': April 2020

Thursday, April 30, 2020

The Institute by Dani René, Anna Edwards, Murphy Wallace, India R. Adams, Jennifer Bene, Sian Claven Release blitz @EJBookPromo @TTCBooksandmore

Title: The Institute

Authors: Dani René, Anna Edwards, Murphy Wallace, India R. Adams, Jennifer Bene, Sian Claven

Genre: Dark Romance

Release Date: April 30, 2020

Serenity is an illusion

Dear Reader,

I trust this letter finds you well.

It is with the utmost concern that we invite you to join us at the infamous Serenity Institute. You’ll be able to observe the goings on of the asylum, meet the patients and the doctors. We do however ask that you please be quiet. Do not interact with the patients, and respect the special treatments our doctors administer.

This is where nightmares come alive.

A home for the shattered psyche of its patients.

Hope is lost when they cross the threshold.

The deranged. The demented. The unstable.

Six stories, six authors, non-stop madness.

Kind regards,

The Authors

Dani René, Anna Edwards, Murphy Wallace, India R. Adams, Jennifer Bene, Sian Claven

HOSTED BY:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Follow the blogs Facebook page >>HERE<< to keep track of all posts, including those that might include a giveaway. You can also click on the giveaway tab above.

THE SWEENEY SISTERS by Lian Dolan Blog Tour with Guest post & #giveaway @JeanBookNerd @liandolan @TTCBooksandmore

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: William Morrow (April 28, 2020)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0062909045

ISBN-13: 978-0062909046

Praise for THE SWEENEY SISTERS

"This is a big-hearted belly-laugh of a book, told with wit and poignancy. Family secrets, laughter and tears, shocking reveals, and an uplifting ending make this a story to savor--and share." —Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author of The Oysterville Sewing Circle

"Dolan uses her experience in podcasting with her own sisters to craft believable women characters who worry about real problems and use wry humor to push through dark moments . . . . A warmhearted portrait of love embracing true hearts." —Kirkus

An accomplished storyteller returns with her biggest, boldest, most entertaining novel yet—a hilarious, heartfelt story about books, love, sisterhood, and the surprises we discover in our DNA that combines the wit of Jonathan Tropper with the heart of Susan Wiggs.

Maggie, Eliza, and Tricia Sweeney grew up as a happy threesome in the idyllic seaside town of Southport, Connecticut. But their mother’s death from cancer fifteen years ago tarnished their golden-hued memories, and the sisters drifted apart. Their one touchstone is their father, Bill Sweeney, an internationally famous literary lion and college professor universally adored by critics, publishers, and book lovers. When Bill dies unexpectedly one cool June night, his shell-shocked daughters return to their childhood home. They aren’t quite sure what the future holds without their larger-than-life father, but they do know how to throw an Irish wake to honor a man of his stature.

But as guests pay their respects and reminisce, one stranger, emboldened by whiskey, has crashed the party. It turns out that she too is a Sweeney sister.

When Washington, DC based journalist Serena Tucker had her DNA tested on a whim a few weeks earlier, she learned she had a 50% genetic match with a childhood neighbor—Maggie Sweeney of Southport, Connecticut. It seems Serena’s chilly WASP mother, Birdie, had a history with Bill Sweeney—one that has remained totally secret until now.

Once the shock wears off, questions abound. What does this mean for William’s literary legacy? Where is the unfinished memoir he’s stashed away, and what will it reveal? And how will a fourth Sweeney sister—a blond among redheads—fit into their story?

By turns revealing, insightful, and uproarious, The Sweeney Sisters is equal parts cautionary tale and celebration—a festive and heartfelt look at what truly makes a family.

