Spotlight: Dear Riley Rose by Caroline Rose

Memoir

I’d like to tell you a story. It’s a fairy tale of sorts…

At the age of twenty-seven, Caroline Rose was finishing her first year of medical school and in the best shape of her life when she was shockingly diagnosed with a highly aggressive, incurable, stage IV cancer.

At the age of one, Riley, a Great Dane/Labrador mix, was rescued from inhumane abuse. An Internet search of rescue dogs during Caroline’s first remission led her to a picture a large broken dog with empty eyes that resembled her own. One impulsive decision later, Riley became a Rose.

This is the story of two lost souls coming together as one and their journey together through family, love, loss, pain, and hope.

Dear Riley Rose radiates the humor of Riley’s antics during even the toughest of times and illustrates the courage it takes for every being to rise up and choose life in the face of adversity.

Love heals us. Hope carries us. But is that enough for us to believe in a happy ending?

Excerpt

Dear Riley Rose, 

I’d like to tell you a story.

It’s a love story—a fairy tale of sorts.

It’s the story of us—Caroline and Riley, Riley and Caroline—and our journey toward finding each other.

It’s a story of healing, love, and acceptance. 

I’m going to tell you our story because it’s something special, something magical, something big. 

You were there, by my side. 

You were there for the ride. 

It’s not that you need to know; it’s that I need to tell it. 

And I need to tell it from my perspective. 

So that’s what I’m going to do so that you can feel the hope of it all, the hope of us. 

You and I together were bigger than our struggles. 

And our story is one worth honoring.

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About the Author

Caroline Rose, a nationally recognized author, public speaker, and motivational storyteller, delivers compelling stories from her three separate battles with her highly aggressive, incurable stage IV cancer. After being diagnosed when she was 27 years old and undergoing two different bone marrow transplants, it was ultimately a groundbreaking clinical trial and the donation of her older brother’s marrow that saved her life. Caroline understands the universal struggles of trying to live life to the fullest, even in the face of fear and uncertainty, and is passionate about helping people recognize the beauty of life, even in the darkest moments.

Caroline’s compelling story has been featured by organizations such as MD Anderson Cancer Center, Livestrong, City of Hope National Medical Center, and Health Magazine. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society chose Caroline to be a candidate for their Woman of the Year campaign, and the National Cancer Survivors Day committee highlighted Caroline and her story as a featured speaker for this year’s speaker selection. Caroline is a frequent podcast guest on top rated podcast and travels the country, speaking to approximately 10,000 to 15,000 people annually. In 2018, Caroline was honored to be chosen as the speaker for the City of Hope Music, Film, and Entertainment Industry Spirit of Life Awards in Santa Monica, California.

Today, Caroline is embracing her thirteenth year of living cancer-free. She lives in San Antonio, Texas, and enjoys life as a wife and a mom to her two teenage children and two four-legged fur babies. Caroline is an avid dog lover and a deep believer in the healing power of animals. She is very excited about her soon-to-be-released memoir, Dear Riley Rose, the story of a woman and her dog…and how they saved each other.

In her free time, Caroline volunteers for organizations such as her local dog rescue, the MD Anderson Patient Advisory Board, the Be the Match Foundation, the National Charity League, and the Battle of Flowers Organization, and she fills several parent volunteer positions at her children’s school. Caroline also spends time in Austin and is involved with the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians and the local Austin-based medical device company, Wenzel Spine, which was founded by her life-saving brother, Chad Neely.

Caroline’s strong message of hope, even in the face of profound struggle, resonates universally, especially today. The world is craving hope, and Caroline is happy to be the one to provide it.

Connect:

Website: www.DearRileyRose.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caroline.neely.rose

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearrileyrose/

Spotlight: A Heart's Journey to Forgiveness by Terese Luikens

Publisher: Redemption Press

Publication Date: November 3, 2022

Pages: 282

Genre: Memoir

For Terese Luikens, a picture-perfect childhood it was not. Frequent cross country moves, an emotionally absent mother and an alcoholic father who ends his life by suicide when Terese is just thirteen years old. 

The sixth of seven children, Terese grew up in an unstable and chaotic household--invisible to her mom yet cherished by her father. 

This heartfelt memoir documents the chain reaction of a tumultuous family history. From her stormy childhood to the far-reaching effects of her father’s suicide, Terese shares her inspiring journey to escape the shame of her past, find healing and live, learn to trust, and discover faith in a real and personal God.  

Book Excerpt

In my mind, these warm childhood memories include only my dad, never my mom. One photo from that era, snapped by an older sibling using Mom’s Instamatic camera, seems to capture our family dynamic. We are in the living room of the house that had the front-porch swing. I might be around four years old. My hair is cut short, pixie style, and I am wearing a long-sleeved, cotton-ribbed bathrobe. Dad, kneeling, wears a suit coat and a bowler hat. His hands are clasped behind my back and mine are hooked around his neck. Smiling, cheek-to-cheek, we face the camera.

Dad and I are in the center of the photo while Mom is in the lower left hand corner. She is sitting in a chair, and wears a plaid skirt and a turtleneck sweater. Her passive face is turned toward the camera.

