tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84819162752127741522024-02-19T02:01:23.793-08:00The Life & Times of a Book AddictCristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.comBlogger601125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-63314221373856416232023-07-08T11:09:00.001-07:002023-07-08T11:09:52.809-07:00Beginning of Forever by Catherine Bybee Book Spotlight!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oeEY7V4tVXnQQfxq9l6MZGBgPKMRPuijTpY67JKcNk-Uu4-Cz-1s6d5MgZHcjtvhCOxgGVLOzQgFbchSKyB5LxCSK0c5sLjXuupCEhEj6t3yF-UMA0IheYAacC7k2R615sLm2Vcu1GjcLRQ3d_1bN7AkqgfLBdqyKFRDeAN-3PlSQtq_OaAanidkmmI/s4000/general%20graphic-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oeEY7V4tVXnQQfxq9l6MZGBgPKMRPuijTpY67JKcNk-Uu4-Cz-1s6d5MgZHcjtvhCOxgGVLOzQgFbchSKyB5LxCSK0c5sLjXuupCEhEj6t3yF-UMA0IheYAacC7k2R615sLm2Vcu1GjcLRQ3d_1bN7AkqgfLBdqyKFRDeAN-3PlSQtq_OaAanidkmmI/w400-h400/general%20graphic-3.jpg" width="400" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif; font-size: 16pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Catherine Bybee’s latest book in the D’Angelo Series, Beginning of Forever recently released on June 27, 2023. To help celebrate the release, I have info and an excerpt of the book as well as where you can purchase down below. Catherine writes engaging and romantic stories of not just the hero and heroine, but also involving family and friends. If you have not read anything from her yet, I encourage you to check out this book and the rest in the series!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63345340-beginning-of-forever?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Kh348Rvsso&rank=1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUzD3-4FRBidx4vC4iWwAmXt_15n-VHxi1Q83N58V8QwKHAjQf-b1TH5S80ohoc3WOnXdh_JCfs-7g9Tq8OJvYGvL2w11PjiIssSeDkFmUbW-otuNBAkJxTNbswZldz6xUv5t5M19trBnxkaCZLqszWxpbchtxdnRvs_Vjskd4yT-I0mjv65sGVhp7yA/w266-h400/Bybee-BeginningofForever-30179-FT-v2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #c600a8; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63345340-beginning-of-forever?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Kh348Rvsso&rank=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKOI7Y9-mXIeo4OWbsRSgYyv9dk_EI9wmuFbghpdi_GWzjxuOxgCq1SOw42UMP0zlMJor9A3woFgDJQR5jwpeRSWCz-zZBV7MYmCU8IGRfzsgMdfPVwQYWKhJ665zKrvytubgDqz6mkyAJpjU04e3UGeHKf1oUWKtk4wTxv_K2zd0wyEE7SF0bFrkwPc/s1600/Goodreads%20Badge.png" width="130" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><b><span style="color: #c600a8; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">From<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">New York Times</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">USA Today</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes the story of two wine enthusiasts who ride the ups and downs of love in the vineyards of Tuscany.</span></b><span style="color: #c600a8; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><i style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);">Tasting</i><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">wine is not enough: sommelier Giovanni D’Angelo wants to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);">create</i><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">it. To put his family first, he’s always deferred his dreams—a vineyard to run, a woman to marry. But a three-week vineyard tour in Italy could set him back on track.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);">For Emma Rutledge, wine is in her blood. Intent to run the family wine business one day, she finds that the men in her family are only intent to push her out of it. But that’s fine—she’s got a plan.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);">When Gio and Emma meet on a wine tour in Tuscany, their shared aspirations fuel an undeniable chemistry. Returning home to California, they work toward setting up Emma’s vineyard and a label of their own. But when Emma receives a life-altering diagnosis, she worries it’s all been for nothing.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);">As Emma works to cement her family legacy while dealing with this unexpected challenge, Gio tries to convince her that their future isn’t just wine.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #c600a8; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21); color: #c600a8; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">It’s each other.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p></div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard, serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 20pt 0in 6pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><b><u>EXCERPT:</u><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">And when Gio paused long enough to shove some food into his mouth, his mother offered a sweet smile and tapped her fingers on the table.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“You’ve said nothing about Emma.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Gio chewed slowly and looked around the table.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Everyone was quietly watching him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">He slowly swallowed with a grin and followed it with a drink of water. “What do you want to know?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Mari lost her smile. Slapped a hand on the table. “What do I want to know?” She rolled her eyes, lifted a hand in the air, and switched to Italian. “For an hour you’ve talked about everyone but the woman you introduced us to.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“C’mon, Gio . . . give it up,” Chloe said, kicking him under the table.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“Hey.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“Is she your girlfriend?” Franny asked without hesitation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Gio winked at his niece. “Emma is someone I hope you will all meet very soon.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“Bene, bene . . .” His mother was smiling again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“I won’t say she’s a girlfriend, but we are more than friends.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Mari’s smile fell to a flat line. “Why not a girlfriend?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“Mama, we’ve only known each other a few weeks.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“This means nothing to me. When you know, you know.” Mari swirled spaghetti with her fork. “Your father and I—”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“Yes, Mama, we know. Instant love, marriage, and babies. It isn’t like that nowadays.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Brooke cleared her throat and placed a hand on her protruding baby bump. “I disagree.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Dante laughed. “It took Chloe and I more time.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Mari tossed around gestures with her free hand. “You were childhood friends. That’s different. And since you eloped without a whisper to the family, something must have been instant. Not that I want you to share.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Dante stood down.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Smart man.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“This Emma is beautiful, and the way you smiled at her . . .”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“It was sappy adorable, Gio,” Chloe said in agreement with their mother.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">He was infatuated with the woman, there was no pretending otherwise. “Her guard is up a bit. She’s been married before.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“Children?” Mari asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“No, Mama. But when someone is divorced it takes a little longer to trust.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">All eyes turned to Luca. The only person at the table who had any personal authority on the subject.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Gio waited for his brother to agree.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Instead, Luca placed a hand over Brooke’s at the table and shook his head. “Not when you find the right person.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Gio rolled his eyes. “It still takes time.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“Wasting time, you mean,” his mother said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Gio spread his hands to each side of the table, indicating his sister and brother. “Mama, two weddings in one year . . . isn’t that enough?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“No,” she said flat out. “My youngest son still isn’t married. There is still room at this table. So, no. It’s not enough. When you’re married, it will be enough.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“It’s a trap, Gio,” Dante said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Chloe hit his arm.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“Not marriage . . . the enough part. Soon as you’re married the question switches to babies.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">The two things Emma said she didn’t want.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“Oh,” Chloe sighed. “That’s true.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“None of this when you meet Emma. We don’t talk about my lack of being a husband or anyone’s biological clock. I don’t want anyone scaring her off.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“What’s a biological clock?” Franny asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Dante started laughing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“I mean it!” Gio pointed his fork at his sister and mother.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“She means something to you,” Luca said quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Gio paused, thought of her smile, her laugh. The freckles on her face and how crazy her hair turned in the humidity. “Yeah. She does.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">“Then we will do our best to keep our opinions about weddings and babies to ourselves. Don’t you think, Mama?” Luca asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Mari released a deep sigh. “Fine. I can do that.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 10pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Gio felt the tension in his shoulders ease.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Franny leaned over, tapped his arm. “What’s a biological clock?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 16.05pt 0in 0.0001pt 2.45pt; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">About the Author</span></u></b><u><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 16.05pt 0in 0.0001pt 2.45pt; text-align: center;"><b><u></u></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Dplos5wTbGrKeRL3bnPneCCgO-yPu3Aq13DsEriKqxQTsWsj9ioXBM_aII31WewgsUOZT5r4V2ZT0clbWkNkQ94sExtk6GidZGN8mIT08-tF3FgISkpvYJAM0tTZotmaIjXltv9LQuH5-wksiI2TbjOEdGjEE4ZGWQuv5A99X2DoRK8B6qXgjoh01y0/s1024/image01_1542x2048_72.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="771" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Dplos5wTbGrKeRL3bnPneCCgO-yPu3Aq13DsEriKqxQTsWsj9ioXBM_aII31WewgsUOZT5r4V2ZT0clbWkNkQ94sExtk6GidZGN8mIT08-tF3FgISkpvYJAM0tTZotmaIjXltv9LQuH5-wksiI2TbjOEdGjEE4ZGWQuv5A99X2DoRK8B6qXgjoh01y0/w151-h200/image01_1542x2048_72.webp" width="151" /></a></u></b></div><b><u><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></u></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 2.75pt 9.8pt 0.0001pt 2.7pt; text-indent: 0.3pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Catherine is a #1 <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, Amazon, and Indie Reader bestselling author. In addition, her books have also graced The <i>New York Times </i>and <i>USA Today </i>bestsellers lists. In total she has written thirty-nine beloved books that have collectively sold more than 10 million copies and have been translated into more than twenty languages. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 14pt 0in 0.0001pt 2.6pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full time and has penned the Not Quite series, The Weekday Brides series, the Most Likely To series, and the First Wives series. Learn more about Catherine and her books at www.catherinebybee.com <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">BUY THE BOOK:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><u><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Forever-DAngelos-Book-3-ebook/dp/B0BKH7G2J1/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=lxzxy&content-id=amzn1.sym.e4bd6ac6-9035-4a04-92a6-fc4ad60e09ad&pf_rd_p=e4bd6ac6-9035-4a04-92a6-fc4ad60e09ad&pf_rd_r=DNTH6ZTHD0ZV9JZ2Q3SX&pd_rd_wg=jW5t7&pd_rd_r=b3a2465a-dfbb-43f8-a045-839da6143a69&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #203864;">Amazon</span></a></span></u><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> | <span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beginning-of-forever-catherine-bybee/1142604610?ean=9781542038553" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #203864;">B&N</span></a><b> | <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/beginning-of-forever-catherine-bybee/19018309?ean=9781542038553" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #203864;">IndieBound</span></a></b></span> <b><span style="background-color: white;">| </span></b><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Beginning-Forever/Catherine-Bybee/9781542038553?id=7850591409347" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #203864;">Books-a-Million</span></a></span><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Join the Addiction:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://lifeasabookaddict.blogspot.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #e36c0a;">My Blog:</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> <b>|</b></span><a href="https://twitter.com/BookAddict4Life" style="color: #954f72;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #e36c0a;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> <b>|</b></span><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/5925639" style="color: #954f72;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #e36c0a;">BlogLovin’</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> <b>|</b></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheLifeTimesOfABookAddict" style="color: #954f72;"><b style="color: #954f72;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #e36c0a;">Facebook</span></a></span></p>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-46116849732872875922023-06-01T04:00:00.004-07:002023-06-01T04:00:00.146-07:00You Look Beautiful Tonight by L.R. Jones<p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61914418-you-look-beautiful-tonight" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECLamsN302wG6p4LssA98zngQlG2kCRRtuuMM4cqVATZ4wuTq43A2oyLkcck_eflz9EoPNzmqtx4iBNRart7NClhZRPbeiPa7RUAccOs7gr175ljZn4V_M65OoGpPSsoSNmzxJAPyWEPE5E_axH_AGMlkh3zcsw8m9v6gef4DCTGM-fggsICoMJe6/w266-h400/You%20Look%20Beautiful%20Image.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61914418-you-look-beautiful-tonight" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiViVErVRM-n_9_BB2i5D0jm3FVyh80UeEqfTY3B2I4ASOXwl7FrmWZWUNGCNL4hPSXIBkLY7_mU7UMhKATdIRCrLy1Yr92zlcP0cJoTc0Q29pLN1zbrnApSSTCIEMXR90D0ZjVPzviFnScHeNryFGu_9krNsxQXx8VOyhneoq4z-7vgpc20juDfpe5/s1600/Goodreads%20Badge.png" width="130" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publication: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">June 1, 2023<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Thomas & Mercer<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Source: Author/</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 14pt;">A secret admirer’s devotion turns deadly in a twisting novel of psychological suspense.</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 14pt;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Mia Anderson is an invisible woman. An unremarkable thirty-two-year-old Tennessee librarian, she’s accustomed to disappearing in a crowd, unseen and unheard. Then she receives an anonymous note:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">You look beautiful today.</i><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="background-color: white;">It doesn’t stop there. The attentive stranger—a secret admirer named Adam—has plans for Mia. With each new text comes a suggestion for her hair, clothes, or attitude, and for the first time in memory, Mia feels noticed. Slowly, she develops a confidence in herself she’s never had. But Adam has a surprise coming…and Mia finally sees him for who he is and what he’s prepared to do for her. Even kill.