June 08, 2022

Spotlight: Change for Lakewood Med by T.J. Amberson

June 08, 2022/ Michelle Bowles

(The Lakewood Series, #4)
Publication date: May 31st 2022
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

SOMETIMES LOVE HAS BEEN THERE ALL ALONG…

Elly Vincent, second-year emergency medicine resident at Lakewood Medical Center, swore off romance years ago. Her only problem: her best friend and the man she has secretly been in love with since high school, Grant Reed, just happens to be in her residency program. When Elly and Grant are assigned to spend a month together on an EMS rotation, Elly knows working closely with Grant will reignite all the feelings she has tried for years to ignore. Things at the fire station heat up even more when a dashingly handsome paramedic makes his interest in Elly clear. Suddenly, Elly finds herself torn between her love for Grant and the possibility of a relationship with someone new, and Elly knows that before the rotation concludes, she must not only decide if she wants to pursue an EMS fellowship, she must also sort out the true feelings of her heart.

Excerpt

Grant shifts his gaze back to me, and as our eyes meet, I become extremely aware of how closely Grant and I have been sitting to one another while we've been filming. Every ounce of me is drawn to him, yet in what has become a well-practiced move over the years, I make myself lean back to put more space between us.

Grant blinks a time or two, and then he pushes away from the table. Getting to his feet, he twists his torso to stretch. "Anyway, it's a good thing you're such a natural teacher when it comes to medical topics, El. You're great with this type of thing. The video would bomb if I was the only one doing the teaching.

I'm about to disagree with him when Grant's shirt rises slightly while he continues stretching, giving me an unexpected glimpse of his abs. His profoundly well-defined, chiseled abs. I gulp. My eyes get wide as I stare, and my respirations get kind of shallow.

Holy smokes.

I knew Grant was extremely fit, but . . .

Holy, holy smokes.

I look the other way, resisting the urge to fan air past my face.

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About the Author

TJ Amberson hails from the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband and nutty cocker spaniel. When she's not writing, TJ might be found pretending to know how to garden, riding her bike, playing the piano, enjoying a hot chocolate, or scouring the Internet for cheap plane tickets. She adores all things cozy, seasonal, and holiday-themed; she cheers for happily-ever-afters; and she believes there's no such thing as too much seasonal decor. With a love of multiple genres, TJ writes sweet romance and romantic comedies for adults and advanced teen readers, and clean fantasy adventures for teen and advanced tween readers.

Author links:
https://tjamberson.com/
https://www.instagram.com/tjamberson/
https://www.pinterest.ca/tjamberson/
https://www.facebook.com/authortjamberson/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7535763.T_J_Amberson

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June 07, 2022

Spotlight: Promise of the Heart by Susan Berry

June 07, 2022/ Michelle Bowles

Publisher: Independent

Pages: 203

Genre: Clean Romance

After a distasteful first meeting, and a rocky start to their romance, Maggie Kinsley has been happily married to Desmond for the last eleven months. And although she was often alone when he traveled for business, she rather enjoyed how he passionately greeted her when returning home.

So when he received a letter naming him as executor of a property that belonged to a deceased family friend and had to leave for a few weeks, Maggie should have been content as she kissed him goodbye. But there was something about the whole thing that made her uneasy. Why was Desmond so evasive with her when she asked him about the previous owner. And why had he insisted she not tell anyone of his plans to stay on the property. Maggie soon found the answers to her questions were more than just a woman's intuition, but rather something that not even her wildest, darkest fears could have foreseen.

Excerpt

A shaking of the car startled her, as did the feeling of Desmond's arms around her as he’d opened the door and lifted her from the seat. Now cradled in his embrace, she lost whatever control she had left. Her hands clenched the front of his shirt as she buried her head in the soft fabric. She wanted to crawl inside his skin. To get lost in the protection it offered. The warmth of his arms soon soothed her. When she loosened her grip on him, she realized he was crying too. She wiggled free and stood in front of him. With her open palm, she wiped his face, then kissed his lips. She lingered there for a moment, needing to ground herself to have any hope of gaining control over her own fractured emotions. Again, she put her hand to Desmond’s face, only this time she left it there. “Are you okay?”