That snapshot captures my life: Dad at the center and Mom on the perimeter.

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About the Author

Terese Luikens has been married for forty-four years to the same man, although she is on her third wedding ring, having lost one and worn out another. She lives in Sandpoint, Idaho, enjoys being mother to three grown sons and grandmother to her much-loved grandchildren. She is the author of A Heart’s Journey to Forgiveness, a Memoir of her inspiring journey of emotional healing from her father’s suicide. She facilitates retreats and workshops focusing on forgiveness, and publishes her own blog, Why Bother? 

You can visit her website at www.tereseluikens.com. 

Spotlight: The Bookshop Ladies by Faith Hogan

Date Published: 09-10-2024

Publisher: Aria Fiction

Bestselling Irish writer, Faith Hogan, has created another gripping saga of friendship, betrayal and secrets in this story of a widow in search of answers to a shocking confession by her dying husband.

Joy Blackwood has no idea why her French art dealer husband has left a valuable painting to a woman called Robyn Tessier in Ballycove, a small town on the west coast of Ireland, but she is determined to find out.

She arrives in Ballycove to find that Robyn runs a rather chaotic and unprofitable bookshop. She is shy, suffering from unrequited love for dashing Kian, and badly in need of advice on how to make the bookshop successful.

As Joy becomes entangled in the daily dramas of Ballycove, uncovering the secrets behind her husband's painting grows increasingly challenging. When she finally musters the courage to confront the truth, her revelation sends shockwaves through the tight-knit community she's grown to love.

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About the Author

Faith Hogan is an award-winning, million copy best selling author. She is a USA Today Bestseller, Irish Times Top Ten and an Amazon UK Number 1 Best Selling writer of ten contemporary fiction novels. Her books have featured as Book Club Favorites, Net Galley Hot Reads and Summer Must Reads. She writes grown up women's fiction which is unashamedly uplifting, feel-good and inspiring.

Her new summer read The Bookshop Ladies is out in June 2024 and it's a great big welcome back to Ballycove for her readers.

She writes twisty contemporary crime fiction as Geraldine Hogan.

She lives in the west of Ireland with her family and their Labrador named Penny.

Connect:

Website: http://www.faithhogan.com

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

Twitter: https://x.com/GerHogan

Blog: https://faithhogan.com/newsletter/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15109450.Faith_Hogan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faithhoganauthor/?hl=en

Spotlight: The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne

The magic of Christmas—and a second shot at romance—is in the air in Shelter Springs this holiday season…

Amanda Taylor isn’t a fan of Christmas, but as the owner of a local soap shop, ignoring the holiday season isn’t an option. To forget the pain of Christmases past, Amanda focuses on making the season bright for her customers at the Shelter Springs Holiday Giving Market. But when her beloved grandmother, Birdie, starts dating the dashing new resident of the Shelter Inn retirement community, Amanda smells trouble. Fortunately, Rafe Arredondo, the grandson of Birdie’s charming suitor, is equally dubious of the match. Unfortunately, he's just as fiery as his grandfather—and Amanda has zero interest in getting burned.

As a single father, paramedic and assistant fire chief, Rafe has more than enough on his plate. Sure, he and Amanda share a common goal in keeping their grandparents apart. Still, that doesn’t mean he should allow himself to feel as drawn to her as he does. Even if she is great with his young son. Even if she does help the burden of his own painful past feel a little lighter… But when their paths keep crossing at the holiday market, it starts to feel like fate, prompting them both to wonder if taking a chance on love might gift them everything they’ve been wishing for.

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About the Author

New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including six RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and Career Achievement and Romance Pioneer awards from RT Book Reviews. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website.

Spotlight: Bad Reputation by Emma Barry

In this whip-smart workplace romance from the author of Chick Magnet, a former teen star and an accidental intimacy coordinator have a plan to fix their images—and falling in love would ruin everything.

Cole James’s reputation as Hollywood’s favorite himbo no longer suits him. His fans can’t separate the  real man from the character he played on a soapy teen drama decades ago. But that’s going to change with  Waverley, the hit streaming historical romance series (think Bridgerton or Outlander). 

Maggie Niven hates her own notoriety. Fired for directing a divisive play, Maggie takes her fight against  censorship public. When Hollywood comes calling, she becomes the new intimacy coordinator for  Waverley. But it’s harder than she imagined to focus on the job. 

Cole isn’t what she expected—and Maggie is more than he dreamed of. As filming gets underway, the  cast’s old traumas lead to real intimacy, and Cole and Maggie struggle with feelings they shouldn’t have.  Having an affair on set could destroy his comeback and her new career. 

The show must go on. But if Cole and Maggie want a happy ending, they’ll have to start doing things their  own way.

Excerpt

Text copyright © 2024 by Emma Barry, Published by Montlake

“Hold on.” Cole rolled back on his heels, and with the V of his old-fashioned shirt hanging open and his hair mussed and his lips flushed, he looked like a romance cover model come to life.

Maggie whimpered in her mind.

