wedding at the end, and how they’d be feeling. So many stories in this video too...

  

About CJ Hunt


CJ Hunt a passionate reader and writer of romance. Her body is living happily-ever-after with her lovely game designer of a husband in Vancouver, BC, while her mind spends most of its time with her invisible friends in the fictional Vancouver Island town of Rivers End.
She can often be found sipping some sort of handcrafted cocktail while contemplating how to complicate everyone’s lives just enough that when they get their happy endings, you really feel like they’ve earned it.

Books from the Backlog


Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you would like to join in, please feel free to enter your link @ Carole's Random Life In Books, then spend some time visiting some of the other posts.

This week's neglected book



Soul Screamers Volume One by Rachel Vincent

Series:(Soul Screamers 0.5, 1, 2)
Publication date: November 22nd,2011 Publisher: Harlequin
My Review |
It starts with a scream….
New York Times bestselling author Rachel Vincent's compelling Soul Screamers series keeps getting better—here, for the first time, the original stories are compiled into one special volume….
My Soul to Lose
—The prequel: never before in print!—
Kaylee is just your average girl shopping at the mall with friends—until a terrified scream bursts from her that cannot be stopped. Taken to a hospital ward, will she be able to save her mind—and her life?
My Soul to Take

She's always felt different, but now Kaylee discovers why. The screams that cannot be denied mean that someone near her will die—and she can never save them. Because saving one life means taking another….
My Soul to Save

Going on dates with her boyfriend is still new to Kaylee. But when the singer of the band they're seeing dies onstage and Kaylee doesn't scream, she knows something crazy is going on. Soon she discovers souls can indeed be sold….


Why did I add Soul Screamers to my bookshelf? 

I so dearly wanted to like this YA paranormal fantasy because it's Rachel Vincent. Except for the "screaming" quality of Kaylee the paranormal banshee. Besides the girl was getting on my nerve. I wasn't enjoying the story so I thought I would pick it up some other time but I haven't yet. Idk my soul wasn't screaming for it? *pun intended. I have three volumes which translate to a slew of novels.


What are your thoughts? Have you read this book? Would you recommend it to others?

November 6, 2018

New Cover Reveal by Cecy Robson - A Curse Awakened

A Curse Awakened

by Cecy Robson Weird Girls, #0.4
Re-release 
Publication Date: November 28, 2018
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Standalone

PRE ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!

SYNOPSIS:

Discover Cecy Robson’s sensational Weird Girls series—or return to where the magic first began—with this eBook original prequel novella about four sisters coming to grips with their unique supernatural powers.
Celia Wird shouldn’t possess the ability to transform into a tigress. Her three sisters should never be able to burst into flames, heal wounds, or transform common objects into deadly weapons. And yet they do.
Before they were born, the Wird Sisters were cursed by a spell that was intended to destroy them, not endow them with extraordinary powers. The sisters’ magic is untamed and explosive at best, and time is running out for them to take command.
Vampires have targeted Celia’s sweet, tragically human ex-boyfriend Danny. The sisters rush to his aid, but in order to take down the vamps, first they must face their dark past and break a spell that’s screwing up their powers. Except this curse wasn’t meant to be broken . . . and the witch who cast it isn’t done toying with them yet.

