Review from Shannon, Blog Tour and Giveaway: Ray Vs. The Meaning of Life by Michael F. Stewart (Young Adult, coming of Age)

Ray Vs the Meaning of Life
Michael F. Stewart
Publication date: May 15th 2018
Genres: Young Adult, Coming-of-age

“Stewart presents readers with a dynamite coming-of-age story … A tale spins its answer to an age-old question into an inclusive, hilarious, and thought-provoking yarn.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
——
Grandma’s Last Will and Testament names Ray to inherit the trailer park. It’s a million-dollar estate with one hitch: to prove he’s not as aimless as he seems, Ray must discover the meaning of life by the end of the month. (She left the answer in an envelope.) If he fails, the camp goes to his estranged family.
How does anyone find the meaning of life while running a park full of misfit miners, would-be truck racers, and one demanding little girl? There’s a bear too. A grizzly. Maybe that’ll help?

Goodreads / Amazon

This is the second book I've read by Michael F. Stewart. The first being Counting Wolves, a first person account into the world of a girl with mental illness. I was blown away by that one, so had a pretty high expectation when I began reading Ray vs The Meaning of Life, I wasn't dissapointed. 

Once again, Mr. Stewart shows us what writing in first person present should look like. The words are beautifully chosen, the picture painted and the characters undeniably intriguiing! The one thing Mr. Stewart is exceptional at (besides making first person present readable to folks like me) is the way he makes truly unlikeable characters, redeembable. Those characters I hate in the beginning, we grow to understand and even empathize with as the story goes on, discovering who they are with our character, Ray.

In addition, there is always a lesson to be found in his novels. In this case, it's about the Meaning of Life. I know, that's extrememly broad, but that's why this book needs to be read. Not just by the Young Adult audience that is often the target of Mr. Stewart's writing, but by everyone. We adults will walk away with that necessary information we all need to find that path we are looking for. 

Please take the time to grab a copy of this amazing novel. I'll defintely be looking for more of Mr. Stewart's books in the future. And if your kids are looking for a great read, just grab one of these, they won't be disappointed.

For seventeen year old Ray, life in the trailer park in the middle of nowhere was all he knew of life.When his grandma dies and is going to leave her fortune to him, but only if he can figure out the meaning of life, his world changes drastically.

With the help of a Guru and the people around him in the park, he may just find the change he is needing. Ray vs the Meaning of Life by Michael F Stewart is funny and heartwarming. I enjoyed this read AND it was first person. As you follow Ray’s journey, there are a few life lessons that are great reminders for us all. I enjoyed this book, following Ray and others as they figure out their meaning of life too. It is great reminder to take a look at a situation from different eyes and see how others are doing.

This would be a great High School English class book that teens could relate a bit to and help them to learn that it’s not “all about me” but I will jump down off my soapbox on that for now. Give this to a teen in your life for a summer read and take time to read it for yourself. It was a quick read that pulls you in and you want to know “what are they going to do now.”

 Have fun and Be kind.

Michael F. Stewart embraces all forms of storytelling. In 2009, he created Bully For You for Scholastic Canada, a fully functioning social media platform with an embedded interactive story. He’s written graphic novels for Rubicon Publishing’s Boldprint series, illustrated early readers and novellas for Pearson (coming in 2019!), non fiction texts on Corruption and Children’s Rights; he even tried to convince the world that we needed a location based storytelling app with augmented reality (NARR8R)-we still do! He’s written adult horror, sci-fi, urban fantasy, and adventure. He’s even written books you’ll never find. But nothing is ever wasted. His most recent book, Counting Wolves, a contemporary YA, was named to Kirkus Reviews “Best Books of 2017” list. The Boy Who Swallows Flies (2018) won Killer Nashville’s Claymore Award, and the Assured Destruction Series won The Creation of Stories: Best YA Award at the Toronto International Book Fair. In 2016, Michael was selected to join the CFC/Entertainment One TV Adaptation Lab. Herder of four daughters, Michael lives to write in Ottawa where he was the Ottawa Public Library’s Writer in Residence and runs free writing workshops. To learn more about Michael and his next projects visit his website at www.michaelfstewart.com or connect via Twitter @MichaelFStewart.

