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Saturday, May 30, 2020


Book Review: Driftwood Dreams by T.I. Lowe


About the Book



Book:  Driftwood Dreams

Author: T.I. Lowe

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Release Date: June 1, 2020



Josie Slater has allowed the circumstances anchoring her in Sunset Cove to become a life sentence. Since her mother’s death years before, she’s spent most of her waking hours helping her dad run the Driftwood Diner. As her best friends, Opal and Sophia, make their dreams come true, Josie watches her own art school aspirations drift on by. But when a French-speaking Southern gentleman from her past moves back from Europe, Josie is launched into a tizzy of what-ifs and I-sure-do-hope-sos.

August Bradford left Sunset Cove six years ago to sow some life oats and conquer his ambitious career goals. Finally ready to lay down some roots, the successful artist is back in town and determined to win Josie’s heart. When he enlists Josie’s help in the preparations for a children’s art camp, Josie finds herself unleashing her artistic side in a way she hasn’t since before her mother’s death. August hopes to convince Josie to paint a life with him, but the problem is convincing her to let go of her apprehensions and give him—and her dreams—a fair chance.





Click here to get your copy!









My Thoughts

Driftwood Dreams by T.I. Lowe is a novel set in Driftwood, a lovely beach town. Driftwood might seem like every other beach town in novels these days, but I really enjoyed the cast of characters and found their struggles to be relatable as they dealt with some serious issues. I appreciated the author's ability to normalize the characters' struggles. A love story, characters with a long history, a richly depicted oceanfront setting-- this book is definitely the perfect beach read. And if you can't get to the beach, this novel will definitely take you there. This is the first book that I have read from this author and I really enjoyed it. I am interested in the other characters and cannot wait to see their stories unfold in other novels. I definitely recommend this novel to readers who enjoy inspirational fiction and women's fiction. I received a digital copy of this novel from the author with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.




About the Author



Tonya “T.I.” Lowe is a native of coastal South Carolina. She attended Coastal Carolina University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she majored in Psychology but excelled in Creative Writing. In 2014, Tonya independently published her first novel, Lulu’s Café, which quickly became a bestseller. Now the author of 12 published novels with hundreds of thousands of copies sold, she knows she’s just getting started and has many more stories to tell. She resides near Myrtle Beach with her family.









Read an Excerpt

Josie’s reverie came to a screeching halt as the screen door squeaked open and ushered in not only a briny breeze, but also a vision from her past.
With a pronounced air of confidence, August Bradford walked over to the counter and halted in front of a dazed Josie. Her heart jolted at the sight of him, something only this man could elicit. He spoke—or at least his lips moved—but she couldn’t hear anything over the roar suddenly residing in her eardrums.
The Knitting Club’s table kicked up in volume, sounding like a bunch of hens clucking away, but there was no focusing on what they were clucking about either. She knew the answer anyway and had a feeling their timing wasn’t coincidental. All Josie could do was just stand there and stare, as if looking into his silvery-blue eyes had turned her to stone. With a hint of purple near the center, those uniquely hued eyes were made to belong to an artist such as August Bradford. The thick fringe of black eyelashes only emphasized their beauty. It was enough to spawn jealousy in Josie, her own fair lashes barely visible, but it didn’t. It only tempted her to stand there and stare unabashedly. Mouth agape, that’s exactly what she did.
“Are you okay?” A throaty voice penetrated the roar in her ears as a hand waved in front of her face.
Oh, my . . . that voice . . .
The words simply wouldn’t come—only pitiful squeaks of breaths escaped—so Josie did the only thing to come to mind. She hightailed it into the kitchen.


Blog Stops


CarpeDiem, May 28
Livin’ Lit, May 30
Hallie Reads, May 30
Remembrancy, June 2
Artistic Nobody, June 7 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
Simple Harvest Reads, June 7 (Guest review from Joni Truex)


Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, T.I. is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 gift certificate to the bookstore of his or her choice and one copy of Driftwood Dreams!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Friday, May 29, 2020



Book Review: Dream, Plan, & Go by Rachel McMillan


Dream, Plan, & Go by Rachel McMillan is a delightful book full of anecdotes to inspire your independent adventures! I was already a fan of this author's fiction novels and I was excited to read this nonfiction from her. It is a treasure! Ms McMillan writes nonfiction with the same amount of light and exuberance that I adore in her fiction. Reading this book in the middle of a pandemic-- even if I may not be traveling anywhere anytime soon, I find this book more relevant now than ever. It opens up new worlds and possibilities that I will be noting for the future. In some ways, she brings the world to you, and this is needed now more than ever. I adored this book and this you will too, whether you are single or married, old or young.  It is a delight.  I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Tuesday, May 26, 2020


Book Review: The Socialite by J'Nell Ciesielski


About the Book



Book:  The Socialite
Author: J’nell Ciesielski

Genre:  Historical Romance

Release Date: April 14, 2020



Glamour, treachery, and espionage collide when an English socialite rushes to save her sister from the Nazis.