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

Danny shook his head. “No. He mistook them for Mafia, but I think at best they’re vamps with Mafia ties. There’s this female among them that seems fixated on my father. I think she’s been drinking from him. It’s odd. She’s odd. The whole thing is . . . odd.”
Shayna grimaced. “You mean aside from her drinking blood?”
Danny tried to stand. “Yeah. I don’t know if vampires can be mentally ill. From what I’ve researched so far, they’re immune to diseases. But nothing I’ve read mentions anything about being immune to insanity.”
I steadied him with my hand. “Why have you been reading up on vamps? I mean, I know since you’ve learned about us, you’ve been curious, but . . . I’m not a vampire.”
He sighed, watching me with his dark sad eyes. “Believe it or not, I thought I could help you. You and your sisters have something special.”
“Ah, no, we don’t.” Taran glared his way. “At best we’re atom bombs ready to detonate.” As if to make a point, a puff of blue and white smoke from her fire popped and sizzled above her head.
Danny returned the glasses to his face. “I don’t agree. There’re not a lot of books available here in the U.S. about the supernatural―the real kind, I mean―weres, witches, vamps, those types of beings. But I’ve purchased a few ancient volumes from old libraries in Europe, where most legends stem from actual truths. I haven’t been able to find much about what you are or what you could be. In fact, I’m positive you’re different from any race of humans or preternaturals on earth.”
“Yay for us,” Taran muttered.
Danny offered a sympathetic smile. “One thing I have learned a great deal about are curses and magic in general.” His gaze skipped to each one of us. “I think you’re all in a bind.”
“No shit,” Taran snapped. “I’m surprised we haven’t killed each other.”
Danny held out a hand. “No, that’s not what I mean. I think you’ve been bound―in the magical sense. Sort of like a noose or tie that holds your powers back, and therefore your control.” He focused on me. “Celia, I think you can manage your powers best because your tigress gives you added strength. Picture a pit bull on a leash. You’re going to pull harder against it than another, smaller breed, making it harder to hold you back.”
Shayna inched forward. “Um, Danny, maybe you should watch the dog references. I understand what you’re trying to say, but Taran’s a little touchier.” She motioned to Taran with a jerk of her head. “Know what I mean, little guy?”
Taran narrowed her eyes, proving Shayna’s point.
Danny’s mouth popped open. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to insult you, ladies.”
I barely heard his apologies, my ears homing in on the rumble of motors. Two cars entered the dead-end street leading to the field and to us. The roar of their engines didn’t sound familiar or appropriate for the area. We were in blue-collar territory and these vehicles were definitely not your standard beaters. And instead of slowing down when they entered the narrow street, they sped faster, like cheetahs who’d found a herd of wounded gazelles.
My tigress growled a warning. Taran’s blue eyes blanched to white, her magic sensing another’s approach.
Danny jerked around upon seeing the first car barrel up the small incline. “It’s the vampires. Run!”

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ABOUT CECY ROBSON

Cecy Robson is an author of contemporary and new adult romance, young adult adventure, and award-winning urban fantasy. A double-nominated RITA® Finalist, Winner of the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and published author of more than twenty titles, you can typically find Cecy on her laptop or stumbling blindly in search of caffeine.

Connect with Cecy online:

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY


Reindeer Games- Novella November

Reindeer Games

Reindeer Games(The MacAllisters of Rivers End, #3) by C.J. Hunt


Kindle Novella 129 pages
Published September 10th, 2018 by Thigh High Ink
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Get on Kindle Amazon

I am so happy that Jenny's brother comes clean. Stealing his sister's car and just being an overall douche made me think he was just a shit stain of a brother who spoils Christmas in Silver Bells, BUT to my excitement lo and behold Reindeer Games is about his own romance with Ginger and he's changed for the better! We find out that he isn't just a compulsive gambler who hates his life, who gets himself involved in some shady business deal with the likes of Russo that he has to borrow and beg to pay the money he owes him.
Only 20,000 in 5,000 installments with interest *coughs

No. I mean Eli Murphy is one heck of a lucky guy to have found the kind of people who would bail him out of the trouble he was in. He had Justin and Gareth and GND Security to thank for saving his sorry ass and catching the bad guys. I don't want to hear any more about Russo mmk?

Ginger has a lot of emotional baggage as well. She was left orphaned and abused by her foster father (I think) There isn't much background detail about it and I am glad because I don't want to hear about her abuse but she doesn't have much luck with the choices she makes in men. However, she seems to have a lot of good people around her, like Justin.

I was so excited when I heard about the Reindeer Games and that Eli + Ginger was a team. It didn't turn out the way I expected but the story was still HEA and that made me happy :)
Thanks, CJ Hunt for spreading joy at Christmas.