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Release Blitz & Giveaway: Stolen Kisses by Elena M. Reyes (Contemporary Romance/ Erotica)

Title: Stolen Kisses

Author: Elena M. Reyes

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Erotica

Release Date: April 27, 2018

Blurb

Four years of celibacy have turned Hunter Miles into a predator—a dangerous man. He’s horny. Hard. And coming home from college, he never expected to find Bailey Jones so tempting.
It’s an instant infatuation.

She’s the one woman he shouldn’t want—his little sister’s best friend. The last time he saw her she was a knobby-kneed little girl, but what welcomed him home was all woman—her decadent curves and a flirtatious smile tossed at him each time they are within arm’s reach.

She’s tempting.

Pushing.

Offering up her body to a man hanging by a very thin thread.

Fuck the consequences. He wanted her, and she was going to be in his bed by the end of the week.

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Excerpt

“Why?” It came out harsher than I intended, and immediately I felt bad. At once, my body lost some of its rigidness.

Bailey fidgeted, swallowing hard, her hands going to the edge of her tank top and scrunching the material—twisting it in her tiny hands while one foot tapped the hardwood beneath her.

She’d changed, and to be honest, I didn’t know which outfit was more of a danger to my mental stability. My cock was hard at the sight of her in this simple and sweet sleep set. Wept at the taunting way the material highlighted every curve I hungered to taste.

It wasn’t anything risqué or made to be provocative, and that’s what made it sexy.

Shorts—soft, and in a light pink cotton with a matching top. The fabric molded onto her curves like a second layer of flesh in the most delicious way.

“Why what?” she whispered, bringing me out of my perusal of her lithe form.

Her evasive answer wouldn’t do, and I took in a deep breath. I decided to change my approach. “Why does she think you kissed him, baby girl?” I asked again, tone much softer. The subtle hint of huskiness caused her breath to catch. For her pupils to dilate a tiny bit. “Answer me, little B. Why does she insist on you being his?”

And while her reaction to my presence placated me, it took everything within me to not spit that out, dripping in the acid that churned in my gut. Just the thought of her being with anyone was pushing against the invisible thread that held my sanity.

Bailey’s green orbs narrowed. She tried and failed to look offended by my question. However, at the corner of her plump lips was a small hint of a smile. “That’s none of your business, Hunter.”

“Defiance isn’t in your best interest, Bailey,” I countered, taking in the small shiver that rushed up her spine. “Everything that has to do with you is my business.”

“Since when?” Placing her hand on her hip, she cocked her head to the side with an arched brow. “Three and a half years have gone by, Miles, and barely a word. One email conversation, and a handful of calls. That’s it. In my eyes, our friendship is tentative at best.”

I almost smiled at the use of my last name. Whenever she was annoyed with me, I was Miles.

“And I’ll apologize for that misconception.” Standing up, I locked eyes with her. Made sure that she saw the want—the truth in my stare—while I made my way across the room. She swallowed and took a step back, but for each one of hers, I’d take two. Didn’t stop until there was but a mere inch of separation between her body and mine. A stray curl caught my eye, and I reached out to place it behind her ear, my fingers skimming down the side of her neck. “But we will never be estranged, sweet girl. Never could be strangers when we share so much history together.”

“Shared. Past tense…” didn’t miss the breathiness in her voice. “…I don’t know you anymore.”

I devoured the sight of her chest rising and falling with each exaggerated breath. The way her nipples tightened, pressing against the thin fabric of her top. How the goosebumps on her skin spread, having nothing to do with the room’s temperature.

She wanted me closer. Welcomed this pulsing need that flowed between us.

Inhaling deep, I took the subtle scent of vanilla into my lungs and hissed as an electrical pulse rushed through my every nerve ending. It settled on the swollen tip of my dick. My chest expanded with the act and her eyes wandered lower, down my torso, and then paused at my throbbing erection.

