Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past by Sharyn McCrumb

WELCOME TO THE BLOG TOUR CELEBRATING THE RELEASE OF NORA BONESTEEL'S CHRISTMAS PAST. 

I am so happy you are joining me!

Please read my review and then read to the end to find out how you can win a copy of your own!

Description via Goodreads:

When someone buys the old Honeycutt house, Nora Bonesteel is glad to see some life brought back to the old mansion, even if it is by summer people. But when they decide to stay through Christmas, they find more than old memories in the walls. On Christmas Eve, Sheriff Spencer Arrowwood and Deputy Joe LeDonne find themselves on an unwelcome call to arrest an elderly man for a minor offense. As they attempt to do their duty, while doing the right thing for a neighbor, it begins to look like they may all spend Christmas away from home. In a story of spirits, memories, and angels unaware, Sharyn McCrumb revisits her most loved characters who know there is more to this world than the eye can see, especially at Christmastime.

Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past is a nostalgic look at what Christmas used to be and what it can be again.
This is actually two stories told together. Miss McCrumb goes back and forth between the two stories. One is about an old house with a special Christmas spirit. The other story is about two police officers on the road out to do their duty on Christmas eve. A duty that neither are happy to do so close to Christmas. Miss McCrumb shows how the past can be so much a part of the present, and how important it is to believe in Christmas Angels.
I really enjoyed this story. It has somewhat of a mystery vibe, but draws you into the having a little of the Christmas spirit sooner than you might normally feel it. Both stories engage the reader with simple down home characters and a lifestyle a little slower and less stressful than we tend to find in the majority of towns these days. The reader is pulled back into the past, only to be brought back to the present and the realities that face a lot of those around us.
So, take a day, get a warm cup of tea or coffee, sit in front of a beautiful backdrop, let your cat curl up in your lap, put your phones on silent and let yourself get lost in the Christmas season with Nora, Sheriff Arrowwood, and Deputy LeDonne.

So, how about a copy of Nora Bonesteel's  Christmas Past to curl up with? I have graciously been given one copy to giveaway in celebration of Sharyn McCrumb's release.
In the spirit of the coming holidays and keeping with Miss McCrumb's story, post in the comments on my blog page your favorite memory of Christmas. It can be from your childhood, after you were first married, or with your beautiful, yet hilarious children. It can be moving or funny. On Monday Oct. 13, I will pick a winner at random from the entries in my comments.

So, in the meantime: HAPPY READING!!

Yours to Uncover ES Siren 1 by Mel Tescho

Description via Goodreads:

Is she willing to sacrifice everything to keep her secret and her lover safe?

It's the year 2202. Earth is grossly overpopulated and seriously polluted. Rita Songworth has spent half her twenty-two years trying to escape the dying planet. It's taken the last five of those years to realize making it in the hard-ass infantry is her only way out, via space transporter Earth Ship Siren.

But the journey to Unity, the new colony, isn't easy. Rita has to resist an attraction to hard, brutish prisoner, Tristan MacFallan, whose masterful hands create more than the beautiful art he's been assigned to make. His forbidden touch affects her profoundly and he sees things in her no man ever has before. But obeying Zane, her ex-lover and malicious lieutenant, who is appointed to keeping the prisoners under guard, comes at a high price. Is she willing to sacrifice everything to keep her secret and her lover safe?