You can purchase The Sweeney Sisters at the following Retailers:

Ten facts about THE SWEENEY SISTERS

It’s not a true story, but it was inspired by Facebook post about a newly discovered sibling, thanks to an over-the-counter DNA test.
The Sweeney Sisters are not the Dolan sisters…
… but we did grow up in Southport, CT where the book is set. Real locations, but not real people, are sprinkled throughout the book.
Bill Sweeney was inspired by Robert Ludlum, the famous thriller writer, who lived nearby and walked on Southport Beach in black socks and sandals. Also, I once saw Kurt Vonnegut in the grocery store parking lot and I never forgot that moment. Writers used to be rock stars.
Like the Sweeney sisters, I had (unrequited) crushes on my tennis teacher, my sailing instructor and the lifeguard at the beach. Rite of passage.
The house on Willow Lane was inspired by a real house where my best friend lived. A big, beautiful rambling house with a rolling lawn down to the water and a trampoline where we bounced for hours. At some point in the last decade, it was torn-down and now a mega-mansion with high walls and security cameras sit on the property.
Dogs in Southport used to be able to roam the streets off leash. It was glorious. Our black lab Tor spent most days making the rounds from the firehouse to the butcher to the nice older lady who lived in the new condos. We only found out about his route after he died and people came to pay respects. I knew the book needed dogs.
Sisters are never a monolithic block. Just because you have the same parents doesn’t mean you have the same lives.
There is always one family member that is assigned wine or chocolate at Thanksgiving because they can’t cook. My sister Liz is that person in our family.
A sister can be your best friend and your worst roommate at the same time.

Photo Content from Lian Dolan

Lian Dolan is a writer and talker. She’s the author of two Los Angeles Times best-selling novels, Helen of Pasadena and Elizabeth the First Wife published by Prospect Park Books. Her next novel, The Sweeney Sisters, will be published in 2020 by William Morrow. She’s a regular humor columnist for Pasadena Magazine and has previously written monthly columns for O, The Oprah Magazine and Working Mother Magazine. She’s also written for TV, radio and websites.

Lian is the producer and host of Satellite Sisters, the award-winning talk show she created with her four real sisters. On Satellite Sisters, she’s interviewed everyone from Nora Ephron to Madeleine Albright to Big Bird. Satellite Sisters began life as a syndicated radio show and is now a top-rated podcast for women. The recent book by the Satellite Sisters, You’re the Best: A Celebration of Friendship, is popular with book clubs.

A popular speaker who combines humor and heart, Lian has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS Sunday Morning and The Today Show and many local TV stations. She’s been a featured speaker at the LA Times Festival of Books, the Santa Barbara Celebrity Authors Lunch, the Literary Guild of Orange County Festival of Women Authors and dozens of other events at libraries, book stores, schools and women’s organizations across the country. In 2020, she’ll be on the faculty of the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop.

Lian graduated from Pomona College with a degree in Classics. She lives in Pasadena, California with her husband, two sons and a big German shepherd.

WEBSITE: https://www.liandolan.com/

TWITTER: @liandolan
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/258052.Lian_Dolan

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/liandolanauthor/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/liandolan/

WEEK ONE - INTERVIEWS AND EXCERPT

APRIL 27th MONDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW

APRIL 28th TUESDAY Casia's Corner EXCERPT

APRIL 29th WEDNESDAY BookHounds INTERVIEW

APRIL 30th THURSDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW

APRIL 30th THURSDAY TTC Books and More GUEST POST

MAY 1st FRIDAY Books and Zebras REVIEW

MAY 1st FRIDAY Two Points of Interest REVIEW

WEEK TWO - REVIEWS

MAY 4th MONDAY Nay's Pink Bookshelf REVIEW

MAY 5th TUESDAY Ya It's Lit REVIEW

MAY 6th WEDNESDAY Gwendalyn's Books REVIEW

MAY 6th WEDNESDAY Insane About Books REVIEW

MAY 7th THURSDAY Book Queen Reviews REVIEW

MAY 7th THURSDAY Reading Adventures of a Book Dragon REVIEW

MAY 8th FRIDAY Movies, Shows, & Books REVIEW

*JBN is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Nerdy Mail Box*

--Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

- 5 Winners will receive a Copy of THE SWEENEY SISTERS by Lian Dolan.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Cat's Audio Review of Leap Of Faith Written by Nell Castle Narrated by Linda Stutsman @TTCBooksandmore

A Leap of Faith

By: Nell Castle

Narrated by: Linda Stutsman

Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 11-14-17

Language: English

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Whispersync for Voice-ready

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

At her core, merchandising maven Sophia Anton is an old-fashioned girl. To start a family by age 30, she'll do what’s needed to make sparks fly with an old friend - including a crash diet. But when Sophia meets Jackson Thomas, the handsome new minister in town, she quickly finds she’s playing with fire. Sophia's new look is working like a charm to snag the man of her dreams, so why is it Jackson's face she sees when she closes her eyes?