Buy on Kindle | Audible | Paperback

About the Author

Since Susan Berry was a young girl, she loved to write. Her imagination was filled with stories that she couldn’t write down fast enough. But it wasn’t until her grandmother had given her a Harlequin romance novel to occupy her time on a long, boring car ride, that she fell in love with reading romance. The excitement of the characters first meeting, and the dance of the heart that followed, left Susan frantically turning pages. From that day on, Susan spent her free time with her beloved grandmother, reading the latest novels they’d retrieved from a used book store, or the local second hand shop. That reading eventually turned into the writing of her own romance novels. Novels filled with characters who have not yet found love, but eventually find a way to overcome romantic troubles with humor, wit, and the consumption of lots and lots of chocolate.

Susan’s latest book is the clean romance suspense, Promise of the Heart.

You can visit her website at https://www.SusanBerryauthor.com or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

June 07, 2022

Spotlight: Four Weddings and a Billionaire by Tina Gabor

June 07, 2022/ Michelle Bowles

Publication date: June 8th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

He cannot be serious! God’s gift to bridesmaids is trying to let me down gently. Listen up Bradley Bronson. This fix up is a scheme put together by your brothers and my besties. Not me!

I’m trying to put together a fresh start for myself. The last thing I want is to get into a relationship.

The problem is we keep running into each other at engagement parties, weddings, and even around town.

So we become friends, and everything is perfect until one lust-filled night.

Now, the foundation I’ve laid for my new life has morphed into a minefield of questions.

Do I pretend it didn’t happen? Does Bradley think our night together was a mistake, too? And most importantly, how do I stop thinking about him naked?

Excerpt

As I bent down to make sure the bottom of the dress was wrinkle free, my shape wear shifted around my stomach.

I gave it a quick tug as we headed out of the bridal suite. As I followed the group to the elevator, I could feel the telltale movement of my figure-enhancing undergarment curling in on itself.

Damn. Mackie was right. I should have worn the bodysuit style Spanx, but the idea of having to climb out of that thing every time I wanted to pee made me feel claustrophobic. Instead, I’d opted for the high-topped underwear style that stopped under my clear-strapped bra with a biker-shorts style bottom half that held in my pooch and upper thighs.

But it seemed like my support underwear was looking at that high slit as the getaway route. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my dress and tried to discretely yank them back into place with no one seeing, but they kept sliding down.

I figured I’d hike up my dress and give everything an unladylike tug in the elevator. The doors dinged open. A pack of five adolescent boys in the elevator stepped aside to let us in,

I debated taking a different carriage, but we’d met the only polite group of teenage boys, who held the door open for us.

“Going down, ma’am?” the red-headed one said, holding the door.

“Yes, thanks. We’re going to the ground floor,” Lauren said as she hurried into the elevator. There was plenty of room for us all to fit, but no room for me to hide.

When we reached the ground floor, I lingered behind, hoping to get a quick moment, but as our group stepped out, another tide of teens flooded in. Damn.

How the hell were all the teenagers staying at this hotel? I’d never stayed in a hotel this nice in my entire life, and they just traipse around here like it was a Motel Six across the street from an amusement park.

“Where’s Carolyn?” I heard Mackie ask. I’d fallen half a lobby behind.

“Coming,” I said, as I swam upstream against the flood of teenage testosterone trying to exit the elevator.

They paused and waited for me in the center of the lobby. I rushed to catch up. Pushing through the crowd shifted my errant underwear even more. The top folded in on itself, and the bottom shimmied down my leg another inch.

Everyone oohed and awed at Lauren. She was a beautiful bride, even in a town filled with beautiful people. But I couldn’t focus on that. The fight to tame my out-of-control control-top underwear consumed me.

I slipped my hands in my dress pockets and held onto my granny panties for dear life as we crossed the lobby to get to the Main ballroom. My walked morphed into a waddle the last few feet. The crotch of my undergarment threatened to make a break for my knees.

Our groomsmen, minus Bradley, were waiting at the entrance. Damn. No way could I do the underwear hike in front of Lauren’s new in-laws.

