Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The Novel Lady Interviews Author Nancy Northcott


Okay, this is it!  Next month, at Coastal Magic in glorious Daytona Beach, we get to meet these fantastic authors I’ve been interviewing!  In person!!  I’m so excited!  And to top things off, I have none other than the highly talented author, Nancy Northcott, here to talk to us today!

Nancy is the award-winning author of The Deathbrew Affair, and numerous other paranormal, romance, sci-fi and fantasy novels, including The Boar King’s Honor trilogy, The Light Mages series (pausing briefly to catch my breath and check my heart beat, trying to take my eyes off these book covers), Outcast Station, Capital Danger, The Lethal Webs series, and so much more! And I understand she has some new releases coming out soon!

So…. without further ado, let's get to it…

Scherry:  Hi Everyone!  I’m here with one of our favorite authors, Nancy Northcott.  Nancy, thank you so much for agreeing to be interviewed on The Novel Lady. We're thrilled you're here to talk to us.

Nancy:  Thanks, Scherry!  I’m delighted to be here.

Scherry:  One of the things I hear over and over again is that you are right on with historical accuracy in your books. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what drove you to study history and travel so much to Britain?

Nancy:  I’m really glad to know people are saying that.  I try very hard to get everything right.  I think a writer who depicts a particular historical era is obligated to present it as accurately as possible.

I’ve always enjoyed history and historical fiction.  When I was in second grade, I saw the (highly fictionalized, though I didn’t realize it at the time) story of Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon, When Knighthood Was in Flower, on The Wonderful World of Disney.  About that time, I also discovered the Arthurian legends.  I was completely hooked.

I majored in history in college, with British History as one of my three required sequences.  Although my parents were by no means wealthy, they gave me a summer studying at the University of Oxford in a program my college offered.  I know they scrimped to do it, and I’ve always been grateful. We studied the history and literature of Tudor and Stuart England that summer, with lectures from Oxford dons (professors) during the week and weekends free for travel.

It was a very special summer for me. My memories of hanging out in Oxford with my friends and of traveling around the country in groups are like a tapestry embroidered in green and gold. It was everything I’d hoped for, and it pretty much sealed my fate with regard to being an Anglophile. 

The photo was taken a couple of years ago, when my husband participated in a conference at Oxford and I revisited old haunts.  Behind me is the Radcliffe Camera, part of the Bodleian Library.  My friends and I spent a lot of time studying in that building.

When I was in grad school, a friend gave me Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time, which focuses on the controversy surrounding Richard III.  I love a good mystery, and the question of his character snared me immediately. I come down on the side of those who feel he got a raw deal in history, primarily because of Shakespeare—who was a dramatist, not a historian.  I read a lot, mostly on the pro-Richard side since the anti-Ricardians have dominated the scene for 500 years, which leads me to feel they don’t need my money.  Anyway, my husband calls that interest an obsession, and he has a point. 

My interest in Richard III directly inspired The Herald of Day and its siblings in the Boar King’s Honor Trilogy (so named because Richard III used a white boar as his emblem). I was fortunate to visit Middleham Castle, which was his home for about a decade while he administered the north of England for his brother Edward IV. Here’s a photo of the castle.

ScherryTell us a little more about your home life.  I understand that you currently live in North Carolina.  Is that correct?

Nancy:  Yes. I’m a Tar Heel born and bred. I’m married with one grown son and a bossy dog.  Bossy dogs have been a constant in our married life.  We tend to adopt older dogs, usually from rescue groups or shelters, and it doesn’t take them long to realize we can be manipulated.  Needless to say, they’re quick to take advantage.

My husband and I are both readers, so a highlight of any trip for us is discovering a bookstore.  Especially if it has old, out-of-print children’s books or nonfiction. Now that our son is grown, we like to travel when we can and the budget permits, though I have more time for it than he does.  We also like to go to movies.  When I’m not writing, I read.  He likes to putter in the yard.