Jackson, whose troubled past has led him to adopt a life of celibacy, never expects to feel hot under the collar for a woman of his own parish. How can Jackson dream of a future with Sophia after he's shut the door on love?

Buy Links: Publisher Audible Amazon

Cat gives this one 5 Meows Overall with a 0 Purr heat index...

I picked this up because it sounded like a nice romance with lots of feels. I was right, but...I got a lot more too!

Sophia is approaching thirty and wants to be married and have children. She has been in love with her friend Christopher a ballet dancer that has a thing for skinny women. She is far from skinny o is going on a crash diet to win him over.

Her friend Kate volunteers Sophia to do sausages for the church festival and she meets the new minister Jackson. Jackson starts getting Sophia to help him with things around the church like dinners for a dying man and his wife ( this is so sweetly sad a scene) Rescuing a homeless woman and friending her ( this wone is twisted and sad but happy too) and so on. Things happen that push her and Jackson apart. I was looking for a typical romance and I thought I had it all figured out then BOOM was I taken for a surprise ride! And not only once. My mouth hung open when Sophia comes back to town and finds out some things about Jackson But maybe....that is for another twist.

So this story is quite amazing, with lots of twists and turns and you don't want to put it down. All of the characters are well developed and full of personality and lend something to the story.

I listened on audio and the narration was Ok. It had a tinny quality of sound and the narrator paused for breath a bit but all in all, it was quite good and I think fit the story well.

Nell writes contemporary romances about complex women and the men who can't resist them. Her sweet but sexy stories feature everyday people overcoming modern obstacles to love. A mother of three, happily married for more than twenty years, Nell believes every person deserves to be the protagonist of a great love story. She spends quiet mornings walking her dogs and working out details of her novels, and afternoons in private practice as a reading instructor for children with dyslexia.

Goodreads:

Follow the blogs Facebook page >>HERE<< to keep track of all posts, including those that might include a giveaway!

Cat's Review of Wholehearted (Hope Cove) by Cate Ashwood @cateashwood @TTCBooksandmore

One call changed my life forever.

A regular day turned everything upside down when dispatch sent me to the docks. It was there I found Lucas Hale, barely alive after being beaten and tossed off his fishing boat. The moment I lay eyes on him, I feel it in my bones that he’s mine to protect, so flying in the face of common sense, I offer to help him back to his feet after he’s discharged from the hospital.

Lucas is distant and detached, yet irresistible, and as my investigation continues, I skate dangerously close to crossing a moral line. But stepping over that line would topple my tidy life, and once that boundary is crossed, I will be forced to choose between Lucas and the law.

Buy Links: Amazon US Amazon UK

Cat gives this one 3 Meows with a 4 Purr heat index...

This is book two in the Hope Cove series and you do not have to read in order, though we did meet Declan in book one and Oliver and Mack and a few others make an appearance in this book, so reading the first you would know the other characters and a bit more history of the town itself.

I did not enjoy this book near as much as the first. I was disappointed because I really wanted Declan's story that was hinted at in book one and I kinda liked Declan from that book too. I felt this story fell a little short. The blurb really got my attention and the first few chapters as well as I rooted for Lucas to come to and find out his story. I didn't mind the instant attraction and insta-love in this story but I sure was hoping for more story to make it worth it. There is a lot of sex and I mean a lot. Don't get me wrong I like hot sex but really, this guy just got out of the hospital from near death. I would have liked a little less sex and more story in this book. I just felt the sex overshadowed what could have been a good story if there had been some conflict or danger involved. And the end disappointed me as well, it just sorta stopped. I would have liked a bit more story and closure plus I wasn't happy with the closure on Lucas either (cannot say more because I don't want to leave spoilers)

Having said this. the story is okay and a good romance. If you like a lot of hot sex, insta-love, men in uniform, lots of emotion and a decent romance then you may like this. Don't get me wrong, I did like the story, I just expected more since the first was so good.