Bailey licked her lips, and I smirked. “Eyes up here,” I crooned low, and green eyes met grey. There was no mistaking her labored breathing nor the heavy-lidded look of desire she wore. Something I’d use to my advantage to make baby girl mine. “I’m only going to say this once, so pay attention.” She nodded, and I leaned down to her level, placing my lips next to her ear. “For most of my life you’ve been that adorable little girl who slept over and was my sister’s best friend. My friend. But tonight...fuck—tonight, when you walked in and our eyes met, that reality ceased to exist. That tiny beauty I knew morphed into a beautiful woman that I plan to get to know. Romance, and then someday soon...own. Because I will. Of that I have no doubt.”

“Hunter, I…”

Placing a finger over her lips, I silenced her. “No more words. Let me show you with actions.” My lips skimmed down her neck and nipped her collarbone before walking out of the living room and up the stairs. Left her standing there dazed and immobile.

I’d laid a lot on her tonight, and she needed to process. Accept her new reality.

That Hunter Miles was going to woo the fuck out of her.

Author Bio

Elena M. Reyes was born and raised in Miami Florida. She is the epitome of a Floridian and if she could live in her beloved flip-flops, she would.

As a small child, she was always intrigued with all forms of art—whether it was dancing to island rhythms, or painting with any medium she could get her hands on. Her first taste of writing came to her during her fifth grade year when her class was prompted to participate in the D. A. R. E. Program and write an essay on what they’d learned.

Her passion for reading over the years has amassed her with hours of pleasure. It wasn't until she stumbled upon fanfiction that her thirst to write overtook her world. She now resides in Central Florida with her husband and son, spending all her down time letting her creativity flow and letting her characters grow.

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Blog Tour & Giveaway: Love, Music, Madness by Tabitha Rhys (New Adult Contemporary Romance)

LOVE, MUSIC, MADNESS

by Tabitha Rhys

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Hatchet Hollow by Amanda McKinney (Adult, Mystery, Thriller)

Hatchet Hollow
Amanda McKinney
(Black Rose Mystery Series, #2)
Publication date: April 24th 2018
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller

After an afternoon of mind-numbingly boring surveillance in the woods, Private Investigator Raven Cane goes for a twilight jog to clear her head, only to discover a gruesome murder in the town’s most notorious cave, Hatchet Hollow. Minutes later, the impossibly handsome Lieutenant Zander Stone arrives at the scene to take over, but Raven has a hard time letting the case go. Why did the killer cut off the victim’s fingers? More importantly, who would do such a thing?
After a failed attempt at tracking down the elusive Marden Balik, aka, the legendary witch of the Great Shadow Mountains, Zander dives headfirst into Devil’s Den’s most recent murder, only to uncover twists and turns at every step—including a secret book of curses that may, or may not, exist. As the list of suspects grows, Zander does his best to keep Raven at arm’s length. But Raven is persistent, nosing her way into his case, making it increasingly difficult to keep his concentration on the task at hand, and off of her sultry body.
And when another woman is found brutally murdered, Zander worries that Raven has gotten too close to the investigation… close enough to put her directly in the killer’s sights.

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—

EXCERPT:

A BLACK CROW swooped down from a decaying pine tree beside her, it’s cringing caw piercing the silence of the woods. She shuddered and zipped up her windbreaker.
Abby never liked crows, or birds for that matter. Not since her parents brought her back a rare, extremely expensive—their words, not hers—parrot from Honduras when she was twelve years old. It was one of the many vacations they’d taken without her—needing a break, they’d say—and leaving her with her nanny, Fran, whose hair always looked, ironically, like a bird’s nest, and whose breath could stop a clock. The same nanny who’d tattled on her for leaving a window open, allowing the precious parrot to fly away.
Her father didn’t speak to her for a week, and her mother, only when he wasn’t looking.
But that was a long time ago. That was then, and this was now. She was a woman now, freshly turned twenty-one with her whole life ahead of her. She didn’t need her parents or the shallow gifts they’d showered her with, replacing their inability to show affection. She didn’t need them anymore, just like they didn’t need her. That’s how they always made her feel, anyway.
A cool gust of wind carrying the sour scent of moldy earth swept past her. She glanced up at the cloud-covered sky. Another dreary day. Another stupid, dull day in this small, suffocating, godforsaken town—just like the day before.
But not anymore.
She could make her own decisions now, out from under their financial thumb. Go her own way in life.
And she was.
And her parents would kill her for it.
She stepped onto the jogging trail that snaked through the woods and stumbled on a rock. She looked down at her new black running shoes laced tightly over black ankle socks. Black leggings and a black T-shirt.
Black.
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
She’d always been fascinated with the mystical, creepy folktales that were whispered through the Great Shadow Mountains. Spirits, ghosts… witches. Hundreds of stories told during dark nights with no electricity, bonfires with too many drinks, Halloween, or just about any scenario shrouded in darkness. The stories were told with glances over the shoulder and hushed voices laced with fear, and if you listened carefully enough, respect. Respect for the evil forces that could snatch you up in the middle of the night, turn you into a lizard, or worse, curse you and everyone you loved.
Witches who could raise the dead from the earth.
Witches who could take your life.
Respect, power. Those were the two things she was promised when she’d been approached about “turning over a new leaf”. Taking control of her own life—and others if needed. Yes, she would be a part of something now, of something big, she was told.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes.
Was she apprehensive? Absolutely. But what they’d promised her had been too great to ignore. She’d been a fool to walk away.
Right?
She smoothed her black windbreaker.
Black really wasn’t her color, but they had been wearing it—head-to-toe—so she figured she’d better get used to it. There would be so much to learn, they’d explained, and embracing black was a good start, she guessed.
But dammit, it really washed her out. Her pale complexion and light blonde hair—a gift from her mother—looked even more lifeless against the unforgiving color.
Maybe she would take baby steps into the change.
Yes, baby steps.
Maybe it would be okay if she wore her red silk blouse and white Louboutin six-inch heels on her date next week.
Butterflies tickled her stomach.
A date!
She couldn’t believe it. Yes, she had been asked out by a good-looking, accomplished man, nonetheless. It was completely out of left field… and only hours after she’d officially committed to “turning over a new leaf.” Coincidence?
Yes, things were going to change for her. Things were going to go her way, for the first freaking time in her life.
She was going to be powerful, respected. Feared.
With an extra pep in her step, she rounded a corner in the trail and spotted her new jogging partner anxiously waiting ahead.
“Hey.”
“Hey, there. You ready?”
She snorted. “As ready as I can be, I guess.”
“First mile’s always the hardest. I’ll take it easy on you. Might want to stick those keys in your pocket, though. Uneven terrain.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah.” She nodded, looked down, and as she unzipped her pocket—
WHACK!
Her head snapped back as a fist slammed into her jaw.
Pain rocketed through her skull. Bright lights flashed in her eyes. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth as she stumbled backward. The world spun around her, sending a wave of nausea through her body as she tried to process what was happening.
What the hell?
She opened her eyes to fuzziness and tried to focus on the movement in front of her. But before she could come to, the next brutal force knocked her out cold.

Author Bio:
Award-winning author of sexy murder mysteries, Amanda McKinney wrote her debut novel, LETHAL LEGACY, after walking away from her career to become a writer and stay-at-home mom. Her books include the BERRY SPRINGS SERIES and the BLACK ROSE MYSTERY SERIES, with many more to come. Set in small, Southern towns, Amanda’s books are page-turning whodunits peppered with steamy romance. Amanda is a member of Romance Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime, and lives in Arkansas with her handsome husband, two beautiful boys, and three obnoxious dogs. Visit her website atwww.amandamckinneyauthor.com

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Release Blitz & Giveaway: Damage by Jennifer Vester (Romance, Mystery, Suspense)

Damage (Lakefield Book 5) by Jennifer Vester

Genre: Romance Mystery Suspense

Release Date: April 24th, 2018

Cover Design: www.PremadeEbookCoverShop.com

What if the pivotal moment in your life, hinged upon all the events that happened in your past?