Our son lives not too far from us. He comes over to be fed—and to allow the dog to boss him—from time to time.  We always enjoy having him turn up.

Scherry:  Some authors have favorite characters from their books, or characters they love to hate. Do you have any favorites or not so favorites? Which of your characters would you like to hang out with?

Nancy:  All my villains would be not-favorites. I don’t really have any favorites among the good guy squad. The character who’s closest to me is probably Will Davis, a recurring character in the Light Mage Wars series and the hero of Warrior. I gave Will a lot of my geeky interests. 

As for hanging out with any of them, I don’t think I would. They’re always running into potentially deadly trouble!

ScherryI understand that you may have a new release coming out soon.  Care to share some info about that with us?  Perhaps a sneak peak, hint or teaser of what’s to come?

Nancy: I’m hoping to have the next Light Mage Wars book, Nemesis (Tasha and Carter’s story) out by Coastal Magic, though that’s going to be cutting it close.  It may be early March instead.

Tasha and Carter served in the US Navy Seabees, the navy’s engineering arm, together.  An instant, mutual attraction flared between them, but Carter was her CO. Fraternization regs kept them apart.

The Seabees are often deployed for disaster relief in other countries.  During one such deployment, Tasha did something she shouldn’t have, and it caused serious problems with the local political bosses.  Her motives were good, but she hadn’t thought the ramifications through.  Carter, as her CO, discovered what she’d done and was duty-bound to bust her.  Obviously, they didn’t part on good terms.

Years later, Carter took a job as a deputy shire reeve (mage law enforcement officer) in south Georgia.  He had no idea Tasha lived in the area, nor did she know he’d moved there.  They met again when Tasha’s friend Will was on an archaeological excavation that was threatened by the mages’ deadly enemies, the ghouls, and Carter was assigned as protection.  He walked into Will’s HQ, and this happened:

Heading to the door, Will told Griff, “Carter has news.”

Will opened the door, and the tall deputy reeve stepped in. Although raindrops glistened on his combat boots, his close-cut, chestnut hair was dry. He must’ve magically shielded himself from the rain.

“Days like this,” Carter said, his gray eyes gleaming with humor, “I wish I were a weather mage.”

“I wish you were, too,” Will replied as Carter and Griff exchanged handshakes and heys by way of greeting each other. “You want a cup of coffee before you tell us the news?”

“Coffee’d be great.”

They all started for the kitchen as Val, Tasha, and Audra emerged, Val carrying a plate stacked with brownies.

About to ask Carter a question, Will happened to be looking at him. The expression on the deputy’s face went from shocked to delighted to wary to bland in a heartbeat.

What the—? Tracking Carter’s gaze, Will found it locked on Tasha, who’d gone pale and wide-eyed. Bright spots of red suddenly bloomed on her cheekbones.

Carter set his hands on his hips. “Hey, Red.” His easy tone belied the intent look in his eyes. “Good to see you again.”

“That’s Murdock to you, mister.” Despite the whipcrack in Tasha’s voice, it was higher than normal, and she was minutely trembling.

Will had never seen Tasha rattled, and he would bet Griff and Val hadn’t either. Val moved a half-step closer to Tasha, into her space. A clear move of support.

“What are you doing here?” Tasha demanded, glaring at Carter.

His expression hardened. “My job.”

The answer made her eyes flash, as though the words had some significance. Will eased between them on
Carter’s left at the same time Griff was stepping forward on the right.

“Do we have a problem?” Will asked, glancing from Carter to Tasha.

“I don’t,” she snapped.

Carter shrugged. “No problem here.”

Yeah. And the Easter Bunny ate steak for breakfast.

So that’s their reunion. The first chapter of Nemesis is on my website.

Scherry:  Wow!  I can’t wait to read it!  Do you have any plans yet for any other future works? If so, can you share any information?

Nancy:  Thanks!  I do have plans for other books this year.  The challenge in writing multiple series is keeping them going, so my goal for this year is to feed each series.
Nemesis is the only Light Mages novel slated for this year, but I’ll have a Christmas short story  in that series.

