Audiobook Review for Finding You by Samantha Chase, Narrated by Carly Robins

 The Donovans: Sweetbriar Ridge 

Finding You by Samantha Chase, Carly Robins (Narrator) 

Listening time: 8 hours and 8 minutes.

 
 
Taken from Goodreads:  Devin Maxwell has made automotive repairs his life. Being the lone mechanic in Sweetbriar Ridge hasn’t left him with a whole lot of free time and up until now, he hasn’t minded. But now that the business is finally solid, he decides to take a weekend just for himself to try and figure out what his next big thing in life should be. He never expected the answer to be found on the side of the highway… 
 
All MacKenzie Holland wanted was the chance to live the life she wanted without dealing with other people’s expectations. That’s what had spurred her last-minute cross-country trip. Well, that and a cheating ex. If only her car had cooperated. 
 
Stranded on the side of the road left her feeling as if her great adventure was over before it had even begun. Devin getting car back to Sweetbriar Ridge was easy. Getting it fixed? That was going to take some time. 
 
With a town festival set to begin and a shortage of hotel rooms, MacKenzie finds herself not only relying on Devin to get her car back on the road, but also for a place to stay and a job. And the longer she stays, the more she becomes drawn to the sweet little mountain town, and Devin. 
 
Getting stranded on the side of the road seemed like the worst thing that could happen. Little did she know, it was really just the beginning of her greatest adventure yet. 

  

My Thoughts:  I love when I lose myself in an audiobook.  I forgot what I was doing and just sat and listened to Devin and MacKenzie’s story.   For me, that means the narrator had the perfect tone and cadence to bring the characters to life and tell their story.  Carly Robins, narrator, did just that.  I could feel the attraction between MacKenzie and Devin from their first meeting on the side of the road.  

Samantha Chase is an author that I love to read.  Her small town romances are always must-reads (or listens) for me.   Finding You is exactly what I expected.  The romance is sweet and steamy, the characters are likable and realistic, and the story ends in a HEA.    

 
Add to your MUST-LISTEN list on Goodreads 

Purchase your own copy on Amazon 

 

Book Review for It Started with a Secret by Tif Marcelo

 It Started with a Secret by Tif Marcelo

Published April 23, 2024 by Harlequin Special Edition

Genre:  Romance

 

Taken from Goodreads:  When one unforgettable night… Leads to a whole new life…When Jared Sotheby arrives in Peak, Virginia, to search for his identity—and his Filipino roots—he doesn’t anticipate an instant connection with a stunning woman he meets on his first night in town. And he certainly doesn’t expect her to be managing the B & B owned by the biological family he’s searching for!  One passionate night aside, Matilda Matthews needs a cook, and Jared, a chef, needs a way in. She’ll give him the job if he keeps his identity a secret—for now. Their subterfuge quickly grows complicated as Jared yearns for a connection—not only with his family, but also with the once-bitten Matilda. But first he’ll have to convince her to let a younger man into her heart…  From Harlequin Special Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.Spirit of the Shenandoah Book 1: It Started with a Secret

 

My Thoughts:  I am a Tif Marcelo fan.   I enjoyed every word of this book.  I liked that Jared came to Peak, Virginia to escape his life.  He needed a break and found it.   He also found Matilda.   Matilda is the perfect distraction that quickly turned into more than just a distraction.   That distraction turned into a job, a relationship, and a family that he did not know how much he wanted.  

It Started with a Secret is a fun and easy book to read.   The characters were relatable, with histories and futures.  I love the storyline.  I felt myself cheering on Jared and Matilda with their jobs, choices, and love life.    Jared’s family were wonderful and so accepting.  I love that they had a family business, which I could relate to easily since my family had a restaurant business also. 

Thank you Harlequin for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

 Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads

Purchase your own copy on Amazon

 Meet Tif Marcelo (taken from her website):  Tif Marcelo is a veteran US Army nurse and holds a BS in Nursing and a Master’s in public administration. She believes and writes about the strength of families, the endurance of friendship, heartfelt romances, and is inspired daily by her own military hero husband and four children. She hosts The Stories to Love Podcast, and is the USA Today bestselling author of In a Book Club Far Away, Once Upon a Sunset, The Key to Happily Ever After, which was a Target Diverse Book Club pick, The Holiday Switch, and the Heart Resort and Journey to the Heart series. She and her books have been featured in The Today Show, Shondaland, Real Simple Magazine, The Asian Journal and more!

 

 

 

Release Blitz for Your One by Christina Braver

 

Your One by Christina Braver is now live!

She’s independent to a fault.
But he’s going to show her a love she can’t live without.

Angela Martin doesn’t need a man. She runs her mom’s horse barn on an idyllic coastal island and has plenty of lovers ready anytime she winks. Unfortunately, no one else makes her feel like Jax did on their one night together four years ago. Before he left.

Everyone needs Jaxon Evans: his family, his bandmates, and his fans. He can’t think about what he needs...or about the woman he wrapped up in his muscled drummer’s arms on the single best night of his life.