Suzanne had survived, had endured. At least that’s what she told herself. So many mistakes littered her life, and she was determined not to repeat them.

Living in Lakefield, with the memories of a man she loved and lost hanging over her, she decides to embark on a new life. It’s a choice that will put a series of events in motion, that could ultimately save her or break her.

When she meets a man who isn't who he says he is, her reality is suddenly altered, and nothing is quite what she thought it was. Everything in both of their lives will dramatically change.

Fighting against their pasts and a determined killer, two people that thought they knew what defined them, will have to rethink what they know about themselves and each other.

With love and their future on the line, they’ll have to find a way to survive the maniac that’s working to destroy them.

Available exclusively in Kindle Unlimited!

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Oliva wouldn't say she was paranoid. Maybe she read a few too many books on true crime, but it was all in the name of solid research. She was comfortable and cautious after a tragic event in her past. It worked for her.

At least it had, until she met Aiden Latimer. He was tall, muscular and did that eyebrow arch thing like a pro. The billionaire spotted her, and her life has been anything but comfortable ever since.

He was bossy and annoying. He even has a problem with her cussing. He's done his own research on her and she's convinced he even bugged her house.

She wasn't prepared for her attraction to him, much less his ardent attention. Their worlds seemed so far apart that she was ready to end it on day one.

But things never go quite like you plan with an alpha male type.

Now, she's being bossed around by Aiden, trying not to get into trouble with her best friend and dealing with a psycho, stalker ex-boyfriend!

The question is, when things finally do hit the fan, will she face her fears or run?

**Full-length standalone romance. 67,000+ words. No cheating, or cliffhangers with a Happily Ever After!

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It was inevitable that Julia would run into Holden Saunders again. The one person she dreaded seeing and wanted to see the most.

He was still as gorgeous as the first time they had met. Muscular, tall, with his golden brown eyes that said more than what he spoke. They're opposites in so many ways. He was closed off, and so utterly irritating the last time she was around him. He was rude and bossy but the one man she had been dreaming about for the last year.

Now that she's back in Lakefield, Julia is getting to know the real Holden. He's resorting to blackmail, physical dominance and isn't listening to her protests. He's the one that tempts her with his vulgar mouth and makes her body sing like no other man.

She can't decide whether to punch him or kiss him. Maybe both.

They're up against stalkers, the media, and a lot of bizarre circumstances as she makes a decision about her music career.

But he's making his intent crystal clear: he’ll protect her, possess her, and make her beg.

Everyone hides something. Julia should know. She's been trying to hide from her past for the last year. But this troublesome, mischievous man, may not let her hide any longer.

**Full-length standalone romance. 70,000+ words. No cheating, or cliffhangers with a Happily Ever After! Suggested 18+.

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Everyone has their breaking point.

Kaitlyn has had a crush on Dr. Logan Matthews for months. His dark hair, blue eyes and fit body are just some of the reasons why he's the perfect guy.

The problem is he seems to want nothing to do with Kaitlyn. When they have bumped into each other, he's gruff, overbearing and he seems to cause the worst luck for her.

Until one day when everything seems to go unnaturally wrong in her life.

Now he's sending naughty pictures, playing with her, and acting more interested than ever. Although her friends find the encounters they've had funny and her best friend tells her to just have fun, there's something confusing about his attention.

He says they're just being friendly but they're moving into the "more than friendly" zone. Everything should be great. Right?

Things aren't always what people see on the surface. The greatest obstacles they face may be the ones that neither of them see coming.

**Full-length standalone romance. 67,000+ words. No cheating, or cliffhangers with a Happily Ever After!

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Andi had it all figured out.

She had a sweet job for the summer working at a luxury hotel and her brother was happy. That's all she really needed and that's all she wanted to focus on.

