Taken by Eveline Rose

 

Happy Monday! I have a jampacked week to kick off daylight savings time. This is the last week before our primary election in Illinois, and I'll be canvassing today, Thursday, and Friday. Tonight is the monthly Chicago North Romance Writer's group meeting. Wednesday, I'm the host for our local business group meeting. That means on Tuesday I need to cook for the meeting on Wednesday since I sell Tastefully Simple, I'm in charge of the eats. 

Saturday and Sunday I'm doing local craft fairs. We will see how Sunday goes, the craft fair might be empty because many people in my area go to the South Side Irish Parade. It's a big deal and this year it's on St. Patrick's Day. 

I just finished reading Eveline Rose's debut book Taken.  This is the first book in her new series, categorized by Amazon as police romance. If you want to get technical about things, it's a private security romance and is whole-heartedly romantic suspense. It deals with some heavy trauma, so check out the content warning. Taken is a romantic suspense that takes place in a small town.  If you like small-town romance, this might be a nice crossover if you are looking for a crossover book. 

I enjoyed the story and getting introduced to Sheppard & Sons Investigations. Here is the blurb for the book: 

Can their love be real if her name and background are fake?

Meg ~
… Released on parole… Those three words sent me looking for a new town, but I never expected Weatherford, Texas to feel like home. I was getting mom-vibes from my boss and sexy looks from my boss’s son. I was making friends and learning what it felt like to be in a real family, but with every step closer to love and happiness, I risked cracking my mask and revealing my secrets. I wouldn’t repay the Sheppard family’s kindness by endangering their lives.

Jack ~
The second my eyes connected with Meg’s, I knew she was meant to be mine. I also knew she was hiding something. Lucky for her, I spent my entire life being raised, trained, and conditioned to protect. Meg would share when she was ready, and I was patient enough to wait, but I didn't have to. Being a PI made it easy to find out the truth for myself. I was determined to uncover the threat against her and keep her safe.

When Meg learns about his snooping, the betrayal sends her running… right into the duct-tape wielding hands of her worst nightmare. Can Jack reach her in time, or will she have to save herself? More importantly, is their love strong enough to overcome the lies?

This standalone, first in series, slow burn, small town, romantic suspense features an overprotective man and a woman with a hidden identity. They'll get their HEA, but only after redefining what it means to love. The intense action, and Meg's horrifying past, may not be for everyone. Use Read Sample to check the copyright page for details.

Here is the Amazon Link for Taken

The Sunday Post - Year End Wrap Up!

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme  

I hope you had a wonderful 2023 and that 2024 is a good year for all of us!  When setting and reaching goals this year, I had some successes and some epic failures. My bookish goals included:

1. 60 books for my Goodreads Challenge. I did reach that goal.  

2. I also had a goal to track my reading throughout the year, and in that, I completely failed! I had to use my history on the Libby, Hoopla and Audible app to figure out how many books I read and added most of them to the Goodreads challenge this afternoon! I read more than 60 books, but once I got to 60 I stopped updating Goodreads. 

Will 2024 be the year I update my reading log consistently? (Hope springs eternal) 

 Would it be better if I used a paper log? (Most likely)

3. I had a goal to read one non-fiction book per month.  I read 5. I need to remember that if it's not an audio non-fiction, I won't finish it.

4. Read and review one Netgalley book per month. Boy, I think I only did 3 Netgalley books. 

5. Post all my reviews here and on Goodreads. LOL did not happen. 

6. Go to at least one in-person book signing--I did this !!! I went to Kelly Farmer's It's a Fabulous Life signing.  

Going over my bookish resolutions now makes me want to do some for 2024. Stay tuned!

Now on to the most exciting thing I did in 2023...

I wrote a whole book!  And it's up on Amazon for preorder!  It's coming out on January 23!  I've only been wanting to write a book since I was a wee child. If you like to read romance, I hope you'll consider giving my book a read.  A little blurb about the book and the link to Amazon are under the picture- 

She survived cancer. Can she survive risking her heart?

Having survived cancer, Nicole Garrett is determined to take care of herself by eating well, exercising, and avoiding stress. She’s got a stable job, good friends, and her own house, and that’s enough for her. Most importantly, Nicole isn’t going to take any risks that could leave her heartbroken again. But when she meets a handsome chef with the cutest dimples she’s ever seen, she begins to question if playing it safe is still working for her.

Sean Harper is the optimistic chef and owner of Jesse’s Pub. After two years of constant devotion, his restaurant is hitting its stride. He’s put every dollar and every hour he’s had into making it a success. Beyond the now positive balance sheet, it’s a way for him to distance himself from his own broken family, who’ve never seen his worth. Then one Sunday, he meets the attractive woman who dismisses his omelet culinary masterpiece, and he can't get her out of his mind, so much so that he starts questioning if he can make room for her in his kitchen.

She’s got plenty of reasons to be grumpy, and, frankly, relationships with men never end well for her, especially given the wounds she’s still healing from. Even though sparks fly between Nicole and Sean, he only has time for his farm-to-table restaurant. If he’s willing to change his view of marriage, can he convince her to open her heart and trust him in return?

No Gouda Without You is a small-town, life after cancer, grumpy-sunshine, steamy romance, featuring a chef who loves a good food pun and a school secretary who’s just trying to survive. Part of the Marley Creek Romance Series, this standalone story includes adventures at a local brewery, Hallmark movie vibes, and a guaranteed HEA.

Finally Not Feeling Sick AND a *Delighful* new Holiday Romance by A Debut Author!

So I started off September with Covid finally catching me. I was so close to getting that next booster when BAM! I was infected. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad. I have had way worse colds and cases of flu.

Unfortunately, shortly after getting over the covid fatigue, I caught a cold--did I mention I'm working at a school with kindergarteners and first graders?  Yep, so you can see how I wound up with a cold. Any who so that turned into a sinus infection.   Yesterday I finished antibiotics and am now feeling much better. The dumb cold was worse than Covid for me. That's why I get vaccinated for all the stuff I can get vaccinated for, I really don't want any flu or more Covid or anything else. 

My reading has been at a snail's pace and watching TV shows and movies has been more my speed.  This week I have managed to start feeling good enough to read!  

Today I am sharing a new book from a debut author, Kelly D. Reynolds.  Kelly is the creator of the romance book reviews podcast Boobies & Noobies. This is her debut book and it is a delightful, hot, full of sexy times holiday novella.  The book is set in LA and takes place from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  One of the things I liked about this book is that it takes place over weeks instead of days. It's light on the angst and heavy on Nora and Bowie falling in love. Kelly does a great job of putting just the right amount of holiday season--we have a Santa pub crawl, a tea room,  a cute dog, and talk of scones as well as a loving description of an actually delicious fruitcake. 

Best of all we have two likable leads who are grown folks who talk about what they need and want in a relationship and a wide open-door romance with toys and more! 

5 Stars!

Add this book to your kindle today --you'll thank me later!