But then a chance encounter in a fancy hotel brings it all back for one unexpected weekend, and this time, it’s different.

It’s fate.

When Jax’s band takes an indefinite break, he volunteers to help out at Angela’s barn. Her protective walls are up higher than ever, but Jax can see what she hides from everyone, including herself.

With love on the line, how can he prove he’s her “one”? 

Author’s Note: A surprising, second chance, he falls first, rockstar romance containing a heroine not afraid to speak her mind, a swoony hero not afraid to take control in the bedroom, and 5+ spicy scenes with no cliffhangers and a guaranteed Happily Ever After.

 Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3OXgmc5

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3uRNH1h

Bookbub: https://bit.ly/49z1F7s

 

Meet Christina Braver

Christina Braver writes steamy, small town, contemporary romance set in the Pacific Northwest. Her stories are about real people and real love with the guaranteed HEA we all need.
She's been reading romance for decades and loves to escape into stories about strong heroes with softer sides and independent heroines with a bit of sass.
She strives to support allyship in her writing and portray diversity in everyday life. She believes together, we will save the world.
When she isn't writing, Christina can be found reading in her favorite corner chair, sipping wine and laughing too loudly with friends, or cooking dinners that always take twice as long as the recipe suggests. She lives in Seattle with her husband who shares his bourbon, and two teenagers that keep them both on their toes.
And just like her favorite latte, her books have some steam. If that's not your regular brew, you may want to change your order. Enjoy!

 

Connect with Christina

Website | https://christinabraver.com/  

Goodreads | https://bit.ly/3dGeO6y    

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/christina.braver.1      

Instagram |  https://www.instagram.com/christinabraverromance

Book Blitz for Into the Lure of Time by Vera Bell with a GIVEAWAY

 Into the Lure of Time by Vera Bell

(Always and Forever, #2)
Publication date: April 23rd 2024
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense, Time-Travel

Synopsis:

In this gripping sequel to the award-winning novel, Through the Veneer of Time, echoes of Siena’s past life lure her into a shocking indiscretion that threatens to destroy her marriage. She alone can undo the damage, but this chilling revelation is only the beginning of her battle.

1564, ULSTER, IRELAND. After Aedan’s diplomatic visit to Queen Elizabeth’s court results in his compulsory divorce and arranged marriage, Neave’s violent unraveling drives her into another man’s arms. But in seeking revenge, Neave falls into a perfect trap set by Aedan’s enemy. By the time she learns the truth, it’s too late to undo the damage to Aedan, herself, and the hard-won peace in Ulster. When despair makes her reckless, the price will be a lifetime of infamy, confinement, and isolation from what Neave treasures most—Aedan and her son.

2011, WASHINGTON D.C./DALLAS, TX. It seems like a reasonable plan—Siena finishing her final mural in D.C. while Ryan starts his new job in Dallas. But when Siena meets Ryan’s new FBI partner, an inexplicable fit of jealousy sends her on a downward spiral. To make matters worse, the present mirrors the past when her visions take a startling turn. Consumed by insecurities, Siena takes a drastic step, which proves a catastrophic lapse in judgment. When her self-fulfilling prophecy unfolds in a devastating inversion of the past, Siena’s actions could cost her the two people she most fears to lose—Ryan and their baby.

Will Siena and Ryan beat their disastrous odds, or is their marriage foredoomed?

If you love time travel romance with dark undertones, as well as elements of domestic suspense, psychosexual thriller, and a touch of magic, don’t miss the second installment of the Always and Forever trilogy!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209744378-into-the-lure-of-time

Purchase:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Udtfke

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/into-the-lure-of-time-vera-bell/1145045291?ean=2940179934318

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/au/book/into-the-lure-of-time/id6479281030

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/into-the-lure-of-time

AUTHOR BIO:

Imagine doing Past Life Regression (PLR) for the first time and emerging with a crazy book idea! That was exactly how I came to write my award-wining debut, “Through the Veneer of Time,” Book One of the time-travel romance trilogy, “Always and Forever.” But while my PLR session was a vivid, impassioned encounter, bursting with colors, sounds, smells, textures, and a bizarrely visceral knowledge, it was incomplete. Yet despite trying to go back, I never could. So I wrote the continuation in my head until it became so extensive and detailed, I had to put it on paper.

Besides being a writer, I’m a wife to my high-school sweetheart, a mother to two teenagers and one fur baby, a former commercial artist and boutique owner, and a member of the Historical Novel Society and Romance Writers of America. My favorite place to write is on my porch, overlooking a pond lined with river birches and magnolias. The topics I never tire of are bygone eras, our universal human condition, and love that transcends time and space.

Want to be in the know? Join my mailing list at VeraBellAuthor dot com and follow me on Facebook @ReadingBells and on Instagram @VeraBellAuthor.

Author links:

https://twitter.com/VeraBellAuthor

https://www.verabellauthor.com/

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/vera-bell

https://www.facebook.com/ReadingBells

https://www.instagram.com/verabellauthor/

https://www.tiktok.com/@verabellauthor

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15884887.Vera_Bell

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