Spotlight: A Sparkle of Silver by Liz Johnson

Uncovering the past can lead to an unexpected future . . . 

Millie Sullivan plays a 1920s-era guest during tours of a palatial estate on the shore of St. Simons Island, Georgia, where her great-grandmother was a real guest ninety years ago. When Millie learns of a lost diary that may contain the location of a hidden treasure on the estate and reveal the identity of her great-grandfather, she sets out to find the truth of her heritage--and the fortune she desperately needs. But it won't be easy.

When security guard Ben Thornton discovers her snooping in the estate's private library, he threatens to have her fired. Still, her story seems too ludicrous to be fiction, and her offer to split the treasure is too tempting to pass up.

Get ready for a romantic escapade through dark halls and dusty corners that will have you holding your breath and sighing with delight.

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About the Author

Liz Johnson is the author of more than a dozen novels, including The Red Door InnWhere Two Hearts Meet, and On Love's Gentle Shore, as well as a New York Times bestselling novella and a handful of short stories. A marketing manager for a Christian film company, she makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona.

Spotlight: The Library Book by Susan Orlean

On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?

Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.

In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.

Along the way, Orlean introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and present—from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and polymath known as “The Human Encyclopedia” who roamed the library dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves.

Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country. It is also a master journalist’s reminder that, perhaps especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever.

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About the Author

Susan Orlean has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1992. She is the author of seven books, including Rin Tin TinSaturday Night, and The Orchid Thief, which was made into the Academy Award–winning film Adaptation. She lives with her family and her animals in upstate New York and may be reached at SusanOrlean.com and Twitter.com/SusanOrlean.

Spotlight: The Latecomers by Helen Klein Ross

From the bestselling author of What Was Mine-a deeply moving family dramaabout a young Irish immigrant, an ancestral home in New England and a dark secret that lay hidden in its walls for five generations.

In 1908, sixteen-year-old Bridey runs away from her small town in Ireland with her same-age sweetheart Thom. But when Thom dies suddenly of ship fever on their ocean crossing, Bridey finds herself alone and pregnant in a strange new world. 

Forced by circumstance to give up the baby for adoption, Bridey finds work as a maid for the Hollingworth family at a lavish, sprawling estate. It’s the dawn of a new century: innovative technologies are emerging, women’s roles are changing, and Bridey is emboldened by the promise of a fresh start. She cares for the Hollingworth children as if they were her own, until a mysterious death changes Bridey and the household forever. For decades, the terrible secrets of Bridey’s past continue to haunt the family. And in the present day, the youngest Hollingworth makes a connection that finally brings these dark ghost stories into the light. 

Told in interweaving timelines and rich with detailed history, romance and dark secrets, Helen Klein Ross’ THE LATECOMERS spans a century of America life and reminds us all that we can never truly leave the past behind.

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About the Author

Helen Klein Ross is the author of two novels: What Was Mine and Making It: A Novel Of Madison Avenue and creator of The Traveler’s Vade Mecum, an anthology of new poems titled by old telegrams. Her poetry, essays and fiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times and literary journals. Helen spent decades as a writer/creative director at global ad agencies on both coasts. She graduated from Cornell University and received an MFA from The New School. She lives with her husband in New York City and Salisbury, CT.

Spotlight: You Don't Own Me by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke

“Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke are back with their fifth enthralling mystery in the New York Times bestselling Under Suspicion series; You Don’t Own Me finds television producer Laurie Moran stopping at nothing to solve the murder of a celebrity doctor—even as she finds herself in grave danger as a mysterious stalker plots his next move.

When we last saw Laurie Moran, she had recently become engaged to her show’s former host, Alex Buckley. Since then, the two have been happily planning a summer wedding and honeymoon, preparing for Alex’s confirmation to a federal judicial appointment, and searching for the perfect New York City home for their new life together.

But then Laurie is approached by Robert and Cynthia Bell, parents of Dr. Martin Bell, a famously charming and talented physician who was shot dead as he pulled into the driveway of his Greenwich Village carriage house five years ago. The Bells are sure that Martin’s disgraced and erratic wife, Kendra, carried out the murder. Determined to prove Kendra’s guilt and win custody over their grandchildren, they plead with Laurie to feature their son’s case on “Under Suspicion,” ensuring her that Kendra is willing to cooperate.

Kendra has lived under a blanket of suspicion since Martin’s death, with the tabloid media depicting her as a secretive, mentally unstable gold-digger. Laurie’s show is a chance for her to clear her name. But unbeknownst to the Bells, Kendra has already refused once before to go forward with a re-investigation of her husband’s murder, and her statements to the contrary only add to the appearance of guilt.

