Her Dark Lies by J. T. Ellison **Excerpt** @tlcbooktours

Happy Tuesday afternoon!

Excited and delighted to share with you today an excerpt from this upcoming release from one of my favorite authors!👀

About the Book

Fast-paced and brilliantly unpredictable, J.T. Ellison’s breathtaking new novel invites you to a wedding none will forget—and some won’t survive.

Jutting from sparkling turquoise waters off the Italian coast, Isle Isola is an idyllic setting for a wedding. In the majestic cliff-top villa owned by the wealthy Compton family, up-and-coming artist Claire Hunter will marry handsome, charming Jack Compton, surrounded by close family, intimate friends…and a host of dark secrets.

From the moment Claire sets foot on the island, something seems amiss. Skeletal remains have just been found. There are other, newer disturbances, too. Menacing texts. A ruined wedding dress. And one troubling shadow hanging over Claire’s otherwise blissful relationship—the strange mystery surrounding Jack’s first wife.

Then a raging storm descends, the power goes out—and the real terror begins…

Purchase Links

MIRA | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Connect with J. T.

Website | Facebook | Twitter| Instagram

Excerpt

As if he can discern my thoughts, Jack gives me a tight squeeze, then turns me around and starts pointing out landmarks. “See that white building, halfway up the hill? That’s the entrance to the artists’ colony. I can’t wait for you to see all the sculpture. With luck, we’ll have enough time for you to set up a canvas and capture some of the cliffs. The labyrinth is just there, follow my finger, look straight. See the dark spot in between the trees? And above that is part of the original fortress, built by Julius Caesar. Dad says it will be fully restored in an other couple of years, enough for people to visit safely. It takes forever because of all the permits and conservation rules they must follow. But we’ll take a walk through it, naturally. And ahead, on the right, by the old houses? On the second floor of Villa la Scogliera? See the terrace?”

I do. It has the same cheery patina as the Villa’s coral stucco walls. A lemon grove pours over the wall, meeting the gaily striped ochre-and-tan umbrellas by the infinity pool below. On the terrace itself, on either side of the French doors, petunias spill from terra-cotta pots in bursts of aubergine and gold. It’s like a Condé Nast photo shoot for the perfect Italian retreat.

It had been in a Condé Nast spread, but that was years ago. I read the piece when Jack first suggested we have the wedding here. I’d cut it out and used it as the basis for a painting I’d called Scylla, it inspired me so. It sold for $40,000 to a couple in Nashville with an obsession with mythology.

Hidden away on the western edge of Italy in the southwest of the Tyrrhenian Sea, out of sight from the mainland and the more popular islands of Capri and Anicapri to its north, lies the isolated Isle Isola. Originally a remote, hard-to-reach private armory of Julius Caesar, it is sometimes thought to be the island from which Homer’s Scylla perched in the cliffs, waiting for unsuspecting questing sailors like Odysseus, who had to choose between sailing closer to the six-headed beast or sinking into the gaping maw of Charybdis’s whirlpool. It is also said the island houses an oracle, but no documentation has been found to prove this claim. There have been a disturbing number of shipwrecks in the waters of the bay, surprise waves driving ships against the rocks at the base of the cliffs, and storms are known to arise without warning.

A more speculative fiction surrounds it; like any remote area, rumors abound about the island’s many hauntings over the years, including a famed Gray Lady who lingers about the fortress, supposedly the ghost of the daughter of one of the island’s many generals, who was sacrificed, given to an enemy who brought a mighty navy to attack the island. When he came ashore to parlay, the young woman was given to the man in good faith and disappeared that very night in a terrible storm. The storm raged for weeks, and the invading navy was driven away.

Sea monsters and unverifiable history aside, Isola’s occupation dates to Roman times, and is home to the stunning Villa la Scogliera, the house on the cliff, currently home to famed cinematographer Will Compton. The Villa, a former monastery, perches on the hillside and ties into the abandoned Roman fortress. While the Villa itself is of this century, and has been modernized with electricity and water, the fortress, abandoned for centuries, is undergoing a full renovation, sponsored in part by the Italian antiquities committee and the Compton Foundation.

In addition to grapes and olives, the island is known for its lemon groves. It also houses a natural rookery, home to the many birds who fly off course, find themselves lost in the straights and unable to return to land.

How romantic, how very Gothic and creepy, and how very Compton to choose an island in the middle of nowhere surrounded by sea monsters and exhausted birds to call their own.

“I see it. It’s lovely. Say the name again?”

“Villa la Scogliera.”

I try to mimic the way the R rolls off his tongue and bungle it massively, which makes Jack laugh.

“I’ve been studying the tapes and everything. I swear it.”

“Say it slowly, like this. Sko-lee-AIR-a. It means cliffside.”

“Skola-air-a.”

“Close. Emphasis on the third syllable, and roll your R,” he says, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. “Chef Boy-ARRR-dee. Sko-lee-AIRRR-a. You can just call it the Villa, you know. No one will mind.”

“I need to learn Italian properly.”

“And you will. But let’s focus on one thing at a time, shall we? We have our whole lives ahead for me to teach you.”

Our whole lives. Lives that can be changed in an instant.

Stop it, Claire.

“The terrace is lovely. Is it special? Historically important? Did Medusa stand there or something?”

He rolls his eyes. “Not Medusa. Venus, maybe. The whole island is loaded with odes to Venus. No, my dear, it’s special because that’s where you will spend your first night as Mrs. Compton. Just you, and me—”

“And thirty of our nearest and dearest.”

He laughs. “Well, they won’t be watching what we get up to in there. Besides, I’ve been told the bed is magic.”

THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON by Susan Mallery **Excerpt** @tlcbooktours @harlequinbooks

Happy hump day all!

