#SaturdaySpotlight is on @JoRichardson & Blind Spot!

Good Morning and Welcome!

Back in 2021 we featured this book by Jo Richardson but since it's been updated with bonus content and beautiful chapter pages, we're featuring it again. Take it away, Jo, and tell us why you wrote Blind Spot...

Life is messy. I like to write about the mess and make something good come out of it.

I guess you could say the story was born out of my annoyance with an old episode of the TV shos, Medium. I cooked this guy up and couldn't get him out of my head, but then I found, I couldn't get her out of my head either. And here we are. I think it's special because neither of them are really saving each other... they're both saving themselves. 

And I love that.

I love it too, Jo. Give us more please...

Blurb: Sydney Fallon has spent her entire life seeing things before they happen.

Tucker Chase is no exception.

He’s not looking for any new friends when he rolls into town. He's not looking for anything but a way to escape his past.

But how do you stay out of someone's life when you see it flashing before your eyes on a daily basis? 

Excerpt: It’s not a long drive to pretty much anywhere in Madisonville, so we get to Ian’s in no time. And when I put the Beetle in park, I notice another car there already.

Another car that doesn’t belong.

Another car that probably belongs to a squatter or worse, some low life thief, trying to break into Ian's place and trash it or something.

I get out of the Beetle and wave for Joshua to stay back while I find the heaviest piece of wood I can, then head down the side dock.

I’m slow and careful not to make too much noise.

The small, one-story boathouse might not look like much to a lot of people, but to Ian, it holds a lot of fond memories. I'll be damned if I’m gonna let some jerk ruin his things.

I creep along the boarded walkway, and soon enough, I spot the owner of the car on the back deck. I catch my breath a little when I see him. He doesn’t seem like he’s in much of a hurry. He’s simply standing there, his back to me, looking out onto the old Tchefuncte River.

His thick, dark hair is a mess; his clothes are in complete disarray. His hands are stuffed into his pockets as he stands, feet apart like a soldier at ease.

If he wasn’t a burglar, I might consider him...cute.

Good God, Sydney.

I can’t help but let down my guard for a minute as I watch him. He looks like he’s pondering something. I want to peek around at the expression on his face to see if it reflects what I’m feeling. Then I remember why he’s here.

Probably wondering how quickly he can get down the river and over to New Orleans.

There are plenty of lowlifes who use the winding rivers by Madisonville and the surrounding towns as a convenient waterway escape after conducting who knows what kinds of illegal business in New Orleans.

I step closer and lift the piece of driftwood over my head, ready to knock him out if I have to.

When I hit a creaky board, I freeze.

The man spins around.

He takes one look at me and his brow knits together into a scowl. Like he’s angry with me for interrupting him. And his plans for ransacking Ian’s place.

"What the hell?" he mutters.

I decide I better not waste any more time thinking.

I swing the wood down at his head, but he catches it mid-strike. He looks like he’s about to laugh except for the fact that he’s so irritated.

I yank at my weapon, trying to get it out of his grasp so I can take another swipe at him, but he holds on tightly.

Then the silence between us is broken.

"Can I help you?" he growls. "I mean, you know, other than giving you a head to swing at?"

"Can you help me?" I pull again, to no avail. "You're the one on private property!"

"Yeah, I know. Mine."

"Yours?” HA! “Liar! This place happens to belong to a very good friend of mine." 

I’m still tugging as hard as I can at the piece of wood. And he’s still scowling at me. 

"A good friend of yours, huh?" 

Why. Won’t. He. Let. Go!

"Yes, Ian Hedder, as a matter of..." I pull again. "...fact, and I've already called the police, by the way."

"Good," he tells me. Then he lets go of the wood.

As he lets go, I’m giving it my all, and suddenly, I’m flying backwards, off the dock, into the chilly, muddy river's water with a scream.

The water is freezing.

I come up for air.

“Holy shit!”

WOW what an excerpt! Thanks for sharing. Where can we find the book?

Blind Spot  is available at Amazon for Kindle, in Paperback version, and in Hardcover.

Great! Now tell us a little about you...

I am a ... 

> FanAddict

-> Superhero geek

-> Mystery aficionado

-> Twisted sense of humor

-> Paranormally fascinated

-> Broken in oh, so many ways

-> Graduate of the world renowned Sarcasm Academy

-> Believer that love is perfectly imperfect

You can find/follow/connect with me on my Website, Facebook, and Amazon. Sign up to receive my newsletter HERE.

THANKS Jo!

We wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with Blind Spot and all future books.

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight friends and that you'll come by weekly for another edition of Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time keep reading.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Sadira Stone @SadiraStone & Christmas Rekindled!

Good Morning and Welcome to the last Saturday in November 2022!

Yep, goes without saying...time flies when you're having fun. Are you having fun yet?

I AM!