The author refers to a chick flick, Love Actually and is the inspiration to this next song. I actually like this movie and Ginger gets to watch it actually :P
I LOVED the Mariah Carey version of this song (Okay, fine. Still do. Judge away.) and since Love Actually was one of the winning clues in the Reindeer Games trivia contest how could I NOT pick this song? Add in the awesome video elements of the Hugh Grant storyline in the background which I adore… and here we are.

Goodreads Summary


GINGER LEWIS knows from personal experience that the world is full of bad and dangerous people. She’s been lucky enough to escape her rough past and cherishes her stable work family and lovable bulldog, Max. And she knows better than to try to rescue a stranger in a snowstorm. Especially one with a chiselled jaw, perfect stubble, and 1001 secrets behind those icy blue eyes.
ELI MURPHY, on the run and temporarily homeless, should be glad to spend the holidays stuck in the woods with no cell reception and no one who knows him. The isolation will allow him to regroup and plan his next move. But between the festive atmosphere, cozy cabin, and tempting fake girlfriend, Eli finds himself fantasizing about a future he doesn’t deserve. As the Reindeer Games draw to a close, he will have to come to terms with his mistakes or risk losing Ginger—and the chance to make a real home in Rivers End.

About the Author

CJ Hunt a passionate reader and writer of romance. Her body is living happily-ever-after with her lovely game designer of a husband in Vancouver, BC, while her mind spends most of its time with her invisible friends in the fictional Vancouver Island town of Rivers End. She can often be found sipping some sort of handcrafted cocktail while contemplating how to complicate everyone’s lives just enough that when they get their happy endings, you really feel like they’ve earned it.
Goodreads Author|
Visit her website for more information

November 5, 2018

Novella November Rivers End Romance : Silver Bells

Silver Bells

Silver Bells(A Rivers End Romance)by C.J. Hunt


Kindle Amazon 

Length: 91 pages
Novella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love holidays and romance. Silver Bells is about a Christmas blogger named Jenny who decides to take a vacation in Rivers End to get away from the city and all the Christmas shopping, decorations and parties. She just wants to relax. Only that ain't happening. Her suite is filled with decorations and she ends up injuring her knee and walking with crutches for the rest of her stay. Her idea of fun involves sex and hot tubs and when she meets Isaac her dreams just may all come true. Gorgeous! Loved it.


I couldn't NOT want to hear and listen to Silver Bells after reading this romance. CJ Hunt writes on her website some of her thoughts about this
I’m not sure this one really needs an explanation 😛 But I loved this version because it makes me think of a barbershop quartet singing in the snow outside a lit up window of a small town store. Red brick, and twinkling lights, and only the occasional car… it seemed perfect for Silver Bells and Christmas in Rivers End!
There is an alternate cover as well. Which one do you like better?


Publisher Summary: 


Isaac MacAllister’s life revolves around building his business and doing his best to give his daughter Sara a strong sense of family. Over the years he’s had to learn how to keep their little family together on his own, but this Christmas Isaac is going to have some unexpected help. Christmas blogger Jenna Murphy has one goal for the holidays this year: to get far away from anything to do with Christmas. Her website sale is done, and after 1,825 posts about the big C, it’s one “season” she never wants to celebrate again. She’s ready to start a new life, and the Big River Lodge seems like the perfect place for her to figure out the details. The lodge is isolated, she has her own private cabin, and no one in her family will know where she is. But she didn’t plan on the highly distracting presence of Isaac MacAllister. Is Jenna going to let one sexy dad and his sweet kindergartener derail her plans for her holiday … and her life?

About the Author

I’m a passionate reader and writer of romance. My body is living happily-ever-after with my lovely game designer of a husband in Vancouver, BC, while my mind spends most of its time with my invisible friends in the fictional Vancouver Island town of Rivers End. I can often be found sipping some sort of handcrafted cocktail while contemplating how to complicate everyone’s lives just enough that when they get their happy endings, you really feel like they’ve earned it.