Super excited to share with you today and excerpt from this book that I cannot wait to dive into. Book publishes February 9, 2021🍷

About the Book

Step into the vineyard with Susan Mallery’s most irresistible novel yet, as one woman searches for the perfect blend of love, family and wine.

Mackenzie Dienes seems to have it all—a beautiful home, close friends and a successful career as an elite winemaker with the family winery. There’s just one problem—it’s not herfamily, it’s her husband’s. In fact, everything in her life is tied to him—his mother is the closest thing to a mom that she’s ever had, their home is on the family compound, his sister is her best friend. So when she and her husband admit their marriage is over, her pain goes beyond heartbreak. She’s on the brink of losing everything. Her job, her home, her friends and, worst of all, her family.

Staying is an option. She can continue to work at the winery, be friends with her mother-in-law, hug her nieces and nephews—but as an employee, nothing more. Or she can surrender every piece of her heart in order to build a legacy of her own. If she can dare to let go of the life she thought she wanted, she might discover something even more beautiful waiting for her beneath a painted moon.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Susan

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Excerpt

Chapter Four 

Mackenzie carefully studied the wine in the glass before taking another sip. This time she let the liquid sit on her tongue a bit longer before swirling it in her mouth and then spitting it into the coffee mug she’d brought with her.

 Barrel tasting was essential so she could keep track of the progress of the wine, but getting drunk while doing so was a rookie mistake. She’d learned early that spitting came with the job. She picked up her clipboard and made a few notes. Later she would transfer the notes to a computer file. Old-school, for sure, but it was how she preferred to work. 

This corner of the barrel room held her personal wines— blends she’d created because she’d had an idea and had wanted to see how it played out. The first three times that had happened, Barbara had flat-out refused and then had told Mackenzie to stop asking. Frustrated, Mackenzie had told Barbara that if the wines didn’t do well, she would cover the losses with her salary. But if they sold the way Mackenzie expected, she would get a cut of the profits for as long as the wines were made.

 Barbara had agreed, drawing up a contract they’d both signed. Two years later the first of the Highland wines had been released. Highland Thistle—named in tribute to Mackenzie’s Scottish ancestry—had sold out in two weeks. She’d used a more French style of blending the cab and merlot grapes, giving Thistle a softer finish that was appealing to a younger crowd.

 The following year Highland Heather, a nearly botanical chardonnay, had sold out before the release. Last year, Highland Myrtle, a Syrah, had done the same. At that point, Barbara had stopped telling Mackenzie no on pretty much anything wine related. Still, the three wines provided a steady flow of money every quarter. The proceeds were currently just sitting in an investment account, but someday she would do something with them.

 She reviewed her notes, then tucked the clipboard under her arm and headed for the offices on the second floor. 

Bel Après had grown significantly over the past sixteen years. They’d always had enough capacity to produce more wine, but previous winemakers had sold off hundreds of tons of grapes rather than risk creating a new wine that failed. When Mackenzie had come on board, she and Barbara had come up with a strategic plan using the best of what Bel Après produced. 

As she took the stairs to the second floor, she glanced at the awards lining the wall. Bel Après had started winning awards with Mackenzie’s very first vintage, and Barbara had been giddy with the success. She’d wanted to enter every competition, but Mackenzie had insisted they be more selective. Better to place in a few prestigious competitions and get noticed rather than win awards no one had heard of. 

Bel Après had been written up in journals and magazines, driving sales. Every year they’d expanded production. Ten years ago, they’d tripled the size of the barrel room. 

She reached the top of the stairs and paused to look at the pictures mounted there. They showed Bel Après as it had been a generation ago, when Barbara had been a young bride. From there, all the way down the long hallway, photographs marked the growth of the winery and the family. 

She smiled at a photograph of Rhys with his three sisters. He looked to be about ten or eleven with the girls ranging from nine to maybe five. The girls were all smiling and mugging for the camera, but Rhys looked serious, as if he already knew how much responsibility he had waiting for him. 

He’d grown into a good man, she thought. He worked hard, was a fair employer and came home every night. Rhys was her rock—his steadiness freed her to send all her energy into the wines. 

Mackenzie’s parents had died when she’d been young, and her grandfather had raised her. He’d been a winemaker up in the Spokane area of the state, and she’d grown up understanding what it was to wrestle magic from the soil.

 He’d gotten sick when she was fifteen—a cancer that could be slowed but not cured. Sheer will had kept him alive until she’d graduated from high school. He’d died that summer. Mackenzie still remembered the first day she’d moved into the residence hall, meeting her new roommate. Stephanie had been friendly and upbeat and exactly what Mackenzie had needed.

 That first Christmas, Stephanie had brought her home. Mackenzie had been overwhelmed by Bel Après, dazzled by Barbara and swept away by Rhys. 

He’d been so steady, she thought, smiling at the memory. Kind and strong, but with a sly sense of humor that made her laugh. Her second night there he’d knocked on her door at two in the morning, telling her to get dressed. He’d taken her outside, where unexpected snow fell from the sky. There, in the cold, dusted by new snow, he’d kissed her. It had been a perfect moment. She might not have fallen in love with him then, but she’d certainly cracked open her heart to the possibility.

 She was still smiling at the thought when she walked down the hall, through the open door and into Barbara’s large office. The corner space had huge windows that overlooked the property. The other two walls were covered with maps of the various vineyards owned by the family.

Have a lovely day! Cheers Berit🥂

 

Good Girls Lie by J T Ellison @tlcbooktours @harlequinbooks #excerpt

Happy Tuesday all!

Excited to share with you today an excerpt from a book that I am super excited to read! I bet after reading this excerpt you won’t be able to resist!

About the Book

Goode girls don’t lie…

Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.

But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.

J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new novel examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies and the desperate lengths people will go to to protect their secrets.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with J. T.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Excerpt

2

THE LIES

There are truths, and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened, which is where you and I will meet. My truth is your lie, and my lie is your truth, and there is a vast expanse between them.

