Spotlight: The Cowboy's False Start by Shirleen Davies

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Cowboys of Whistle Rock Ranch Book 2

Genre: Clean Contemporary Western Romance 

Two shattered hearts. A family with secrets.
A second chance for this cowboy to fix the mistakes from his past
and seize the future of his dreams.

Virgil Redstar has spent most of his life on Whistle Rock Ranch. Breeding and training some of the most spectacular Paint horses in the country tests his talent while soothing the hole in his soul. His return from college and promotion to foreman provides everything he needs. Almost.

Almost nine years after he shattered her heart, Lily Cardoza’s life is a success. Her work as a nurse challenges and fulfills her. She enjoys rides with her best friend, Daisy Bonner, and occasional dates with eligible men. All is good in her world. Until the man she still loves presses for another chance.

Taking cautious steps, Virgil and Lily attempt to regain the relationship lost years ago. Rides on the ranch, dinners in town, and evenings spent together begin to heal the deep wounds which have never healed.

What neither Virgil nor Lily know are the dark secrets his father has never shared. Secrets which can end any plan for a second chance.

The Cowboy’s False Start, book two in the Cowboys of Whistle Rock Ranch Contemporary Western Romance series, is a clean and wholesome, full-length novel with an HEA. 

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author 

Shirleen Davies writes romance—historical and contemporary cowboy romance with a touch of suspense, and romantic suspense. She is the best-selling author of numerous series including Macklins of Whiskey Bend, Eternal Brethren, MacLarens of Fire Mountain historicals and contemporaries, the MacLarens of Boundary Mountain, Cowboys of Whistle Rock Ranch, and Redemption Mountain. Shirleen grew up in Southern California, attended Oregon State University, and has degrees from San Diego State University and the University of Maryland. Her passion is writing emotionally charged stories of flawed people who find redemption through love and acceptance. She lives with her husband in a beautiful town in northern Arizona.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Spotlight: Spring's Second Chance by J. Sterling

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Release Date: May 1

What happens when you call off your engagement, but go on the honeymoon alone anyway? You're going to love this fun and flirty story about finding romance when you least expect it.

I was engaged to my high school boyfriend, about to get married and live a life I no longer wanted. I only had one option: to call off the wedding. When my ex insisted that I go on our planned honeymoon (alone) anyway, I wasn't about to say no.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I'd meet someone there. I wasn't looking for love, but it sure seemed to be looking for me- in the shape of a six-foot tall, tanned, professional surfer named Diego. Our time together was filled with passion unlike anything I'd known back in my small town.

I went to the North Shore one kind of woman... but I came back completely changed.

Now what am I going to do about it?

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Bookshop.org

Meet J. Sterling:

Hi there and welcome to my website! I'm so glad you're here. :) A little about me... I'm a New York Times and USA Today best selling author whose goal is to write stories that you can get lost in. I want you to end my books with a smile on your face and a happy heart. If you can forget about the real world while you're reading and fall in love with my characters, then I've done my job. A lot of what I write has real life aspects in it, but that's what makes the stories so relateable- the fact that they could happen to anyone... and have! 

I live in California with my only son, Blake. If you can't find me sitting behind a computer screen, then there's a good chance I'm sitting in the bleachers of a baseball stadium watching him play. I love traveling to new places, meeting my readers and living life with the Real Jack Carter. ♡

I know you have a million books to choose from and I am humbled, grateful and thankful each time you choose to read one of mine, or tell someone else to read them. Thank you for being the best readers on the planet! I appreciate you. 

xox J. Sterling

Connect with J. Sterling:

https://www.j-sterling.com/p/quick-links.html 

Spotlight: Scarlet Carnation by Laila Ibrahim

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In an early twentieth-century America roiling with racial injustice, class divides, and WWI, two women fight for their dreams in a galvanizing novel by the bestselling author of Golden Poppies.

May and Naomi are extended family, their grandmothers’ lives inseparably entwined on a Virginia plantation in the volatile time leading up to the Civil War. For both women, the twentieth century promises social transformation and equal opportunity.