But once Laurie dives into the case, she learns that Martin wasn’t the picture-perfect husband, father, and doctor he appeared to be and was carrying secrets of his own. And what does the web of lies ensnaring the Bell family have to do with a dangerous stranger, who gazes at Laurie from afar and thinks, She is actually quite a lovely girl, I’m sure she’s going to be missed…?

You Don’t Own Me is the perfect, exhilarating follow up to the bestselling Every Breath You Take. The “Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark and her dazzling partner-in-crime Alafair Burke have devised another riveting page-turner.

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About the Author

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark has written thirty-seven suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a historical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels, and also wrote The Cinderella Murder, All Dressed in White, The Sleeping Beauty Killer, and Every Breath You Take with bestselling author Alafair Burke. More than one hundred million copies of her books are in print in the United States alone. Her books are international bestsellers.

Alafair Burke is the Edgar-nominated, New York Times bestselling author of twelve novels, including The Wife, The Ex, If You Were Here, Long Gone, and the Ellie Hatcher series. A former prosecutor, she is now a professor of criminal law and lives in Manhattan.

Spotlight: Dark Legacy by Trish McCallan & Dark Nightmares: Dark Falls Series by Trish McCallan

Dark Legacy
Trish McCallan
(Dark Falls)
Publication date: November 6th 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance, Thriller

Rhys Evans
Sixteen years…
For sixteen years he’d lived with the certainty that they’d caught the right guy…convicted the right guy…punished the right guy. While life behind bars didn’t make up for what the bastard had done, the families he’d destroyed, or the lives he’d stolen, the fact he’d died a broken, lonely man locked in a cell had been a small comfort. But now Ariel Hamilton was back—the onetime love of his life and the daughter of Dark Fall’s infamous serial killer. She rolled into town with her icy smile, furious eyes and baseless accusations of police corruption. Damn it to hell, Hamilton had been the X-factor killer, he was absolutely certain of that—no matter how desperate Ariel was trying to prove him wrong.

Ariel Hamilton
Sixteen years…
For sixteen years she’d lived with the knowledge her father had been framed, and watched him waste away in prison for crimes he hadn’t committed. Nobody had believed her back then. Even Rhys, the boy she’d loved with all her heart, had walked away. It had been a hard lesson, but she’d learned it well—count on no one. Now she finally had proof of her dad’s innocence. Proof that Dark Falls police department had framed an innocent man and covered it up…were still covering it up. She wasn’t nineteen anymore, she wouldn’t be cowed and ran out of town. She’d stay and fight to clear her father’s name. Even if that meant drawing the real killer out…even if that meant making herself a target and losing a second chance with the only man she’d ever loved.

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Dark Nightmares
Becca Jameson
(Dark Falls)
Publication date: November 6th 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance, Thriller

Nicole Salway left Dark Falls eighteen years ago with no intention of ever returning. Destroyed beyond repair, she closed that chapter of her life for good. But nightmares have plagued her for two decades. Nonsensical nightmares that have kept her from leading a normal life. The Dark Falls police department failed her as a young girl, but now she’s a detective herself, and her hometown needs her help. Returning to the place where it all began could crack open her past and leave her raw and exposed if she’s not careful.

Mason England isn’t fond of going undercover without his usual partner, but the state has assigned one of their own detectives to help solve a horrific murder. After all, the victim is the governor’s daughter, and all evidence points to a local club. Mason’s temporary partner takes his breath away the moment she enters the precinct. But Nicole is a conundrum. She guards her secrets close, so close that Mason realizes no one has ever penetrated her walls.

Sharing her past with Mason, or anyone, isn’t an option. Nicole does not date. Ever. But Mason is persistent and patient. As Nicole’s past unravels, threatening to destroy her, Mason just might prove capable of grabbing the pieces as they fall and putting her back together again.

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The Dark Falls, CO series is a multi-author romantic thriller series set in the fictional town of Dark Falls, Co. Each book features a separate hero and heroine and suspense storyline. They can be read in order or out of order depending on reader preference, although readers may enjoy the books best if read in order. The books currently being promoted are books three and four in the series- books one and two released on October 9th. You can find the four titles currently available, as well as a list of upcoming titles here: http://loriryanromance.com/darkfalls/

EXCERPTS:

Dark Legacy

When it came to murder, every avenue was investigated.

Assuming the victim had been murdered.