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Fearing she could be implicated in the murder, Mia’s forced to turn to the stranger in the shadows watching her every move. Adam’s game of cat and mouse begins with Mia as the prey. In order to survive, she must also become the predator.</span></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 28pt;">******<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Mia is an interesting character. She tends to overthink things and in most cases those thoughts tend to be negative and reflect her insecurities. Mia’s two close friends Jack and Jess are complete opposites but are obviously care about Mia a lot in their own way. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">This is a slow burn story. 40% into the book and nothing exciting had happened. Unless you count a couple of mystery notes from a possible stalker. Even though it took a bit before the story hit its stride, I was still engaged in the story and the characters. I enjoy a good mystery, so when Mia started getting mysterious notes, I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. I wasn’t a fan of how some of the things played out in the last big scene, however I was surprised by the ending. This was not my most favorite book by this author, though I did enjoy it and will continue to read her books. L.R. Jones is a pseudonym for Lisa Renee Jones. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">**Though I received this book on behalf of the Author, the thoughts and opinions expressed are solely my own.**<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #0b4e64; font-size: 16pt;">RATING: 3 OUT OF 5.</span></b><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #806000; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b;"><br /></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt;">BUY THE BOOK:</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #002060;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Look-Beautiful-Tonight-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0B688ZMGQ?ref_=ast_author_mpb" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;">Amazon <b><span style="background-color: white;">|</span></b></span></a></span><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/you-look-beautiful-tonight-l-r-jones/1142723977?ean=9781662508882" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">B&N</span></a><b> | <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/you-look-beautiful-tonight-l-r-jones/18678102?ean=9781662508882" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">IndieBound</span></a></b></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;"> <b><span style="background-color: white;">| </span></b><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Look-Beautiful-Tonight/L-R-Jones/9781662508882?id=8427153741874" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Books-a-Million</span></a></span><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; 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color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> <b>|</b></span><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/5925639" style="color: #954f72;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #e36c0a; font-size: 14pt;">BlogLovin’</span></a><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> <b>|</b></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheLifeTimesOfABookAddict" style="color: #954f72;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #e36c0a; font-size: 14pt;">Facebook</span></a><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-13684722474259277672023-02-13T04:30:00.009-08:002023-02-13T07:38:03.235-08:00The Sanctuary by Katrine Engberg<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273329-the-sanctuary" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2093" data-original-width="1399" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RzCWN2tSCrY1j71jjdjThc2IxqtS9O4D2Feuco4RN38lPWAsfanJzuU5d9vmH7-f07UBWg45MmU2Ggxy_w0_hhWHSGWVNKjdEi5FLFw_eD7lq7MKiVdez_sBhBWWcmOVAq1PUf-ot-TQ2_y3nDwtDXyeBbIDeHkcOVY6nrpBDi9PPI9R83LMbDZq/w268-h400/The%20Sanctuary%20Image.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273329-the-sanctuary" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnke2iXQ5maoHs7XLr9RxpTc02PGR4gl7aFdoSnmk2qjduvWjDRx5SSHy0UjCt4DmGz9N-gk43owJ5FrSqZ9_hk74xfCllPIEjBcEztnSOQj9GIS5jqmILC7RnB-6zX6_Uz-YW6ivcy6FWEgUXxF2GTYqIHK4hjMZmTxqizraAPJ6wJfKXHwyd_eGL/s1600/Goodreads%20Badge.png" width="130" /></a><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publication: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">February 7, 2023<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Gallery/Scout Press<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Source: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #0b4e64; font-size: 14pt;">From internationally bestselling author Katrine Engberg, the series that is a “gripping addition to the Scandinavian crime fiction pantheon” (<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Oprah Daily</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>) comes to a stunning conclusion as<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner rush to untangle a long-simmering mystery before a brutal killer strikes again.</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #0b4e64; font-size: 14pt;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);">Jeppe Kørner, on leave from the police force and nursing a broken heart, has taken refuge on the island of Bornholm for the winter. Also on the island is Esther de Laurenti, a writer working on a biography on a female anthropologist with a mysterious past and coming to terms with her own crushing sense of loneliness in the wake of a dear friend’s death. When Jeppe lends a helping hand at the island’s local sawmill, he begins to realize that the island may not be the peaceful refuge it appears to be.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);">Back in Copenhagen, Anette Werner is tasked with leading the investigation into a severed corpse discovered on a downtown playground. As she follows the strange trail of clues, they all seem to lead back to Bornholm. With an innocent offer to check out a lead, Jeppe unwittingly finds himself in the crosshairs of a sinister mystery rooted in the past, forcing him to team up with Anette and Esther to unravel the island’s secrets before it’s too late.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #0b4e64;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></span></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0b4e64; font-size: 14pt;">With her signature “unforgettable characters and brilliant plot twists” (Kathy Reichs, #1<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #0b4e64; font-size: 14pt;">New York Times<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><span style="caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0b4e64; font-size: 14pt;">bestselling author), Katrine Engberg weaves a satisfying and white-knuckled finale to her Korner and Werner series that is a modern classic of Scandinavian noir.</span></span><span face="-webkit-standard"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(30, 25, 21);"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0b4e64; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 26pt;">******<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 26pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-align: start;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The story takes place through a series of letters from the past and several characters in the present…Annette, Jeppe, and Esther. Though it did not seem like it at first, they each contributed to the story in their own way. It was interesting to read the different points of view and try to figure out how everything would connect in the end. That curiosity kept me turning page after page. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-align: start;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-align: start;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Even though <i>The Sanctuary</i> is book 5 of the Korner & Werner series, I did not feel lost with this being my first book by Katrine Enberg. If anything, now I want to go back and read the other four books to see what I have been missing. The author created a story that is well written and was able to keep me guessing until the very end. There were several times that I thought I knew the who but wasn’t 100% sure of the why…And man was I completely wrong. I never saw the end coming.<i> The Sanctuary</i> is an atmospheric tale that grabbed my attention from the very first page. I didn’t devour the story in one go, but instead I savored it over the course of several days. It was entertaining, dark, and completely satisfying. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in 0in 3pt; min-height: 28.5px; text-align: start;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Sometimes mysteries can be predictable, but happily this one was not. At least not for me. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: white; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-align: start;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The Sanctuary</span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> is an atmospheric tale that grabbed my attention from the very first page. I didn’t devour the story in one go, but instead I savored it over the course of several days. It was entertaining, dark, and completely satisfying.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in; min-height: 28.5px; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #0b4e64; font-size: 16pt;">RATING: 4 OUT OF 5.</span></b><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #806000; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; 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margin: 12pt 0in 0in;"><span style="color: #002060;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Sanctuary/Katrine-Engberg/9781668002278?id=8427153741874" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;">Books-a-Million</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;"> <b><span style="background-color: white;">| </span></b><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-sanctuary/id6442981245" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Apple Books</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #002060; text-decoration: none;"> </span></span><b>|</b> </span></span><span style="color: #002060;"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Sanctuary-Katrine-Engberg/9781668002278?ref=grid-view&qid=1676276877814&sr=1-1" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; 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margin: 0px 0px 4px;"><br /></p>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-69324085282861902722022-12-20T04:00:00.001-08:002022-12-20T04:00:00.180-08:00The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58433666-the-book-of-cold-cases" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyayimmMVKtkB6rLaGLKB_KpdoYVfc45GZvHHB0kTbDgettAPkudapBoCE1RD7Y8nVFF09gNG-6au7FBbtUlQ7hFhVj0GAFLPA1vYCj4D1PQB5PbQvRnss_qxM8DjshfXbtWOb8IqS5gOI9OnyUigtlJ96CTJKWC08zIk6czNADCepAuq-t8qrpeq/w265-h400/Book%20of%20Cold%20Cases.jpeg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58433666-the-book-of-cold-cases" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cJkz5dj8qNherjTmHEiSq2Flg7mO-vnztfYNfhsqtf6rHe0TDf8AX3Af25AjhCmKB7iuQdbRwsRXK0vyiJoFQAm9Bc8axlgVfG8EqVmH9DHoD3KykSPDDSDuCX31TJ1PmRWTMoxiID-LPuYVCjPCPLrnXBsKLPo1Zisl0EqZCco62RmsEtZ_O5mF/s1600/Goodreads%20Badge.png" width="130" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publication: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">March 15, 2022<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publisher: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Berkley<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Source: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Purchased my own copy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The Sun Down Motel</i>. </span></b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br />In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect--a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.<br /><br />Oregon, 2017<i>. </i>Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases--a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea's surprise, Beth says yes.<br /><br />They meet regularly at Beth's mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she's not looking, and she could swear she's seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn't right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">******</span><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><br /></i><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f6000; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f6000; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Something about the Greer mansion stifled laughter and killed happiness. It might sound dramatic, but anyone who had lived there knew it was true.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #7f6000; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Book of Cold Cases </span></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">weaves back and forth between two POV’s; Shea and Beth. Beth’s POV is the past…we get to see what her life was like when she was younger, and when her parents were alive. Shea’s POV is current day. These two women couldn’t be any more different, yet they each share a troubling past they would like to escape. Shea tries to move forward in her life while running her true crime website when she isn’t working as a receptionist in a doctor’s office. It’s because of her job at the doctor’s office that she runs into Beth. Once Beth and Shea cross paths, their lives will be forever altered. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Shea is very inquisitive. A seeker of justice and the truth. Shea was very determined to find out the truth no matter how long it took or what she had to do. I liked her character at first. Towards the end, her attitude sort of shifted and I didn’t really care for that too much. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Beth is basically living a self-imposed isolated life at her family’s mansion. A place very few people go to outside of Beth’s family and lawyer. She comes across as cold and manipulative. She is not very likable, however as the story progresses, I did find myself empathizing with her plight a little more. The further into the story I got, the more I kept questioning, who the murderer truly was and if Beth really was that good at manipulation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">There is something about a spooky yet lively mansion that just really makes a paranormal mystery even more enticing. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I came into this story, looking for a good mystery thriller, and discovered an entertaining paranormal mystery. There were some good creepy and atmospheric parts, but I wish it would have been amped up a little more than it was. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Though the story started off a little slow and dragged in the middle some, it was well written, and my interest was held all the way through.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">RATING: 3½ OUT OF 5.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #833c0b; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #833c0b; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">BUY THE BOOK:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Book-Cold-Cases-Simone-James-ebook/dp/B097B3MDXJ?ref_=ast_sto_dp" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Amazon <b><span style="background-color: white;">|</span></b></span></a><i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></i><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-book-of-cold-cases-simone-st-james/1139698229?ean=9780440000211" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">B&N</span></a><b> | </b></span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Simone_St_James_The_Book_of_Cold_Cases?id=Z10zEAAAQBAJ" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Google Books</span></a><b> <span style="background-color: white;">| </span></b></span><span style="color: #002060;"><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-book-of-cold-cases" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Kobo</span></a></span><u><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Book-Cold-Cases/Simone-St-James/9780440000235?id=8427153741874" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Books-a-Million</span></a></span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> <b><span style="background-color: white;">| </span></b><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-book-of-cold-cases/id1572573008" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Apple Books</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; 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font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-59373397545274792472022-11-25T07:30:00.001-08:002022-11-25T07:30:58.420-08:00Be Your Everything by Catherine Bybee Book Spotlight!