Take, for example, Ash Carlisle.

Six feet tall, glowing skin, a sheaf of blond hair in a ponytail. She wears black jeans with rips in the knees and a loose greenand-white plaid button-down with white Adidas Stan Smiths; casual, efficient travel clothes. A waiter delivers a fresh cup of tea to her nest in the British Airways first-class lounge, and when she smiles her thanks, he nearly drops his tray—so pure and happy is that smile. The smile of an innocent.

Or not so innocent? You’ll have to decide that for yourself. Soon.

She’s perfected that smile, by the way. Practiced it. Stood in the dingy bathroom of the flat on Broad Street and watched herself in the mirror, lips pulling back from her teeth over and over and over again until it becomes natural, until her eyes sparkle and deep dimples appear in her cheeks. It is a full-toothed smile, her teeth straight and blindingly white, and when combined with the china-blue eyes and naturally streaked blond hair, it is devastating.

Isn’t this what a sociopath does? Work on their camouflage? What better disguise is there than an open, thankful, gracious smile? It’s an exceptionally dangerous tool, in the right hands.

And how does a young sociopath end up flying first class, you might ask? You’ll be assuming her family comes from money, naturally, but let me assure you, this isn’t the case. Not at all. Not really. Not anymore.

No, the dean of the school sent the ticket.

Why?

Because Ash Carlisle leads a charmed life, and somehow managed to hoodwink the dean into not only paying her way but paying for her studies this first term, as well. A full scholarship, based on her exemplary intellect, prodigy piano playing, and sudden, extraordinary need. Such a shame she lost her parents so unexpectedly.

Yes, Ash is smart. Smart and beautiful and talented, and capable of murder. Don’t think for a moment she’s not. Don’t let her fool you.

Sipping the tea, she types and thinks, stops to chew on a nail, then reads it again. The essay she is obsessing over gained her access to the prestigious, elite school she is shipping off to. The challenges ahead—transferring to a new school, especially one as impossible to get into as The Goode School—frighten her, excite her, make her more determined than ever to get away from Oxford, from her past.

A new life. A new beginning. A new chapter for Ash.

But can you ever escape your past?

Ash sets down the tea, and I can tell she is worrying again about fitting in. Marchburg, Virginia—population five hundred on a normal summer day, which expands to seven hundred once the students arrive for term—is a long way from Oxford, England. She worries about fitting in with the daughters of the DC elite—daughters of senators and congressmen and ambassadors and reporters and the just plain filthy rich. She can rely on her looks—she knows how pretty she is, isn’t vain about it, exactly, but knows she’s more than acceptable on the looks scale—and on her intelligence, her exceptional smarts. Some would say cunning, but I think this is a disservice to her. She’s both booksmart and street-smart, the rarest of combinations. Despite her concerns, if she sticks to the story, she will fit in with no issues.

The only strike against her, of course, is me, but no one knows about me.

No one can ever know about me.

Leo’s War by @_PatriciaMurphy @rararesources #Excerpt

Leo’s War

It’s 1943 and young Leo tries to protect his disabled sister Ruby as the Nazis invade Italy. After his mother is arrested, he turns to Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty to save them. But he is no ordinary priest. Known as ‘The Pimpernel of the Vatican’, the Monsignor is the legendary organizer of the Rome Escape Line. Soon Leo is helping out with this secret network dedicated to saving the lives of escaped prisoners of war, partisans and Jews. But as the sinister Nazi leader Kappler closes in on the network, can Leo and his sister stay out of his evil clutches?

Purchase Links

https://www.bookdepository.com/Leos-War-Patricia-Murphy/9781781998151

https://poolbeg.com/home/680-leo-s-war.html

https://www.easons.com/leos-diary-patricia-murphy-9781781998151

Author Bio –

Patricia Murphy is the bestselling author of The Easter Rising 1916 – Molly’s Diary and Dan’s Diary – the War of Independence 1920-22 published by Poolbeg.

She has also written the prize-winning “The Chingles” trilogy of children’s Celtic fantasy novels. Patricia is also an award winning Producer/Director of documentaries including Children of Helen House, the BBC series on a children’s hospice and Born to Be Different Channel 4’s flagship series following children born with disabilities. Many of her groundbreaking programmes are about children’s rights and topics such as growing up in care, crime and the criminal justice system. She has also made a number of history programmes including Worst Jobs in History with Tony Robinson for Channel 4 and has produced and directed films for the Open University.

Patricia grew up in Dublin and is a graduate in English and History from Trinity College Dublin and of Journalism at Dublin City University. She now lives in Oxford with her husband and young daughter.

Social Media Links –

Website: https://www.patriciamurphyonline.com

Twitter: @_PatriciaMurphy

Facebook – h https://www.facebook.com/Leos-War-Irelands-Secret-World-War-2-Hero-714055598929732

Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/Mollys-Diary-The-1916-Rising-277254289106782/

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Excerpt

In this extract from chapter 3 12 year old Leo and his little sister Ruby have fallen asleep in the barn where they are having a secret midnight feast following the visit of their mother’s cousin. Delia Murphy the Irish ambassador’s wife lives in Rome and she had come to warn that there are more Nazi crackdowns. Their mother in in the Resistance and also transmits messages for Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty’s “Rome Escape Line” that rescues escaped Allied Prisoners of War, partisans and Jews. But she thinks they are safe because they live in a remote area.

The children are startled by the arrival of the local police who arrive in the middle of the night to arrest their mother. Leo creeps out to a nearby olive tree and concealed in the hollowed out trunk observes the arrest. Ruby has cerebral palsy and Leo knows he has to keep her out of the hands of the Nazis at all costs.

“Signora! We have come to search the house!” a local

policeman shouted out. It was Riccardo Two-Bellies as we

called him because he was so fat. He sounded almost

apologetic.