Her horrible past was way behind her and she was making a better life for them both. Even if it was built on a lie, it was better than the one they had. She gave up chasing her dreams long ago.

She would keep their secret. To protect her brother. To protect herself.

Then he showed up.

He's out to catch a criminal and asking for her help.

Brock, the genius -- He wasn't modest about it.

Brock, the incredibly inquisitive -- He wasn't going to give up.

Brock, the guy with the GQ looks and bad boy reputation -- He wasn't denying it.

He was asking for the truth about her past that she couldn't give. If she told him it could risk everything.

But Brock is in this to win and it's hard to deny those stormy green eyes and kinky whispers in her ear. Chasing her seems to be his new priority and he's playing dirty. If he caught her what would he do?

He may be digging into Andi's life but this controlling and complex alpha male has some secrets of his own.

Lies and secrets. Everyone told them and had them. How far would they go to keep them?

**Full-length standalone romance. 80,000+ words. No cheating or cliffhangers with a Happily Ever After!

GET YOUR COPY HERE

Jennifer Vester is a romance author whose ambition is to entertain readers with off-beat female characters and the over-the-top alpha men that love them.

Her books revolve around romantic suspense with a little something for every reader. Always an HEA....(but look out for those twists!)

Jennifer grew up in Amarillo, located in the panhandle of Texas. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband. She went to college in Amarillo and Colorado Springs for studies in art. She enjoys reading a lot of romance (of course), but also reads biographies, history, classic literature, poetry, mystery and true crime.

She writes in her spare time, frequently burns food, loves dark beer, watches football and has a cookie addiction.

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Blog Tour: Bagels & Salsa by Lara Reznik (Suspense, Romance, Humor)

BAGELS & SALSA by Lara Reznik, Suspense/Romance/Humor, 296 pp., $12.99 (Paperback) $3.99 (Kindle edition)

Title: BAGELS & SALSA
Author: Lara Reznik
Publisher: Enchanted Indie Press
Pages: 296
Genre: Suspense/Romance/Humor

Author Lara Reznik blends suspense, romance, and humor in her latest novel, BAGELS & SALSA (http://www.larareznik.com/bagels-and-salsa). Loosely based on Reznik’s life, the story of Laila and Eduardo highlights the turmoil that surfaces when a Jewish sociologist from New York and a Hispanic doctor from rural New Mexico fall hard and fast for each other. Their blossoming relationship develops against the backdrop of terror the Son of Sam created in New York City during the summer of 1977.

Early reviews of BAGELS & SALSA praise the story’s dynamic plot and colorful characters:
“The author tells a simple love story, but she structures the novel to provide a panoramic view of her characters” (Kirkus Reviews).

“Another lovely read from Lara Reznik! . . . As with all her novels there are also plenty of fun subplot twists and turns. I wanted more.”  (Barbara Gaines, Former Executive Producer of The Late Show with David Letterman).

BAGELS & SALSA opens at a high school assembly hall in a rough part of the Bronx where Laila Levin is giving her first postdoctorate presentation on the US teen pregnancy epidemic. Her fear of public speaking and a chance encounter with the Son of Sam unravel her as several loud bangs crack through the air. Laila falls on the stage and injures her right shoulder. Fortunately, Dr. Eduardo Quintana jumps into action.

What begins as a playful flirtation while Laila recovers in the hospital propels into a more serious relationship with the handsome doctor. Their mutual passion is so intense that it stuns them both. The unlikely pair share strong family values and an interest in teen pregnancy prevention. After a brief courtship, Eduardo persuades Laila to accompany him to his family’s ranch near Española, New Mexico, where he plans to open a family practice. The rural town has one of the highest pregnancy rates in North America: the perfect place for Laila’s research.

Once in New Mexico, Laila is blatantly rejected by Sylvia, Eduardo’s controlling mother. Sylvia wants Eduardo to marry Violet, his high school sweetheart, who has recently returned to New Mexico after a failed flight attendant career and a walk on the dark side of Hollywood. Violet’s mother and Sylvia cook up a plan to send Laila packing and reunite their children. The Quintanas hold a large pig roast and invite a menagerie of tattooed cousins, rodeo stars, and mariachis. And the drop-dead gorgeous Violet makes a grand entrance.