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61021730-be-your-everything" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1549" data-original-width="1031" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpJGzJu6NOM26AgYKbTXNcV5m36XMkg9eSb87QPF2AVyy2iONxVrVjgB3QSZCVTe0fXZ28wG16AfkdsWK2RpUIBrgv_AUY3GY4Be3Xr-OsOBkK71eHYo7yrjjSqd6Isa3Env5aHp3ibcgdOOZvNojm5UcwMCZfNwiu5aWRSqEjD_JMR2v_3sVkOsY/w266-h400/dangelos_be%20your%20everyting_book2.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61021730-be-your-everything" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfr1EU1PLh5tmvjOrwGkP0yadavaBEVhq39X5MEsIkmBQ013i0Qjc96WSEPOIXI-6hS0TVGljpyh1ElwyUOXosUUTGZCDgPHtoV0twoP_UC1NoafNj_aZSV06DRg7LMXqHWUYvVHbMSf76-hR3VnIFCs8QmsGnHsuVAk89cjBl0LnYoPHv8eHCWRqV/s1600/Goodreads%20Badge.png" width="130" /></a></div><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-2976fbb3-7fff-7057-6a1c-4bfcfc4488ad"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Series: </b>D’ANGELO’S, BOOK 2</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publication Date: </b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">NOVEMBER 15, 2022</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>One thing that I enjoy about Catherine's books is that they are fun, but they also have substance...heart. The characters are relatable and as soon as I start reading, I know I am in for a good time. I am generally a mood reader and one genre I am always in the mood for is a good romance. Catherine Bybee's books always promise me this and more. <i>Be Your Everything </i>is the second book in The D'Angelo's series, and if you have not checked out the first book, <i>When It Falls Apart,</i> there is no time like the present. In the meantime, check out the synopsis and the excerpt below to find out what else is in store for the D'Angelo family. There is also more info about the author below and links to purchase the book.</div><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span><b>Synopsis:</b></span></div><div><span><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span><span id="freeText7072264266947223056" style="caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><b>From <i>New York Times</i> and <i>USA Today</i> bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes a romance about childhood friends who marry in Vegas and embark on a wild ride to find their happily ever after.</b><br /><br />With two protective older brothers and a traditional Catholic Italian mother, it’s surprising that Chloe D’Angelo can manage a date without someone in the family naysaying her romantic choice. And Dante Mancuso…oh, no. Her brother’s best friend is not a dating-app right swipe.<br /><br />But when they are left unsupervised on a late night in Vegas, all of that changes. Add in a Vegas wedding chapel and a couple of “I dos” and Chloe wakes up with a ring on her finger and a hangover. Dating Dante was always a secret desire, but marriage? The rift that this news would cause in her family has the both of them keeping their nuptials to themselves as they scramble to undo their Vegas mistake.<br /><br />Dante knew the rules: Chloe was off limits. Only he can’t stop once his mind starts to believe she might be his forever. Just as their attraction deepens, Chloe flees to Bali, desperate to clear her head.<br /><br />All Dante has to do is keep her brothers from killing him and convince her that they are meant for each other. But first, Dante has to find her.</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"> </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(24, 24, 24); font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wxV33s2onxkzgUUO5JCjXjmpVzEEadTy7dZgiSp8Lno8OMPeab6jV5rZZePIk4jGALkq-xwLkPBWIkpyLGzA3ySbWVy_yI3btoyho4c3PzX8ta6j-DXTU6Gejeo5wWwtP3-Fa0f97rR9s_aoudv5TaA2h6SaZfmTj3oe9Jl1hFEpMiYDPzB169Rh/s4000/quote%20graphic%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wxV33s2onxkzgUUO5JCjXjmpVzEEadTy7dZgiSp8Lno8OMPeab6jV5rZZePIk4jGALkq-xwLkPBWIkpyLGzA3ySbWVy_yI3btoyho4c3PzX8ta6j-DXTU6Gejeo5wWwtP3-Fa0f97rR9s_aoudv5TaA2h6SaZfmTj3oe9Jl1hFEpMiYDPzB169Rh/w400-h400/quote%20graphic%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><b>Excerpt:</b></span><div><span><b><br /></b><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Go! I don’t want to see any of you back here until Monday.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe stood outside the back door of their home in Little Italy, surrounded by both her brothers and her soon-to-be sister-in-law. They all had small suitcases at their feet as the Uber van pulled up to take them to the airport.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Mari, their mother, had a hand on Francesca’s shoulder as they saw the bachelor/bachelorette party off.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Mama, are you absolutely certain?” Luca, the husband-to-be, her over-worried oldest brother, couldn’t stop the concern that crossed his face anymore than he could the love he had in his eyes for the woman at his side.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">He and Brooke were the real deal. Head over heels, all in . . . completely lost in each other.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe couldn’t be happier for them.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">They needed Vega. Boy, did they need two nights in Vegas.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“I ran this restaurant before you were born and after with all three of you jumping around. I have it, Luca. Go. Just don’t get married. Wait until you come back for that.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“What about babies?” Gio, the middle child and smart-ass in the family, asked.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“That you can do,” Mari said with a wink.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Brooke knelt to Franny’s level and gave the eight-year-old a kiss. “Listen to your nonna.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">There were hugs and waves as Giovanni, or Gio, as he was more often called, shoved all the suitcases into the back of the van. </span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Gio took the front seat as the rest of them climbed into the back.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Luca said to his brother. “Busiest time of the year.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“It is not. That’s in the summer,” Chloe argued. It was the last week of November. The family restaurant was fully staffed and ran like a well-oiled machine, even with three of their employees out at the same time. “It’s going to be nothing but family and friends, celebrations and ceremonies from here on out. This is the last chance for you two to let loose until it’s all over.” Chloe reminded them.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“You mean until after Christmas,” Gio said.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Right.” They weren’t taking their honeymoon until after Christmas. After they returned a week into the new year, then it would be Chloe’s turn to get out of town. Her long-awaited tickets to Bali were burning a hole in her pocket.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">This was her last opportunity to cut loose until it was all over as well.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe watched their family home disappear from sight. It was a four-story building with the family restaurant on the bottom floor. The second story was the family home where they’d all grown up, and the third floor was where LUca, Brooke, and Franny now lived. On the very top was what used to be guest quarters but now was the bachelor pad that Gio took over. Secretly, Chloe was hoping Gio would find Mrs. Right and move on himself so she could occupy the upstairs apartment as her own space. She loved her mother, but living with her was getting old. As an Italian, Chloe wasn’t going anywhere until she married, that’s just the way things were done in her culture.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Franny is going to be okay, right?” Brooke asked Luca as they settled in for the short ride to the airport.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe rolled her eyes.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Francesca, Luca’s daughter from his first unfortunate marriage, was probably already elbow-deep in gelato and milking Mari for all the attention and goodies a nonna could give her.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“She’ll be fine,” Luca said, kissing Brooke’s forehead.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">The ride to the airport took less than ten minutes, a perk when you lived in San Diego and everything was close. </span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Getting through security and waiting in the airport would take longer than the actual flight to Vegas, but it beats a long drive across the California desert any day of the week.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Thanks again for inviting Mayson to join you guys,” Brooke said to Gio and Luca.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“He’s a friend of yours. He’s a friend of ours.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Besides, we need even numbers,” Chloe added. As she said that, she saw Salena waving them over to her side before they entered the TSA line.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Vegas, baby!” Salena all but yelled for everyone to heard. </span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe tossed her arms around one of her dearest friends for a hug. They’d known each other before braces and periods. As ride-and-die friends went, Salena was someone Chloe could count on to be there.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“We could have picked you up,” Gio said.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Salena, who lived in Little Italy as well, shrugged. “It’s okay. I had JOey take me.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Joey? Do I know Joey?”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">She waved a hand. “Flavor of the month.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Gio narrowed his eyes. “You’re worse than me.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“No one is worse than you,” Chloe and Salena said in unison.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">The three of them fell in line behind Luca and Brooke, who were arm in arm and whispering in each other’s ears.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“They do know that we have separate rooms, right?” Chloe asked her brother.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Yes.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“I don’t think that’s going to matter,” Salena added.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Divide and conquer. Once everyone arrives, we have dinner, pull straws on who is in charge for the night, and go to our separate clubs.” Gio lowered his voice. “We’ll give them tomorrow afternoon to knock it out.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe laughed. “We may never see them again.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Salena nudged Chloe’s shoulder as they inched their way up the line. “Is Dante flying directly from Italy?’</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Just hearing Dante’s name had Chloe standing taller. Gio’s best friend, and the one boy that had always been “off-limits” for oh so many reasons, was the cause of many sleepless nights.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">The man only grew more beautiful with every year that passed. </span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">And he knew it.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">And the women knew it.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the women!</span></span></i></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“He’s already in the States. New York, He’ll be in Vegas about an hour after we land.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Salena nudged Chloe again with a grin once Gio turned around.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stop.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Chloe mouthed the word without sound.</span></span></i></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Once they moved through security, they found their gate for the forty-five-minutes wait to board the plane.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Salena and Chloe sat with their luggage while the others went to find coffee and water for the flight.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Are you prepared for a weekend with Dante?” Salena asked once they were alone.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe shook her head. “Listen to you. It was a high school crush.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Salena laughed. “I’m pretty sure it started in fifth grade and never ended.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“He’s lived in Italy for the better part of five years.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“And every time he comes home, you forget how to speak.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“That’s not true.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Salena glared. </span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Okay, it was a little bit true. “I did better last year.” It helped that she stayed out of his orbit that time around and he was only home for a month.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“How long is he staying this time?”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“No idea,” Chloe said. Her cell phone pinged, grabbing her attention.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">She opened her messages inside a dating app she’d been on for a few weeks.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Who is that?” Salena asked, looking over her shoulder.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe glanced at the image on her screen, the one she’d swiped right on. He was thirty, no kids. Worked somewhere in La Jolla. “His name is Eric. We’ve been texting for a few days.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“He’s cute.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“I thought so.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">His text came through, asking what she was doing. She started typing.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Have you met him yet?”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe shook her head, finished her message about the bachelorette party in Vegas.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Are you going to?”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Three dots indicated he was typing.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">:Only if he asks.” As progressive as she was, she found it necessary for the man to take the first steps.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“You know . . . if you stack the desk with dates while Dante is in town, it might be easier to be around the man.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Salena had a point.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe’s phone buzzed.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">How about meeting for coffee when you get back? Wednesday enough time for you to sleep off the hangover?</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe showed the message to Salena.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Say yes.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Her friend was right. Chloe needed all the help she could get when Dante was home. If her attention was elsewhere, maybe he’d lose his appeal.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">She agreed to coffee with Eric on Wednesday and told him she’d get in touch when she returned.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“I have a feeling this weekend is going to be one for the record books,” Salena said as she watched more passengers arrive for their flight.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“It’s likely the one and only time I’ll be in Vegas with both my brothers.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Considering how they’ve helicoptered you since your papa passed, that's not a bad thing.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">She’d been seventeen when their father died. Luca became the head of the family while he had a one-year-old and a failing marriage. What a crappy couple of years that had been. Now, things are looking up. For all of them.