“I have nothing to hide!”

Two other police officers strode up, one of them

grabbing my mother roughly by the shoulder and pulling

her inside the house. My stomach went cold with fear. I

could tell from the racket inside that they were thrashing

the place.

I was frozen in the branches of the tree. I became a part

of the tree, too petrified to move. My legs wood, my arms

branches, my fingers spindly twigs. I don’t know for how

long. But after a time I heard crash, bash, boom! Them leaving

the house.

I dared to peep out. The police were on the path, pulling

my mother roughly behind them.

“Nothing,” they said. And again, “Nothing.”

Their chief glared at her, angry now. “Where are your

children?”

She said nothing. He shouted at her. And when again

she didn’t answer he smacked her across the face. I had to

bite my fist to stop crying out.

She spat out the words. “They are visiting Ruby’s

godmother in Naples.”

But she’d made a mistake. Delia lives in Rome, you

ninny mama! But that was wrong information she was

giving them. On purpose, I realised. I was such a gom.

I have nothing to hide!” she shouted again. “Where are you

taking me?

Ta-thrum, ta-thrum. My heart leapt in my chest when they

threw her into the back of the covered truck.

“The warrant for your arrest came from the Gestapo in

Rome,” said the police chief.

Oh no! The Nazi secret police wanted her. That was

really bad.

“Is it Regina Coeli prison?” she called out, wanting me

to hear, I was sure.

But there was no reply except for the crash of the truck

doors closing.

There was a loose pile of old stones by the grove, the

remains of an old wall. If I dropped down I could pick up a

stone and throw it. I was ready to do it, could almost feel its

heft in my hand. But there was a flutter by my left ear. A

mosquito. Its drone seemed to say “Ruby, Ruby!” Foolish, I

know. But, God’s honest truth, that’s what it said.

I had to get back to my sister and get the hell out of there.

I had to stop being part of the tree. But I had turned to wood

like Pinocchio. Then pins and needles shot up through my

leg. Fizzy foot, Ruby called it. I was a real boy.

I dropped quietly from the gnarled branches and

stumbled back to Ruby.

There she was, crouched under the loose straw littered

inside the barn, like a little animal burrowing into the earth.

I told her what had happened and she began to sob

gently. The tears glistened on her cheeks. I stroked her soft

russet hair and the teardrops fell without noise. Just the

heave of her breath and her hot tears running down her

cheeks.

Then the sound of heavy boots driving into the ground

came thundering towards the barn.

I picked Ruby up and ran out the little door at the side.

“The tree!” Ruby whispered.

I ran towards the old olive tree again. Inside its trunk

was hollow. I stepped in with Ruby and we crouched.

We stilled every nerve in our bodies and we were now

both made of wood. We could hear hot breath in the night,

panting. I saw it was the fat one – Riccardo Two-Bellies –

wheezing into the night. They must have sent him back to

do a check.

The sound of the barn door banging. Riccardo Two-

Bellies mustn’t have looked very hard. Asinello brayed as if

to warn us.

Thud, thud. The footsteps came closer! We were only a

few feet away from him.

A long pause. I almost stopped breathing. His torch

beam probed the darkness, the light raking the still air. I

was sure he had caught our scent like a bloodhound.

The seconds ticked by.

“Not here!” he called.

The sound of footsteps retreating. I didn’t dare raise my

head.

The lorry pulled off. The roar of the engine driving

through the night was a rip in the world.

Saving Beck by Courtney Cole @InkSlingerPR @Court_Writes #BookReview #Excerpt

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Excited to share with you today my review for this gripping real and raw story that I strongly encourage you to pick up!💞

Reminiscent of the beloved novels by Mary Kubica and Jodi Picoult comes a chilling portrayal of a son’s addiction and its harrowing effects on both him and his mother from New York Times bestselling author Courtney Cole. SAVING BECK is now available! Check out the tour below, and pick up your copy of SAVING BECK today!

SAVING BECK Synopsis:

There comes a time when offering your life for your child’s doesn’t work, when you realize that it’ll never be enough.

The cold needle in his warm vein was a welcome comfort to my son at first. But then it became the monster that kept us apart.

Heroin lied, and my son believed. It took him to a world where the last year didn’t happen, to a place where his father was still alive. What Beck didn’t understand was that it couldn’t bring his father back from the dead. It couldn’t take away his pain, not permanently.

You think it can’t happen to you, that your kids, your family, will never be in this situation.
I thought that too. But you’re wrong.

Step into our world, and see for yourself.
Watch my golden boy become a slave to this raging epidemic. Watch me try and save him.

Drug addiction comes with a price.
Trust me, you’re not equipped to pay it.

Don’t miss this heart wrenching, evocative, yet hopeful novel—it will leave you forever changed.

My Thoughts

5 Heartbreaking Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book takes a real and raw look at addiction and its impact not only on the addict but the addict’s entire family… Courtney Cole takes you on such an emotional journey with this book… and the fact that she has gone through this with her own son adds so much authenticity to the story…. as a mother I could not help but put myself in Natalie’s (the mother in this book) shoes… I cannot even imagine how helpless you would feel watching your child struggle with any type of addiction much less heroin… addiction has already had an impact on myself and my kids, their father is an addict (not a heroin addict) something that has both hurt them and made them stronger…. but there is a genetic component to addiction and that made this book all the more real and heartbreaking for me….

The book starts with Beck overdosing right in front of his mother Natalie…. Beck goes to the hospital and is placed in a medically induced coma… The story is told from both Beck and Natalie‘s perspectives…. I thought this was very effective, because we got both sides of the story leading up to the overdose… Beck was a stereotypical all-American boy… a good student, an athlete, has a lovely girlfriend, and a loving family… not what you picture when you think addict, but I’m sure as we all know addiction does not discriminate… after the family goes through a major tragedy and Natalie falls apart Beck is left to pick up the pieces… and really your heart breaks for him as he slowly makes the dissent into drug addiction….