Mr. Bronson, Aiden’s dad, was there to walk Lauren down the aisle at the end. “Lauren, you look absolutely stunning,” he said as he gazed down at her. The broadness of his smile and the teariness in his eyes gave me a lump in my throat. I wished I had a dad that looked at me like that.

Mr. Bronson then turned to the rest of us. “You are all so beautiful.” My heart melted for a moment.

Everyone paired off with our counterparts except me—still no Bradley.

Damien, Mackie’s boyfriend, and Aiden’s younger brother, answered his phone and spoke. “Yup, the Main ballroom. On the East side of the lobby.”

He hung up and made another quick call. The music started. Damien looked over at me. “He’s coming now. Literally thirty seconds away.”

We would march down the aisle at any moment. I looked around and spotted a large potted plant in a corner near the wall. Everyone’s attention was fixated on the ballroom. This was my last chance. I ducked behind the plant, turned my back, hiked up my dress, and made unladylike adjustments to my shape wear.

I looked up as I continued to adjust.

A stunningly handsome man in a tuxedo was five inches from my face, holding his jacket up like he was a bullfighter or something. I stifled a scream, but a high-pitched squeak escaped from my throat before I could flip my skirt down.

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Are you like me?

Do you enjoy funny, contemporary romances with spicy love scenes?

Because if you do ...

You've landed in the perfect place.

I'm Tina Gabor, and it’s so much fun getting to write the books I love reading. Gorgeous men and fierce, feisty, and funny women are my jam.

And since there’s nothing like a love story with a dash of sun and fun ...

I set most of my in Southern California and Florida. I grew up in South Florida, and now I live in Southern California with my fiancee and a stray cat we named Fred.

To get special deals on new releases and updates on what your favorite book couples are doing after the story ends, go to SparksFlyRomance.com/Tina

Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/tinagaborauthor/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21831073.Tina_Gabor

http://sparksflyromance.com/

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June 06, 2022

Spotlight: The Beach Babes by Judith Keim

June 06, 2022/ Michelle Bowles

Contemporary Romantic Women's Fiction

Date Published: June 7, 2022

Publisher: Wild Quail Publishing

Old friends are the best…

Catherine “Cate” Tibbs, Brooke Ridley, and Amber Anderson, friends since they were awkward thirteen-year-olds who named themselves “The Beach Babes,” are about to face their 40th birthdays. Because they haven’t been able to get together for some time, Cate arranges for them to rent a house along the Gulf Coast of Florida for a long weekend. She hopes it will give them the opportunity to celebrate and re-ignite their friendship. Cate, an author trying to finish a book, doesn’t know that Amber, a model, and Brooke, the mother of a boy in college and younger twin girls, are as worried about their own futures as she. Together, the three women support one another as they each face a crisis in her life, proving once again the strength of women’s friendships.

Each book is a standalone novel that is one of others based at the Seashell Cottage on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Different stories, different characters, same location.

Get ready to stay at The Seashell Cottage.

Excerpt

The Beach Babes by Judith Keim

CHAPTER ONE

Catherine “Cate” Tibbs stared out the window of her home office at the pine trees lining the backyard of her upstate New York property, taking a moment to study the way the wind and the rain of the autumn storm were making the green-needled boughs sway like graceful dancers. The words she wanted to put on the computer screen for the new book she was writing were not coming easily to her. She knew why. She couldn’t stop thinking back to the time she and her two best friends became The Beach Babes. They were such an odd trio of thirteen-year-olds, but somehow their friendship had formed and had endured through the years. Until recently, that is. She hadn’t heard from either Amber or Brooke for several months now.

Cate sat back in her chair, made a few notes before moving away from her desk, and headed into the kitchen to make a cup of herbal tea. Time to set things in motion, she thought. She and her friends were all turning forty in the upcoming year, and she had a plan.

From the side of her refrigerator, she lifted her favorite photo of the three of them as young girls, back when their friendship was new. Brooke’s family had invited Cate and Amber to visit their luxurious summer house on the Long Island shore for a couple of days. In the photograph, the three of them dressed in bathing suits were sitting in a line on the sand in front of the house holding hands and staring up at Brooke’s father. They’d just named themselves “The Beach Babes” and thought it was the coolest thing ever. Brooke’s father was laughing with them while he snapped pictures.