The Boar King’s Honor books are a trilogy.  I’d like to wrap that up so I can focus on other things next year. I’m reading about Regency England and Waterloo as background for Book 2, The Steel Rose.  Then I’ll be looking at England during the summer of 1940, just after Dunkirk, for the final book, The King’s Champion.

I launched my Lethal Webs romantic spy adventure series this past September with The Deathbrew Affair. The second book in the series, The Runway Murder Affair, is slated for release in late April, and I’ll write the novel after it, The Deadly Cargo Affair, for the fall. Those are set in roughly present-day London and Yorkshire.

Jeanne Adams and I will follow up our Welcome to Outcast Station space opera anthology with Christmas on Outcast Station, again including a novella from each of us.  If I can, I’ll also have a couple of other Christmas novellas. 

I say if because this schedule is very ambitious for me and meeting it pretty much depends on life being normal all year.  As we all know, that has a way of not happening.

Scherry:  Looks like we have a lot to look forward to! Nancy, everyone seems to have a publishing story. Would you be willing to share yours? What made you decide to take the leap?

Nancy:  I’ve read superhero comic books since grade school. I particularly loved the Legion of Superheroes, a group of teenagers fighting interplanetary crime in the 30th (now 31st) century.  A friend introduced me to Legion fandom. People were writing fan fiction, so I tried my hand at it.  I didn’t put it on any public forum, but I showed it to a few people. They seemed to like what I’d done and encouraged me to write something original.

I also love fairy tales and, as noted, Arthurian legends, so it was no surprise that my first two manuscripts were fantasy. They’re tucked under the bed, and they’re going to stay there.  I still love the stories, but the execution was definitely at a beginner’s level. If I ever revisit those books, I’ll open a clean file and start over.
The Light Mages are my version of superheroes. 

Scherry:  Most writers have some unusual quirks. What's yours?

Nancy: I’m prone to what my husband calls serial obsessions.  I get interested in something, and then I read everything I can find about it, including whatever websites Google turns up, until my curiosity is satisfied.  Then I find something else that captures my interest, and we repeat the cycle.

And of course there are some people who would say a grown woman who reads comic books is quirky.  To me, though, with friends active in fandom, that’s just normal.

Scherry:  What's the strangest thing you've ever researched for one of your books?

Nancy:  Probably the oddest thing was for The Herald of Day. The story is set in London in 1676.  Near the end of it, the heroes are in a running, magical battle from Whitehall Palace down to Westminster Abbey. They take sanctuary in the Abbey.  The problem I ran into was that I knew there’d been a wall encompassing both the Palace of Westminster and the Abbey as late as the Tudor era.  It was on maps from that period, but not ones from the later 17th century. So when did it come down? Were the characters going to have to blast through that wall magically?
I tried for a couple of months, even consulting a medievalist, to find out when that wall came down.  I had no luck. Finally, I took my best guess and didn’t put it there.

Scherry:  Nancy, do you have any advice for new writers?

Nancy: Persevere.  The odds are never stacked in an author’s favor.  Perseverance in putting words on the page, in learning the craft, and in learning the market are essential.

Scherry:  Can you tell us some of your favorite books or authors who inspired you?

NancyAs I said above, superhero comics spurred my imagination, so I’d pick Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. They created Superman, from whom all other superheroes sprang.  The Legion’s adventures drew me into science fiction.

I was a huge Nancy Drew fan, but the author listed on her books, Carolyn Keene, didn’t really exist.  That’s a house name. Most of her adventures were written by Margaret Wirt Benson or Harriet Stratemeyer Adams.  For shorthand purposes, let’s just say Carolyn Keene. (Melanie Rehak’s Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her is a great look at the subject).

When I was growing up, we had historical romances that belonged to my grandother. They’re tame by today’s standards, but I loved those of Inglis Fletcher, which are set in North Carolina and span the state’s history from the Lost Colony to the adoption of the US Constitution. In high school, I discovered Georgette Heyer and Regency England and fell in love again.