This book really is about much more than just addiction… it is about forgiveness, acceptance, love, and hope… it really makes you think and ask the hard questions, and face the realization that there are some things that are simply out of your control as a parent…. there were times in this book I really found it hard not to judge Natalie for her actions, but I had to remind myself I have never been through what she has… a broken family trying to put themselves together again after tragedy… A family that could be any family, it could be my family… it could be your family… that’s what made this book so powerful and so real!

This is just a well done book about a very big problem we have in our country… it is not a light fluffy beach read, but an important book that I strongly encourage you to pick up! An emotional heartbreaking journey that will leave you feeling hopeful…

*** many thanks to Gallery for my copy of this wonderful book ***

Grab your copy of SAVING BECK here!

Amazon Hardcover | Kindle | Nook | Barnes & Noble Hardcover

iBooks | B-A-M | Kobo | IndieBound | Audible

Excerpt

The nurse grasps my arm, and I can’t stand anymore. My legs are tired and the adrenaline… it numbs me. I collapse beside her and she tries to hold me up, but she can’t… I’m on the ground.

My face is wet, when did I start crying?

“You have to save my son,” I beg her, my fingers curled into her arm. I stare into her eyes. Hers are green, ringed with blue, and she looks away. Something about her seems so familiar, something about those eyes.

“We’ll try, ma’am,” she says uncertainly. It’s the uncertainty that kills me. “We’ll do everything we can. I’m going to take you to a quiet room, and give you a blanket. Is there anyone I can call for you?”

I shake my head. “No. I already called my sister.”

“Okay,” the nurse says quietly and her name tag says Jessica. She takes me to a waiting room, a quiet private one, the ones they use when the outcome might not be good. I know that because I’ve been here before.

I swallow hard and she puts a cup of coffee in my hand.

As she does, she pushes a stray hair out of her face and her bracelet catches my eye. A simple chain with a silver dolphin on it. I’ve seen it before.

“You were here the night my husband was brought in,” I realize slowly. “Weren’t you? Do you remember me?”

It was a year ago. A year, two months… I check my watch… six days and twenty-two hours ago. Of course she doesn’t remember me.

But Jessica nods.  

“I’m so sorry about your husband,” she tells me now, her voice quiet and thick. “I swear to you, we did everything we could.”

“I know,” I tell her. Because I do. The accident was so bad, there’s no way anyone could’ve survived. Except for Beck. He lived. But Matt...his injuries were insurmountable. That’s what the doctor told me that night.

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

Courtney Cole’s SAVING BECK – Review & Excerpt Tour Schedule:

July 18^th★ Chiara’s Book Blog ★ – Excerpt

Ramblings From This Chick – Excerpt

Suey Library – Review & Excerpt

July 19^thBetween The Lines – Review & Excerpt

Read Love Blog – Review & Excerpt

White Hot Reads – Review

July 20^thBook Starlets – Review & Excerpt

Sinfully Wicked Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Whoo Gives A Hoot – Review

July 21^stCatty Jane Book Lovers – Review & Excerpt

KDRBCK – Review & Excerpt

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

July 22^ndLittle Read Riding Hood – Review & Excerpt

Roxy’s Reviews – Review

Simply Crystal – Review & Excerpt

July 23^rdBrittany’s Book Blog – Excerpt

Reads All the Books – Review & Excerpt

Two Books in a shelf – Review & Excerpt

July 24^thAll Things Dark & Dirty – Excerpt

Vagabonda Reads – Review & Excerpt

Written In Red Book Blog – Review

July 25^thBook Sniffers Anonymous – Excerpt

Evermore Books – Review & Excerpt

Liezel and Angie’s Book Blog – Review

July 26^thBecca the Bibliophile – Review & Excerpt

Just Me & My Kindle – Excerpt

Margaux – Review & Excerpt

What Is That Book About – Excerpt

July 27^thA Literary Perusal – Review & Excerpt

Book Bitches Blog – Excerpt

Nose Stuck In A Book – Review & Excerpt

July 28^thAudio Killed the Bookmark – Review

Books, Booze, & Brunch – Review & Excerpt

M&J’s Book Blog – Review & Excerpt

Shakespeare’s Wench Book Blog – Review

About Courtney Cole:

Courtney Cole grew up in rural Kansas and now lives with her husband and kids in Florida, where she writes beneath palm trees and is still in love with the idea of magic and happily-ever-after. She is the author of Saving Beck.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Have a day filled with beautiful words! Berit☀️✨

Saving Beck by Courtney Cole @InkSlingerPR @Court_Writes #ExcerptReveal

Thrilled to bring you an excerpt from a book I am looking forward to reading! Enjoy! 😄

Reminiscent of the beloved novels by Mary Kubica and Jodi Picoult comes a chilling portrayal of a son’s addiction and its harrowing effects on both him and his mother from New York Times bestselling author Courtney Cole. SAVING BECK releases July 17, 2018. Check out the sneak peek below, and pre-order your copy of SAVING BECK today!

SAVING BECK Synopsis:

There comes a time when offering your life for your child’s doesn’t work, when you realize that it’ll never be enough.

The cold needle in his warm vein was a welcome comfort to my son at first. But then it became the monster that kept us apart.

Heroin lied, and my son believed. It took him to a world where the last year didn’t happen, to a place where his father was still alive. What Beck didn’t understand was that it couldn’t bring his father back from the dead. It couldn’t take away his pain, not permanently.

You think it can’t happen to you, that your kids, your family, will never be in this situation.
I thought that too. But you’re wrong.

Step into our world, and see for yourself.
Watch my golden boy become a slave to this raging epidemic. Watch me try and save him.

Drug addiction comes with a price.
Trust me, you’re not equipped to pay it.