May, a young white woman, is on the brink of achieving the independent life she’s dreamed of since childhood. Naomi, a nurse, mother, and leader of the NAACP, has fulfilled her own dearest desire: buying a home for her family. But they both are about to learn that dreams can be destroyed in an instant. May’s future is upended, and she is forced to rely once again on her mother. Meanwhile, the white-majority neighborhood into which Naomi has moved is organizing against her while her sons are away fighting for their country.

In the tumult of a changing nation, these two women―whose grandmothers survived the Civil War―support each other’s quest for liberation and dignity. Both find the strength to confront injustice and the faith to thrive on their chosen paths.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Laila Ibrahim is the bestselling author of Golden Poppies, Paper Wife, Mustard Seed, and Yellow Crocus. She spent much of her career as a preschool director, a birth doula, and a religious educator. That work, coupled with her education in developmental psychology and attachment theory, provided ample fodder for her novels.

She’s a devout Unitarian Universalist, determined to do her part to add a little more love and justice to our beautiful and painful world. She lives with her wonderful wife, Rinda, and two other families in a small cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Her young adult children are her pride and joy.

Laila is blessed to be working full-time as a novelist. When she isn’t writing, she likes to take walks with friends, do jigsaw puzzles, play games, work in the garden, travel, cook, and eat all kinds of delicious food. Visit the author at www.lailaibrahim.com.

Spotlight: Of Kingdoms and Crowns by Cameo Renae

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Genre: YA Dark Fantasy

Cover Designer: Jay Villalobos - Covers by Juan

Publication Date: April 30th, 2022

From USA Today bestselling author Cameo Renae comes the highly-anticipated conclusion to her gripping Heir of Fire and Blood saga! 

With the King of Morbeth dead, Roehl seizes control of the kingdom. Capturing the late king’s witches and head guards, Roehl sends a message to Calla and Nicolae. 

Come to Morbeth within twenty days, or they will all be executed.  

Calla refuses to allow those who served her great-grandfather to die because of her. Yet to face him in battle she needs allies who will stand with her despite knowing they are walking into Roehl’s deadly trap. 

War is imminent. Lives will be lost. 

As Calla rallies her allies together, can she trust her powers to find victory and end Roehl’s evil reign? Or will she be the next to fall?

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author
Cameo Renae, was born in San Francisco, raised in Maui, Hawaii, and now resides with her husband and children in Las Vegas.

She's a daydreamer, caffeine and peppermint addict, who loves to laugh, and loves to read to escape reality.

One of her greatest joys is creating fantasy worlds filled with adventure and romance and sharing it with others. It is the love of her family and amazing support of her fans that keeps her going.

One day she hopes to find her own magic wardrobe and ride away on her magical unicorn. Until then...she'll keep writing!

Connect:

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

Blog: http://cameorenae.blogspot.com/

Website: http://cameorenae.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CameoRenae

Fan Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CameoRenaeFanClub/

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/23HGKIy

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mycZJj

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4794993.Cameo_Renae

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cameo-renae

Spotlight: Love Reunited by Tara Taffera

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Publication date: April 29th 2022
Genres: Christian, Romance

Synopsis:

Elizabeth Carlson turns heads wherever she goes but has never moved on from Tyler Williams, with whom she shared a whirlwind relationship her senior year of high school. After only a month together, Elizabeth ran away from her past and her broken family. Ten years later, Tyler comes crashing back in her life, eager for a second chance. But she can’t forgive him for the order he issued all those years ago. Slowly, a high school romance turns into so much more, but her secrets, and his anger, threaten to ruin their happily ever after. Will God’s grace and love lead them back to each other?

Excerpt

The past finally caught up to me. I remember the month after Tyler and I met. We were inseparable. He offered an escape from my father’s lies and my mother’s grief. He listened, was sensitive to my feelings, and made me laugh. And when he ran his hand through his dark brown hair, messing it up just so. When he stared at me with those eyes that showed me the attention I craved, I fell a little harder each day. 