Cate discovered her love for books of all kinds early on, but romance is where her heart truly lies. She is addicted to the happily ever afters and the journey the characters take to get there. Currently residing in White Rock, B.C, Cate loves living just a stone's throw from the ocean. When she's not writing, she can be found consuming coffee at an alarming rate while wrangling her children, her husband, and their two cats.

Website

Twitter @cateashwood

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Follow the blogs Facebook page >>HERE<< to keep track of all posts, including those that might include a giveaway. You can also click on the giveaway tab above.

Monday, April 27, 2020

One Last Time by H. D'Agostino Cover Reveal @EJBookPromo @hdagostino001 @TTCBooksandmore

Title: One Last Time

Author: H. D'Agostino

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: May 12, 2020

Cover Design: Pink Ink Designs Cover Model: Tyler Caussey Fitness Photography: FuriousFotog

I fell in love at seventeen with a girl I thought would someday be my forever. We made plans, only hers didn’t include me. I didn’t think walking away from us would be so easy for her, but it was.

Now she’s back. The problem… I’m still in love with her, and I’m going to prove that we were meant to be if it’s the last thing I do.

Heather D'Agostino is an avid reader turned Bestselling Author of the Contemporary Romance Series The Broken Series, The Shattered Series, The Second Chances Series, The Cook Brothers Series, and Romantic Suspense series The Witness Series. She attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she received a Bachelor's of Arts in Elementary Education with a minor in Mathematics.

She currently lives in Central New York with her husband, two children, two dogs, and three cats. When she's not writing she can usually be found at the dance studio, soccer field, or one of the many other places that she plays 'Supermom'.

HOSTED BY:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Follow the blogs Facebook page >>HERE<< to keep track of all posts, including those that might include a giveaway. You can also click on the giveaway tab above.

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Cat's Review of Brokenhearted (Hope Cove book 1) by Cate Ashwood @cateashwood @TTCBooksandmore

Oliver Parrish has been alone in the world since he was born. So when Sheriff Owen “Mack” Macklin shows up on his doorstep to deliver the news that Oliver’s sister has died, he’s beyond surprised. Still, Oliver returns with Mack to Hope Cove, Maine, hoping to get to know the sister he never knew he had. As he tries to snap these new elements into his solitary life, he’s not sure how they might fit.

His life is shaken up further as he falls in love with the irresistible town of Hope Cove, and with Mack, its equally irresistible sheriff. But when he receives devastating news about his sister's cause of death, Oliver doesn't know whether to stay and fight for love and a good life, or cut his losses and run.

Buy Links: Amazon US Amazon UK

Cat gives this one 4 Meows with a 3 Purr heat index...

I am going to admit I am a sucker for gay for you romance and you just cannot find many good ones. Throw in a hot Sherriff that is straight, A chef that is out and proud and a sad story that brings them together…swoon city. Both characters are very likeable, as are many of the others in the book. The storyline is a bit angsty and sad, (you may need a tissue or two but no real ugly cry) But the ending is a HEA. Now I am ready for the next story!

So, you are wondering why the 4 stars? There was one plot point that I felt needed a bit more research, but I cannot say without spoilers. (I know it needed more research because my grandson has the same issues and one thing that happened was a bit exaggerated (I’m not saying it couldn't happen this way, just it never affects my grandson in quite that bad... he's never been hospitalized for an episode) but it did bring the characters together and hey its fiction so I suspended my reality and rolled with it.

Website Twitter @cateashwood

Follow the blogs Facebook page >>HERE<< to keep track of all posts, including those that might include a giveaway!