Don’t miss this heart wrenching, evocative, yet hopeful novel—it will leave you forever changed.

Pre-order SAVING BECK here!

Amazon Hardcover | Kindle | Nook | Barnes & Noble Hardcover

iBooks | B-A-M | Kobo | IndieBound | Audible

EXCERPT:

The hospital is a beacon of light and hope as we pull in. I barely remember to put my car in park before I jump out and I leave it in the middle of the lane, the tires wrenched haphazardly toward the curb.

“Ma’am, you can’t park there,” a guy in a security uniform says with his fake badge, but I don’t answer. I toss him my keys and push my way to the doors, and that’s when I see him.

My son.

They’ve pulled him out of the ambulance, and he’s so still, so white. He’s got the body of a man and the face of a boy, and he’s got vomit in his hair. One hand dangles over the edge of the gurney, orange flecks dripping from his fingers to the floor, but no one notices, no one cares.

“Beck,” I breathe, and he doesn’t open his eyes. “Beck,” I say louder, as loud as I can. His mouth is slack, but he’s not dead, he can’t be dead because someone is pumping his heart with her fist. She’s running next to the gurney, and she’s pounding on his heart, making it beat.

“Coming through,” she yells at the doors, and there is a team of people working on him. They’re frantic, and that’s not good.

I chase after them, through the emergency room, through the people, but someone grabs me at a giant set of double-doors, the gateway to the important rooms.

“You can’t go in there,” a nurse tells me.

“That’s my son,” I try to tell her, but she doesn’t care. “Beck,” I scream, and I try to see through the windows, but I can’t because he’s gone. “I love you, Beck. Stay here. Stay here.”

The nurse grasps my arm, and I can’t stand anymore. My legs are tired and the adrenaline… it numbs me. I collapse beside her and she tries to hold me up, but she can’t… I’m on the ground.

My face is wet, when did I start crying?

“You have to save my son,” I beg her, my fingers curled into her arm. I stare into her eyes. Hers are green, ringed with blue, and she looks away. Something about her seems so familiar, something about those eyes.

“We’ll try, ma’am,” she says uncertainly. It’s the uncertainty that kills me. “We’ll do everything we can. I’m going to take you to a quiet room, and give you a blanket. Is there anyone I can call for you?”

I shake my head. “No. I already called my sister.”

“Okay,” the nurse says quietly and her name tag says Jessica. She takes me to a waiting room, a quiet private one, the ones they use when the outcome might not be good. I know that because I’ve been here before.

I swallow hard and she puts a cup of coffee in my hand.

As she does, she pushes a stray hair out of her face and her bracelet catches my eye. A simple chain with a silver dolphin on it. I’ve seen it before.

“You were here the night my husband was brought in,” I realize slowly. “Weren’t you? Do you remember me?”

It was a year ago. A year, two months… I check my watch… six days and twenty-two hours ago. Of course she doesn’t remember me.

But Jessica nods.

“I’m so sorry about your husband,” she tells me now, her voice quiet and thick. “I swear to you, we did everything we could.”

“I know,” I tell her. Because I do. The accident was so bad, there’s no way anyone could’ve survived. Except for Beck. He lived. But Matt...his injuries were insurmountable. That’s what the doctor told me that night.

I stare at the door, and this is the same room and that is the same door, and this is the same blue-tiled floor. For a minute, I’m back in that moment, and the doctor is coming in. I’d waited for hours and his face was so grave and I knew, I knew, before he could utter a word.

I shook my head because I didn’t want to hear what was coming next, but he spoke anyway.

Matt’s injuries were insurmountable, he’d said. We did everything we could.

But everything wasn’t enough, and my husband died.

“Is it a different doctor tonight?” I ask suddenly. “I need a different doctor. One who can save my son.”

I know it’s illogical. I know it was never the doctor’s fault, but it doesn’t matter because Jessica is nodding. “It’s a different doctor tonight,” she tells me. “Dr. Grant, and he’s very, very good.”

“Okay,” I whisper. “Okay.”

“If you need anything, you tell me,” Jessica says and I can see that she means it. She likes me. Or she feels sorry for me. It doesn’t matter which. I nod and she’s gone, and I’m alone.

Just like I was a year ago, and just like that night all I can do is pace.

I’m a caged mama wolf and there’s nothing I can do, but I know that if I stop moving, Beck might die. My energy is attached to his energy. I have to move. It all depends on me.

So I walk in circles.

I walk six paces, over the six white tiles, then I turn, taking three steps over the blue. I tread back six paces over the white, and then turn again, taking three more over the blue.

I will not stop, Beck. I won’t fail you. I won’t.

It becomes rhythmic, and I match my breaths with my steps. I’m a machine, a time-keeper, a being made of clock-work as I walk in circles, marking time. Every step I take, Beck is still alive. I feel it in my heart. It’s all up to me.

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

About Courtney Cole:

Courtney Cole grew up in rural Kansas and now lives with her husband and kids in Florida, where she writes beneath palm trees and is still in love with the idea of magic and happily-ever-after. She is the author of Saving Beck.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Folsom by Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster #ExcerptReveal @WillowAster @DarkMarkTarryn #ComingSoon

We are so excited to share an excerpt and teaser for Folsom by writing duo Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster coming on May 29th!

Excerpt from FOLSOM:

I stop dead in my tracks. There’s someone else in here. At first I see only boots, large boots, too big for a woman. He hears me come in and perches forward on the sink to peer around the corner.

“You can’t read or you don’t care?” he asks.

At first I’m too shocked to know what he’s talking about, then I remember the Out of Order sign on the door.

“I can’t read,” I say. “I’m just another stupid woman trying to have a baby.”

He laughs. It bounces across the bathroom walls and hits me in the chest.

“Well, at least you have a sense of humor, stupid woman.”

I’m witnessing the very serious and stern Folsom Donahue laughing. I stand there staring at him, not knowing what to do.