Hope your Thanksgiving was Blessed and Happy! The flu bug messed up my plans but I'm back on my feet and (hopefully) on the dance floor tonight. But today, I'm pleased to introduce you to a brand new to our blog author, Sadira Stone with Christmas Rekindled as part of our All Christmas thru Christmas feature. Take it away, Sadira....

Bartender River Lundqvist has a damn good reason for hating Christmas. Bangers Tavern is the perfect place to lay low over the holidays—until Charlie walks in. His first encounter with the saucy server nine years ago was utter humiliation. Her reappearance stirs up powerful desires and hopes for a new start. But the timing is all wrong.

Back in Tacoma to care for her estranged dad over the holidays, freelance web designer Charlie Khoury braces herself for the suckiest Christmas ever. A temporary job at Bangers Tavern gives her a chance to escape Dad’s criticism and blow off some steam. But why does the hunky bartender seem to hate her?    

A pretend girlfriend is just what River needs to keep his family off his back—until a kiss under the mistletoe flares hot enough to melt the North Pole. When greedy developers threaten Bangers Tavern, River and Charlie must team up to save it. Their sizzling chemistry feels like the real thing—but everyone knows rebound relationships don’t last.

Come to Bangers Tavern for an enemies-to-lovers tale of reconciliation, found family, holiday cocktails, and the steamiest Christmas miracle ever.

EXCERPT: 

Her low, throaty chuckle made him want to kiss her again. Though he pretty much wanted to kiss her anytime she was within range.

She laid her hand palm-up on the center console. “The thing is, I’m not looking for a relationship.”

Remembering a bit of Dawn’s wisdom, he nestled his hand into hers. “You never find a relationship when you’re looking for one.”

Her gaze softened, open and vulnerable. “Are you looking?”

Warning sirens blared inside his head. This was a question to answer very carefully. “If you’d asked me a month ago, I’d say, ‘No way.’ But then, I kissed this girl under the mistletoe, and…”

She closed her eyes, lifted his hand, and pressed it to her sternum. Beneath his palm, her heart thudded fast. His pulse sped to match hers. He held his breath.

“I like you, River.” Her whisper matched the brush of snowflakes against the windows.

“I like you too.”

She inhaled deeply, then met his gaze. “Enough to be my friend?”

He nodded, mesmerized.

“Because my life is a mess right now, and I have no idea what the [fudge] I’m doing.”

Her coarse language stirred up a heady swirl of laughter, sympathy, and arousal. He scooted as near as the center console allowed and placed his lips close to her ear. “I’ll tell you a secret. Me neither.”

Fire flickered in her eyes’ inky depths. Her lips parted. A golden thread wound around his heart and tugged him toward her. His thumb stroked the delicate line of her jaw as he closed the distance.

Award-winning contemporary romance author Sadira Stone spins steamy, smoochy tales set in small businesses—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique... Her stories highlight found family, friendship, and the sizzling chemistry that pulls unlikely partners together. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las Vegas, Nevada (which she seldom does), she can be found in belly dance class, or strumming her ukulele, perhaps exploring the West with her charming husband, or cooking up a storm, and always gobbling all the romance books. For a guaranteed HEA (and no cliffhangers!) visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com.

Connect with Sadira on all the socials: https://linktr.ee/SadiraStone

THANK You, Sadira for replacing that naughty word for us! Although some of us don't mind steamy, sensual or an occasional F-bomb we appreciate your sensitivity to those who do. And we certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your books.

Hope you ejoyed today's guest friends, and that you'll check back weekly for another edition of Saturday Spotlight and Wednesday Words with Friends.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Liz Crowe & Win. Place. Show!

Good Morning Friends,

If you know me at all, you know how much I LOVE horses and the Triple Crown races. You also know I visited Churchill Downs back in 2018 while on my East Coast Vacation, so when I heard about Liz Crowe's steamy romance novel, Win. Place. Show. which takes place around the Derby I just had to get her here! Since this is Liz's first visit, I'm just going to let her take the reins and tell us all about her book. Take it away, Liz....

Win Place Show: All bets are on!

Start with a perfect spring weekend full of pretty dresses, high heels, fancy hats, horse races, and bourbon. 

Combine with a friends-from-childhood couple whose ongoing misunderstandings have led Lucy Granger to swear she’ll never move back home. 

Mix in a splash of combined family pressure for Lucy and Nate Hawthorne to be The Golden Couple.

Pour over crushed ice and garnish with plenty of hot, secret hookups.

Win. Place. Show.

A funny sort of romance chock full of dressing up, mint juleps, an axe-throwing bar, and a huge winning bet at the big race.

Excerpt: 

Lucy dropped the phone to her side, wishing she could sleep another three hours to skip the whole still-a-tad-drunk part of the hangover. She had, indeed, made some poor choices the night before. Beginning with thinking she could slide back into easy, sexy time with Nate. She’d already more or less decided against it before he’d gotten there. But, of course, he’d shown up looking so flipping edible in a pair of dark jeans and a form-fitting purple polo with the Trifecta logo stitched where the little polo guy usually sat. Damn the man. He had no right to go around being so...hot. 