I have eclectic interests, so I guess it makes sense that I became an eclectic writer.

Scherry:  Nancy, thank you so much for chatting with us.  I’m looking forward to reading more of your books… AND I’m looking forward to seeing you in Daytona Beach in February 2018 for the Coastal Magic Convention.


Nancy: I’m looking forward to that, too, Scherry.  Thanks for having me!

If you would like to meet Nancy Northcott in person, stop by the Coastal Magic Convention in Daytona Beach in February 2018.  Nancy is one of our favorite Featured Authors.  For more information about #CMCon2018, check out the web site at  www.coastalmagicconvention.com.


Nancy Northcott’s childhood ambition was to grow up and become Wonder Woman.  Around fourth grade, she realized it was too late to acquire Amazon genes, but she still loved comic books, science fiction, fantasy and YA romance.  A sucker for fast action and wrenching emotion, Nancy combines the action and high stakes (and sometimes the magic and romance) she loves in the books she writes.

Reviewers have described her books as melding fantasy, romance, and suspense. Library Journal gave her debut novel, Renegade, a starred review, calling it “genre fiction at its best.”

AUTHOR LINKS:


Here are some of Nancy's recent releases.  Check out her website for more.







Tuesday, January 30, 2018

#BookReview - Hell Yeah! Cadillac Cowboy (Big Branch, Texas - Book 1) by Cynthia D'Alba

Title:  Hell Yeah! Cadillac Cowboy (Big Branch, Texas - Book 1)
Author:  Cynthia D'Alba
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Release Date:  August 9, 2016


About the Book:


A Texas lawman finds more than fall foliage during a drive in an antique convertible Cadillac to his new home.

Newly-hired Texas cop Shade Gruber agrees to drive his grandmother’s prize car from Chicago to his new home in Big Branch. He expects some car issues. He doesn’t expect to pick up a runaway bride.

On the run from her mobster fiancé, Victoria Vaught dashes from the church thirty minutes before the I Do’s. Stranded in her bridal attire by an unreliable car, she starts walking, needing as far from Chicago as possible.

Their road to love is filled with twists, turns and bumps. Hanging on to the one you love can be roller coaster ride with surprising results.
Buy Links: Amazon 

My Review:

How can you not love a book that starts off with a bride walking down the road wearing a huge wedding dress and a hot cop/cowboy driving a refurbished Cadillac convertible, ready to help this damsel in distress?

This was a fun, humorous quick read that made me smile. At only 98 pages, this novella was just what I was looking for to fill a couple of hours on a dull Monday. Vivi is a wealthy runaway bride trying to get away from her not-so-nice fiance in Chicago when she meets up with Shade, a former Chicago cop heading to Texas to start a new job and to deliver this Cadillac to his grandmother. He tries so hard to be a gentleman and to not get involved with this beautiful hitchhiker, but when she decides she wants to be more than friends, he has a tough time staying clear of her.

My Rating: 

About the Author:


New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Cynthia D'Alba started writing on a challenge from her husband in 2006 and discovered having imaginary sex with lots of hunky men was fun. She was born and raised in a small Arkansas town. After being gone for a number of years, she's thrilled to be making her home back in Arkansas living in a vine-covered cottage on the banks of an eight-thousand acre lake. When she's not reading or writing or plotting, she's doorman for her border collie, cook, housekeeper and chief bottle washer for her husband and slave to a noisy, messy parrot. She loves to chat online with friends and fans. 