This book sounded very interesting to me. I mean, how can a person who loves Star Trek. Star Wars and romance novels pass up a story that takes place in space with a romance attached? Not me! I eagerly sunk my teeth into the story and devoured it as fast as I could. I loved the fact that the main character was a strong female. . . or was she? This is where it got a little confusing. Rita is a high ranking soldier in the security division, yet she has attached herself to an officer for protection? And then as the story progresses she is tough one minute and a cowering female the next? I really wanted to like her, but I felt myself starting to lose respect for her.
Then there is Zane. Miss Tescho did a super job developing Zane's character. There is NO WAY any one could ever like him! She knows exactly how to create a total slime bag!
Okay, then there is Tristan. Ahhh, Miss Tescho's description leaves you drooling on your tablet or book (whichever you are using). I almost had to get myself a bib to keep from ruining my tablet.
The sex scenes are HOT. Miss Tescho does a very good job of keeping the sex tasteful, yet hot.
The story line is very well developed until about the last 25% of the book. It felt like Miss Tescho was running out of ideas. She was developing her story, pulling me in, and then BAM! All of a sudden the climax was there and within a few short sentences, it was over.
I did like the story. Miss Tescho is a talented writer. I just wish she had kept going with the story instead of pretty much slamming the door on the plot.
I do recommend this book. I feel that it is a worthwhile read. If you do read this book, please comment on this page with your opinion. I would love to find out what you think.

I received a copy of this book for free in return for an honest review. Thank you to Miss Tescho and Momentum Books for this opportunity.

Happy Reading!!

Silk & Spurs by Cheyenne McCray

Description via Goodreads:

Jessica Porter finds herself in southern Arizona on the Cameron’s Bar C Ranch ready to photograph the ranch and the oldest Cameron’s wedding. When Jessie meets Zane Cameron, she finds herself wishing the tall, dark, and gorgeous cowboy was free.

Lately, Zane has had the feeling that things aren’t as they seem with his fiancée. When she shows her true colors, he calls off the wedding.

Zane feels it’s too soon to fall for another woman, but when he meets Jessie, he just can’t get enough of being around her. It’s not long before the pair gets together and it grows hotter between them than an Arizona summer.

But Zane’s ex-fiancée threatens Jessie and everything takes a dangerous turn…a turn that could mean Jessie’s life.

Zane must find Jessie and save her…before it’s too late.

Miss McCray delivers...AGAIN!
Silk & Spurs isn't a normal length story. It is one of Miss McCray's novella's, a shorter story. One for someone who either doesn't have the time or inclination for a full length book.
Miss McCray develops her characters with the ease of an old friend. Her characters jump off the paper making the reader feel like they've known them for years.
Her story line is well thought out and flows with ease. The reader easily gets lost in the story, forgetting everything that is going on around them. The romance and sex is a natural progression to the heat that develops between the main characters. Miss McCray's writing is so wonderfully descriptive, it is like a hot movie is playing in your head.
Miss McCray's description of the area is spot on. The way she describes the beauty of Southeastern AZ (Bisbee, Sierra Vista, Sonoita, etc.) is spot on. Her love of the area is plain to see in her writing.

When you read Miss McCray's novella, Silk & Spurs, make sure you have nothing important to do, like cook dinner for the family. Why? Because, the family won't get fed.

Happy Reading!!

Memory Zero by Keri Arthur

Vampires, Shapeshifters, Kites, a secret organization in the police department, a state police officer with no memory of her life before the age of 14, and a police partner who tries to kill her.

First of all, who hasn't heard of Keri Arthur, New York Times bestselling author of Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy? What a talented writer!

Memory Zero:The Spook Squad book 1 is one book that will keep you up all night because you HAVE to know what happens next!

Sam, a state police officer is almost killed by her partner and then charged with his murder and suspended by the force. She then accepts help from a shapeshifter named Gabriel, but doesn't know he is a shapeshifter. But Gabriel has secrets.

As she digs into her partner's death, she finds he is very much alive and part of an organization that plans a war with the human race. And someone knows about her past, the past she can't remember, As she learns more about her partner, things get very dangerous for Sam, Someone is very determined that she die before learning the truth. But, she is learning that the key to surviving is learning about her past-not only who she is, but what she is. (don't worry, I didn't give anything away!)

Miss Arthur keeps you guessing throughout the book. The twists and turns she takes you through provide a ride of intrigue, excitement, and adventure. The way she weaves the paranormal characters in with the "normal" characters is so flawless and natural. Her whole story is a natural flow of excitement and suspense. How will they deal with this? Who really did that? Will that character survive? Will they admit their attraction?