Tipsy A Rivers End Romance


Tipsy

Tipsy ( A Rivers End Romance) by C.J. Hunt


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amazon Kindle 107 pages

Published September 15th, 2017 by Thigh High Ink

Quote:

When they finally came up for air, she whispered, “I love you, too. Now let’s get this party started.” Lucas felt a bit tipsy—drunk on adrenaline, nerves, and Shannon. Those magic words on this magic day had his head, and his heart, reeling. So this was what happiness felt like.


Tipsy is what Shannon is on New Years when she goes home with Lucas and wakes up in his bed with the memory of his kiss on her lips. They had a lot of baggage to sort out and straighten up between them but the simple fact is Lucas was in love with Shannon and she could not deny her attraction to him. She was good with kids and his niece Sara.
Rivers End is like Cheers: Where everybody knows your name.
Lucas has dreamt of owning a coffee shop and is determined to make 'Higher Ground' work for Sara's sake.

CJ Hunt has music inspired songs that fit well with her stories. She says about Tipsy:
I was in after the first few bars of this song—totally sounds like Lucas talking about Shannon in Tipsy. He takes care of her that New Year’s Eve, and he’s all in way before she realizes what’s going on for her. This video makes me cry. Just sayin’. Consider yourself warned. All the feels ahead…


Publisher Summary:


When old secrets and new passions come home to Rivers End... LUCAS HEYES is a man with a plan. Move back to Rivers End. Fix his broken relationship with his ex-brother-in-law Isaac MacAllister, and be a good uncle to his niece Sara. Oh, and open Higher Ground—the coffee shop he’s been dreaming about for years. There’s only one hitch: Shannon MacAllister—Isaac’s younger sister—is back in town too, and living across the hall from him. Apparently, his time away did nothing to temper his feelings for her. After what happened five years ago, he’s sworn never to keep secrets from the MacAllisters again. Will Shannon convince him to break that promise and keep what they have between them a secret? SHANNON MACALLISTER has one wish: to get kissed on New Year’s by a man nothing like her fiancé—make that ex-fiancé—before she tackles a new chapter in her life back in her hometown. She gets her wish. But along with it comes a whole whack of complicated. Her body wants Lucas, but her mind can’t help pointing out that while he's sexy as hell, he’s a liar, and she’s not about to go back to that place. It’s bad enough that they share a family as well as an apartment building. The MacAllisters went through hell once before because of the Heyes family. Will Shannon trust enough to open her heart and risk trying again?

About the Author


I’m a passionate reader and writer of romance. My body is living happily-ever-after with my lovely game designer of a husband in Vancouver, BC, while my mind spends most of its time with my invisible friends in the fictional Vancouver Island town of Rivers End. I can often be found sipping some sort of handcrafted cocktail while contemplating how to complicate everyone’s lives just enough that when they get their happy endings, you really feel like they’ve earned it.

Visit her Website http://www.cjhuntromance.com/

Review: Tide Dance: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery Novella

Tide Dance: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery Novella

Tide Dance: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery Novella by Danielle Garrett


Kindle Amazon, 43 pages
Published September 19th, 2018
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute story. Holly, Evangeline, Adam and Nick help a misplaced Selkie- a magical creature. Clarice is a sea lion that can shift into a human. She is spotted in town and later gets arrested for stealing. She just wants to go back to her pod and be with her kind, only someone has taken her skin/pelt and she can't turn back into her true form and is stuck on land as a human. She needs to find her missing pelt before the Summer Solstice or she won't be welcome to rejoin her pod because they will think she would rather be a human and therefore is not a true selkie. She will be disgraced. She needs to get back to her pod!

Reading Tide Dance fulfills Novella November 2018

Publisher Summary


The Summer Solstice brings new mysteries from the deep.
Tourist season is underway in the coastal community of Beechwood Harbor. Holly Boldt is up to her eyebrows in work. Between the coffee shop and her potion business, things are moving at a break-neck pace. But when a teenage runaway starts causing trouble around the harbor, she has to step in, especially when she realizes the terrified girl isn’t just another out-of-towner on summer vacation.


