Padme's Library: 07/03/17

Monday, July 3, 2017

Monday Montage Mantlepiece: Dreams and Promises Anthology

Title: Dreams and Promises

Authors: Jacquie Biggar, Anna Markland, Reggi Allder

LizAnn Carson, Sylvie Grayson, Alice Valdal

Genre: Women's Fiction, Contemporary, Historical Romance

Release Date: July 1, 2017

Summary:

Dreams and Promises includes six short stories and novellas written by authors who live in beautiful British Columbia.

It’s our way of honoring Canada’s Sesquicentennial.

Some of Canada’s major cities were founded in the seventeenth century, but July 1st 2017 marks 150 years since our country became a Confederation.

Our stories range from the era of the fur trade, to a commercial enterprise that opened up the Canadian and American West, to present day James Bay, a thriving neighborhood in the garden city of Victoria, British Columbia.

Among our heroes are a World War One soldier suffering from amnesia, an RCAF pilot from World War Two, and a pioneer prairie farmer.

A British war bride, a suffragette and a modern-day university student are just three of our heroines.

Our stories play out in a land of infinite promise and sometimes heartbreaking challenges.

Thank you for helping us celebrate our nation’s milestone birthday.

My Baby Wrote Me A Letter by Jacquie Biggar

A family's brush with the past will threaten the fabric of their lives.

Grace Freeman is eight months pregnant, and with her navy husband away on a mission, she craves the security of her childhood home in Canada.

When she finds a letter written by her long-lost mother, it creates a tear in the foundation of those she loves.

Can Grace find a way to bring her family peace, or will a message from the past destroy their future?

Rendezvous by Anna Markland

Ian Donaldson is a gentleman clerk with the NW fur trading company in 1815. Newly arrived in Fort William from Scotland, he is immediately drawn to Nindaanis, a metis woman with an illegitimate child. When the baby’s voyageur father returns for the annual Great Rendezvous, Ian defies convention and fights for the woman he loves.

With Glowing Hearts by Reggi Allder

Would you leave everything to follow the man you love?

A Royal Canadian Air Force pilot and a British nurse meet in London during the Blitz. Can the love that blossoms between them survive the ravages of war?

Once Upon an Attic by LizAnn Carson

Kate is Jamie’s ideal woman. His meddlesome grandfather agrees. Only two problems stand in the way: Kate has uncovered Gramps’ long-hidden love story, and Gramps is… a ghost.

Prairie Storm by Sylvie Grayson

It’s 1918, and prairie farmer Shane Narraway is doing his best to help feed the Allied troops overseas. But his real goal is to marry Emily Waddell. With the war news worsening daily, his brother fighting in Europe, and the outbreak of the Spanish flu, Shane’s life is about to unfold in ways he never imagined.

When the Boys Came Home by Alice Valdal

When Dot McGuire's fiancé is reported missing during the Great War, she accepts the inevitable and builds a new life for herself. Then he comes home, suffering from amnesia. Does her future lie in the old dream, or in the changing world of the roaring twenties?

Jacquie Biggar

Jacquie Biggar is a USA Today bestselling author of Romantic Suspense who loves to write about tough, alpha males who know what they want, that is until they're gob-smacked by heroines who are strong, contemporary women willing to show them what they really need is love. She is the author of the popular Wounded Hearts series and has just started a new series in paranormal suspense, Mended Souls.

She has been blessed with a long, happy marriage and enjoys writing romance novels that end with happily-ever-afters.

Jacquie lives in paradise along the west coast of Canada with her family and loves reading, writing, and flower gardening. She swears she can't function without coffee, preferably at the beach with her sweetheart.

Free reads, excerpts, author news, and contests can be found on her website. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter or email her via her web site.

Jacquie lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and loves to hear from readers all over the world! You can join her street team on Facebook, her exclusive Review Crew or sign up for her newsletter.

Anna Markland

For this anthology Anna Markland enjoyed writing about a more “modern” era than the medieval times she normally use for her settings. Anna’s page-turning adventures have earned her a place on Amazon’s All-Star list. You can find all her books listed on her Amazon page.

Besides writing, Anna has two addictions-crosswords and genealogy, probably the reason she loves research. She’s also a fool for cats. Her husband is an entrepreneur who is fond of boasting he’s never had a job.

Anna lives on Canada’s scenic west coast now, but she was born and raised in the UK and loves breathing life into history.

Escape with Anna Markland to where romance began.

Reggi Allder

Reggi Allder writes romantic suspense including Money Power and Poison and contemporary romance including Her Country Heart, part of the Sierra Creek Series, where determined women and alpha men intersect. She relates the tension between the hero and heroine. They fight to keep their motivation when offered temptation and untenable situations. Her characters struggle to reach opposing goals while falling in love.

Reggi lives in the west with her hubby and two dogs. She enjoys long walks and always brings her camera as well as her dogs.

It makes her day when she hears from readers so drop by Facebook and say hi.

Check her out on Amazon or visit her website for recipes and excerpts.