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">She’d finished her college classes and earned her business degree. But instead of working for someone else, she wanted to do something on her own. She blamed her family for that. Yes, she waited tables at their restaurant and, honestly, liked the job. But what she loved more than anything was teaching yoga. Her trip to Bali was supposed to happen the year the world shut down, and it was only now that time and the world’s health were giving her the opportunity to go. She knew, somehow, that the trip was going to guide her to whatever her path was going to be. Maybe she’d start her own studio or her own online channel. Brooke had a boatload of knowledge about marketing and was on board with helping her start up. Financially, Chloe had banked nearly everything she’d earned from the first day she started working and was more ready than most to begin her future.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Her father, in all his wisdom, had taken out a life insurance policy that their mother had divided and put into investment plans for each of them. Luca immediately put everything in his name to his daughter. Giovanni was itching to invest in a vineyard. The resident sommelier wanted to spend time in Tuscany as much as she wanted to spend time in Bali. So, while they did pull shifts waiting tables, doing what had to be done to make the family restaurant run, it wasn’t their lifelong ambition. Well, Luca was the chef, and that was his life’s choice . . . and she and Gio were thankful for it.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“They promised not to act like big brothers in Vegas,” Chloe said.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Yeah, well, they aren't going to the same strip clubs we are.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">The image of her brothers holding a hand over her eyes made her smile. “Thank God for that.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">*****</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">The Venetian Las Vegas was one of those hotels where every room was a suite. Put two of them together and everyone had their own bed with plenty of room.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Two rooms for the women, two for the men.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">On different floors. Although Luca wanted to argue that arrangement when they were checking in.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Oh, no. If we’re out late, you are not going to pull that older-brother card on us,” Chloe started in at the reception desk.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“How late do you plan on being out?” Luca asked.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“The real question is how early in the morning will we be walking in,” Salena informed him.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Gio patted his brother’s shoulder. “They’re all talk.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Brooke waved her phone in the air. “Carment just landed.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Carmen was Brooke’s best friend, and maid of honor, from Seattle.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“When is Mayson arriving?”</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></span></i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Not until three.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“We should be good and buzzed by then,” Gio pointed out.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">The receptionist handed them their keys and they headed toward the elevators.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">They passed the casino, and even at eleven in the morning, the people sitting in front of the slot machines appeared as if they'd been there all night.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Do you gamble?” Salena asked Brooke.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“I don’t mind giving it a whirl, but I don't see dropping a paycheck chasing odds that are stacked against me.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Gio nudged his brother. “I take it you didn’t tell her about your little addiction.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Broke snapped her attention toward the two of them.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Luca pushed him away, punched his shoulder. “He’s kidding.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Chloe laughed, pressed their floor when they got on the elevators.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Gio pressed two floors higher.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Luca moaned.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Dinner at six thirty, downstairs at the steakhouse,” Gio reminded Chloe.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“We’ll be there.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">A few moments later Chloe grabbed Brooke’s free hand and dragged her out of the small space. “C’mon. Time to have fun.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">They laughed as they made their way to their rooms. Inside, they opened the first of the two doors. The welcome package they’d requested–complete with chilled champagne and a basket of fruit–was in the living room portion of one of the suites.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">The door between the rooms was open, and in the other room was another bottle of bubbly and a basket of cheese, crackers, and cold meats.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Salena and I will take this room and you and Carment take the other,” Chloe suggested.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Sounds good to me,” Brooke said as she pushed through and rolled her suitcase to the second room.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“This is beautiful.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">The view from the massive windows looking out over the Vegas Strip was something to marvel at.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“I wonder if it’s even brighter at night with Christmas lights?” Salena asked.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Probably.” Chloe turned to her friend and hanged her the champagne. “Let’s get this party started.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Wow. This bathroom is huge!” Brooke’s voice called from the other room.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Glad you like it.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">The sound of the cork popping out of the bottle filled the room. “Hey yo!”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Brooke bounced back in, a smile on her face. “I heard that.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Salena poured the wine and Chloe made a toast. “To your last single weekend in Vegas.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“You make it sound like we’re going out to find random men to hook up with.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Not hook up with, but look up at,” Chloe countered.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Thunder Down Under.” Salena lifted her glass high.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Magic Mike,” Chloe said.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">They drank the bubble wine and turned to the food. “Pacing, food, and hydration,” Brooke added.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">That was the plan.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Only by the time Carmen arrived, less than an hour later, the first bottle of champagne was gone and the second was open.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">*****</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Dante Mancuso walked through the Vegas casino with a suitcase the size of a smart car. To anyone looking, they’d think he was moving in and not there for a weekend bachelor party. </span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">He bypassed the reception desk, already aware of the room he was in, and headed toward the elevators.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Music met his ears as he approached the door to the suite. He smiled, anticipating his friends.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">It had been too long.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">He knocked twice. “Open up, you drunk bastards.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">The door swung open wide. “About time.” Gio stood there, a huge smile.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">God, it was great to see him.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">They hugged long and hard. Strong pats on the back. “You look good.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“You do, too.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">He stepped in the room, dragging his suitcase behind.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Jesus, Dante, what do you have in there, a body?”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Shut up. I was going to ship it from Italy, but this made more sense.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Gio stood back, lifted his voice to the room beyond the door connecting the two. “Luca, Dante is here.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Luca walked around the corner, put the glass in his hand down. “Damn, look at you.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">They hugged. “Doing it again, huh?”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Doing it right this time,” Luca told him.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“I can’t wait to meet her.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Luca stepped back. “We can go to their room now and I can introduce you.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Gio stepped between the two of them. “Oh, no. We just got here. They’re probably tits-up in fingernail polish and facial lotion. Dinner is soon enough.” Gio patted Luca’s chest.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Who is with the bachelorettes?” Dante asked, fishing for information.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Chloe and Salena. And carmen, who you haven’t met,” Gio told him.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">The guest list brought an instant smile to his face. “Salena, huh? That’s gonna spell trouble.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Brooke and Carmen will keep the younger girls in check,” Luca told him.</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Dante patted his friend on the back. “If that’s what you want to believe, old man.” Luca earned the title by being the oldest and cemented it ot being Mr. Responsibility from the day his father passed. “You look happy.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Luca sighed. “I love her. “</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“And Franny?”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“She loved her, too.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">Dante shrugged out of his coat. “What are we drinking?</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Whiskey.”</span></i></span></p><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">“Perfect.”</span></i></span></p></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b><u>Buy the Book</u></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Y5FV1LR?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_1&storeType=ebooks" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Amazon</span></a></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/be-your-everything-catherine-bybee/1141400366?ean=9781542034883" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Barnes & Noble</span></a></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Be-Your-Everything/Catherine-Bybee/9781542034883?id=7850591409347" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">BAM</span></a></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Be-Your-Everything-Catherine-Bybee/9781542034883?ref=grid-view&qid=1657911772466&sr=1-2" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Book Depo</span></a></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>About the Author</u></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFqdGvzWMIYwzqHA7x3SbtGD_XCKC5pSeQxLy9SnW-dptoUPcsjIocRhyMLZVtkL1yFEm10JgSRfDEpn9me-JxS5r0bC4YIkd9pt1yHAeQT4K9sKGDXTqAN13Y22vlHgZvMwS2A24rMSpjehUc9Ddh1f8fURi-OBJPgj9uLEPyD9Q2WJFLZaABImK/s1024/image0-3-772x1024.webp" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="772" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFqdGvzWMIYwzqHA7x3SbtGD_XCKC5pSeQxLy9SnW-dptoUPcsjIocRhyMLZVtkL1yFEm10JgSRfDEpn9me-JxS5r0bC4YIkd9pt1yHAeQT4K9sKGDXTqAN13Y22vlHgZvMwS2A24rMSpjehUc9Ddh1f8fURi-OBJPgj9uLEPyD9Q2WJFLZaABImK/s320/image0-3-772x1024.webp" width="241" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><u><br /></u></span></b></div><div>Catherine is a #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Indie Reader bestselling author. In addition, her books have also graced The New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists. </div><div>In total she has written thirty-six beloved books that have collectively sold more than 10 million copies and have been translated into more than twenty languages.</div><div>Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. </div><div>She now writes full time and has penned the Not Quite series, The Weekday Brides series, the Most Likely To series, and the First Wives series. Learn more about Catherine and her books at <a href="http://www.catherinebybee.com">www.catherinebybee.com</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-76230274908886564362022-07-11T06:08:00.003-07:002022-07-11T06:08:37.876-07:00The Boss Project by Vi Keeland Now Live!!!<p> </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJxaeZyOjHXUh5ps1IlIj9-OlibruYNGyXJiOZSGtPT80cMKp6SDSLAhok5-Kfb7P95CP8MvpMYn-rqWzV1xPeABenvgtakJMysRC3oxUiLHIc3GODnZg0fyEG4XdkVbFCIcQrmcTBxIOGUTzCJzWE-9pPhS7H7LMn8FIF0bODQXLpVRL7_G9N5ZoCA/s970/The%20Boss%20Project%20-%20Release%20Blitz%20Banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="970" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJxaeZyOjHXUh5ps1IlIj9-OlibruYNGyXJiOZSGtPT80cMKp6SDSLAhok5-Kfb7P95CP8MvpMYn-rqWzV1xPeABenvgtakJMysRC3oxUiLHIc3GODnZg0fyEG4XdkVbFCIcQrmcTBxIOGUTzCJzWE-9pPhS7H7LMn8FIF0bODQXLpVRL7_G9N5ZoCA/w640-h198/The%20Boss%20Project%20-%20Release%20Blitz%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFVXxwTzHa5D4qKKUvLnFh4ow-jYZ4Y95adGhUjrh7NLEWiz6L7BcJVTGV2P35-1dZbfu3sbtG3S8CM-ylp0nCNBVlW8sbi0UcMrOdPStyd2DD7I6G2xm8unuQfbv9IKwoyQQwgqKJD7ga1hnR3F9oeNkRKH-9_OZZ3ldPojCHPZtcHf-5hpzZPUwyA/s2400/The%20Boss%20Project%20Ebook%20Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFVXxwTzHa5D4qKKUvLnFh4ow-jYZ4Y95adGhUjrh7NLEWiz6L7BcJVTGV2P35-1dZbfu3sbtG3S8CM-ylp0nCNBVlW8sbi0UcMrOdPStyd2DD7I6G2xm8unuQfbv9IKwoyQQwgqKJD7ga1hnR3F9oeNkRKH-9_OZZ3ldPojCHPZtcHf-5hpzZPUwyA/w400-h640/The%20Boss%20Project%20Ebook%20Cover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Title: The Boss Project</span></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Author: Vi Keeland</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance</span></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Release Date: July 11, 2022</span></span></b></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 32px;"><span style="color: #608597;">BLURB</span></b></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The first time I met Merrick Crawford was during my job interview.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, technically, I’d met him twenty minutes earlier when he’d barged into a fitting room a few doors down from my appointment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I yelled. He yelled. After an argument while standing in my bra, I proceeded to smash the door into the gorgeous jerk, trying to yank it shut.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As you might imagine, I was freaked out when I discovered that the rude guy was my potential new boss.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yet he didn’t seem to recognize me. Or so I thought… Until we wound up bickering again during my interview and he told me to <i>go sniff my armpit</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, so maybe I hadn’t exactly been changing when he walked in on me. In my defense, I’d been stuck on a hot train for two hours and wanted to make sure I didn’t smell.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I obviously didn’t expect to get the job. But somehow an invitation to a second interview arrived in my inbox.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before I left, I asked to see Merrick. I needed to know why I was even in consideration after our disastrous start.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Turned out, Merrick only wanted to hire me because I was the <i>least</i> competent candidate. It seemed his board was making him fill the position, against his wishes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I didn’t really want to work in a place where my boss expected me to fail. But I figured maybe I’d enjoy proving him wrong. It was a little thing I dubbed the <i>boss project</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What I wasn’t prepared for was that there would be <i>other</i> things I’d enjoy doing to Merrick Crawford.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Getting involved with the boss wasn’t the smartest choice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But you know what they say about choices: Some we regret, some we are proud of. I just had no idea where this one was going to land.</div></span>
