Monthly Archives: March 2023

April Reading Challenge: Colorful Cover

April’s Reading Challenge is to read a novel with a colorful book cover.

I am so loving the colorful bursts of spring color that I decided reading a book with a colorful cover should be this month’s challenge.

I selected The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore. I have been in various book clubs over the years. I recently helped form one with two ladies I worked with in last year’s election. Our numbers have already grown and I am SO enjoying our lively discusions about our selections. It is also a great way to get to know other people. So the The Lonely Hearts Book Club’s storyline really grabbed my attention. I am looking forward to my selection.

Please click HERE to learn more about The Lonely Hearts Book Club.


I am looking forward to your selection!
Happy Reading!!

If you participated in last month’s challenge, check out the discussion post HERE and let us know if you met your challenge!

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Reading Challenge Discussion

March’s Reading Challenge was to read a book with “spring” in the title or series name..

Oh, my. What a sweet, sweet story. Hannah Eicher is incredibly kind and compassionate with a strong faith. Mike Colder is a wonderful man whose life has been full of loss. The surprising friendship between the Amish baker and the Englischer paramedic is unexpected as is the unanticipated way their lives’ eventually intersect. The conflict that arises is not a surprise but the incredible grace shown by Hannah is uplifting. Readers of Amish fiction are sure to enjoy this delightful romance.

Please click HERE to learn more about Her Amish Springtime Miracle.

Did you enjoy the book you selected for the challenge? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts about your selection!

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Check out April’s challenge HERE.

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Thrifty Thursday: Jaime by S.A. Sway

Do you love gay romances? Are you looking for a book that costs less than $5.00? Then you might want to check out:

Title: Jaime by S.A. Sway
Single Dads of Gaynor Beach #13
Publisher: Blue Crescent Books
Genre: Contemporary, Gay, Romance
Length: 198 pages

Summary:

My life is turned upside down when I’m suddenly given custody of my sister’s infant daughter.

I’d already been trying to figure things out and get my life on track. The sudden pressure of caring for a newborn is just too much for me. I am not sure how to cope. I guess that’s why I formed a fascination with a local children’s show host and author.

Mr. Macintosh knows kids. He’s calm and stable and dependable. He’s everything I wish I was. His show is the only thing in this world to offer me any comfort. I’ve never wanted a man before but suddenly, I crave him, his stability, soothing voice, advice. I’ll take whatever I can get.

Ethan Mack

As a local children’s entertainer, I’m used to parent fans, but Jaime is different.

In my life, I’ve only known one other person who was so obviously overwhelmed and it didn’t end well. The trauma has pushed me forward all these years but now, suddenly I feel like I have a second chance to right things.

Helping Jaime and his daughter won’t fix the tragedies in my past, but I can’t stop myself from trying. If anyone can make this right, it’s me. I’ll do whatever it takes to make Jaime happy.

Jaime is a single-dad romance, set in the shared world of Gaynor Beach. It features some dark themes but is primarily about finding support, a family, and love when you least expect it.

Note: SA Sway is the contemporary pen name of Sienna Sway.

Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon * B&N

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eBook Contest 3/29

Here are the eBooks for this week’s Winning Wednesday contest:

Title: Second Chance Alaska by Jennifer Snow
Wild Coast Book Three
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 352 pages

Summary:

Will they risk taking the plunge from friendship to forever?

Oliver Klein’s wife and oldest daughter were lost at sea—a tragic mystery that left the small coastal town of Port Serenity reeling. Three years later, surrounded by the wild Alaskan waters that claimed them, the grieving lighthouse keeper is still haunted by their disappearance. Oliver knows he should move on for the sake of his younger daughter, Tess, but he isn’t so sure he’s ready to love again.

Carly Walters knew losing her best friend, Alison, would break her heart—yet she never expected Alison’s husband might be the one to mend it. The more her life intertwines with Oliver’s, the harder she falls for him…and the guiltier she feels. Amid the rush of the summer tourist season, can Carly and Oliver finally accept the past while looking forward to a bright future…together?

Bonus Novella

In Jennifer Snow’s Love in the Alaskan Wilds, Anna Armos hires pilot Dwayne Madden to help her find the wreckage of a crashed plane that could lead to a lost fortune. But as they journey into the remote Alaskan backwoods, Anna has to trust her daredevil pilot with the truth: she’s not just looking for treasure—she’s searching for answers!

A Wild Coast Novel

Book 1: Sweet Home Alaska
Book 2: Alaska for Christmas
Book 3: Second Chance Alaska


Title: Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 332 pages

Summary:

Mazey Eddings mixes passion and humor to create a luscious love story between two people stumbling through life and learning to open their hearts in Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake.

Lizzie has made endless mistakes. Kitchen fires, pyramid schemes, bangs (of the hair and human variety), you name it, she’s done it… and made a mess of it too. One mistake she’s never made is letting anyone get closer to her than a single hook-up. But after losing yet another bakery job due to her uncontrolled ADHD, she breaks her cardinal rule and has a two-night-stand that changes everything.

Once burned, twice shy, Rake has given up on relationships. And feelings. And any form of intimacy for that matter. Yet something about charming, chaotic Lizzie has him lowering his guard. For two nights, that is. Then it’s back home to Australia and far away from the pesky feelings Lizzie pulls from him. But when Lizzie tells him she’s got an unexpected bun in the oven, he’ll do whatever it takes to be a part of his child’s life… except be emotionally vulnerable, obviously. He’s never going to make that mistake again.