This story is a clear example of why Miss Arthur is a New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the ultimate storytellers of our day. Her books will be found in archives of the future!

Blurb via Miss Arthur's Website:

For Sam Ryan, life began at the age of fourteen. She has no memory of her parents or her past. All she has is a crayon drawing of a woman with the word “Mommy” scrawled underneath in childish handwriting.

For the ten years Sam’s been with the State Police, she’s used their resources to search for any clues to her identity. But it’s as if all mention of her family has been deliberately wiped off the system, and no one seems to know why.

Everything changes the night she agrees to meet her missing partner, Jack, and barely survives his attempt to kill her. Charged with his murder and suspended from the force, Sam finds herself accepting help from Gabriel Stern–a shapeshifter with secrets of his own.

As Sam delves into her partner’s death, she discovers more than she ever bargained for. Because not only is her partner very much alive, but he’s involved in an organization that plans a war on the human race. Worse, someone knows the truth about Sam’s past, and it appears that they’d rather see her dead than have her uncover it.

The deeper she digs, the more the danger grows. It soon becomes clear that the key to surviving the present lies in unravelling the threads of her past–and in discovering not just who she is, but what she is…

I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Miss Arthur and Random House Publishing Group-Bantam Dell.

Broken by Lauren Layne

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Miss Layne and Random House for this opportunity.

Synopisis via Goodreads:

When Olivia Middleton abandons the glamour of Park Avenue for a remote, coastal town in Maine, everyone assumes she’s being the kind do-gooder she’s always been. But Olivia has a secret: helping an injured war veteran reenter society isn’t about charity—it’s about penance. Only, Olivia’s client isn’t the grateful elderly man she’s expecting. Instead, he’s a brooding twenty-four-year-old who has no intention of being Olivia’s path to redemption . . . and whose smoldering gaze and forbidden touch might be her undoing.

Paul Langdon doesn’t need a mirror to show him he’s no longer the hotshot quarterback he was before the war. He knows he’s ugly—inside and out. He’ll do anything to stay in self-imposed exile, even accept his father’s ultimatum that Paul tolerate the newest caretaker for three months or lose his inheritance. But Paul doesn’t count on the beautiful twenty-two-year-old who makes him long for things that he can never have. And the more she slips past his defenses, the more keeping his distance is impossible.

Now Paul and Olivia have to decide: Will they help each other heal? Or are they forever broken?

I have to admit that I am a sucker for a soldier story. But even more so for a Wounded Warrior.
I was very impressed with Miss Layne's writing. Paul was very realistic and believable. There were a few things about Olivia I wasn't too sure about, but that did not stop me from becoming engrossed with the story and quickly falling in love with Paul and Olivia.

Paul and Olivia, two spoiled rich kids. Paul, a rich, spoiled boy who decides to serve his country. His reality check comes in the form of war. A war where he loses all of his friends and he is left with the scars of battle and survivor's guilt. A rich kid who has the benefit of daddy's money to come home and hide from the world as well as himself.
And then there is Olivia, another rich kid. She has a different kind of guilt to contend with. She has hurt someone very close to her. So she decides the only way to run away is to help someone else. With daddy's help, she lands a job helping an injured war vet-in luxury just like it would be if she were living at home.
Of course Paul doesn't want help, He would rather suffer by himself and never venture back out into the world, living in his bubble of self-exile.  After all, isn't that what daddy's money is for? And Olivia, she feels that if she can help someone else in need it will erase the hurt she has caused-a little unrealistic on her part don't you think? Of course, isn't that what most of us think about rich kids? They don't know what reality is really like, that they live in their glass towers and eat their caviar and the real world is beneath them?
Well, actually, Miss Layne has done a wonderful job of bringing these two "caviar kids" (as I call them) into the real world.
Paul and Olivia are exactly what the other needs. They are straight forward and brutally honest with each other. They begin to see that their pain isn't the only pain being felt in this great big world. Their time together teaches them to start worrying about how another person feels. Their romance grows, but like real world relationships, has a few stumbles.
I found myself rooting for Paul and Olivia, hoping that they would each open their own little world up and let hope and sunshine in.The plot is not a simple he has problems, she has problems, they get together and BOOM! Happily-ever-after happens. Miss Layne takes you on a few twists and turns and makes you wonder what will happen between them next. While not a suspense, it isn't a mindless story either.
Miss Layne delivers a wonderful happily-ever-after with characters that the reader can't help but fall in love with. So, as I see it, she has lived up to her "serious weakness for happily-ever-afters".
Check out BROKEN. It is worth your time.