With her posse of magical misfits, Holly’s ready to kick up some sand and get to the bottom of the guarded teen’s dilemma.

After all, summer in Beechwood wouldn’t be any fun without a little magic mystery.
**Previously published in the Spell or High Water Anthology**
***Fits in the timeline after the events of Lucky Witch, book five in the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries series**

About The Author

From a young age, Danielle Garrett was obsessed with fantastic places and the stories set in them. As a lifelong bookworm, she's gone on hundreds of adventures through the eyes of wizards, princesses, elves, and some rather wonderful everyday people as well. 

Danielle now lives in Oregon and while she travels as often as possible, she wouldn't call anywhere else home. She shares her life with her husband and their house full of animals, and when not writing, spends her time being a house servant for three extremely spoiled cats and two wild-child pups.

November 4, 2018

Along Came a Ghost: A Beechwood Harbor Novella


Along Came a Ghost (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery, #4.5)Along Came a Ghost (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery #4.5) by Danielle Garrett


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Along Came a Ghost is a novella length work set after the events of book four, Witch Way Home. Perfect for fans of Amanda M. Lee, Kristen Painter, and Angie Fox. Come join the fun of Beechwood Harbor, the little town where witches, shifters, ghosts, and vamps all live, work—and mostly—get along!
When a relaxing weekend is cut short, Holly and friends scramble into action to keep a mysterious new ghost from terrorizing their peaceful life at the manor. With the help of the new ghost whisperer in town and her quirky sidekicks, it's a race against the clock to unlock the secrets of the past.

My Review: 

What a cute inspiring ghost tale! Danielle Garrett knows how to write her characters. In Along Came a Ghost we are introduced to Scarlet who works in a florist shop in Beechwood Harbor and Lenny who proves to be quite helpful in reuniting Posy and her husband Earl.

Get the Kindle Unlimited from Amazon.ca

November 3, 2018

Review: Christmas at Cranberry Cottage

Christmas at Cranberry Cottage

Christmas at Cranberry Cottage by Talli Roland

Kindle Unlimited
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:

With a whirlwind lifestyle travelling the world, the one thing Jess Millward relies on is Christmas with her gran in cosy Cranberry Cottage. When her grandmother reveals the house is directly in the path of a new high-speed railway, Jess is determined to fight. Can Jess save the cottage from demolition, or will she have no home to come to this Christmas?
Christmas at Cranberry Cottage just reminds me of how much I love novellas. Jess was a little too gung-ho over the prospect of saving her grandmothers' house but a little too late to do anything about it. The plans were to build a railway that would run straight through Cranberry Cottage. She was too late in finding out about it and everyone in town came to terms with it long before she did. They had all accepted that it was the best thing for business in their small town. Sometimes, change is good and it's only a matter of time before Jess realized it too. She should be happy for her grandma. She also needs to be open to the prospect of rekindling a relationship with her teenage crush Tom.

About Talli Roland

Talli Roland writes fun, romantic fiction. Born and raised in Canada, Talli now lives in London, where she savours the great cultural life (coffee and wine).
Despite training as a journalist, Talli soon found she preferred making up her own stories--complete with happy endings. Talli's debut novel The Hating Game was short-listed for Best Romantic Read at the UK's Festival of Romance, while her second, Watching Willow Watts, was selected as an Amazon Customer Favourite. Her novels have also been chosen as top books of the year by industry review websites and have been bestsellers in Britain and the United States.
Visit her website: http://www.talliroland.com

Novella November Review: Last Christmas


Last ChristmasLast Christmas by Talli Roland

A novella 

Kindle Edition 56 pages
Published October 28th, 2013 by Notting Hill Press
Free on Amazon.ca Kindle Unlimited
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A cute and sweet story about a rejected marriage proposal and an occasion to forgive.

Lucy proposes to her longtime boyfriend Robert, while in Paris on vacation and was rejected. One year later, she is still struggling to put together the pieces of her broken heart.