And then I ask. “Are you hiding, too?”

“In plain sight,” he says. “Who are you hiding from?”

“Everyone.”

“How’s that working out for you?”

I eye his casual stance, the large hands resting behind him on the sink, the crossed ankles. “Not well, since you’re here.”

He laughs again, this time just a slow rumble while he watches my face.

“I have to go,” he says, pushing away from the counter. He walks toward me and my heart races. I’ve never been this close to a man. He’s just trying to get to the door, I tell myself. But, then he stops so he’s towering over me. I have to bend my head back to see his face.

“Have a good night,” he says. And I learn for the first time what a smirk is. Full lips … teasing … I blink at him, my lips parting to answer, but then he’s gone and I’m not even sure it really happened.

Synopsis for FOLSOM:

The nation as we know it is a thing of the past.

With the male species on the verge of extinction, a society called the End Men is formed to save the world. Folsom Donahue is one of twelve men whose sole purpose is to repopulate the Regions. The endless days spent having sex with strangers leaves Folsom with an emptiness no amount of women, money, or status can fill.

Until Gwen.

Gwen has wanted a child for as long as she can remember, but when she finally gets a chance to have her own, she uncovers a long hidden truth. The injustice she sees moves her to help save the men whom no one else believes need saving.

A forbidden love, grown in a time of despair, ignites a revolution.

Folsom and Gwen, torn between their love for each other and their sense of duty, must make a choice. But some will stop at nothing to destroy them.

Folsom is book one of the End of Men series.

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39934742-folsom

Spotify:

The End Men: Folsom

https://open.spotify.com/user/1226318453/playlist/0nD2lFQEfKiF1rWkdbNezi

Tarryn Fisher’s Links:

Tarryn Fisher is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of nine novels. Born a sun hater, she currently makes her home in Seattle, Washington with her children, husband, and psychotic husky. Tarryn writes about villains.

Website:

www.tarrynfisher.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/authortarrynfisher

Instagram:

https://instagram.com/tarrynfisher/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Tarryn__Fisher

Willow Aster’s links:

Willow Aster is the author of True Love Story, In the Fields, Maybe Maby, Fade to Red, and Lilith. Willow loves nothing more than writing the day away—anywhere will do. Her husband and two children graciously put up with her endless daydreaming and make fun of her for reading while cooking.

Website: www.willowaster.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/willowasterauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WillowAster

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willowaster1/

Folsom by Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster #ExcerptReveal @DarkMarkTarryn @WillowAster #endofmen #fisherandaster #riseofthewomen #folsom

We are super excited, and very proud to bring you a little snippet of the bound-to-be-brilliant new book from Tarryn Fisher and Willow Aster.

Get it added to your TBR, it’s going to be massive, this will be like The Wicked Witch and the Good Fairy wrote a book together 😂

#WhoWonTheWorldGirls

FOLSOM

Release Date:

May 29, 2018

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39934742-folsom

Synopsis for FOLSOM:

The nation as we know it is a thing of the past.

With the male species on the verge of extinction, a society called the End Men is formed to save the world. Folsom Donahue is one of twelve men whose sole purpose is to repopulate the Regions. The endless days spent having sex with strangers leaves Folsom with an emptiness no amount of women, money, or status can fill.

Until Gwen.

Gwen has wanted a child for as long as she can remember, but when she finally gets a chance to have her own, she uncovers a long hidden truth. The injustice she sees moves her to help save the men whom no one else believes need saving.

A forbidden love, grown in a time of despair, ignites a revolution.

Folsom and Gwen, torn between their love for each other and their sense of duty, must make a choice. But some will stop at nothing to destroy them.

Folsom is book one of the End of Men series.

Father Figure by James J. Cudney IV #BookBlitz @jamescudney4 @shanannigans81

Father Figure

Publication Date: April 2, 2018

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/ Drama

Between the fast-paced New York City, a rural Mississippi town, and a charming Pennsylvania college campus filled with secrets, two young girls learn the consequences of growing up too quickly. Struggling to survive in a claustrophobic, unforgiving world, they embark on a journey to overcome all the pain, disappointment, and horror of their experiences.

Amalia Graeme, abused by her mother for most of her life, longs to escape her desolate hometown, connect with others, and fall in love. Contemplating an impending loss of innocence and conflicting feelings between her boyfriend and the dangerous attraction she’s developed for an older man, Amalia suffers devastating, life-altering tragedies. No matter where she turns, someone or something always steals her hope of finding happiness, protection, and love.

Brianna Porter, a sassy yet angst-ridden teenager raised in New York City, yearns to determine her life’s true purpose, conquer her fear of abandonment, and interpret an intimidating desire for her best friend, Shanelle. All the confusion stems from desperately needing to find the father whom her mother refuses to reveal, but an unexpected discovery of a journal leads Brianna to a shocking revelation about her missing parent. Unfortunately, by casting the net to find him, she’s unleashed a tragic history that was meant to stay buried and might now completely change everyone’s futures.

Through alternating chapters set two decades apart, each girl’s plight unfolds revealing the parallels between their lives and the subsequent collision that is bound to happen. In an emotional story filled with mystery, romance, and suspense, fate intervenes forcing someone to make a dreadful decision that will leave permanent scars.

Add to Goodreads

Excerpt

The Red Blouse

The red sweater is something important to Amalia, but she loses it when her mother takes another swing to knock down her daughter. This shows how awful Janet can truly be. Red becomes a theme in the book and aligns with the color of the cabin on the cover – James J. Cudney

Amalia grabbed her bag and keys shuffling everything together to leave with her mother. In her rush, she dropped the bag to the floor. The red blouse spilled from its only protection unaware of the trouble its presence would generate. It was the only article of clothing Amalia owned that made her feel special, nor did it try to hide her body from the rest of the world.