You can find her most days at one of the following online homes:

Website: cynthiadalba.com 
Facebook: Facebook/cynthiadalba 
Twitter: @cynthiadalba
Pinterest: Pinterest/CynthiaDAlba
Newsletter: Newsletter Sign-Up

Or drop her a line at cynthia@cynthiadalba.com

Or send snail mail to: Cynthia D'Alba PO Box 2116 Hot Springs, AR 71914

Sunday, January 28, 2018

#BookReview - Sisters Like Us by Susan Mallery

Title:  Sisters Like Us (Mischief Bay #4)
Author:  Susan Mallery
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Release Date:  January 23, 2018


About the Book:


The grass is always greener on your sister’s side of the fence…

Divorce left Harper Szymanski with a name no one can spell, a house she can't afford and a teenage daughter who's pulling away. With her fledgling virtual-assistant business, she's scrambling to maintain her overbearing mother’s ridiculous Susie Homemaker standards and still pay the bills, thanks to clients like Lucas, the annoying playboy cop who claims he hangs around for Harper's fresh-baked cookies.

Spending half her life in school hasn't prepared Dr. Stacey Bloom for her most daunting challenge—motherhood. She didn't inherit the nurturing gene like Harper and is in deep denial that a baby is coming. Worse, her mother will be horrified to learn that Stacey's husband plans to be a stay-at-home dad…assuming Stacey can first find the courage to tell Mom she's already six months pregnant.

Separately they may be a mess, but together Harper and Stacey can survive anything—their indomitable mother, overwhelming maternity stores and ex’s weddings. Sisters Like Us is a delightful look at sisters, mothers and daughters in today’s fast-paced world, told with Susan Mallery’s trademark warmth and humor.
Buy Links: Amazon 

My Review:

When I'm in the mood for a light hearted contemporary romance, I turn to one of Susan Mallery's novels. I have read many of them and I'm never disappointed. Although this is Book #4 in the Mischief Bay series, it can certainly be read as a stand-alone.

Sisters Like Us is more about family than just the sisters, Harmony and Stacey.  There is an old fashioned, overbearing mother, a teenage daughter dealing with teenage problems and experiencing her first love with Ashton (very sweet), and an ex-husband who is dating a much younger woman and neglecting his daughter. And then there is Lucas. Not exactly family, but he spends so much time at Harper's house that he seems like 'family'.

Once again, Susan Mallory has created characters that come to life on the pages of her books. This time, even with the problems that unfold, there is so much humor in their conversations that you can't help but smile.

Loved it!

Disclosure: A complimentary copy was provided by NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.

My Rating: 

About the Author:


Susan Mallery is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of books about the relationships that define women's lives—romance, friendship, family. With compassion and humor, Susan keenly observes how people think and feel, in stories that take readers on an emotional journey. Sometimes heartbreaking, often funny, and always uplifting, Susan's books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list, thanks to her ever growing legions of fans.

Critics, too, have heaped praise on "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!"

Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month, January of 1992. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.

Susan lives in Seattle with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a tattletale toy poodle. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Animals play a big role in her books, as well, as she believes they're an integral component to a happy life. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.

Friday, January 26, 2018

#BookReview - Wyatt's Bounty (The McCades of Cheyenne - Book 2) by Kim Turner

Title:  Wyatt's Bounty (The McCade's of Cheyenne - Book 2)
Author:  Kim Turner
Genre:  Western, Romance
Release Date:  April 12, 2017

About the Book:
Bounty hunter Wyatt McCade is taking down outlaws one at a time. He’s been in love with Tess Sullivan for years, but she refuses to give in to her feelings. Reeling from the rejection of his marriage proposal, he chases bounties with little concern for his own safety. When word reaches him that Tess never left for Boston, he rides for Cheyenne to confront her. Instead, he is ambushed and left for dead. 

Doctor Tess Sullivan shattered her heart by refusing Wyatt McCade’s marriage proposal and making the biggest mistake of her life, by holding onto a secret. Pining for his return, she blames herself when he arrives in Cheyenne near death. Forgiveness comes quickly in his arms, but she finds herself a pawn in a deadly game of revenge. 

When McCade lands are threatened, Tess is caught in the balance. On the bounty hunt of his life, Wyatt will risk everything to rescue the woman he loves.