LizAnn Carson

LizAnn Carson cheerfully conjures up her own fairy-tale life, writing stories of romance and fantasy (often with a humorous twist) from her base on beautiful Vancouver Island. In her free time, you might catch LizAnn hiking, quilting, or watching her cats sleep.

Sylvie Grayson

Sylvie Grayson loves to write about suspense, romance and attempted murder, and has published romantic suspense novels- Suspended Animation, Legal Obstruction, and The Lies He Told Me, all about strong women who meet with dangerous odds, stories of tension and attraction. She has also written The Last War series, a sci fi/fantasy adventure, the first books, Khandarken Rising, and Son of the Emperor which were released in 2015 and Truth and Treachery, Book Three was released in 2016.

She has lived in British Columbia, Canada, in spots ranging from Vancouver Island to the North Peace River and the Kootenays in the beautiful interior. She has been an English language instructor, a nightclub manager, an auto shop bookkeeper and a lawyer. She lives in southern British Columbia with her husband on a small piece of land near the Pacific Ocean.

Alice Valdal

History fascinates Alice Valdal; it’s where the best stories are found. She spends hours happily doing research for her historical novels. The first two books her Prospect series, stories set in the gold rush, originally published by Kensington Books are now available as e-books on Amazon. She is currently working on a third book for the series.

When not writing she gardens, knits, plays with the cats and does her best to avoid housework.

You can connect with her via her website, or on Facebook. She posts a weekly Blog and invites comments there, too.

Jacquie Biggar

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Anna Markland

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Pre-Order Blitz: Storm Watch by Carole Ann Moleti

Title: Storm Watch

Author: Carole Ann Moleti

Series: Unfinished Business #3

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Expected Release Date: July 19, 2017

Cover Design: Wren Taylor

Summary:
Mike and Liz thought they'd gotten control of the specters haunting the Barrett Inn. But things get very complicated when they're the ghosts from your past life. The Category Five Hurricane bearing down on Cape Cod appears to be headed directly for them--or has it been spawned from inside them? This may be their only chance to vanquish the specters--if they survive the storm.

The engine whined and strained. The boat spun in the eddy, and Liz’s knuckles went white trying to prevent the steering wheel from spinning. Sandra looked like she was going to puke. Harley looked like he wanted to jump overboard.

“Liz, move over to the next seat but keep your hands on the wheel until I get there. Sandra, you and Harley get underneath the cabin into the berths, one on each side, and keep your heads down. We’ve got to stay balanced. This is going to be a rough ride.”

Mike got his ass in the seat, turned catty corner into the waves, and gunned the engine. The Whaler, made for stability in the surf, cut through it but crashed and rocked wildly between the swells. An air horn rolled back and forth across the deck, adding the effect of a ticking clock to an already nauseating ride.

The cuddy cabin kept the worst of the spray off them, but Mike had to unzip his roof panel and stand up to see over the salt encrusted windshield. A wave lifted the entire boat out of the water.

“Hang on!” He crouched and braced for impact. I hope everyone is where they’re supposed to be or we’ll flip. His lungs were about to burst.

The door thudded from side to side in knee-deep water. The motor bobbled and threatened to stall as the propeller came out of the water. He’d been out in weather this bad, but his two-way radio had been on and someone knew where he was.

He passed the living room where the flashback of an emaciated Mary, in a hospital bed, being tended to by a hospice nurse, wiped all the good feelings away. He pushed past it, into the kitchen.

Mary stood at the stove, stirring and filling bowls with noodles and dumplings and gravy. He smelled lily of the valley, her favorite perfume. Wine-tinged bile rose into his throat. The light dimmed, and all the other voices in the room went silent as she hummed some catchy 80’s tune. The glass fell from his hand and shattered, but he didn’t hear the glass breaking or feel the blood-red wine soaking his feet.

“Dad! You okay?” Allison ran toward him.

The room brightened. “Yeah, my hands were still wet.” He eased himself down to the floor to pick up the glass shards.

“Careful, don’t cut yourself.” Mary knelt beside him. Her hair smelled like lily of the valley as it brushed his cheek.

Mike reached for her, and tumbled into the void when she vanished. He landed on the heel of his hand, miraculously avoiding the splintered glass, coughed, and shook it off. “Get me a paper towel. Damn. Waste of good wine.”

Jay stared. Dana brought a roll of paper towels.

Allison mopped up the spill. Concern etched her face. “Dad, you’re exhausted!”

His cheeks burned, and his hear raced. Mike tried to act nonchalant and hauled himself up. “Yeah, I’m tired. And hungry. Let’s eat.”

Breakwater Beach #1
Summary:
Liz Levine is convinced her recently deceased husband is engineering the sequence of events that propels her into a new life. But it’s sea captain Edward Barrett, the husband that died over a century ago, who has returned to complete their unfinished business. Edward’s lingering presence complicates all her plans and jeopardizes a new relationship that reawakens her passion for life and love. What are Captain Barrett’s plans for his wife, and for the man who is the new object of her affections?