As the daughter of Sir Alfred Whitford, Kat has a certain set of responsibilities. But chasing her wayward sister, Ellie, to Nazi-occupied Paris was never supposed to be one of them. Now accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle that her Nazi boyfriend provides, Ellie has no intention of going back to the shackled life their parents dictate for them—but Kat will stop at nothing to bring her sister home.



Arrested for simply trying to defend himself against a drunken bully, Barrett Anderson is given the option of going to jail or serving out his sentence by training Resistance fighters in Paris. A bar owner serves as the perfect disguise to entertain Nazis at night while training fighters right below their jackboots during the day. Being assigned to watch over two English debutantes is the last thing he needs, but a payout from their father is too tempting to resist. Can Barrett and Kat trust each other long enough to survive, or will their hearts prove more traitorous than the dangers waiting around the corner?







Click here to get your copy!






My Thoughts

The Socialite by J'Nell Ciesielski is one of the best historical fiction novels I have read recently. Nazi occupied Paris comes alive with dangers far beyond Nazi soldiers. I was impressed with the author’s research into this time period and how quickly she set the scene. I loved the two main sisters and the contrast between their personalities. This book had plenty of action and peril, as you would expect of a World War II novel. But it is just as much a beautiful love story— one of my favorites of the books I’ve read this year. I highly recommend this book to readers of historical fiction and women’s fiction. It’s an amazing read. I received a digital copy of this book from the author with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.



About the Author



With a passion for heart-stopping adventure and sweeping love stories, J’nell Ciesielski weaves fresh takes into romances of times gone by. When not creating dashing heroes and daring heroines, she can be found dreaming of Scotland, indulging in chocolate of any kind, or watching old black and white movies. Winner of the Romance Through the Ages Award and the Maggie Award, she is a Florida native who now lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and lazy beagle. Learn more at www.jnellciesielski.com.



More from J’Nell

I blame Pinterest. Too many hours are spent chasing rabbit holes of glorious pictures of fashion from eras gone by, Highlanders in kilts, WWI ambulances, and fairytale castles. One day I was browsing something super important (or possibly escaping from the actual work I was supposed to be doing, er, we’ll never know) and stumbled across a black and white picture of six beautiful girls. Who are these lovely ladies? I wondered. A quick search brought up the Mitford sisters. Six gorgeous daughters born into an aristocratic English family, each girl with a different passion: Diana the fascist, Jessica the communist, Unity the Hitler lover, Nancy the novelist, Deborah the duchess, and Pamela the poultry connoisseur. Whoa. You know dinner time around their family table was interesting. How could such different personalities belong in the same family? What would you do if your sister got moon-eyed over Hitler??

Bam. An idea was born.

In the beginning, my little rebel Ellie was going to be a full-fledged Nazi ideology lover, but she quickly informed me that it wasn’t so much the Nazis or their crazy ideas she loved, but one man in particular. One twisted Nazi who had fallen completely under her spell, and she under his. The ideas of love can often be more difficult to break as Kat finds out when she tries to rescue her naïve sister. Luckily, she has a hunky Sottish bartender to help her while providing a few romantic intentions of his own. With everyone hiding past hurts and true identities, how will they ever hope to find the love they each long for when war rages under the bright lights of Paris? Guess you’ll have to read to find out ;)




Blog Stops


Emily Yager, May 22
Simple Harvest Reads, May 25 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Livin’ Lit, May 26
Betti Mace, May 27
Genesis 5020, May 28
Remembrancy, May 28
Mia Reads, May 29
Rebecca Tews, May 30
Moments, June 2
Andrea Carmen, June 3
Hallie Reads, June 4


Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, J’nell is giving away the grand prize of a book and a book sleeve!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Book Review: Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner


Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner is an amazing book, full of laughs and heart. I love this author’s writing so much! Her writing keeps you entertained every moment and she is a master at dialogue. Mostly— her characters are real, flawed, and feel like someone you would know in real life. This book is the perfect summer read or great for any time you need an uplifting book. I adored it and highly recommend it! I received a copy of this book from the author with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own. 

Friday, May 15, 2020




Book Review: Stay With Me by Becky Wade


Stay With Me by Becky Wade is the author’s best work to date. I have long been a fan of this author’s work and she has won awards that were well deserved. But this book— it stands alone. Ms Wade is not afraid to take on difficult, timely topics and take them on thoroughly. I highly recommend this novel to readers of all genres because its topic of addiction is so important in today’s world. So good! You’ll be sad to see the book end. I received a digital copy of this book from the author with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

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