My thoughts travel back to high school, and I consider how much to reveal to Gina. There was a party that night. It was the day before his birthday. After begging for days, my mom agreed to a 12:30 curfew so I could wish him a happy eighteenth birthday at midnight. We walked in together, and everyone who greeted me complimented my hair and clothes. I stood taller. They no longer called me ‘Jesus freak’ behind my back. 

While I talked to two girls in my Spanish class, Tyler started the birthday celebration and quickly consumed too many pours from the keg. Then he turned into all the other guys—the ones who made me avoid these scenes all through school. He flirted with every pretty girl who passed by, then glanced my way as if he wanted to witness my hurt. Yesterday, he found every reason to graze my skin. Today, if our hands brushed, he recoiled as if I scorched him. 

The friends I made over the past month kept their distance now, taking their lead from Tyler, the cool kid in class. Standing alone at the party, I felt like Cinderella—pre-Prince Charming and glass slipper. The best month of my life was over with no Fairy Godmother in sight. I watched him laugh at one of our classmate’s jokes and eye her tight V-neck top. If I walked out of the house in that thing, my mom would ground me for life. So would dad, but I no longer cared what he thought. He taught me one thing, though—how to mask my feelings. I perfected it so well, it may as well be an Olympic sport. 

I sauntered out of the party like I had somewhere better to be, and somehow, I held back the dam—until I reached my house and spotted the wrapped present I’d left for Tyler on the swing. He was supposed to walk me home, open the framed photo of us, then kiss me goodnight, signaling the start of something beyond friendship. 

I stood outside the door, hoping my mother was sleeping so I didn’t have to explain why I came home so early after begging all week for a late curfew. The sound of raised voices stopped me before I turned the knob. 

My mom’s pained voice shocked me. “You said you would stop!”

“I couldn’t,” was all my dad uttered. It was almost a whisper through the door. 

“You didn’t want to!” 

“I did, but I’m not strong enough. You have to forgive me.”

“Forgive you? And that’s an excuse. You’re the strongest person I know.” The rest of the words remained muffled by her sobs. 

“Sandy.” One word, but I hear the pleading in his voice. 

Her voice raises several octaves this time. “Get out!” 

I ran away, back toward the party, not wanting to see him leave or witness my mother’s cries if he stayed. Either way, I needed to forget.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Hardcover

About the Author

Tara Taffera is an avid reader and the author of A Divine Love Series. She writes contemporary Christian romance enveloped in God’s grace and love. Book two in her series, Love Unfailing, won the silver medal in the 2022 Illumination Book Awards in the romance category. The program shines a light on Exemplary Christian Books. Love Unfailing was also a semi-finalist in the Indies Today Awards.

She lives in Virginia with her husband of almost 25 years, a non-reader himself who provides valuable advice on her books—all those baseball scenes! He is one of her biggest cheerleaders, along with her three daughters.

You can find Tara on all the major social media platforms, and her books are available on Amazon. Learn more about her at tarataffera.com.

Connect:

https://tarataffera.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authortarataffera

https://www.instagram.com/tarataffera/

https://twitter.com/TaraTaffera

https://www.amazon.com/Tara-Taffera/e/B08WNGXTSC

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/tara-taffera

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

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21190784.Tara_Taffera

Spotlight: Bride and Tested by Brenda St. John Brown

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(Bennett Brothers Bridal, #1)
Publication date: April 27th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Exes working together in a wedding business? What could go wrong?

EVIE
Having inappropriate dreams about my ex-husband is problematic. The fact that he’s applied to be the business partner in my wedding business – and is an infuriatingly savvy businessman – is even more so. 

Our marriage ended because we were both more married to our jobs than each other, but now I can barely look at Lincoln without imagining him naked. How the hell am I supposed to work with him?

LINCOLN
My ex-wife, Evie – aka Evil (thank you, random autocorrect) – runs the most successful bridal shop in the whole of the Finger Lakes region and she needs a business partner. Happy coincidence because I need a steady income. ASAP. 