Cate held the photograph up to the light. Brooke had found the original a few years ago and made copies for Amber and her. Brooke was the red-headed, heavy girl in the middle. Her green eyes bordered by brown-rimmed glasses, she wore braces and a smile that usually wobbled a little from insecurity, but on this day with her father present, her smile was wide. Amber sat on the right of her. Beautiful already, with naturally blond hair, blue eyes, and a tall, willowy figure, Amber had a brash style and sassiness even then that had intrigued Cate. It covered up a lot of hurt.

Cate’s gaze settled on her younger self. Her long brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. Brown eyes stared out at the world with curiosity, her serious expression hiding a lot of shyness. Interesting, she thought, how different they’d grown and yet how much they’d remained the same.

After fixing her tea, Cate sat down at the kitchen table uncertain who to call first. Amber, who was the personal assistant for the owner of the Galvin Modeling Agency, sometimes modeled for one of their clients, a perfume company. She might be on a shoot with them. Without Amber’s ability to join them, Brooke might not want to leave California. It had always been that way. The three of them or nothing. Maybe because they balanced one another.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author

Judith Keim, A USA Today Best Selling Author, is a hybrid author who both has a publisher and self-publishes. Ms. Keim writes heart-warming novels about women who face unexpected challenges, meet them with strength, and find love and happiness along the way, stories with heart. Her best-selling books are based, in part, on many of the places she's lived or visited and on the interesting people she's met, creating believable characters and realistic settings her many loyal readers love.

She enjoyed her childhood and young-adult years in Elmira, New York, and now makes her home in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and their two dachshunds, Winston and Wally, and other members of her family.

While growing up, she was drawn to the idea of writing stories from a young age. Books were always present, being read, ready to go back to the library, or about to be discovered. All in her family shared information from the books in general conversation, giving them a wealth of knowledge and vivid imaginations.

Ms. Keim loves to hear from her readers and appreciates their enthusiasm for her stories.

To sign up for her newsletter, go here: http://eepurl.com/bZ0ICX

Connect:

Website: https://judithkeim.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/judithkeim

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Special Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1693681604216738

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Judith-Keim/e/B00THNL4VA/

BookBuzz: https://book-buzz.net/contemporary-romantic-womens-fiction-the-beach-babes-by-judith-keim/

June 05, 2022

Spotlight: Fall Out by M. N. Grenside

June 05, 2022/ Michelle Bowles

Publisher: Bloodhound Books

Pages: 455

Genre: Thriller

An LA screenwriter is killed shortly after completing his latest script, FALL OUT – a thriller destined to be a blockbuster but written with a secret double purpose. Echoing events from the past, the screenplay is sent to a very specific group of people and will change their lives forever. All are connected to a movie that had abruptly stopped shooting in the jungles of the Philippines years before. FALL OUT exposes the truth about a conspiracy and murder that led to a half-a-billion-dollar fortune for a select few.

Follow the story of Producer Marcus Riley, who sets out on an increasingly dangerous quest to get FALL OUT made. From a powerful agent’s office in Hollywood, hidden treasures in Belgravia and a remote chalet in the Swiss Alps to murder at the Cannes Film Festival, Marcus teams up with designer Melinda (Mako) de Turris as they and the other recipients of the screenplay are pursued by an assassin from the past.

With clues cleverly concealed in the screenplay, Marcus and Mako unravel a lethal puzzle that for some will bring death, others the truth and ends in a cave with a shocking secret…

Book Excerpt

“Fingers burnt, huh, playing with the big boys? You should have stayed on your side of the pond making Godfather knock-offs with a cockney accent.” The man extended his hand towards Marcus.

Straightening up to his full height, Marcus looked down at the outstretched hand

“Do you validate?” he asked dropping his parking ticket into it.

As Marcus drove his cheap rental out through the wrought iron studio gates, he went over his options. There were few. The best seemed to be to get blind drunk. He was teetering at the tipping point; nearly broke, his judgement was suspect, and he’d just been dismissed by the entire Hollywood system. He pulled into a liquor store parking lot.

“A bottle of Chivas Legend Special Reserve,” he said, pointing at the most expensive whisky in the shop.