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<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQH2MQ4DBAhRgSxCk9VsWA2ImEJ45Px-2WCAmi7IrwXao_4054tnka-S5utUT7DS6NCbbH2Rq7_vE4SjCpKyoa_uxzdReZbdwm9MCHRhAkahBdEy1tUKrfm5XbCT-tuMfP-sgJYEeO04/s419/Vi+Keeland.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="279" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQH2MQ4DBAhRgSxCk9VsWA2ImEJ45Px-2WCAmi7IrwXao_4054tnka-S5utUT7DS6NCbbH2Rq7_vE4SjCpKyoa_uxzdReZbdwm9MCHRhAkahBdEy1tUKrfm5XbCT-tuMfP-sgJYEeO04/s320/Vi+Keeland.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Vi Keeland is a #1 <i>New York Times</i>, #1 <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, and <i>USA Today</i> Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films by Passionflix, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.</span></div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 32px;"><span style="color: #608597;">AUTHOR LINKS</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>FACEBOOK</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/vi.keeland">PROFILE</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorViKeeland" target="_blank">PAGE</a> </b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="font-family: arial;">/</b><b style="font-family: arial;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/ViKeelandFanGroup">GROUP</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.vikeeland.com">WEBSITE</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@vikeeland">TIKTOK</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://instagram.com/Vi_Keeland">INSTAGRAM</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/ViKeeland">TWITTER</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6887119.Vi_Keeland">GOODREADS</a><br /></b></span></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #608597; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 32px;">OTHER BOOKS BY VI</b></div>
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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2B3eycwklogx0eP32OQstZ07be_elkYph102rrYAyqDHfkr7NUezHf7kfVnOxFg2OskRUCqrGp_CMbYIuSwvjNhkaog9qXDhOvZbbWGKTSLXS--o-v129lejhfVycq9t28WHozmV7Iyee-fJFU0AOzHZDTrfQg7gnvS5UOZpV4jFtIkH21NUODBsBg/s960/Previous%20Release%20-%20Inappropriate%20Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2B3eycwklogx0eP32OQstZ07be_elkYph102rrYAyqDHfkr7NUezHf7kfVnOxFg2OskRUCqrGp_CMbYIuSwvjNhkaog9qXDhOvZbbWGKTSLXS--o-v129lejhfVycq9t28WHozmV7Iyee-fJFU0AOzHZDTrfQg7gnvS5UOZpV4jFtIkH21NUODBsBg/w250-h400/Previous%20Release%20-%20Inappropriate%20Cover.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">AMAZON <a href="https://amzn.to/2Zpakb8">US</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3bV0wsg">UK</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/2ZmevEM">CA</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/2zWHTGM">AU</a></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://fave.co/2MYCXoz">B&N</a> / <a href="https://fave.co/39JzjJ4">KOBO</a> / </span></b><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://apple.co/32Yd3GJ">APPLE BOOKS </a></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://fave.co/2tuihOm">GOOGLE PLAY</a> / <a href="http://hyperurl.co/o2wokp">AUDIO</a></span></b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://fave.co/32ZdzEv">PAPERBACK</a></span></b></div><div><br /></div></div>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-3188099894154833532022-07-07T08:12:00.003-07:002022-07-07T08:15:31.881-07:00The Boss Project by Vi Keeland Sneak Peek!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Title: The Boss Project</span></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Author: Vi Keeland</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance</span></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Release Date: July 11, 2022</span></span></b></div>
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<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5f8497; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><span>Excited about Vi Keeland’s upcoming release, </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5f8497; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><span><i>The Boss Project? </i></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5f8497; font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><span>Check out this SNEAK PEEK and meet Merrick and Evie!</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Merrick</span></b></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Mr. Crawford?” My assistant, Andrea, poked her head into my office while I was eating lunch with Will. “Sorry to interrupt, but HR asked me to find out if you might have time to talk with one of the candidates for the in-house therapist position?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I shook my head. “I don’t need to talk to the applicants. I already gave my input to Joan. HR is holding second-round interviews and will let me know what they think when they’re done.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Apparently one of the candidates asked if she could have a minute with you after her appointment with HR. But her meeting is starting now, and I know you don’t like anything on your schedule during trading hours.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Which candidate?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Evie Vaughn.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I leaned back in my chair with a chuckle. “Sure. Why not?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">She nodded. “I’ll let her know.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Will lifted his chin after Andrea shut the door. “What was that little grin about?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“One of the candidates for the stress therapist job is <i>interesting</i>, to say the least.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“In what way?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Her first-interview appointment wasn’t until five one day last week, so when the market closed, I ran downstairs to Paloma to pick up a suit I’d bought and had tailored. After I left the store, I thought I’d forgotten my cell phone in the fitting room, so I went back to check. When I opened the door, I walked in on a woman.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I hate those places that have one fitting room for both men and women.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Actually, this place has separate ones. The woman was just in the men’s room. But that’s not the best part. When I walked in, she was half undressed…and smelling her armpit.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Will’s brows shot up. “Come again?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“You heard me right. Anyway, a few minutes later, my five o’clock appointment walks in, and it’s her. The woman from the fitting room.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“The pit sniffer? Get the hell out of here. What did you do?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Nothing. I played it off like I didn’t recognize her, though she definitely recognized me. I could see her squirming.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Shit like this only happens to you, my friend. So what went down? How did the interview go?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“She was the least-qualified candidate. I don’t even know how her resumé made it into the group that got called for interviews.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Yet she’s back here today for a second interview?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“She is, indeed.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Will shook his head. “What am I missing?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“When I got home that night, I started thinking about how the board is shoving this position down my throat. They mandated that I hire someone, not that the person be competent.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Will smiled. “Genius.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I shook my head. “I need my people to be focused and ruthless while they’re here—not getting in touch with their emotions.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I hear you.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">As we finished lunch, Andrea returned and knocked. Evie Vaughn stood right behind her. Her wavy blond hair was up today, and she wore a simple black skirt and jacket with a red blouse underneath, giving her the sexy-librarian look every male fantasizes about at least once in his life. I tried to ignore the stir seeing her caused in me and forced my gaze down.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Andrea peeked her head in the door. “Do you need more time?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I looked at Will. “We need to discuss anything else?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">He shook his head. “Not that I can think of. I’ll get the Endicott buy order placed as soon as it hits forty a share.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Good.” I turned my attention to Andrea. “Please show Ms. Vaughn in.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Will left, tossing me a smirk over his shoulder as he passed Evie.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">When the door shut, she took a few steps forward, then hesitated. “Thank you for seeing me.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I nodded and gestured to the guest chairs on the other side of my desk. “Have a seat.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Your assistant mentioned you don’t usually take appointments while the market is open.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I don’t.” Leaning back, I tented my fingers. “What can I do for you, Ms. Vaughn?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“It’s Evie, please. And…well, I was hoping you could clear something up for me.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“What would that be?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Why am I here? For a second interview, I mean. You made it pretty clear during the first one that you didn’t think I had the right experience for the position, and I didn’t exactly make a winning first impression in that fitting room. So…why am I here again?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I folded my arms across my chest and deliberated how to answer. The politically correct and professional response would’ve been to say I’d reconsidered based on how she’d handled herself during the interview. But I’d never been accused of being politically correct or professional.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Are you sure you want the real answer? Sometimes it’s better not to know and just accept the outcome.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">She folded her arms across her chest, mimicking my posture. “Maybe, but I’d like to know anyway.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I liked her spunk. It was a challenge to keep myself from smiling. “You were invited back because you are the least qualified of all of the people we interviewed.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Her face fell, and I felt a tinge of guilt, even though she’d said she wanted the truth.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Why would you do that?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Because hiring an in-house stress coach wasn’t my idea. My board of directors is forcing my hand.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Is it a problem because it wasn’t your idea?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I employ a hundred-and-twenty-five people whose jobs are to give me ideas.” I shook my head. “No, I don’t have an authority issue, Ms. Vaughn.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">She pursed her lips. “Doctor—it’s <i>Doctor</i> Vaughn. I prefer to be called Evie, but if you insist on using formal etiquette, you might as well use my proper title. I hold a PhD in clinical psychology.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I couldn’t hold back the smile that time. I nodded. “Fine. No, I don’t have authority issues, Doctor Vaughn.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“So you’re against the position, in general, and you wanted to hire the worst person to prove a point?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I nodded once. “You could say that.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Are you against therapy?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“I believe some people can benefit from therapy.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Some people? But not your employees? Do you believe your employees don’t have any stress in the workplace?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“This is Wall Street, Ms.—Doctor Vaughn. If it weren’t a stressful job, my average trader wouldn’t earn seven figures. I just prefer my people to be focused while they’re here in the office.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Did you ever consider that you might be looking at things backward? Taking an hour out of the day to speak to someone isn’t what’s interrupting a stressed-out person’s focus. They’re already not focused because of their stress level. Therapy could help center someone so they can concentrate better.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Noted that there’s more than one way to look at things.” I studied her for a moment. “Is there anything else you wanted to ask? Or have we reached the point in the discussion where you tell me you hope we never see each other again?”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">She smiled shyly. “I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t an appropriate thing to say.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I shrugged. “It’s fine. Believe it or not, I’ve been accused of being inappropriate a time or two myself.”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">She laughed as she stood. “Gee, I never would have guessed that from the man who sniffed me during my interview.” Evie held out her hand. “Thank you for your time. And your honesty.”</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">★★★ </span></b></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;">Excited? We are too!</div></span></div></div>
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<div style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQH2MQ4DBAhRgSxCk9VsWA2ImEJ45Px-2WCAmi7IrwXao_4054tnka-S5utUT7DS6NCbbH2Rq7_vE4SjCpKyoa_uxzdReZbdwm9MCHRhAkahBdEy1tUKrfm5XbCT-tuMfP-sgJYEeO04/s419/Vi+Keeland.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="279" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQH2MQ4DBAhRgSxCk9VsWA2ImEJ45Px-2WCAmi7IrwXao_4054tnka-S5utUT7DS6NCbbH2Rq7_vE4SjCpKyoa_uxzdReZbdwm9MCHRhAkahBdEy1tUKrfm5XbCT-tuMfP-sgJYEeO04/s320/Vi+Keeland.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Vi Keeland is a #1 <i>New York Times</i>, #1 <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, and <i>USA Today</i> Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films by Passionflix, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.</div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 32px;"><span style="color: #5f8497;">AUTHOR LINKS</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>FACEBOOK</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/vi.keeland">PROFILE</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Vi-Keeland/435952616513958">PAGE</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/ViKeelandFanGroup">GROUP</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.vikeeland.com">WEBSITE</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@vikeeland">TIKTOK</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/ViKeeland">TWITTER</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://instagram.com/Vi_Keeland">INSTAGRAM</a><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6887119.Vi_Keeland">GOODREADS</a></b></span></div>