Rhys suspected she had been; his instincts had been humming since he’d gotten the call an hour earlier. The location and markings were too damn suspicious for anything else. Unless… unless some malicious prick had found a dead drifter and decided to play a nasty prank on the town.

He crunched his way across the first perimeter, his skin and chest tightening beneath the constant furtive glances that followed him. Sevier was waiting at the second perimeter tape—red this time.

“You’re late.” There was no accusation in the comment; instead, concern narrowed the light brown eyes studying him. “You okay?”

The question stopped Rhys in his tracks and tensed the muscles of his back. Fuck… he’d expected the concern… the questions… those little sideways looks everyone was giving him. He just hadn’t expected them to dig under his skin like slivers of ice.

“I’m fine.” He kept his voice neutral, his face blank, and ducked beneath the tape to join Sevier. “When did you start buying into Cantu’s theory of oversharing?”

Eric Cantu was Sevier’s partner. He was also the Major Crime unit’s company comic and pop psychologist. Christ, it was bad enough having Cantu mothering the hell out of them, encouraging everyone to express their feelings. Having two dithering hens in the unit would be two too many.

Sevier simply shrugged. “The boss fill you in?”

“About the carvings? Yeah.” Rhys buried his immediate visceral reaction. But remnants of the nightmare slipped through.

A white face frozen in terror… glazed blue eyes… icy blond hair stuck to the snow… a dark red X-9 carved into a bleached-white forehead…

He locked down the corresponding surge of rage and horror. Even now, so many years later—those early, raw emotions dug their claws into him sometimes, catching him unprepared. He’d spent the past forty-five minutes drinking coffee and girding himself to make sure they didn’t latch onto him here… now.

“Whoever did this… the perp? He’s a mimic. A fucking copycat.” Sevier scowled and blew out a deep breath that hung in the air like a frosty question mark.

Rhys grimaced. No shit.

While he’d been a clueless kid when Kenneth Hamilton had been carving up young women and dumping their bodies in this section of the Colorado State Forest, he knew many of the detectives who’d been instrumental in catching the bastard.

Hell, Gerald Osborn and Craig Patel had been the lead detectives on the case back then. They were sharp as needles, methodical, and unbiased. They didn’t jump to conclusions; they followed the evidence. There was no fucking way Hamilton would have been arrested and convicted without a sea of evidence supporting the case.

The bastard had been guilty. There was no question of that in Rhys’s mind. Regardless of how vehemently Ariel had insisted that her father wasn’t the killer… couldn’t possibly be the killer—

Rhys swiped a hand down his face. Christ, he needed to get his mind under control. These damn memories were not helping.

He sighed and pinched the flesh between his eyebrows. This new victim with her blond hair and blue eyes and the X-10 carved in her forehead had just muddied the Hamilton case significantly.

Someone was out to fuck with them.

Dark Nightmares

Nicole had been a detective for six years. She’d worked undercover more times than she could count. This was the first assignment that completely threw her off her game.

Thank God, Mason seemed nice enough that he would do his best to ensure she was comfortable, but she really didn’t like putting herself in situations where she was inferior to a man. Ever.

He was picking her up from her hotel any minute now, and she was pacing like a sixteen-year-old about to go on her first date. He had said she could wear whatever she wanted, but he’d also implied she might fit in better if she showed a little skin. Apparently, there would be people there wearing anything from jeans and T-shirts to expensive sexy corsets and short tight skirts to…complete nudity.

She shuddered and rubbed her arms for the millionth time. She was a grown woman for heaven’s sake. A detective. She could handle just about anything. Blood. Dead bodies. Active shooters. Masked gunmen. Car chases. Heights. The list was long. It didn’t include fetish clubs.

Until tonight.

At exactly midnight, a knock on her door made her jump. She shook her arms at her sides and took a few deep breaths before peering through the peephole and then opening the door.

She hadn’t thought much about how Mason might be dressed, but she was pleasantly surprised to find him in black jeans, a black tee that hugged his pecs to perfection, and black loafers. He’d showered recently. His hair was still damp, and as he stepped into her room, she could smell the clean scent of his soap and shampoo.

If this were a date, she would consider herself the luckiest woman alive. He had been attractive from the moment she’d met him, but tonight he was smoking hot. And that smile… The way he looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes. The air between them sizzled and she hadn’t even let him inside the room yet. For several moments, it was impossible to remember this was not a real date. It was a job.

Damn. She needed to avert her gaze, school her expression, and shake the wandering thoughts about what his chest might look like from her head. She was on a job. She never ogled men at work.

Never.

As a rule, she didn’t date anyone she worked with, not even people from another department. Of course, Mason was from another city, so in the long run, he didn’t count. But, looks aside, he had several strikes against him.