Buy Links: Amazon 
My Review:
Several months ago I read Sawyer's Rose, Book 1 in The McCades of Cheyenne series, and I loved it. I must say that I think Wyatt's Bounty is even better. The McCade family is everything you expect an upstanding old west family to be.  Although each brother is quite different, they are held together by a strong mother who puts up with no nonsense from her boys and a father who, even though he was killed years ago, left the boys with a strong sense of decency.

Wyatt has loved Doc Tess for years and when she rejects his proposal and tells him she is moving back east, Wyatt is so crushed he heads to Denver where his problems only get worse.

Kim Turner shows us romance that will curl your toes, gunfights that will make you grit your teeth, and a love that will warm your heart. 

This may be a romance novel, but I'd be willing to bet that quite a few men would love reading this one.  If you are even the slightest bit a fan of Westerns, you'll love this book. I actually listened to the Audible version of the book and although at first I wasn't sure if I cared for the narrator, his voice grew on me. He has that deep rugged voice you would expect from a man of the old west.

Disclosure: A complimentary copy was provided by the author. A review was not required. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.

My Rating:

About the Author:
Kim Turner writes western historical romance, and discovered her passion of writing at the age of eight by writing poems, short stories and journals. Kim graduated from Clayton State University with a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing and holds a Master's Degree in Adult Education from Central Michigan University. Working as a registered nurse educator for over twenty-six years, she enjoys studying the medical treatments of the old west as well as keeping up with the latest western movies and television series. While she loves reading anything from highlanders to pirates, she claims to have an unquenchable thirst for the American Cowboy when choosing her reads. Kim lives south of Atlanta with her husband and calls her greatest accomplishment the birth of one daughter and the adoption of another from China-neither of which came easy. Kim is a member of Romance Writers of America and Georgia Romance Writers and calls her critique group from Southside Scribes the best thing that ever happened to her writing, that and a pretty wonderful group of beta readers. Kim's Motto: It's All About A Cowboy and the Woman He Loves.

If you'd like to learn more about Kim Turner, check out her blog at KimTurnerWrites.com



Thursday, January 25, 2018

#BookBlitz & #Giveaway - Don't Rush Me by Jackie May


Don’t Rush Me
Jackie May
Publication date: January 25th 2018
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Most humans have no idea that a dark and deadly underworld, filled with magic and monsters, exists. They wander through life blissfully ignorant of the supernatural world around them. Nora Jacobs is different. Nora knows exactly what kinds of hellish creatures haunt the streets of Detroit.
Thanks to a unique set of psychic abilities, Nora has managed to steer clear of the underworld most of her life. But all that changes the night the most powerful vampire in the city discovers her gifts and decides to use her as a tool to find one of his missing clan members.
As if that’s not bad enough, Nora believes she’s cursed. All her life, people, especially men, have been drawn to her—some to the point of obsession and violence. Underworlders, it seems, are not immune to this curse, and now she’s caught the attention of some of the most dangerous monsters in the city.
Neck deep in an investigation only she can solve, Nora quickly makes as many new allies as she does enemies. Her biggest problem is staying alive long enough to decide which is which.
**This series is a slow burn reverse harem.
EXCERPT:
“Stay out of this, Gorgeous,” Henry snaps suddenly. Parker helps him sit up and Terrance growls again, but it’s not quite as menacing as before. He must be calming down a little.
“Nora is my responsibility. I’ll take her to my own healer—” Henry’s cut o by another vicious snarl, and I’m scooped up into Terrance’s arms so fast I lose my breath. “Yeah…” Gorgeous says to Henry. “Doesn’t look to me like that’s happening.” If his smugness wasn’t directed at Henry, I might and his arrogance annoying. Instead, the guy is my hero. “She’s still mine. I’ve claimed her for a mate.” Gorgeous chews on this new bit of information. He holds up the blood-soaked stake to examine it in the
light and then points the tip at Henry. “Seems to me she’s not too interested in becoming your mate.” “Not at all,” I clarify cheerfully. “He’s holding me against my will.” Henry glares at me, then scowls so hard at Gorgeous his eyes start to turn red again. Whether he doesn’t like
what Gorgeous said or he simply doesn’t like the man himself, I can’t tell. But it’s clear Mr. Gorgeous loves to irk Henry.
“She’s human,” Henry says indignantly. “Claiming her is my right. I don’t care if she triggered Terrance’s protective instincts. He can’t just take what is mine.”
“Well, I’m sure as hell not going to argue with him while he’s in that state, so why don’t we all head down to the Agency, get the pretty human all healed up, and sort this mess out with the director?”
“What agency?” I ask. “Director of what? Who are you? And…is your name seriously Gorgeous?” Gorgeous grins at me like I’ve just made his entire day. “Can you think of a more appropriate name?” I snort again and then wince. e guy needs to stop making me laugh. “Conceited much?” “And proud of it.” He pulls a leather ID wallet from his pocket and tosses it to me. I’m still cradled like a baby in Terrance’s arms, but I manage to catch the ID. “Nick Gorgeous, at your service. I work for the Federal Underworld Agency. e F U Agency for short.” I roll my eyes at his stupid acronym—though it’s admittedly more entertaining than S.H.I.E.L.D.—and focus on the more important fact. is guy’s a cop. An underworld cop. Like an FBI agent or something. I didn’t even know that existed.
And, I’ll be damned, his name really is Nick Gorgeous.