He’d always been vain about his hair, something he’d discovered was a featured benefit about the same time he decided she no longer deserved his friendship. It was a wavy strawberry blond, cut just short enough so he didn’t have to use any products while it was full and tempting to female fingers. His eyes were so green, people accused him of wearing contacts to make them that way. Someone had obviously told him the trick about green eyes, that wearing purple made them even more striking. 

“Some woman, I’m sure,” she said, lying flat on her back a few more seconds before hauling herself up and limping toward the shower. 

Maintaining her anger at Nate was easy. She’d been ready to outright reject him. But when he’d shown up looking like some kind of a male model, turning every damn female head in the place, she’d stumbled. He was such a good dancer, not to mention a top notch kisser. So she’d gone with it, fueled by too much booze, ready to leap back into bed with him as if no time had passed since they last hooked up. 

Thankfully, he’d given her an out by going all talkative. That was the last thing she wanted from him. So she’d walked away. And subsequently had a lot more to drink, hence her current condition, ergo she planned to lay blame for her pounding head and queasy stomach at his feet, too. 

So there, Mr. Perfect. 

The shower transformed her from being a woman with a hangover into a clean woman with a hangover and many regrets. She glared at her bloodshot eyes in the foggy mirror, hating herself for being here, in her stupid bathroom where she’d spent so many hours as a little girl and later a teenager, second guessing herself and her relationship with Nate. 

She slapped on some rudimentary makeup, dried and styled her hair enough to pass her mother’s scrutiny, then stood in front of the dresses hanging in her closet. A line of matching shoes were on the floor beneath them. Several hatboxes stacked on the shelves to one side. The floral-patterned one made her headache worse, so she chose a light blue option, with a halter neckline, tight-fitting bodice and skirt. It was a beautiful choice, as they all were. One thing she could never accuse her mother of was shopping poorly. 

She slid her feet into a pair of cream-colored high heels, then pondered the hats with a sigh. When they were little, she and Mimi loved this weekend more than any other. The opportunity to put on a pretty new dress, hat, and shoes had been the highlight of their year. The hours spent at the track over the course of Derby weekends were some of her best memories.

Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville living in South Carolina. She's spent her time as a three-continent expat trailing spouse, mom of three, real estate agent, brewery owner and bar manager, and is currently a digital marketing and fundraising consultant, in addition to being an award-winning author. With stories set in breweries, on the soccer pitch, inside fictional television stations and successful real estate offices, and even in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are compelling and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.

Follow along with Liz online:

TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/LizCroweAuthor

FACEBOOK:  http://www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor

FACEBOOK CHAT ROOM: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Lizcrowefans

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lizcroweauthor/

TIKTOK: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeQoUHjD/

BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/liz-crowe

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/Liz-Crowe/e/B00573TC7M

GOODREADS PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4350864.Liz_Crowe

WEBSITE: http://www.lizcrowe.com

SIGN UP FOR THE LIZ NEWSLETTER & GET A FREE BOOK: 

https://www.subscribepage.com/houserulestwo

EMAIL LIZ: lizcroweauthor@gmail.com

Get your copy of Win. Place. Show. at Amazon, GoodReads, BookBub, and other Online Retailers.

Watch the trailer HERE.

Sounds like a thrilling ride, Liz! Thanks for sharing with us. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings.

Hope you enjoyed the spotlight, Friends and that you'll check back weekly for another edition of Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT

PS: More on my 2018 East Coast Vacation can be found HERE.

#WednesdayWordswithFriends Welcomes Lisa Becker!

Good Morning!

I pray your Memorial Day weekend was blessed and that you took a moment or two to honor the men and women who've died in service. I'm back from Sam Rayburn lake, staying at daughter's house to dog-sit while they're out of town. I believe my travelling is done for a while, so I'll be catching up with you a little each week. Meanwhile, please welcome Lisa Becker back to our blog..... Take it away Lisa!

Raise your hand if you had an unrequited high school crush. 

Back in the day, I crushed so hard on a boy, I willingly sat with him in the bathroom at parties while he puked up strawberry wine coolers, just so I could spend time with him. That humiliation was certainly in the back of my mind as I was developing Links. In this second chance sports romance, awkward Charlotte reconnects with her unrequited high school crush, the athletic heartthrob Garrett, fifteen years later.  

While this is a work of fiction, there is an autobiographical element woven throughout, as I was the nerdy girl in glasses who longed to be noticed.  

When I was in the process of developing the storyline for Links, I bumped into the son of family friends, who I had known since I was a little girl.  He made a big deal of commenting about how I no longer wore my “big glasses.”