In the midst of the pandemonium that results, a shocking family secret is revealed, and Laila and Eduardo’s love for each other is severely tested. Can their relationship survive the fierce clash of cultures, the murderous intentions of a Son of Sam copycat who has stalked Laila from New York City, and their own uncertainties about the upheavals that their union will cause in their lives?

Reznik’s first goal in writing BAGELS & SALSA is to entertain readers. However, she says, “On a more thematic level, I’d like readers to think about the importance of embracing religious, ethnic, and cultural differences, which have been at the core of so much conflict in the world.”

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On the morning of July 29, 1977, as New York’s blistering heat wave persisted, every woman in Manhattan was in a state of panic. The Daily News published a handwritten letter from a man claiming to be the serial murderer of forty-four victims. That specific day had been singled out in the letter as the date he planned to strike again. Some of my friends refused to leave their apartments. Others escaped to Fire Island or the Catskills, or retreated to their parents’ homes in the suburbs.

I tried not to let the panic pervading New York City that stifling summer morning dictate my life despite the fact that July 29th was also the two-year anniversary of my disastrous nuptials to Julian Goldblatt or Jules Gold, the nom de plume he used on his hip late night radio show. Any reminder of my wedding day still made me cringe with rage and humiliation.

Admittedly, my anxiety was at an all time high as I parked my canary-yellow Chevrolet Bel Air, and fed coins into the meter at the curb. Fearful of the new threats from the Son of Sam, I opened my purse and eyeballed the .38 caliber pistol my father had slipped under the table last night at Ratners on Delancey Street, a kosher dairy restaurant, and the perfect choice for a vegetarian like me.

Lara Reznik is a native New Yorker who studied at the University of New Mexico and the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop. Bagels & Salsa is her third novel.

Writing books since she was six years old, Reznik retired from an executive position in information technology after the success of her first novel, The Girl From Long Guyland, published in 2012. In 2015, Reznik published her second book, The M&M Boys.

Reznik currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two miniature Aussies.

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Release Blitz: When in Rome by Natalie Gayle (Contemporary Romance)

Title: When With Rome

Series: Perfect Gentlemen #1
Author: Natalie Gayle
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 23, 2018

Blurb

I’ve fallen in love in love with an escort.

I want him in my life.

But a future with him is just not possible.

He’s opened my eyes and my heart to so many things.

I never knew a life with passion until I met Rome.

I never knew a man could do such wicked things to me.

And I certainly never knew love like I feel now.

Two weeks with Rome, and I’m ruined for all other men.

He’s worldly. Handsome. Passionate.

He’s the perfect gentleman.

My eyes are wide open to a life with all its brilliant colors.

And I want that life with him.

But here’s the thing…

Rome is an escort and love isn’t an option in his world.

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Author Bio

I’m a confessed readaholic and romantic junkie. In between staring at a computer screen and wrangling rambunctious character, I enjoy living the Gold Coast life with my very tolerant husband and two school aged children. (I’m often in trouble for spending way too much time at my computer!).

I love nothing more than spending time with family and friends, all water sports, cooking, working out and curling up with a good book. I don’t even mind a round of golf with the girls! My pet hates are cleaning and anything else that can be considered “domestic dullness”. If I could have one wish it would be to be able to fit 48 hours into 24.

I tend to write what I like to read, books that have the following characteristics:

• Strong characters with lots of development
• Hot romance
• Deep storylines
• Interesting settings
• Real life problems and sensible solutions
• Happily Ever Afters (massive sucker for a good HEA)

Above all, I like to be immersed in the story. Therefore, I want my books to give you the same feeling, when you read them. I want you to experience the rollercoaster emotions but end up feeling better and entertained for reading the book. I want you to be happy!

I love connecting with my readers. Please sign up to my newsletter and follow me on social media.

Happy Reading

Nat XX

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