Through a series of mishaps, totally “platonic” single bed sharing, and an underground erotic baking scheme, Lizzie and Rake learn that even the biggest mistakes can have the most beautiful consequences


Title: The Rancher’s First Love by Dee Adams
Wetland Men Series Book One
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Gay, Romance
Length: 171 pages/Word Count: 42,054

Summary:

Finding love was the last thing he’d expected when he moved back home.

After Robby learns that his father’s had a stroke, he packs his things and moves back to the town and ranch where he grew up. Being there means that he has to hide his sexuality. Even so, Robby is happy to be back. But he doesn’t have time to enjoy being at home before Joon, his brother’s best friend from university, steps into his life. Joon is the most confusing and captivating man Robby has ever met.

Beautiful beyond words and with a quirky and eccentric personality, Joon attracts Robby as no one else has before. Robby repeatedly succumbs to his desires, but every time his fears get the best of him and he ends up hurting Joon. When he realizes he has fallen for Joon, he fears it’s too late and that he’s already lost him.

Then, when things finally look good in their relationship, someone steps in and threatens their happiness. Almost losing Joon forever makes Robby realize he’s let his fears keep him away from his family, instead of trusting their love for him.

Reader advisory: This book contains instances of homophobia and internalized homophobia, gun violence, and chronic illness.


Wednesday is contest day on Book Talk and More with Kathy. Three lucky winners will win the eBook of their choice! Here’s how to enter:

You must Do TWO of the Following:

1. Sign up for e-mail updates (below). One email daily with the day’s posts.

Enter your Email:

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OR:

2. Be or become a fan of Book Talk & More with Kathy Facebook page

OR:

3. Follow me on Twitter (@BookTalkMore)

Make sure you have filled out the contest entry form:

4. To be eligible to enter contests on Book Talk and More with Kathy you MUST fill out the contest entry form (found HERE). This form only needs to be filled out ONCE. Your privacy is important to me, and I will not share your information.

And don't forget to:

5. Fill out the form below by 4 PM Mountain Time Friday afternoon:

CONTEST OVER

* I am the only person who will have access to info that is submitted to me UNLESS a publisher or author has donated an eBook for the giveaway. For a prize donated by an author or publisher, I will forward your e-mail and format selection to the person responsible for distributing the eBook. Please refer to the privacy page HERE if you have questions about how your information is used. In the event the contest form is not working, please leave your book selection in the comments below.*

It’s that easy! The winners will be selected using random.org. I will e-mail the winners the eBook of their choice in their preferred format. The winners will be posted HERE on Saturday.

***The eBooks in this giveaway have been purchased by Book Talk & More with Kathy.***

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Teen Tuesday: The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox

Teenage or adult readers who like Young Adult novels might enjoy this week’s spotlight:

Title: The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox
Publisher: Dial Books
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, LGBTQ
Length: 399 pages

Summary:

A heartbreaking, hopeful, and timely novel about holding too tight to family secrets, healing from trauma, and falling in love, from the award-winning author of How It Feels to Float

George’s life is loud. On the water, though, with everything hushed above and below, she is steady, silent. Then her estranged dad says he needs to talk, and George’s past begins to wake up, looping around her ankles, trying to drag her under.

But there’s no time to sink. George’s best friend, Tess, is about to become, officially, a teen mom, her friend Laz is in despair about the climate crisis, her gramps would literally misplace his teeth if not for her, and her moms fill the house with fuss and chatter. Before long, heat and smoke join the noise as dis­tant wildfires begin to burn.

George tries to stay steady. When her father tells her his news and the painful memo­ries roar back to life, George turns to Calliope, the girl who has just cartwheeled into her world and shot it through with colors. And it’s here George would stay—quiet and safe—if she could. But then Tess has her baby, and the earth burns hotter, and the past just will not stay put.

A novel about the contours of friendship, family, forgiveness, trauma, and love, and about our hopeless, hopeful world, Helena Fox’s gorgeous follow-up to How It Feels to Float explores the stories we suppress and the stories we speak—and the healing that comes when we voice the things we’ve kept quiet for so long.

Goodreads

Purchase Link: Amazon * B&N

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Mystery Monday: Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea

If you love a good mystery then you should check out this week’s spotlight!

Title: Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donlea
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Contemporary, Psychological Thriller
Length: 370 pages

Summary:

The bestselling author of Twenty Years Later and master of modern suspense is back with a brilliantly twisting, skillfully plotted thriller perfect for fans of Jeneva Rose and Colleen Hoover’s Verity.

Alex Armstrong has changed everything about herself—her name, her appearance, her backstory. She’s no longer the terrified teenager a rapt audience saw on television, emerging in handcuffs from the quiet suburban home the night her family was massacred. That girl, Alexandra Quinlan, nicknamed Empty Eyes by the media, was accused of the killings, fought to clear her name, and later took the stand during her highly publicized defamation lawsuit that captured the attention of the nation.

It’s been ten years since, and Alex hasn’t stopped searching for answers about the night her family was killed, even as she continues to hide her real identity from true crime fanatics and grasping reporters still desperate to locate her. As a legal investigator, she works tirelessly to secure justice for others, too. People like Matthew Claymore, who’s under suspicion in the disappearance of his girlfriend, a student journalist named Laura McAllister.

Laura was about to break a major story about rape and cover-ups on her college campus. Alex believes Matthew is innocent, and unearths stunning revelations about the university’s faculty, fraternity members, and powerful parents willing to do anything to protect their children.

Most shocking of all—as Alex digs into Laura’s disappearance, she realizes there are unexpected connections to the murder of her own family. For as different as the crimes may seem, they each hinge on one sinister truth: no one is quite who they seem to be . .

Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon * B&N

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