It was so discouraging. Here I had grown into what I thought was an interesting and successful adult. I had a fascinating professional career in public relations. I was married with kids. I’d written several novels. I was an adjunct professor at a major university. I had traveled around the world. Yet all he could see in front of him was the gawky girl with glasses. 

It was then I realized he would never see me as anything but a pair of oversized frames. I wanted Charlotte to overcome those perceptions in this book. I hope readers connect with her and root for her well-deserved happily ever after.  

A former ugly duckling has a chance encounter with her unrequited high school crush, now a pro golfer. Will their past thwart a second chance at love? 

Charlotte Windham went through a typical ugly duckling phase in high school while harboring a crush on Garrett Stephens, the school's athletic heartthrob. Today she’s a bestselling novelist and no longer “Glasses,” the humiliating nickname Garrett gave her.

Garrett transformed from teen heartbreaker to adult lothario and is now a successful professional golfer suffering from a possible career-ending injury.

Fifteen years after high school, Charlotte and Garrett have a chance encounter at a Los Angeles restaurant, and he can’t remember who she is. But as both hearts flutter with unfulfilled desires, awkward teenage memories might not be the only thing standing in the way of forever. 

Can Charlotte forgive Garrett for his past ways, and more recent Don Juan lifestyle? Can Garrett change his ways for a second chance with Charlotte, who may just be perfect for him? 

If you love second chance romances, swoon worthy pro athletes, smart and witty female leads and happily ever afters, find it now on Amazon or read for free with Kindle Unlimited.

Links: A Second Chance Sports Romance

Rating: R (for sexual content and adult language)

Genre: Contemporary romance

Audiobook narrators: Stella Hunter and Connor Crais (coming summer/fall 2022)

Paperback/Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCSF7G9

About Lisa Becker

Lisa Becker is an award-winning romance writer who spends her time like she spends her money - on books and margaritas.  As Lisa’s grandmother used to say, “For every chair, there’s a tush.” Lisa is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach, California with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone! 

Connect with Lisa

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Becker/e/B00A0VGO1S

Authors Direct https://shop.authors-direct.com/collections/author-lisa-becker 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1486731.Lisa_Becker

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lisa-becker

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClickAnOnlineLoveStory/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisawbecker

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

Website: https://lisawbecker.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorlisabecker 

I just love those 2nd chance romance stories! Don't you?

THANKS for sharing yours with us Lisa! Wishing you the best of luck and God's blessings.

That's all for today, Friends. See you June 4th for Saturday Spotlight and next week for another edition of Wednesday Words with Friends.

Until then, take care and be BLESSED.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Lisa Becker & Starfish: A Rockstar Romance Series!

Good Morning!

Heading to Lafayette, LA a little later this morning for a French music festival so I'm not going to take up too much of your time. Please welcome new-to-me-our blog author Lisa Becker who writes contemporary romance with steamy, open door scenes. Take it away Lisa....

Starfish: A Rockstar Romance Series

Rating: R (for sexual content and adult language)

Genre: Contemporary romance

Audiobook collection narrators: Sebastian York, Erin Mallon, Tim Paige, Kelsey Navarro, Stella Hunter and Connor Crais

Blurb

Three sexy rock stars. Three headstrong heroines. A sizzling romance series that hits you with all the happy ever after feels.

Boxed Set: 500+ award-winning pages of sexy and swoon worthy heroes, strong female leads, witty banter, practical jokes and combustible chemistry.

Bright and ambitious Marin Collins needs to stick to her “no workplace romance” policy and resist the sexy and nerdy rock star who is her new client. Brad Osterhauser, the reluctant guitarist who would rather be coding computer games than penning Grammy-nominated songs, finds his outlook on band life improve immensely when he’s smitten by the smart and stunning PR executive who joins the tour. Traveling by bus, city to city with a group of practical joking bandmates and a greedy manager, will music save or sink their forbidden romance?

Lead singer Jase, burned-out from the pressures of life on the road, is called to his small hometown for a funeral. Sparks fly when he’s reunited with the childhood best friend he left behind. These friends to enemies soon become lovers. But with someone trying to tear them apart, can their new love survive? Meanwhile, practical joking keyboardist Oliver hooks up with a cash-strapped jewelry designer seeking distraction from workplace harassment. Can the prankster prove himself serious enough to turn a one-night stand into lasting love?

Starfish: A Rock Star Romance Boxed Set, Books 1-3 includes three stand-alone romances filled with small town and big city settings, new loves and second chances, forced proximity and chance encounters.

If you love sexy rock stars, smart and sassy female leads, sizzling chemistry, witty banter, and happily ever afters, Lisa Becker’s Starfish rock star box set is for you. Find it at Amazon or read for free with Kindle Unlimited.

Trigger warning: Workplace sexual harassment

Lisa Becker is an award-winning romance writer who spends her time like she spends her money - on books and margaritas.  As Lisa’s grandmother used to say, “For every chair, there’s a tush.” Lisa is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach, California with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone! 