“Toss me a pen,” he deadpanned. “I gotta write When in doubt, be a selfish ass in my script.”

Which she could tell that he loathed because it was contrary to every reflex she’d seen him act on. Even when he was being a little too direct and told Rhiannon to put her own feelings ahead of the director’s, his impulse had had good intentions.

“That’s why they call it acting,” she reminded him as she began packing up.

He looked as if he wanted to disagree, but then he swallowed whatever self-deprecating response he’d wanted to make. Cole wasn’t as obviously or deeply wounded as Tasha, but somewhere along the way, someone had done a number on him too.

As long as Maggie managed to keep things aboveboard, she needed to try to help him as well. So when Cole returned the prop shirt, she told him, “I really appreciate everything you brought into the room today. I don’t think most people would be as willing to share those worries as you were, but it helped with—” She covertly pointed to Rhiannon. The actress was quite possibly the most Scottish-looking person ever, with pale-white skin, long red hair, and bright-green eyes. This rehearsal had driven home for Maggie how young she was, how vulnerable. “So thank you.”

Cole shrugged, as humble as ever. “It was no big deal. I honestly wasn’t even trying to break the ice or whatever. Those are real things I’m stressed about.”

“That’s what made it work. It wasn’t a put-on. You’re sincerely a nice guy.”

That much she felt comfortable saying, even though it was exactly why this crush was going to linger. She liked him, in addition to being attracted to him. It would’ve been easier if he’d been simply the hot, vacuous guy she’d assumed he was, but the real Cole James wasn’t the Cole James brand. Not at all.

“Now we just have to get Tasha to do the same,” he said.

When Maggie hadn’t been able to fall asleep last night, she’d spent the wee hours contemplating the Rubik’s Cube that was Tasha Russell.

This first episode of the season included a Geordie-Effie love scene in her jail cell. The audience needed to see the history between them but also their desperation, which was no small order. Since the table read for episode one was just a few days away, Maggie and the actors needed to start work on the blocking immediately.

“I’m going to take another swing at her, one on one.”

“You sure?” Cole was impressed, and it took a lot of self-control for Maggie not to preen.

“Yup. I have some theories about what’s going on, and I need to test them without witnesses.”

“Okay, but maybe you should get that gear baseball catchers use. The pads and the mask.”

“Do you have fencing gear to practice the sword fighting? Maybe I could borrow some from Ryan Baris.” Maggie hadn’t met the stunt coordinator yet, but from the way Cole talked about him, it was clear he and Tasha liked and trusted him. She was kind of jealous about that.

“Actually, no. We’re not using sharp swords, but they have me training with the stuff that we’ll use for filming. No masks or eye protection or anything. The gear for the sex is more hardcore.”

“Whoa.”

Cole shot another look at Rhiannon, but she wasn’t paying attention to them at all. She was smiling at her phone, probably texting someone.

He set a hand on the table and leaned closer to Maggie. Close enough that she could smell his deodorant. “I’m really glad you’re here, Maggie Niven. I don’t think I’ve talked about the hows of acting or creating characters more than I have today.”

Maggie’s voice came out soft. Intimate. “That, Cole James, is a crime.”

For a long moment, they stood there, watching each other. The sun had shifted during the morning, and the room was now all soft grays and blues. Cole’s hair looked less blond and more brown and gold than this morning. Maggie wanted to push back the lock that had fallen over his forehead.

But Maggie needed this job. She needed to be good at this job.

So she just waved her hand awkwardly. “Have a good day.”

She made that big, including both actors. And then she left before she accidentally said something else too revealing.

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About the Author

Emma Barry is a teacher, novelist, former political staffer, and recovering academic. Emma lives with her high school sweetheart and a menagerie of pets and children in Virginia, where she occasionally finds time to read and write. You can visit her on the web at www.authoremmabarry.com. 

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Spotlight: Before Highland Sunset by Kait Nolan

Release Date: October 4 

I should never have touched her. I didn't know she's my best friend's little sister. When I found out... well... My life went off the rails, and we didn't see each other again.

Now three years later, we're in the same small town, and she hates my guts. But when her ex won't take no for an answer, it's me she improbably reaches out to for help.

Sure we can fake a relationship to keep him off her back. We've done it before. Except there's nothing fake about the heat between us. Or the very real threat from my past that's the true reason I ghosted her. Maybe she'll finally give me the chance to explain.

I'll do anything to protect her, even face down her brother for a second chance.

One click this woman in trouble, protector in a kilt, brother's best friend small town romance today!

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Meet Kait Nolan:

Kait Nolan is a USA Today best selling, RITA® Award-winning Mississippi author who calls everyone sugar, honey, or darlin', and can wield a 'Bless your heart' like a Snuggie or a saber, depending on requirements. She believes in love, laughter, and that tacos are the world's most perfect food. When she's not writing, reading, or wrangling family (both the two-legged and the four-), you can find her obsessively watching The Great British Bake Off. 

Keep up with Kait Nolan and subscribe to her newsletter: https://kaitnolan.com/newsletter/

Kait Nolan & her books, visit here!

Connect with Kait Nolan: https://kaitnolan.com/contact/