“What is that doing here? I told you to get rid of it yesterday morning.” The room grew a few degrees cooler as Janet’s icy expression penetrated the surface of Amalia’s waning facade.

“I… I just… forgot it was… in my bag when I brought it here today,” stammered Amalia.

“Give it here.”

“No, Momma. I’m bringing it home.”

“Someday, you’ll understand, girl.” Janet refocused her triumphant gaze from Amalia to her husband. “Have you got a pair of scissors in this store, Peter?”

Amalia closed her eyes and pictured what could have been if she’d met Bryan at the lake. She chastised herself for foolishly letting down her guard imagining the possibility of something positive happening in Brant. It was merely another one of her nightmares masquerading as a silly little girl’s daydream. Fighting back was a lost cause, and so was her blouse. Amalia grabbed the scissors from the rusty mason jar and walked with unparalleled defeat toward her mother.

“Stay right there, child. I’m not gonna be the one to destroy it. Give those scissors to your father.”

Peter’s deep-set eyes grew wide with disbelief despite remaining glued to a pile of dirt in the corner. “Janet, let her keep the shirt, please. She’s not going to wear it anywhere.”

“Cut it up now, Peter. The girl needs to learn another lesson. Apparently, so do you.” Janet banged her fist against the nearest wall rattling the pipes. “Make it quick. Greg will be ready for dinner in three hours.”

As the harassment in Janet’s voice punched holes in his body, Peter’s courage went limp with burden. His shaky fingers, normally quite firm and adept from building his model trains and boats, slid into the scissors. Amalia turned away at the nagging graze of one blade against the other, grateful when the fabric muffled the awful scrape of her last hopes being dashed away for the summer. “I love you, Daddy,” she mouthed to his despondent eyes and walked behind her mother to the car praying for silence on the ride home.

Purchase Now

Amazon | Creativia

About the Author

James is my given name; most call me Jay. I grew up on Long Island and currently live in New York City, but I’ve traveled all across the US (and various parts of the world). After college, I spent 15 years working in technology and business operations in the sports, entertainment and media industries. Although I enjoyed my job, I left in 2016 to focus on my passion: telling stories and connecting people through words. My debut novel is ‘Watching Glass Shatter,’ a contemporary fiction family drama with elements of mystery, suspense, humor and romance. To see samples or receive news from my current and upcoming books, please subscribe with your email address at my website: https://jamesjcudney.com

What do I do outside of writing: I’m an avid genealogist (discovered 2K family members going back about 250 years) and cook (I find it so hard to follow a recipe). I love to read; between Goodreads and my blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, I have over 500 book reviews which will give you a full flavor for my voice and style. On my blog, I started the 365 Daily Challenge, where I post a word each day that has some meaning to me, then converse with everyone about life. There is humor, tears, love, friendship, advice and bloopers. Lots of bloopers where I poke fun at myself all the time. Even my dog has a weekly segment called “Ryder’s Rants” where he complains about me. All these things make up who I am; none of them are very fancy or magnanimous, but they are real and show how I live every day.

A bit of humor: Everything doubles as something else when you live in NYC. For me, it’s the dining room, my favorite space in the apartment, where more than just my cooking is on display! As I look out the windows onto a 12th floor terrace, various parts of nature (trees, bushes, flowers, bugs & animals) inspire me to write. Ryder, my 10-year old shiba inu, usually lays on my feet, growling when I shift positions too many times or when I forget to share my food! Although he’s only 20 pounds, he’s quite strong and pushy. But how else can you pen the best story possible without these things by your side?

James J. Cudney| Blog | Amazon | Twitter 

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Giveaway!!!

Father Figure will be available FREE from 5/6 thru 5/10! Don’t miss out on this opportunity! Also, if you haven’t read James’ fantastic debut novel, Watching Glass Shatter, pick it up on sale for only $0.99 on Amazon from 5/6 thru 5/10!!!

You can also try to win a digital copy of “Father Figure” early during the book blitz!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized By:

R&R Book Tours

Melt For You by J.T. Geissinger #Teaser. @JTGeissinger

 Are you ready for MELT FOR YOU by J.T. Geissinger? Trust us, you want to meet Cameron McGregor. Preorder your copy now and get your hands on him when MELT FOR YOU publishes May 15th!

 About MELT FOR YOU

A wallflower gets seduction tips from a playboy athlete—until love changes the rules.

Socially awkward Joellen Bixby has a date every Saturday—with her cat, a pint of ice cream, and fantasies of the way-too-handsome Michael Maddox. She’d give anything to win over the unattainable CEO of her firm, but how can she when she blends in so well with her cubicle? The answer may be closer than she thinks.

Cameron McGregor is a cocky, tattooed Scottish rugby captain who just moved in next door. He’s not Jo’s type—at all—but the notorious playboy is offering to teach the wallflower everything he knows about inspiring desire. Though a lot of women have rumpled Cam’s kilt, Jo is special. Far from the ugly duckling she thinks she is, in Cam’s eyes she’s sharp, funny, and effortlessly sexy. Now, thanks to him, Jo is blooming with confidence and has the man of her dreams within reach.

Unfortunately for Cam, he’s just helped to push the woman of his dreams into the arms of another man—and now he’s in the fight of his life to keep this beauty from getting away.

Add MELT FOR YOU to your Goodreads list here!

Preorder your copy of MELT FOR YOU now: https://amzn.to/2qBO2AM

About J.T. Geissinger

A former headhunter, J.T. Geissinger is the author of more than a dozen novels in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.

She is the recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and is a two-time finalist for the RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America®. Her work has also finaled in the Booksellers’ Best, National Readers’ Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.

Join her Facebook reader’s group, Geissinger’s Gang, to take part in weekly Wine Wednesday live chats and giveaways, find out more information about works in progress, have access to exclusive excerpts and contests, and get advance reader copies of her upcoming releases.

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