Connect with Lisa

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Becker/e/B00A0VGO1S

Authors Direct https://shop.authors-direct.com/collections/author-lisa-becker 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1486731.Lisa_Becker

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lisa-becker

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClickAnOnlineLoveStory/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisawbecker

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

Website: https://lisawbecker.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorlisabecker 

I might enjoy a steamy romance from time to time but not everyone in my audience does so there is no excerpt today. I hope you understand and if this is your cup of tea, be sure to pick up a copy of  Starfish: A Rockstar Romance Series at Amazon. The audiobook is available directly from Lisa's website.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Jennifer Wilck & Better Together in Boston!

Good Morning Friends,

It's been a crazy week here at home. We lost 2 family members on Wednesday, so I guess my post on nourishing hope was relevant for more reasons than I initially thought. Your prayers for my Sonnier family are greatly appreciated. Pelican Book Group also suffered the loss of one of our author friends, so please pray for Marion Ueckermann's family. 

Enough sadness for now!

Please welcome a brand-new-to-our-blog guest, Jennifer Wilck with her newest release, Better Together in Boston a spicy/steamy contemporary romance. Take it away, Jennifer....

Do you believe in the legend of True Springs?

Mr. Right doesn’t exist…

Anna Levinson was raised by a single mother, who sacrificed her dreams to give her daughter a warm, loving home. Now a respected professor on the tenure track, Anna is driven to live the life she thinks her mother should have had. She's long since come to terms with the understanding that “having it all” is impossible if she wants a successful career. 

He’s been told he’s Mr. Wrong more times than he can count…

Despite being left at the altar twice, Ben Diamond still believes his soul mate is out there. He’s ready to marry and start a family of his own. He just clearly won't recognize her when he does find her. And then he meets the maid of honor at his cousin’s wedding, and his world is thrown off kilter. 

Settling down might be more than they bargained for.

A long-distance relationship isn’t what either of them has in mind, and Anna isn’t about to ruin another person’s dreams. However, giving each other up is harder than it looks. Can Ben convince Anna that she’s got him all wrong, and that he’s finally gotten it right?

Fall in love with Anna & Ben in this steamy contemporary romance.

Ticket to True Love is a steamy contemporary romance series about new beginnings, second chances, and finding true love in unexpected places. Fall in love all over the world with bestselling and award-winning authors JB Schroeder, Savannah Kade, Moni Boyce, Shirley Hailstock, Holland Rae, Julie Strauss, & Jennifer Wilck. Start your next romance with Better Together in Boston now!

Excerpt:

This was it. The moment she’d waited for and dreaded at the same time. 

The seventh inning stretch.

Anna was not like the other women she’d grown up with and knew. She’d never dreamed of a happily ever after for herself. Her mom was strong and independent, and she was, too. Regardless of how much guilt Anna carried, she never felt the need to depend on a man, so marriage had never been one of her goals. And once she started achieving professional success, a relationship would just be one more thing pulling at her time.

But every time she came to a baseball game with her mom, there was always someone nearby who would lean over and kiss his or her partner while everyone else rose during the seventh inning stretch. As a child, she’d been fascinated. As a teen and a young adult, she’d been at first horrified and then a little envious. But as she matured, she decided it was stupid, especially if the couple was unlucky enough to be shown on the Jumbotron. 

Seriously, who wanted their kiss broadcast to the world? It gave an intimate moment too much weight.

When she’d come to the games with boyfriends—because she had dated a lot, just not seriously—she always found a way to avoid the time between the two halves of the seventh inning. 

But today, today, she wanted to kiss Ben. He wasn’t her boyfriend. She had no intention of getting serious with him. But he had tracked her down, he was here, and oh my God, he was hot.

Her body could not stop reacting to him. Her brain was engaged. Her heart sped up every time he spoke. This man was the one she wanted to kiss, Jumbotron be damned.

She leaned forward in the seat and scanned the field below. Almost time. The pitcher threw a fast one. The batter swung and missed. Strike three! As the teams jogged to the dugout, the organ began to play “Sweet Caroline.”

Anna stood up and held her hand out to Ben. With a puzzled expression on his face, he rose. She turned him to face her, took a step forward and pressed her body to his. He was hard and lean, and need spiraled through her. She rested her hands on his hips, tilted her face up and kissed him hard on the mouth. Despite every protest dying to break free, every reason she didn’t want to want him, she was helpless to resist him. Desire exploded deep in her core.

His close-cropped whiskers tickled her lips. It took him no longer than a second or two to recover. He cupped the back of her head and licked the seam of her mouth. She opened and the spectators around them cheered. 

God, his kisses were amazing. He should win an award. Maybe he already had. She’d ask, but, well, that would mean she’d have to separate herself from his lips and stop kissing him. She’d come this far, she certainly wasn’t changing her mind now. 