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Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-10694273132206179372022-06-25T15:47:00.000-07:002022-06-25T15:47:07.393-07:00When It Falls Apart (The D'Angelos #1) by Catherine Bybee Blog Tour & Giveaway!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzVcTuM2pK9qO1IVQ-apx40vhncOmLN6zhkxeMCupsC1mjs5_oqbM5DqOM7w8J-KwFU7gops9ASS70BZOfkJUCrzKG_kcrn0fWudJLJuJCvgQLnjIY7IwhnL6C2e3gLyW8rz65BVygmexR5HFDVvb2YO2l4NgkuVFenbXn2kzmb2pOtDw2dhB8o8P/s1080/WhenItFallsApartGraphic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="1080" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzVcTuM2pK9qO1IVQ-apx40vhncOmLN6zhkxeMCupsC1mjs5_oqbM5DqOM7w8J-KwFU7gops9ASS70BZOfkJUCrzKG_kcrn0fWudJLJuJCvgQLnjIY7IwhnL6C2e3gLyW8rz65BVygmexR5HFDVvb2YO2l4NgkuVFenbXn2kzmb2pOtDw2dhB8o8P/w400-h353/WhenItFallsApartGraphic.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you for joining me on my stop of the Catherine Bybee WHEN IT FALLS APART Blog Tour!! I am very excited to show you not only an interview with the author, Catherine Bybee, but an excerpt of her newest book and a giveaway as well!</span></p><p><br /></p><p> <span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interview with Catherine Bybee</span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For anyone wondering the plot of your newest release, you give a great sneak peek with the title—</span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it Falls Apart</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. What is “falling apart” in this novel?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All the threads that hold my heroine, Brooke, together are crumbling down around her. </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it Falls Apart</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> begins with Brooke’s romantic relationship crashing and burning. At the same time, in a different state, her father is circling the drain in the ICU. And for the cherry on the top of her “falling apart life”, Brooke has found herself demoted at work. In short, everything in Brooke’s life is dissolving around her.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like all of your books, </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it Falls Apart</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> has a beautiful romance, however, there is a rawness about Brooke’s story. How was writing this novel different from your others?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">If you read my notes both in the front and the back of this novel, you’ll soon realize that the story was very personal to me. Rawness comes from experience. The relationship Brooke has with her father is hauntingly familiar to me and my dad. The emotions that the heroine experienced when taking care of him were easy for me to grasp onto and write about. Sadly, the love story with Luca was completely made up and I didn’t have the support of a strong Italian family to help deal with the struggles, but I digress. </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Relationships with a parent who wasn’t there for you growing up are messy. When that parent ages and needs their child, sometimes that help comes with a bucketload of resentment, even if the child wishes they could stop those ugly feelings from creeping up on them. And THAT is the rawness you speak of.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Books, TV shows, and movies oftentimes glamorize what it means to care for a loved one. However, in </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it Falls Apart</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> you don’t sugar-coat anything about caregiving and the toll it takes on a person. How do you think readers who have been in similar situations will be affected by this story?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Justified. Validated. Accepted.</span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">It’s a hard job taking care of an elderly family member. And if there aren’t other siblings to help, or won’t help, it’s made even more difficult. It’s difficult, gritty, dirty work that only has a bad ending…eventually. What I do hope my readers take away is that they’re not alone. That the struggle is very real and that if they don’t find balance (which is almost impossible at times) they will burn out completely and not be fit to help at all. I hope my readers are empowered to set boundaries and balance, so they come out on the other side of caring for an elderly loved one whole themselves.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Brooke gets virtually no support from her significant other, which has her reevaluating their relationship. She realizes she has settled and has to make some hard decisions. Do you think this happens too many times to women in real life?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">100% Yes! There is a song by Taylor Swift with a line that says, and I’m paraphrasing here, I can be what you want for the weekend. But often that weekend ends up being a relationship that women hold on to or are convinced they can’t live without. Often it takes a huge shake-up to remove yourself from that situation. But once you’re away from the day to day dysfunctional relationship, the easier it is to see the dysfunction.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">After her breakup and move, Brooke is not looking for a relationship. In fact, she tells her best friend: “I haven’t wiped off my smeared mascara from Marshall yet, the last thing I want is to jump into anything else.” Her crying over a man lasts all about two minutes when she meets Luca. Tell us about him.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Hmmm, Luca… he is the kind of man who doesn’t want a place on Brooke’s dance card…he wants to rip it up.</span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Luca is wired to help the people in his life. Brooke becomes a part of his inner circle simply by moving into the family building where he sees her every day.</span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Now, if Luca had flat out asked Brooke on a date, she would have run the other way…so no, he doesn’t go about it that way. He simply shows up and does not leave. Not when things get tough, or messy…or when his own past peeks its head in. Luca is a man who is right there at Brooke’s side without question or censor on why she does the things she does. His support and validation of her feelings is the part she was missing. Add in the hunky Italian single father and “Mamma Mia!”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">At first, Luca is not thrilled that Brooke is renting a room in his family’s building. What changes his mind about her?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Her strength and vulnerability. I know that sounds contradicting, but some of the strongest women I know have a big vulnerable spot in their life that if you know them well enough, you see. The biggest smiles often hide the deepest pain. Luca sees her struggle and dedication to helping her elderly father and since family is first on Luca’s list, she passes his unconscious test.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Luca’s family, the D’Angelo’s, are incredibly close and share everything from ownership of the family restaurant to helping care for Luca’s daughter Franny. How is this different from Brooke’s relationship with her family?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Brooke doesn’t have that family. She has a father who abandoned her as a little girl that she carved out a relationship as an adult, and now she’s charged with caring for. Even her previous romantic relationship didn’t support her unconditionally the way the D’Angelo’s do for each other. She’s rather dumbfounded when they start treating her like family. It’s a wonderful thing to watch happen.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">San Diego’s Little Italy plays a huge part in the story. The community, language, and food are in full display. Tell us about your own experiences in your adopted city.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">I love Little Italy, the food, the pace... the people. There are many places in San Diego that are overrun with the college scene, San Diego is a college town. But Little Italy is more family friendly. Very touristy, but there isn’t a day you don’t see locals hanging out. I go to the farmer’s market often. Pick up authentic Italian ingredients for my own home cooking. I try new restaurants and take all my friends there when they are visiting from out of town. Not to mention it was the closest thing to the “real Italy” that I could go during the travel restrictions. So why not write about it and tell the world of this small island within San Diego that shouldn’t be missed?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">There are two more siblings in the D’Angelo family. Where will you be taking readers next with the series?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Chloe is a yogi. Think Bali!</span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">And Giovanni loves wine… think Tuscany, Italy.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">I cannot wait to show you what I have in store for these two!</span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">***</span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Excerpt</span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Oh my God, Carmen. He was standing at his car first thing this morning. Like ‘hop in, </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bella</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, let’s get stuff done today.’ Who does that?” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Brooke had picked up the phone as soon as Luca was off in search of a dump guy. </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“We’re talking about the single, hot, Italian dad, right?” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Brooke rolled her eyes. “Yes. Luca.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Oy, oy, oy.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Stop it. I need advice. And I need it before he gets back.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Carmen stopped teasing. “You don’t need advice. You need to relax. He sounds like one of the good ones. Let it happen.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let it happen</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,” she mocked. “I don’t ‘let’ things happen. It happens to me and it’s never good.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“You didn’t used to be such a pessimist.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Once upon a time the glass was half full. Not these days.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Okay, Debbie Downer. You want my advice . . . here it is. Keep doing whatever it is you’re doing.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’m not </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">doing</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> anything. Zero effort.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Really?” Carmen didn’t sound convinced. “Makeup . . . a nice dress?” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Brooke hesitated. “Maybe . . . a little last night, but that was it.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Carmen chuckled. </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Carmen!”</span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Sorry. Okay . . . any red flags?” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Brooke thought about that. “He loved his ex-wife.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“That’s a red flag?” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“I guess not.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Is he good to his mom?” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Brooke looked back on the dinner the night before. “To the whole family. He takes being the oldest brother quite seriously.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“And his daughter?” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">All Brooke could do was smile. “Great dad. We should all be so lucky.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“He’s Italian, does he smoke?” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“No.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“A lot of Italians smoke,” Carmen pointed out. </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“In Italy. The San Diego variety are less in that wheelhouse.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“That’s good.” Carmen sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you, Brooke. How does he kiss?” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“He hasn’t kissed me,” Brooke nearly yelled. </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Now then . . . we have a problem.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“There hasn’t been . . . I don’t even know if—” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Stop right there. He did not drive your sorry ass all the way to Upland to do grunt work all day if he wasn’t interested in kissing you, </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bellllaaa</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. More than that, you want him to.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Brooke closed her eyes, and even in her own head she couldn’t convince herself that Carmen was wrong. </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Let it happen. You deserve some happiness, Brooke.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">The van with the air conditioning repair guy pulled into the driveway. </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“I gotta go.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“I want a kissing update the next time we talk,” Carmen teased. </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Love you,” Brooke said with a laugh.</span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">“Back at ya, boo.” </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">She hung up. </span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Her best friend was such a dork.</span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">***</span></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59414276-when-it-falls-apart" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuD3NWNeB0PSICgRvkkyNhM2VX7lcCS4-i_pVNzAggp-HKAjI9QIW8leY8CYmdop-oNj-9aERFP7fS36ARwlMEfw3eiXgkTz0OekSjd4Se7tI-IrpHJ-KVKBC_nMD8_Xy2FDLMJrE8MntPNF8VRihsn2oW78v27IlLZnjBOWalwspJ4p9J_JqktBG/w266-h400/WhenItFallApartCover.jpeg" width="266" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Title: </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When It Falls Apart</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Author: Catherine Bybee</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Release Date: June 21, 2022</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Publisher: Montlake </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Summary</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Brooke Turner has always had a complicated relationship with her father. But when his health takes a turn for the worse, she drops everything to care for him. He’s her dad, after all, and he needs her. What Brooke doesn’t anticipate is the unraveling of her long-term relationship and a cross-country move to San Diego’s Little Italy.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Luca D’Angelo is the oldest of three children and a single father to a young daughter. When his mother rents the top floor of their house to Brooke, he’s angry. Who is this beautiful stranger with no ties to the neighborhood? Can she be trusted in such close proximity to his family?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">As Luca learns of Brooke’s difficult journey with her ailing father, his heart softens. And Brooke, who witnesses Luca’s struggle as a single parent, develops feelings for him, too. But when it all falls apart, will love heal their wounded hearts?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">About the Author</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikH5MaEwh-Vwanq220IpVjluyJuxjQRuOYzx-QkjZH9PDPuzLZd4Qz6AZ-dSrI2oc9L9dUeo2rAeuhLQnSjGAnNO2kp1S4XzmPkgItbl5LI3KmYlOuqG77nygvriPLVIQkeoXPiEKh4GoGFqX6ZxYOwIaZpK8cSfn7lyfTraKwUEpc5ZIdeMdmHLc/s714/Catherine%20Bybee-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikH5MaEwh-Vwanq220IpVjluyJuxjQRuOYzx-QkjZH9PDPuzLZd4Qz6AZ-dSrI2oc9L9dUeo2rAeuhLQnSjGAnNO2kp1S4XzmPkgItbl5LI3KmYlOuqG77nygvriPLVIQkeoXPiEKh4GoGFqX6ZxYOwIaZpK8cSfn7lyfTraKwUEpc5ZIdeMdmHLc/w168-h200/Catherine%20Bybee-2.jpg" width="168" /></a></span></div><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York Times</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wall Street Journal</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">USA Today</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> bestselling author Catherine Bybee has written twenty-eight books that have collectively sold more than five million copies and have been translated into more than eighteen languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Not Quite Series, the Weekday Brides Series, the Most Likely To Series, and the First Wives Series.