He was apparently at least somewhat into BDSM. This would never fly with her. He was a detective. She didn’t like to date men who were in her field. It left her feeling like they were in a power struggle. And finally, the guy lived in Dark Falls. That was four hours from Denver. It was also a town she never wanted to return to on a permanent basis.

Strike three.

With that in mind, she faced him again, only to find him eyeing her from top to bottom. She couldn’t read his expression, so she wasn’t sure how she measured up to his expectations.

This is not a date.

“Will this work?” she asked, pointing down at the little black dress she’d purchased that afternoon. She was not ordinarily a shopper. She didn’t like crowded stores, and she hated fitting rooms. Online shopping was far more her style. But she hadn’t arrived in Dark Falls with anything she would deem appropriate for tonight, nor did she have time to order something and have it delivered.


Author Bio:

Trish McCallan was born in Eugene, Oregon, and grew up in Washington State, where she began crafting stories at an early age. Her first books were illustrated in crayon, bound with red yarn, and sold for a nickel at her lemonade stand. Trish grew up to earn a bachelor’s degree in English literature with a concentration in creative writing from Western Washington University, taking jobs as a bookkeeper and human- resource specialist before finally quitting her day job to write full time.

Forged in Fire, the first book in her Red Hot SEALs series, came about after a marathon reading session, and a bottle of Nyquil that sparked a vivid dream. She lives today in eastern Washington. An avid animal lover, she currently shares her home with four golden retrievers, a black lab mix and two cats.

Author links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Becca Jameson is a USA Today best-selling author of over 70 books. She is most well-known for her Wolf Masters series and her Fight Club series. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, two grown kids, and the various pets that wander through. She is loving this journey and has dabbled in a variety of genres, including paranormal, sports romance, military, and BDSM.

A total night owl, Becca writes late at night, sequestering herself in her office with a glass of red wine and a bar of dark chocolate, her fingers flying across the keyboard as her characters weave their own stories.

During the day--which never starts before ten in the morning!--she can be found jogging, floating in the pool, or reading in her favorite hammock chair!

Becca loves chatting with fans on social media! Reach out, and she will respond!

Author links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter


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Cover Reveal: Birthday Suit by Lauren Blakely

 

Temptation never tasted so good…

And it’s back in my life in an unexpected way.

BIRTHDAY SUIT, a brand new standalone forbidden romance from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely, will be releasing on January 18, 2019 on all retailers! Don’t miss the fantastic cover below, and pre-order your copy today!

 

Photography by Wander Aguiar. Cover Design by Helen Williams.

About BIRTHDAY SUIT (Coming 1/18/2019):

She’s the ultimate off-limits woman...

There are only three rules in life you should truly follow to the letter.

One: Always make time to help a buddy.

Two: Definitely turn down that last tequila shot.

And three: Absolutely, no matter how beautiful, smart, clever and witty she is, do not--under any circumstances--fall in love with your best friend’s woman.

Oops.

Seems I missed following that last one. And the trouble is, she just walked back into my life in a big way….

Pass the tequila.

***

There are three things I've never been able to resist -- my friends, my family, and chocolate. Leo Hennessy? He was nowhere on that list. He's been a friend and only that. A friend who walked through hell and back with me.

Now, I'm stepping into my new future, and I didn't expect it to include a riddle-filled, race-against-the-clock scavenger hunt across New York City.

With Leo.

Suddenly, I'm looking at this man with new eyes...

But I can't risk a temptation as I start over and Leo is most definitely a temptation of the sexiest, sweetest, and most dangerous variety.

More delicious than chocolate...

 

PREORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

✦Amazon PB ➜ https://amzn.to/2ySLrXw

✦Apple Books ➜ https://apple.co/2Ouk9eK

✦Kobo ➜ http://bit.ly/2MKMEIy

✦Nook ➜ http://bit.ly/2o4h7TJ

✦Google Play ➜ http://bit.ly/2MuIULN

✦Kindle Preorder alert (via Lauren's newsletter) ➜ http://laurenblakely.com/newsletter/

✦Goodreads ➜ http://bit.ly/BdaySuitGR

   
 

WISHING FOR ALL THE LATEST BIRTHDAY SUIT AUDIO NEWS?!

Check out Hypable.com TOMORROW and find out our BIRTHDAY SUIT secret!


 

About Lauren Blakely: A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 100 times, and she's sold more than 2.5 million books. In December she'll release UNZIPPED, a fun & sexy romantic comedy. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter  

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