Heat flooded through her and she swayed. She started to pull back, but it was as if Ben sensed her hesitancy. He adjusted his stance, kneaded the base of her skull and deepened the kiss.

As the song ended—why was there a song playing? Oh yeah, the seventh inning stretch—he nibbled her lips, licked their rim, before pulling away. She whimpered, wanting more.

“What was that for?” His voice was raspy, like he couldn’t control his vocal cords. 

She curled her toes inside her sneakers in satisfaction. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to kiss during the stretch,” she whispered.

“And what do you think?”

Sighing, she risked a glance at him. His face was flushed, his eyes filled with desire. 

“It was worth the wait.”

Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.

In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.

She writes contemporary romance, many of which feature Jewish characters in non-religious settings (#ownvoices). She’s published with The Wild Rose Press and all her books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Connect with Jennifer at the following locations...

Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Wilck-201342863240160/

Newsletter: https://www.jenniferwilck.com/contact.html#newsletter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JWilck

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jennifer-wilck

Get your copy of Better Together in Boston at Amazon!

Thanks for sharing with us Jennifer. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your new release.

Hope you enjoyed the spotlight friends and that you'll visit weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time take care, God Bless and remember to make sure your loved ones know they are important to you because we're not guaranteed tomorrow.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Jo Richardson & Blind Spot!

Good Morning,

Returned from the lake yesterday afternoon. Didn't catch a whole bunch of fish, but enjoyed some lovely weather. It's another beautiful morning here in SWLA, cool and clear. I hope all the mothers out there have a wonderful, blessed Mothers Day tomorrow!

Today's guest is brand new to our blog so please welcome Jo Richardson to the spotlight with her book, Blind Spot a  Paranormal Romance / Psychic / Mystery that's "steamy, but not erotica." ...

Sydney Fallon has spent her entire life seeing things before they happen.

Tucker Chase is no exception.

He’s not looking for any new friends when he rolls into town.

He's not looking for anything but a way to escape his past.

But how do you stay out of someone's life when you see it flashing before your eyes on a daily basis? 

EXCERPT: 

I can’t help but let down my guard for a minute as I watch him. He looks like he’s pondering something. I want to peek around at the expression on his face to see if it reflects what I’m feeling. Then I remember why he’s here.

Probably wondering how quickly he can get down the river and over to New Orleans.

There are plenty of lowlifes who use the winding rivers by Madisonville and the surrounding towns as a convenient waterway escape after conducting who knows what kinds of illegal business.

I step closer and lift the piece of driftwood over my head, ready to knock him out if I have to.

When I hit a creaky board, I freeze.

The man spins around.

He takes one look at me and his brow knits together into a scowl. Like he’s angry with me for interrupting him. And his plans for ransacking Ian’s place.

"What the hell?" he mutters.

I decide I better not waste any more time thinking.

I swing the wood down at his head, but he catches it mid-strike. He looks like he’s about to laugh except for the fact that he’s so irritated.

I yank at my weapon, trying to get it out of his grasp so I can take another swipe at him, but he holds on tightly.

Then the silence between us is broken.

"Can I help you?" he growls. "I mean, you know, other than giving you a head to swing at?"

"Can you help me?" I pull again, to no avail. "You're the one on private property!"

"Yeah, I know. Mine."

"Yours?” HA! “Liar! This place happens to belong to a very good friend of mine." I’m still tugging as hard as I can at the piece of wood. And he’s still scowling at me.

"A good friend of yours, huh?"

Why. Won’t. He. Let. Go!

"Yes, Ian Hedder, as a matter of..." I pull again. "...fact, and I've already called the police, by the way."

"Good," he tells me. Then he lets go of the wood.

As he lets go, I’m giving it my all, and suddenly, I’m flying backwards off the dock, into the chilly, muddy river's water with a scream.

The water is freezing.

I come up for air.

“Holy shit!”

About Jo: Jo describes herself as a "writer of things." You can find out more about her by visiting and/or connecting with her through Amazon | Website | Facebook | Goodreads

Get your copy of Blind Spot at Amazon

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and another Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time, take care, God Bless and be sure to check out NN Light's Book Heaven's Mother's Day Bookish Event and Bookaholics Unite giveaways!

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight Fall #RomanticTravel with Patricia Preston

Good Morning from Hattiesburg, MS!

Well my vacation to South & North Carolina is coming to an end. Left Cherokee, NC yesterday and will arrive back home in Louisiana this afternoon.

Today's guest is not a complete stranger to our blog. Patricia shared some treasures with us in June but returns to share some Fall Romantic Travels!