“Celebrating?” the girl smiled.

“Death of my career,” replied Marcus. “Just want to give it a good send-off.”

Two hours later he collapsed fully clothed onto the thin mattress of the bed of his motel room.

It was dark when he woke up with a hangover so bad his hair hurt. He sat up checked, his tousled brown locks in the mirror and pulled his long fingers down the sides of his cheeks. He stuck out his tongue and pulled down his eyelids, the green iris flecked with brown, but the whites of his eyes were bloodshot. Not a good look at twenty. Bad in your forties.

“Great career farewell,” he murmured.

He gulped down a glass of water and four Tylenol and picked up the phone to check his emails. A voice mail icon flashed reminding him of the badly timed call from that morning. He dialed to retrieve the message.

“Hi Marcus, Sam Wood here. Tough out here, eh? They tell me you not staying quite at five-star hotels these days,” said the broad Australian accent. “So, I am sending you my latest script…see what you think…. if it rings any bells, jogs any memories. Oh, and Balzac was right.”

Sam Wood. Marcus was in shock. At the very moment his world was collapsing around him, one of the most successful writers in Hollywood had sent him a screenplay. Sam was the last person on earth Marcus expected to hear from, let alone receive a script. Twenty years ago, he and Sam had been almost brothers, but on a typhoon-lashed movie set, their bond had been broken by death and violence. They had not spoken since.

He stood stock still for a moment trying to absorb the enormity of that call. A beat, then he rushed down the thinly carpeted hallway to the reception desk.

“You have anything for me?” he panted as he reached the reception desk.

The young girl on duty looked up startled by the tall disheveled Englishman.

“I’m sorry. No manners,” Marcus took a deep breath. “Please, did anything come for me by courier today, while I was…out?”

She handed over a manila envelope. “I knocked on your room, but you were…no answer…,” she trailed off as Marcus gave her his last twenty-dollar bill as a tip and ran back up the corridor.

Shutting the door, Marcus ripped open the envelope. Inside was a screenplay, titled FALL OUT, with a handwritten note attached.

Dear Marcus,

THE SECRET OF A GREAT SUCCESS FOR WHICH YOU ARE AT A LOSS TO ACCOUNT IS A CRIME THAT HAS NEVER BEEN FOUND OUT, BECAUSE IT WAS PROPERLY EXECUTED. -Honoré de Balzac

You’ve got an eighteen-month free option.

Sam

An hour later and with shaking hands, Marcus put down the screenplay. His body was pumping pure adrenaline. FALL OUT was far and away the best thing the Australian had ever written. A gripping plot with box office smash written all over it. It was exactly what Marcus needed.

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

About the Author

Mark Grenside, born and raised in London, began his working career straight out of school at Lloyds of London, specializing in Kidnap, Ransom and Extortion Insurance. At 25 it was time for a career change and to dump the suit and tie, so he started his media career working for Jim Henson and The Muppets©. From that moment on he has been involved in Entertainment and nearly every aspect of it.

He went on to create and produce several television series and mini-series. At the same time, he started a music management company launching million seller artist Neneh Cherry.

In 2004 he arranged the US $250 million buy-out of the Hallmark Channel International which was then successfully sold to NBC. He returned to producing a number of movies and mini-series.

He has recently morphed into a serial entrepreneur and is now a co-founder of seed to shelf CBD producer Dragonfly Biosciences (www.dragonflybiosciences.com) and a founder in two separate digital companies.

In addition to his love of cooking, an unhealthy amount of time and money is lavished on a collection of classic cars that he has raced all over the world. He enjoys risk and has parachuted in New Zealand, scuba-dived in the Pacific, hang-glided in the Himalayas and even tobogganed down the Cresta Run. In nearly every case chasing after his wife who is utterly fearless!

He is now writing the follow up to Fall Out, entitled The Bastion. In addition, he writes a humorous blog with subscribers in more than 40 countries. www.andanotherthing.com

He has two grown sons, two daughters’-in-law, three grandchildren and lives in Malta with his wife and two French bulldogs.

Mark’s latest book is the thriller, Fall Out.

You can visit his website at www.MNGrenside.com and his blog at www.AndAnotherThing.com or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.