Author Bio:
Jackie May is a pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. Josh and Kelly live in Phoenix, Arizona with their four children and their cat, Mr. Darcy. Jackie May is their only daughter. (And she keeps asking for her cut of the profits since we’re using her name.)

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Saturday, January 20, 2018

#BookReview - Chasing Perfect - Fool's Gold, Book 1 by Susan Mallery

Title:  Chasing Perfect - Fool's Gold, Book 1
Author:  Susan Mallery
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Release Date:  June 15, 2012


About the Book:


Welcome to Fool's Gold, California, a charming community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. There's lots to do and plenty of people to meet, especially women. Because there's just one tiny problem in Fool's Gold: the men don't seem to stick around. Maybe it's the lure of big-city life, or maybe it's plain old bad luck, but regardless of the reason, the problem has to be fixed, fast. And Charity Jones may be just the city planner to do it.

Charity's nomadic childhood has left her itching to settle down, and she immediately falls in love with all the storybook town has to offer—everything, that is, except its sexiest and most famous resident, former world-class cyclist Josh Golden. With her long list of romantic disasters, she's not about to take a chance on another bad boy, even if everyone else thinks he's perfect just the way he is. But maybe that's just what he needs—someone who knows the value of his flaws. Someone who knows that he's just chasing perfect.
Buy Links: Amazon 

My Review:

Chasing Perfect was a wonderfully entertaining story that I read in one day. I was enjoying it so much that I just couldn't put it down. Yes, it was predictable, but that didn't take away from the wonderful characters and memorable romance. There is a bit of spice in the sex scenes, but very well written.

I wish this town of Fool's Gold truly did exist in the real world because if it did, I would be packing my bags and heading there today! Susan Mallery created fabulous, lovable characters and an even more wonderful and lovable town for them to live in.

My only complaint is that there were a few things unnecessarily repeated which tended to distract me from the story.

I listened to the Audible version of this book and the narrator was incredible! Very enjoyable listening to her as she changed voices and read with appropriate emotion.


My Rating: 

About the Author:


Susan Mallery is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of books about the relationships that define women's lives—romance, friendship, family. With compassion and humor, Susan keenly observes how people think and feel, in stories that take readers on an emotional journey. Sometimes heartbreaking, often funny, and always uplifting, Susan's books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list, thanks to her ever growing legions of fans.

Critics, too, have heaped praise on "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!"

Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month, January of 1992. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.

Susan lives in Seattle with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a tattletale toy poodle. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Animals play a big role in her books, as well, as she believes they're an integral component to a happy life. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.
 

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