The Widow's Walk #2
Summary:
Mike and Liz Keeny are newlyweds, new parents, and the proprietors of the Barrett Inn, an 1875 Victorian on Cape Cod, which just happens to be haunted— by their own ghosts from past lives. The Barrett Inn had become an annex of Purgatory, putting Liz and their infant son in danger. Selling the historic seaside bed and breakfast was the only answer, one that Liz and her own tortured specter refused to consider. Were Mike and Liz doomed to follow the same path that led to disaster in their previous lives? Was getting out, getting away, enough?

Author Bio:

Carole Ann Moleti lives and works as a nurse-midwife in New York City, thus explaining her fascination with all things paranormal, urban fantasy, and space opera. Her nonfiction focuses on health care, politics, and women's issues. But her first love is writing science fiction and fantasy because walking through walls is less painful than running into them.

Books One and Two in the Unfinished Business series, Carole's Cape Cod paranormal romance novels, Breakwater Beach and The Widow's Walk, were published by Soulmate. Book Three, Storm Watch, is due out June 28,2017.

Urban fantasies set in the world of Carole's novels have been featured in Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts, Seers: Ten Tales of Clairvoyance, Beltane: Ten Tales of Witchcraft, and Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires.

Carole also writes nonfiction that ranges from sweet and sentimental in This Path and Thanksgiving to Christmas to edgy and irreverent in the Not Your Mother's Books: On Being a Mother and On Being a Parent.

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Storm Watch #3

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Breakwater Beach #1

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The Widow's Walk #2

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Cover Reveal: Condemned Part 2 by Samyah Leighton

Title: Condemned Pt 2

Author: Samyah Leighton

Series: Redemption #4

Genre: Erotic Romance Suspense

Expected Release Date: August 15, 2017

Summary:

Innocent until proven guilty… Or guilty until proven innocent?

Jackson and Skylar have their backs against the wall. They’re facing down a vengeful ex, a bias cop, a corrupt CPS Agency and a judge who is threatening to throw Jackson back in jail. The only way out of this mess for the couple depends upon the success of the sting operation the police have set up to catch the crooked social worker and attorney.

They have one shot to get the evidence they need to prove Jackson’s innocence to the judge presiding over their custody case. So much is riding on this one event. If everything goes as planned Jackson will be free from prosecution and they will get Sutton back. However, should they fail, Skylar and Jackson may lose Sutton for the next three years.

What does fate have in store for the three of them? Will Sutton be returned to her parents? Can Jackson and Skylar’s marriage survive this storm? And will Jackson ever be vindicated to the public or will he forever be fighting to clear his name?

🙊 🙉 🙈Contains: sex, strong language and violence🙈 🙉 🙊

His back is to me and he’s naked from the waist up. He’s wearing a pair of black Nike joggers and running shoes. Sweat is running down his back and one hand is resting on his hip. “I can’t believe they are going to fucking do this to me.” He must sense I’m here because he spins around in my direction.

His features are morphed into an angry scowl and it only gets worse when he sees me. Now I’m concerned. Who’s he on the phone with? I watch as he forces himself to relax. He did that for my benefit. “I know,” he says into the phone. “Just do what you can to save the rest.” Ending the call, he puts his phone in his pocket. He doesn’t come closer to me or even speak. A huge valley has opened between us and I’m not sure how to close it. At the moment, I don’t believe there’s any way I can. He stares grows unbearable and it makes me nervous. It’s like he’s contemplating his life. Contemplating his relationship with me.

“Who was that?” I ask timidly. Jackson doesn’t answer me right away. He just keeps staring.

Finally, he says, “My agent.”

“And?”

The muscles in his jaws flex. “And I’ve been dropped from some of my endorsements,” he says, pocketing his hands. Shit. That’s not good. This is what I feared. His reputation is suffering. And now, so is his career.

“Which ones?” He looks down at his feet and rubs the tip of one of his shoes into the carpet.

“Gatorade, Nike and Calvin Klein.”

I gasp. Those are huge endorsements for him. This is so unfair. He shouldn’t lose what he’s worked so hard for because of me. “What about your sportswear and shoe line?”

“They got canceled with the Nike deal.”

“How can they do that?”

He looks up at me, his eyes so cold. “Because of the morals clause in my contracts. I have to represent myself at all times in a manner befitting of these companies.”

“Then let’s set the record straight,” I say.

Frowning he ask, “What are you talking about?”

“Doing an interview.” Jackson immediately starts shaking his head before I even finish my proposal.

“No. Out of the question. I already told Katrina, my publicist, that I won’t do any interviews. She’s looking for other ways to fix my image.”

I sigh, exasperated. He’s in one of his stubborn moods and there’ll probably be no changing his mind but I have to try. “Maybe the public will move on. But what about your career? Do you never intend to work again? Are you really going to be okay with being a pariah like O. J. was?”

Author Bio:

Samyah Leighton is a loving wife and mother of four. She's always had a passion for writing and storytelling. She loves to read. Romance and erotica are her favorites genre. Samyah loves all kinds of animals and movies and music. She loves to cook and bake and window shop. She finds beauty in all types of love. For the most part Samyah enjoys the simple things in life.