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Social Media Links</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Website: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.catherinebybee.com&source=gmail&ust=1656055628852000&usg=AOvVaw2PobfgUIcLDjJ-HILrxOx7" href="http://www.catherinebybee.com/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.catherinebybee.com</span></a><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCatherineBybee&source=gmail&ust=1656055628852000&usg=AOvVaw31M-tbWm--EsaS7SeEGbst" href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCatherineBybee" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>AuthorCatherineBybee</span></a><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/catherinebybee&source=gmail&ust=1656055628852000&usg=AOvVaw1-uO3tJWmR5NXRxasqZxx_" href="https://twitter.com/catherinebybee" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://twitter.com/<wbr></wbr>catherinebybee</span></a><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tik Tok: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.tiktok.com/@catherinebybee1&source=gmail&ust=1656055628852000&usg=AOvVaw2ph7hYbLTR25ct2O_fhMqb" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@catherinebybee1" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.tiktok.com/@<wbr></wbr>catherinebybee1</span></a><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goodreads: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2905789.Catherine_Bybee&source=gmail&ust=1656055628852000&usg=AOvVaw3MuAk9hRQxRlFPZi9z_kji" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2905789.Catherine_Bybee" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.goodreads.com/<wbr></wbr>author/show/2905789.Catherine_<wbr></wbr>Bybee</span></a><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Rafflecopter Giveaway <script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); 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<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></span></span></p>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-26120652830052111262022-06-11T17:56:00.000-07:002022-06-11T17:56:37.792-07:00Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein Blog Tour!!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366214-meant-to-be-mine" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2135" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nTZpkRw8gfa5Sa3Q0x30IWgkLElkz9cweWSET17Rfa9UCpf27v0yMeAcfgNsHIr45F35rxbv15yLtzzSUl5PK5ZTseBTdsKJYruSr0j3mSKMAP2OjvNQU2-sIoDZz8JM3GdHF5ynxCCd1-juRRWACWeFw1fb97Dh8KkiP5QtOeUOog0z9llWDDr4/w263-h400/Meant%20to%20Be%20Mine%20Image.jpeg" width="263" /></a><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; text-align: left;"> </span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366214-meant-to-be-mine" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mkhKYK2PfPu5cbCIb9QGG68xn-hyZtBi9M_-aPldvpS-_x3JbbiZcyzx8OO4a3i6uIQqjDpN5qerc0PwQjhrfIj1KcFa00NV-gHNVk2ii2gtkxnm6KQ1AbC4mJfekzYDPx4GvLGgctvCqNY_KG_8Q9WgCZxG_NIFnbDMrds9gAnvS6FiqfLYgRFn/s1600/Goodreads%20Badge.png" width="130" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publication: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">June 7, 2022<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publisher: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Atria Books<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Source: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publisher<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #008573; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #008573; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">From the author of <i>Playing with Matches</i>, a sweeping love story in the vein of Rebecca Serle and Chloe Benjamin about a woman who knows the date she’ll meet her true love—only he isn’t quite as perfect as she always imagined. </span></b><span style="color: #008573; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">What if you knew exactly when you’d meet the love of your life? Edie Meyer knows. When her Grandma Gloria was a young woman, she had a vision of the exact day she would meet her soul mate—and then Grandpa Ray showed up.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Since then, Gloria has accurately predicted the day every single member of the family has met their match. Edie’s day arrives on June 24, 2022, when she’s twenty-nine years old. She has been waiting for it half her life. That morning, she boards an airplane to her twin sister’s surprise engagement, and when a handsome musician sits beside her, she knows it’s meant to be.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">But fate comes with more complications than Edie expected and she can’t fight the nagging suspicion that her perfect guy doesn’t have perfect timing. After a tragedy and a shocking revelation rock Edie’s carefully constructed world, she’s forced to consider whether love chooses us, as simple as destiny, or if we choose it ourselves.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">******<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I enjoyed reading about Edie’s life and seeing her interactions with her family, especially her grandmother. Her grandmother can predict the exact date her family members will meet their “soulmate”. So far she has never been wrong. Talk about an interesting gift to have.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">This was a unique take on pretty typical romance story…I liked Edie’s character and seeing her growth and journey throughout the book. She is smart, fun, and driven. I could feel Edie’s excitement and nervousness as she scans the crowd looking for her special person. I mean who wouldn’t be excited if they knew the actual date they would meet the person they were supposed to spend their life with??<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Meant to be Mine </span></i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">is a fun and quirky story about finding “the one” and Edie’s journey to finding her happy ending. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The story overall was good and entertaining. It was a little slow and seemed to drag at times, but I had to keep reading to find out how things would end. There was a surprising twist in the story that added to the entertainment factor. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">RATING: 3 OUT OF 5.</span></b><b><span style="color: #810008; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #833c0b; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></u></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">About the Author:</span></u></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hannah Orenstein is the author of four novels and the Deputy Editor of Dating at </span><a href="http://www.elitedaily.com/dating" style="color: #954f72; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Elite Daily</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">. She writes about bold women with heart, humor, and chutzpah — exploring their love stories, their careers, their family and friends. (Also, their New York City adventures, dating disasters, martinis, cheese boards, and feelings. Lots of feelings.) </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">She’s also the author of <i>Head Over Heels, Love at First Like</i>, and <i>Playing with Matches</i>. Her books have been featured on several “Best Of” lists by <i>O, the Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan</i>, Goodreads, and many more. Check out her website for more info: <a href="http://hannahorenstein.com/" style="color: #954f72;">http://hannahorenstein.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #833c0b; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">BUY THE BOOK:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Meant-Be-Mine-Hannah-Orenstein-ebook/dp/B09JPGPNQM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1654994159&sr=8-1" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Amazon</span></a> <b><span style="background-color: white;">|</span></b><i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></i><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/meant-to-be-mine-hannah-orenstein/1140376995?ean=9781982175252" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">B&N</span></a><b> | </b></span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Hannah_Orenstein_Meant_to_Be_Mine?id=nt9IEAAAQBAJ" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Google Books</span></a><b> <span style="background-color: white;">| </span></b></span><span style="color: #0070c0;"><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/meant-to-be-mine-8" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #0070c0; 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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4Jtq3m10RGg2JJrqmtANL5RzPinOhewm7NhLFv3LIuRuGKWTR4vHFTdga9USCIkdqafEjm3Eyt9vjnWZdiN5gp-5pbTQihHbBB12x7r3uS5KJ510_gHmKuIH-BpOQq2pT6V_EwxJP6Qb-csjMubcTezbqtfId7X16ukTY41WChqNBTmrFtIWiiSBRA/s820/The%20Boss%20Project%20CR%20Banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="820" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4Jtq3m10RGg2JJrqmtANL5RzPinOhewm7NhLFv3LIuRuGKWTR4vHFTdga9USCIkdqafEjm3Eyt9vjnWZdiN5gp-5pbTQihHbBB12x7r3uS5KJ510_gHmKuIH-BpOQq2pT6V_EwxJP6Qb-csjMubcTezbqtfId7X16ukTY41WChqNBTmrFtIWiiSBRA/w640-h360/The%20Boss%20Project%20CR%20Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFVXxwTzHa5D4qKKUvLnFh4ow-jYZ4Y95adGhUjrh7NLEWiz6L7BcJVTGV2P35-1dZbfu3sbtG3S8CM-ylp0nCNBVlW8sbi0UcMrOdPStyd2DD7I6G2xm8unuQfbv9IKwoyQQwgqKJD7ga1hnR3F9oeNkRKH-9_OZZ3ldPojCHPZtcHf-5hpzZPUwyA/s2400/The%20Boss%20Project%20Ebook%20Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFVXxwTzHa5D4qKKUvLnFh4ow-jYZ4Y95adGhUjrh7NLEWiz6L7BcJVTGV2P35-1dZbfu3sbtG3S8CM-ylp0nCNBVlW8sbi0UcMrOdPStyd2DD7I6G2xm8unuQfbv9IKwoyQQwgqKJD7ga1hnR3F9oeNkRKH-9_OZZ3ldPojCHPZtcHf-5hpzZPUwyA/w400-h640/The%20Boss%20Project%20Ebook%20Cover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Title: The Boss Project</span></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Author: Vi Keeland</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Cover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Photographer: Wander Aguiar</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Model: Daniel Harris</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Release Date: July 11, 2022</span></span></b></div>
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<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The first time I met Merrick Crawford was during my job interview.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, technically, I’d met him twenty minutes earlier when he’d barged into a fitting room a few doors down from my appointment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I yelled. He yelled. After an argument while standing in my bra, I proceeded to smash the door into the gorgeous jerk, trying to yank it shut.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As you might imagine, I was freaked out when I discovered that the rude guy was my potential new boss.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yet he didn’t seem to recognize me. Or so I thought… Until we wound up bickering again during my interview and he told me to <i>go sniff my armpit</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, so maybe I hadn’t exactly been changing when he walked in on me. In my defense, I’d been stuck on a hot train for two hours and wanted to make sure I didn’t smell.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I obviously didn’t expect to get the job. But somehow an invitation to a second interview arrived in my inbox.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before I left, I asked to see Merrick. I needed to know why I was even in consideration after our disastrous start.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Turned out, Merrick only wanted to hire me because I was the <i>least</i> competent candidate. It seemed his board was making him fill the position, against his wishes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I didn’t really want to work in a place where my boss expected me to fail. But I figured maybe I’d enjoy proving him wrong. It was a little thing I dubbed the <i>boss project</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What I wasn’t prepared for was that there would be <i>other</i> things I’d enjoy doing to Merrick Crawford.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Getting involved with the boss wasn’t the smartest choice.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But you know what they say about choices: Some we regret, some we are proud of. I just had no idea where this one was going to land.</div></span>
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<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQH2MQ4DBAhRgSxCk9VsWA2ImEJ45Px-2WCAmi7IrwXao_4054tnka-S5utUT7DS6NCbbH2Rq7_vE4SjCpKyoa_uxzdReZbdwm9MCHRhAkahBdEy1tUKrfm5XbCT-tuMfP-sgJYEeO04/s419/Vi+Keeland.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="279" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQH2MQ4DBAhRgSxCk9VsWA2ImEJ45Px-2WCAmi7IrwXao_4054tnka-S5utUT7DS6NCbbH2Rq7_vE4SjCpKyoa_uxzdReZbdwm9MCHRhAkahBdEy1tUKrfm5XbCT-tuMfP-sgJYEeO04/s320/Vi+Keeland.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Vi Keeland is a #1 <i>New York Times</i>, #1 <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, and <i>USA Today</i> Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films by Passionflix, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.</span></div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 32px;"><span style="color: #608597;">AUTHOR LINKS</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>FACEBOOK</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/vi.keeland">PROFILE</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorViKeeland" target="_blank">PAGE</a> </b></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="font-family: arial;">/</b><b style="font-family: arial;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/ViKeelandFanGroup">GROUP</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.vikeeland.com">WEBSITE</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@vikeeland">TIKTOK</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://instagram.com/Vi_Keeland">INSTAGRAM</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/ViKeeland">TWITTER</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6887119.Vi_Keeland">GOODREADS</a><br /></b></span></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #608597; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 32px;">OTHER BOOKS BY VI</b></div>