I also need to stop noticing Evie’s curves. And her smile.  And everything about her that makes me want a second chance.

Excerpt

“I propose a toast.” Mika raises her lipstick-rimmed glass. “To finding an outstanding partner and crushing this year’s wedding season.”

“I’ll always drink to the success of my business.” I raise my glass too and clink it gently against hers. 

“The right person is going to come through. I can tell.”

“Is this like the time you could tell Lincoln was going to propose? Because, although you were right, I’m hoping for a better outcome this time.” Preferably one which doesn’t involve getting my heart broken.

“Hey, Lincoln wasn’t all bad. You ended up in Enita Springs, you met me and you got his last name out of the deal for Bennett’s Bridal. The power of good alliteration cannot be underestimated.”

“True enough.” I laugh.

“Are we talking about him yet?” Mika asks, her voice softening. “Specifically, are we talking about what happened this morning because I think we should.”

I give a sharp shake of my head. “Definitely not.”

Mika studies me for a long minute then nods, too. “Okay. I figured, but you know I’m here when you want to process things.”

“I’m probably never going to want to process this.” I’d rather talk about a silent investor than what happened this morning with Lincoln. My face feels ten degrees hotter just thinking about it.

“Okay, fine.” Mika nods again and then says, “I’m just going to point out you’re bound to run into him again. Enita Springs isn’t big. Do you have a plan for when you do?”

Besides turn and run the other way? No.

To Mika I say, “I don’t need a plan. I’m sure it will be fine.”

“Because you’ve dealt with all the feelings seeing him brought up or because you’re still avoiding said feelings?”

“What’s there to deal with? I was embarrassed, which is understandable.” And the time before I was so nervous I thought my chest was going to explode, but being nervous is perfectly normal. “Besides, it’s stupid. We’ve been divorced longer than we were married.”

“Just because time has passed doesn’t mean you’ve dealt with your feelings about the end of your marriage.”

“Feelings, schmeelings. I’m avoiding them, and it’s working for me so far.” I take a sip of my wine. “Just like I plan to avoid Lincoln.”

“You two were the happiest couple I knew,” Mika says softly.

My heart feels like someone’s squeezing it and I’d wonder if I was having a sudden heart attack if I didn’t recognize it for what it is – nostalgia. “We were really happy, as much as it pains me to admit it.”

“Why does it pain you to admit it? Being happy is a good thing.”

“Not when you squander it like we did.” I take a deep breath, hoping it will help my chest expand again. 

“You never saw him after you guys filed for divorce. It might be good for you to actually, you know, have a conversation with him about what happened.” Mika raises her glass to her lips and looks at me over the rim. “For closure.”

“I have the signed divorce papers, which is enough closure for me. Besides, I’m avoiding him, remember?”

“Hmmm.” Mika takes a sip of her wine but doesn’t say anything else.

She doesn’t need to. I know what she’s thinking, just like I know she’s wrong. I have zero intention of seeing Lincoln again if I can help it. If I do, I can always go with my unofficial plan to turn and run the other way and pray he doesn’t see me.

Because if he does, it’s not going to take him long to realize I still have feelings for him. Deep and complicated feelings I have no business having. Especially for my ex-husband. Add in the real reason I didn’t fight for us and, well…avoiding him is my only choice.

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Brenda is a USA Today bestselling author living in the English countryside. Originally from New York, she's lived in the UK long enough to gain dual citizenship, but still doesn’t understand Celsius. However, she has learned the appropriate use of the word “pants”. And how to order a proper bacon bap/barm/buttie. Because, well, bacon.

Brenda writes contemporary romance to make you giggle and swoon. When she’s not writing, she enjoys hiking, running and reading. In theory, she also enjoys cooking, but it’s more that she enjoys eating and, try as she might, she can’t live on Doritos alone.

Connect:

https://brendastjohnbrown.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BrendaStJohnBrownAuthorPage

https://www.instagram.com/brenda.stjohnbrown/

https://twitter.com/bstjohnbrown

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7020954.Brenda_St_John_Brown