                  #RomanticTravel Fall Beauty along #NatchezTrace #GiftCardGiveaway

I love autumn and the Natchez Trace in Tennessee has provided me with plenty of inspiration for the fictional setting, Lafayette Falls, that I’m using in my contemporary romances for Lyrical Shine. The drive is leisurely and stunning along the Trace in the fall. This is a national parkway so there are no stores, gas stations, power lines or commercial traffic on the Trace. It is steeped in history along with pastoral beauty. Great for photographers.

So if you want to get out on a pretty fall day for a drive and a picnic, check out these places.

Rock Creek. You can skip across the creek on square rocks. Fall Hollow is a lovely waterfall. I used it as a model for the waterfall in my book. It is an easy walk from the roadside. Jackson Fall is a larger waterfall and a longer hike from the road. There is also a portion of the original Trace that you can hike. This is the path Jackson’s army took on the way home from the Battle of New Orleans. One of my favorite overlooks is Baker’s Bluff which features a working 19-century farm. To learn more about all the sightseeing stops along the Trace, go to https://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm     

https://www.facebook.com/natcheztracetravel/?fref=ts

New Release! One Week in Your Arms

My newest book, ONE WEEK IN YOUR ARMS, is mainstream contemporary romance filled with witty, charismatic characters. The fun, fast-paced plot features a secret baby, a billionaire baby daddy hero who needs a pretend girlfriend for a week, and a young doctor who is desperate to keep her child a secret. Unfortunately for the intrepid heroine, Marla, she needs money for her community clinic so she has no choice but to spend a week in paradise with the one man who can destroy her life. How can she say no? (Personally, I couldn’t say no. Could you?)

Blurb

IT STARTED WITH A FLING...

Six years ago, Dr. Marla Grant gave into temptation with a gorgeous man. Now the medical director of Lafayette Falls Community Clinic and a single mom to a little girl, Marla finds herself in a dilemma when the funding for the community clinic is threatened by none other than the powerful man of her long-ago fling and unsuspecting father of her child...

Carson Blackwell has never forgotten bright, beautiful Marla. When he discovers that she works at the clinic his grandmother's foundation sponsors, it's the perfect opportunity to end to his ongoing infatuation and use his leverage to cement a new business deal. He needs a fake girlfriend for one week in Hawaii, and Marla is just the woman for the job. It's a win-win situation, until they realize the attraction between them isn't feigned, and the heat has never died down. Only the secrets they're both keeping stand in the way of a future together and a love that could last a lifetime.

Excerpt from One Week in Your Arms

She picked up the letter opener. Her heart palpitated in sheer terror as she slid the opener under the flap of the envelope. With the envelope open, she peeped inside to see one folded sheet of stationery.

After six years, what could he possibly have to say?

She pictured him, standing beside a black truck in the drive of Royal Oaks, an old estate belonging to his grandmother. She recalled the date. June twenty-eighth. The day they had said goodbye had been a warm, blustery day in Tennessee. A summer storm was heading toward the rolling hills near Nashville.

The wind made a mess of Carson’s unruly dark hair. His dark blue eyes were hidden by a pair of mirrored lens aviators, and his alpha-male physique tested the seams of his polo shirt.

“If I’m ever back in town, I’ll look you up,” he promised as their casual affair came to an inevitable end. For three weeks, they had been together and finally, the time had come for them to go their separate ways. She hadn’t realized it would be so difficult.

“Sure.” She forced a smile of goodwill. After all, they weren’t parting in anger, or in love for that matter. And it was unlikely that she would ever see him again.

“I had a great time,” she confessed boldly. She’d loved every minute of their brief, steamy affair. Talk about a summer break to remember. She grinned.

He gave her cheek a stroke. “You’ll make a great doctor.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.” He grinned. “You certainly know all there is to know about male anatomy.”

“Yours, at least.” She laughed. Then she hopped up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss. “Goodbye, Carson Blackwell.”

She stepped away from him. Now was the time to face what was ahead. A grueling three-year residency. There would be no more time for long summer nights, tangled sheets, and sighs against swollen lips. She walked toward her small, sturdy hatchback. Before she opened the driver’s door, she looked up and met his gaze.

“Goodbye,” he called.

             At that moment, she’d had an odd sensation in her chest that her life was never going to be the same.

Buy Links:

Amazon   http://amzn.to/1SCo3li

Nook http://bit.ly/1VmaHru

Kobo   http://bit.ly/1Vma8Oe

iBooks http://apple.co/1W6y6l6

Author Bio

Patricia Preston writes witty mainstream romances where love matters most. You are her reader if you like funny, passionate, feel good reads. Must haves in her writing cave include sweet tea and music. Besides writing, she loves music, history, movies, and anything containing chocolate. Her dream-come-true would be a townhouse in the French Quarter so she could party twenty-four seven. She never misses Supernatural or the Walking Dead. Sam, Dean, and Darryl fangirl!! She is repped by the Seymour Agency and currently working on a contemporary romance series, Love Heals All, for Lyrical Shine imprint of Kensington Books.  