On a walk in the park one evening, Lucy runs into Robert and his new girlfriend Greta. She learns of their plan to be married at Christmas in a matter of weeks. Well, in spite of herself she decides if she is going to put the past behind her she needs to throw the best and brightest holiday party ever. In order to pay for a venue, she decides to pawn a watch she bought when she proposed to Robert and visits a local pawn shop. There she meets James. Now that he is in Lucy's contacts, Mimi sends out invitations to the party, inviting him to her party along with everyone else on her phone.
Allow me to just say I'm all about taking risks and Lucy takes a chance on James and risks getting hurt again but it all works out. Sometimes in order to heal, we must learn to forgive. Even though Lucy was indirectly pushed into the position of forgiving her ex, she benefitted from forgiving him when the peace and weight are lifted off her shoulders, by allowing her ex's marriage reception to be conducted at her party.

About the Author


Talli Roland writes fun, romantic fiction. Born and raised in Canada, Talli now lives in London, where she savours the great cultural life (coffee and wine).
Despite training as a journalist, Talli soon found she preferred making up her own stories--complete with happy endings. Talli's debut novel The Hating Game was short-listed for Best Romantic Read at the UK's Festival of Romance, while her second, Watching Willow Watts, was selected as an Amazon Customer Favourite. Her novels have also been chosen as top books of the year by industry review websites and have been bestsellers in Britain and the United States.

October 25, 2018

A Witch of A Day and Murder's A Witch

A Witch of a Day: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery Novella (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Book 0)A Witch of a Day: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery Novella 
by Danielle Garrett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Holly is having a witch of a day. Friday the thirteenth should be a day of paranormal delight, but instead, Holly is fighting off the ghosts from her past; the exorcized can't be exorcised. When a strange, hooded figure approaches her with an unthinkable task, Holly is forced to walk the line between light and dark magic, where one wrong step could ruin everything.
***A Witch of a Day is the prequel novella to the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Series by Danielle Garrett. Meet Holly and uncover the secrets on her road to Beechwood Harbor.
Turns out Holly Boldt was framed by an evil wizard. This stranger forced her to make an illegal magic spell and she got busted for it. That is how and why she ended up in Beechwood Manor halfway house for displaced paranormals.

The evil stranger, on the other hand, attempted to break Holly's ex-boyfriend out of jail by using the magic potion/spell. Well, now she won't have to appear in court in front of her ex-boyfriend anymore, because he is going to rot in jail, but it also means she is banished from her supernatural Haven community.


Murder's a Witch (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries, #1)Murder's a Witch
by Danielle Garrett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Holly Boldt has a secret. Well, technically, she has lots of them. After a scandal uproots her entire life, she is forced to relocate to a halfway house for displaced paranormals. It’s her last shot for a fresh start. But keeping secrets isn’t easy in a town that goes through gossip faster than tissue paper, even for a powerful witch. When a grisly murder rocks the small town of Beechwood Harbor, Holly finds herself unwillingly entangled in the investigation. With everyone watching, Holly must solve the case before she’s forced to abandon her new-found home and live life as a witch on the run. But with a paranormal investigator tailing her every move, a civil war brewing between her vampire and shifter roommates, and her ghostly landlord on the edge of a breakdown, she can barely think in complete sentences. How is she supposed to track down a murderer? Holly has to make it work, or risk losing everything … again. Murder’s a Witch is a cozy witch mystery with a spunky twist. Come see what’s brewing in Beechwood Harbor in this first installment of The Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Series.
Is Murder's a Witch a marketing ploy to get us to read more of her books? It's a genius. My fondness for paranormal fantasy and witches has been rekindled. Holly Boldt is a potion's witch that comes to live in a halfway house for displaced paranormals in Beechwood Harbor. The elusive reason why she ends up living with 4 other paranormals is not explained until we read the prequel novella, Witch of A Day, but we have a vampire, a shapeshifter wolf, a gargoyle and a ghost.
I don't know what it takes to write good characters but Danielle seems to have it in spades.
I loved all the characters in this book!
Even the ones who are bad.