Happy Reading

The Night Visitor by Dianne Emley

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Miss Emley and Alibi for this opportunity.

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Gorgeous and successful, Rory Langtry seemed to have it all. Daughter of a movie star and sister of a supermodel, Rory was engaged to sexy artist, Junior Lara. But her bright future went dark one terrible, bloody night that left her sister dead and the accused murderer—Junior—in an extended coma.

Now, five years later, Rory appears to have put the past behind her. She has a wonderful new fiancé and heads a successful cosmetics company. Yet dark secrets threaten. Across town, Junior lies close to death but before he departs he seeks to clear his name.

It starts with a feeling. It turns into a vision. Soon Rory is having sensations that only Junior could experience—from the horrifying to the erotic. Then she learns details about the awful night that only Junior could know, newfound knowledge with potentially fatal consequences. When another act of violence rocks her family, Rory plunges deeper into the unsolved mystery, led by an inexplicable visitor to a dangerous time and place where all will be revealed at last. But until then, Junior will not let her go.

I am a lover of paranormal romance, so unusual stories usually do not phase me. This story was a little more unusual than most. It was a little slow starting, but as the story line got going, I found myself wanting to know what happened. It is a story that takes a little getting used to. So hunker down and delve deep, it is worth the time to find your way to the end.

Happy Reading!

Aftermath by Denise Grover Swank

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Before she agreed to tutor Tucker Price, college junior Scarlett was introvert, struggling with her social anxiety and determined to not end up living in a trailer park like her mother and her younger sister. A mathematics major, she goes to her classes, to her job in the tutoring lab, and then hides in the apartment she shares with her friend, Caroline.

After junior Tucker Price, Southern University’s star soccer player enters the equation, her carefully plotted life is thrown off its axis. Tucker’s failing his required College Algebra class. With his eligibility is at risk, the university chancellor dangles an expensive piece of computer software for the math department if Scarlett agrees to privately tutor him.Tucker’s bad boy, womanizer reputation makes Scarlett wary of any contact, let alone spending several hours a week in close proximity.

But from her first encounter, she realizes Tucker isn’t the person everyone else sees. He carries a mountain of secrets which she suspects hold the reason to his self-destructive behavior. But the deeper she delves into the cause of his pain, the deeper she gets sucked into his chaos. Will Scarlett find the happiness she’s looking for, or will she be caught in Tucker’s aftermath?

Aftermath is not a simple love story. It is a soul-searching story about two young people who are trying to find their way after childhoods that have taught them that the only person they can rely on in life is themselves. Scarlett and Tucker have had very different childhoods, but both were very traumatic in their own way. Each have developed a way to cope. They find each other and through trial and error, learn how to let each other in. 

Aftermath is a very fitting title for this story. It is definitely not a typical contemporary love story. The plot is a lot deeper than that. This is the story of how two individuals find a sort of kindred spirit in each other and learn how to help each other begin to heal. Scarlett has a naivete about her, while Tucker has a little too much experience. Together they learn how to build a relationship that requires them to work together and to help each other out.

Miss Swank has created a story that brings out more emotions than you ever thought a story could produce. It is a refreshingly deep, emotional book that makes you think and feel throughout the journey, and yes, it is a journey. She takes you through Scarlett and Tucker's lives. There is such description and emotion. You will laugh, cry, hurt, and cheer. This is definitely a story with meat!!

Happy Reading!