Author Links: Webpage Amazon BookBub Facebook Twitter

Goodreads

Giveaway!

Win a $20 Amazon Gift Card and a batch of my Kindle ebooks! Leave a comment with your contact email on this blog to enter the giveaway or go to http://patricia-preston.blogspot.com/2016/09/celebrating-new-release-monthwin-amazon.html.

Drawing will be on Sept 30^th. Winner notified via email and posted on my blog.

Wow...sounds like a good book.

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight. Stay tuned each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God Bless!

PamT

#TuesdayTreasure: Special Guest Post by Maureen Bonatch

Good Morning Friends,

As we roll on toward the end of 2015 and the holiday season officially begins with Halloween, I thought today would be a great time to introduce you to Marueen Bonatch while she shares with us something she treasures....

A Labor of Love

As the summer winds down and the first thoughts of fall tickle the corners of my mind, there’s one thing I treasure more than the changing colors of the leaves and the shadow of a promise of the autumn crisp air… tomatoes.

Not just any tomato, mind you, garden tomatoes. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the tomatoes you see in the store, the ones that never seem quite as red. That lack firmness, and when you cut them they reveal mushy centers or bleached flesh… those aren’t real tomatoes. Those imposters could never live up to the taste of a fresh, garden tomato.

Around June I’ll start asking my father, and father in law, how soon I should expect a garden tomato. Knowing darn well that I usually have to wait until well into July, or maybe even August. I get impatient because there’s nothing like that first tomato after long months of deprivation. Then they start coming in droves. I make my best effort to ensure none of them are wasted since I know; it’s feast and then famine.

I don’t garden myself. I’ve never tried. One reason being that despite having a mother who grows beautiful flowers and a father who gardens, I have what I refer to as a black thumb. Most things I try to grow die. Houseplants shudder at the thought of taking up residence. The other more important reason that I’ve never attempted to grow my own tomatoes, is because both my father and father in law are stellar gardeners. They provide me with my bounty of tomatoes and I don’t take it for granted.

But it’s more than the tomato itself that I treasure. Because I’m sure, if I scoured the stores and farmer’s markets I might, just might, be able to find a home grown garden tomato somewhere. I treasure knowing my father and my father in law have grown these tomatoes. They’ve taken their time, and love, for months to nurture the little seedlings into plants. Painstakingly caring for them through unpredictable weather and fending off wildlife clamoring to have the garden as their lunch.

Almost anybody can start a garden (well, maybe not me, lol) but not everybody can be a gardener.  I’ve encouraged my husband to learn the gardening secrets these two wonderful men in my life have honed into a science. These tricks of their skillful trade are as precious as that cherished family recipe. These gardens, these tomatoes, are the fruits of a labor of love.

* * * * * * *

Although tomatoes are not on my list of favorite foods, I'm sure anyone who gardens and loves them will agree with Maureen!

 Maureen realized later in life everyone didn’t have characters telling stories in their heads, or weren’t envisioning magic and mayhem within the everyday. This, and long walks in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania spawned a love of writing.

Therefore she’s chased other interests, though none-the-less-daring, but closer to the ground, such as belly-dancing, becoming a self-proclaimed tequila connoisseur, fulfilling her role as biker babe to her alpha hubby and surviving motherhood to twins (so far).

Penning stories boasting laughter, light suspense and something magical in the hope of sharing her love of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary world.   

Find out more about Maureen's world by visiting her Website, Amazon Author Page, Blog and connect with her on Facebook, Good Reads, Pinterest and Twitter or sign up to receive her newsletter!

She's a witch hunting a spell. 

He's hunting witches and falling for her.

Carman has worn out more towns and last names than impractical shoes protecting the secret of her magic blood. But when a friend goes missing, and another is infected with a deadly spell, Carman must choose. Expose her magic blood by curing the spell—or stop the infection from spreading by killing the source…the grandmother.

Magic bounty hunter Dylan has scoured libraries of banned magic paraphernalia seeking a method to distinguish genuine witches from impersonators. He suspects unorthodox librarian Carman might hold this information tighter than the hair he’s dying to unleash from her bun. With a past as hidden as his sleeve of tattoos, Dylan discovers he’s been used to gain Carman’s trust and their passion risks more than mixing mortals and magic.

Fun Facts about Grandma Must Die:

The inspiration for the church/library and the town in the story are located along a bike path the author frequents.

A church that now operates as a bar the author has visited inspired the interior of the church/library in the story.

 The heroine, Carman, is obsessed with sexy, stilettos.

No real Grandmas were harmed in the making of this fictional story. In real life everyone loves Grandmas (unless, of course, they’ve been infected with a nasty spell). 

Sound like a really cute story!

Grandma Must Die can be purchased at The Wild Rose Press and Amazon.

Hope you enjoyed today's treasure. Stay tuned weekly for more!

Until next time....take care & God Bless.

PamT