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Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-12274864703675638862022-05-02T04:00:00.015-07:002022-05-02T04:50:05.374-07:00The Resting Place by Camilla Sten<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693360-the-resting-place" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAogYbfMl5cq6YXdTMq3y1_plXiKIk3DfxMy_Ib_F-EOsGVDqemWEjj-Yw_w1WVEviciepQLvexrGG0QdDFFxnTE_wsIyH0ZJKfDzd6hMC2DoVRpHf3zKazbHWN3w6R0FzENf5W21VvML8H9Uod14tFGPQiQBSb-YErTHLJtvW3yPc1OzZWanDNSS/w263-h400/the%20resting%20place%20image.jpeg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693360-the-resting-place" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYGM7PLM-7bviopyzNzcPUJ0Q7RgQqOlyfEiLEX5dZqAp9FnbEmSSyTZLhg0TPZIwC07Yyy6P2bfsNoZUH6d1euFCYl5pzYA0Lac7eJ9eGmPkHlmgsHWOTiaX4xc1dQJLmQuUus18GkkmuOCvoqcDRbai333BEXV3_JlTzl8B_pAkMA6F7GWp2fTy/s1600/Goodreads%20Badge.png" width="130" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publication: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">March 29, 2022<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Minotaur Books<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Translation: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Alexandra Fleming<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Source: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #9d6f00; font-size: 14pt;">A spine-chilling, propulsive psychological suspense from international sensation Camilla Sten.</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #9d6f00; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">The medical term is prosopagnosia. The average person calls it face blindness—the inability to recognize a familiar person’s face, even the faces of those closest to you.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">When Eleanor walked in on the scene of her capriciously cruel grandmother, Vivianne’s, murder, she came face to face with the killer—a maddening expression that means nothing to someone like her. With each passing day, her anxiety mounts. The dark feelings of having brushed by a killer, yet not know who could do this—or if they’d be back—overtakes both her dreams and her waking moments, thwarting her perception of reality.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Then a lawyer calls. Vivianne has left her a house—a looming estate tucked away in the Swedish woods. The place her grandfather died, suddenly. A place that has housed a dark past for over fifty years.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Eleanor. Her steadfast boyfriend, Sebastian. Her reckless aunt, Veronika. The lawyer. All will go to this house of secrets, looking for answers. But as they get closer to bringing the truth to light, they’ll wish they had never come to disturb what rests there.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">A heart-thumping, relentless thriller that will shake you to your core, </span><i>The Resting Place</i><span style="background-color: white;"> is an unforgettable novel of horror and suspense.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria Math", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">******<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The Resting Place </span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">was an atmospheric and fun suspense story that kept getting more and more interesting, the further I got into the book.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Due to not being able to recognize faces, Eleanor has lived her life with a certain amount of fear. That fear and uncertainty increased after bumping into her grandmother’s murderer and not being able to recognize him or her. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="xp3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span class="xs2"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;">The story largely revolves around Elanor’s larger than life grandmother Vivianne and Eleanor who cannot identify people’s faces clearly. But her logical yet always skeptical boyfriend Sebastian, her unique and interesting Aunt Veronika and the lawyer handling her grandmother’s estate all add something to this mysterious tale.</span></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="xp2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in; min-height: 22px;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="xp3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in;"><span color="inherit" style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="xs2"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;">The story bounces back-and-forth between the past and the present which I enjoyed. The characters were interesting, especially Eleanor’s</span></span></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> <span class="xs2"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">grandmother Vivian. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="xp3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span class="xs2"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span></p><p class="xp3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span class="xs2"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;">I did get a little frustrated with Sebastian. I wish that he would have been more understanding and supportive of Eleanor especially given the fact that she doesn’t recognize people and faces like the rest of them do. </span></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Aunt Veronika was a bold and unapologetic character also…it would have been nice to discover more of her backstory.</span></p><p class="xp2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in; min-height: 22px;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">I also listened to the audiobook while I was reading. Occasionally I will switch between reading and listening. The narrator, Angela Dawe is one of my top narrators. She always does a good job of bringing the characters to life and adding to an already interesting storyline. The audiobook is just shy of 9 hours, but nothing felt slow or dragged and that time went by fairly quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="xp2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="xp3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0in;"><span color="inherit" style="font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span class="xs2"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;">This is the second book that I’ve read from this author, and it will not be the last. I enjoy her writing style and the creative way she spins a story. There were a couple of twists and surprises that occurred that they took me by surprise, and I honestly did not guess who the murderer was until it was practically revealed.</span></span></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #810008; font-size: 16pt;">RATING: 3½ OUT OF 5.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b;"><br /></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt;">BUY THE BOOK:</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Resting-Place-Camilla-Sten-ebook/dp/B092T9VWVS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5AWODVUHRODJ&keywords=the+resting+place&qid=1651443769&s=books&sprefix=the+resting+plac%2Cstripbooks%2C165&sr=1-1" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Amazon</span></a> <b><span style="background-color: white;">|</span></b><i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></i><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-resting-place-camilla-sten/1139252740?ean=9781250249272" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">B&N</span></a><b> | </b></span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Camilla_Sten_The_Resting_Place?id=mBMqEAAAQBAJ" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Google Books</span></a><b> <span style="background-color: white;">| </span></b></span><span style="color: #002060;"><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-resting-place-4" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;">Kobo</span></a></span><u><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #002060;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Resting-Place/Camilla-Sten/9781250249272?id=8427153741874" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;">Books-a-Million</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;"> <b><span style="background-color: white;">| </span></b><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-resting-place/id1566878990" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Apple Books</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #002060; text-decoration: none;"> </span></span><b>|</b> </span></span><span style="color: #002060;"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Resting-Place-Camilla-Sten/9781250249272?ref=grid-view&qid=1651444241814&sr=1-2" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;">Book</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;"> Depository</span></a></span><u><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Join the Addiction:</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><a href="http://lifeasabookaddict.blogspot.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #e36c0a; font-size: 14pt;">My Blog:</span></a><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> <b>|</b></span><a href="https://twitter.com/BookAddict4Life" style="color: #954f72;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #e36c0a; font-size: 14pt;">Twitter</span></a><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> <b>|</b></span><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/5925639" style="color: #954f72;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #e36c0a; font-size: 14pt;">BlogLovin’</span></a><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> <b>|</b></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheLifeTimesOfABookAddict" style="color: #954f72;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #e36c0a; font-size: 14pt;">Facebook</span></a><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-84209325915589837712022-04-01T04:30:00.021-07:002022-04-01T06:38:58.568-07:00 Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56269064-rock-paper-scissors" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhWgHLqhdwdWnEGkLgX_OCRdL4cnczgZv9p9P5Q8ajiCAdlTrOHRl5-0_wyMo5QeX11YryibC7bazOnBCe-4csGApKrE2yGuPsTH1LiWfJyoKhpO4wM1TdK37gEtz1NaFLxocC19GsCfhGDL2szrq8KftPhclqlqYv7sw6ccRciVKVSI301VIojsP/w264-h400/Rock%20Paper%20Scissors%20Image.jpeg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56269064-rock-paper-scissors" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUprBo-CKmNcfCbHJYzveY0gcxq99uLFgc2WhVGd0wNU_4n6VF9-5Pcl9XgmpvaRQRgR_43vGnNlQuQFUjCu13k_GYCvKdUAKLskzDVX4iddNtGloWcjmVBdoF0JLtHGPTNzyPIdkZK0jP4_JMs3t8gl0387stagm6KyX2otTBdcCZdoVswG63M4Zg/s1600/Goodreads%20Badge.png" width="130" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publication: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">September 7, 2021<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Flatiron Books<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Source: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 14pt;">Think you know the person you married? Think again…</span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife. </span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.</span><br /><br /><i>Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">******<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Hoping this weekend can help restore what is wrong/missing in their marriage, Amelia and Adam spend a cozy weekend at a remote cabin. It turns out to be not so cozy when a snowstorm traps them in, and suspicious things begin happening at every turn. Just from this part alone, I was excited to read this. The further I read, the more intrigued I was. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Adam, Amelia, and their mysterious neighbor at their weekend getaway all seem to have something to hide, as well as their own interesting backstory. The book is told through anniversary letters from the past as well as their individual POV’s in the present. Though none of them were very likable, I still enjoyed discovering more about each character. I also enjoyed getting different perspectives in the story. It made things more interesting and fun.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The twist in the story was a little surprising, but I wasn’t too impressed with the ending. I thought it was just okay.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">However, <i>Rock Paper Scissors </i>was an atmospheric and entertaining story to read. The marriage drama is plenty, everyone is an unreliable narrator, and nothing is as it seems. Although not my favorite of Alice Feeney’s, this was a good story and well written. She knows how to create characters and plots to pull the reader in and have them guessing and second guessing all the way to the end. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #810008; font-size: 16pt;">RATING: 3 OUT OF 5.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt;">BUY THE BOOK:</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Paper-Scissors-Alice-Feeney-ebook/dp/B08QGLNSFK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rock+paper+scissors+alice+feeney&qid=1648762985&sprefix=rock+paper+%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #4472c4;">Amazon</span></a> <b><span style="background-color: white;">|</span></b><i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></i><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rock-paper-scissors-alice-feeney/1138461871?ean=9781250266101" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #4472c4;">B&N</span></a><b> | </b></span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Alice_Feeney_Rock_Paper_Scissors?id=VpsOEAAAQBAJ" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #4472c4;">Google Books</span></a><b> <span style="background-color: white;">| </span></b></span><span style="color: #4472c4;"><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/rock-paper-scissors-21" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;">Kobo</span></a></span><u><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #4472c4;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Rock-Paper-Scissors/Alice-Feeney/9781250266101?id=8427153741874" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;">Books-a-Million</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b>|</b> <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/rock-paper-scissors/id1550616355" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #4472c4;">Apple Books</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue;"><span style="color: #4472c4; text-decoration: none;"> </span></span><b>|</b> </span></span><span style="color: #4472c4;"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Rock-Paper-Scissors-Alice-Feeney/9780008370985?ref=grid-view&qid=1648763166316&sr=1-1" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56898241-grave-reservations" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2105" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhZx1rzrnoqvhGBOqGsKaDD9kFSDgqL_zTt23wcgP1VIwUIRjekCfJaK8x6fS07PuSOVXh7VhkG7YQ6zwOzmpn26CyCa_rFJY2AZwRGgUQHG6E_nse97bXN3INq91jtc05y-VkRi73tTFQjeEw0o3VPXoRLgkeRUEdG2et6BsRK1HClmeMy3hieEY/w266-h400/grave%20reservations%20image.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56898241-grave-reservations" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwV7XUljQliBvb04mgTMqd67STSLNdCbNN_7AJ-YW5ONI7zNLV54uoHgFWAPUQSGbYO8UN20_cyZhnjlIzVRbKhhUYMVmOx493eWPhFbxQVlci6xEabsnejQ5rYaxRjbjc0LNclY5uHli7Z5pmRdJsR79xmzRkF5s0uybS9FW0Qx3n11y4iSsIdgxf/s1600/Goodreads%20Badge.png" width="130" /></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publication: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">October 26, 2021<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Atria Books<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Source: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><u><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;">A psychic travel agent and a Seattle PD detective solve a murder in this quirky mystery in the vein of Lisa Lutz’s The Spellman Files and Charlaine Harris’s Aurora Teagarden series.</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Meet Leda Foley: devoted friend, struggling travel agent, and inconsistent psychic. When Leda, sole proprietor of Foley's Flights of Fancy, impulsively re-books Seattle PD detective Grady Merritt’s flight, her life changes in ways she couldn’t have predicted.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">After watching his original plane blow up from the safety of the airport, Grady realizes that Leda’s special abilities could help him with a cold case he just can’t crack.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Despite her scattershot premonitions, she agrees for a secret reason: her fiancé’s murder remains unsolved. Leda’s psychic abilities couldn’t help the case several years before, but she’s been honing her skills and drawing a crowd at her favorite bar’s open-mic nights, where she performs Klairvoyant Karaoke—singing whatever song comes to mind when she holds people’s personal effects. Now joined by a rag-tag group of bar patrons and pals alike, Leda and Grady set out to catch a killer—and learn how the two cases that haunt them have more in common than they ever suspected.</span></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 20pt;">******<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Grave Reservations </span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">is a light and easy mystery that was just what I needed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Leda is a fun and pretty optimistic travel agent/psychic. Detective Grady is down to earth and level-headed. He’s followed every possible lead he could with this case he is working on and gotten nowhere. The only thing he hasn’t tried by now is an actual psychic. Enter Leda, the psychic who saved his life. They both bring something to the table and they complement each other very nicely. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Even though Grady asked for Leda’s help, I’m glad he didn’t pin all his hopes on her psychic abilities. He used logic and real evidence to further investigate and see if it matched what Leda saw or remembered. Leda’s best friend Niki tagged along with them also which was something I didn’t quite understand. She had no reason to be involved in the case, but I went along with it anyways. Especially since she brought more fun to the story with her unfiltered and often comedic personality.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The mystery aspect of the story wasn’t super thrilling or suspenseful, however seeing all the different interactions between Leda, Grady, Niki, and her friends at the bar was fun and made things more interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">This cozy mystery is a little quirky, a little funny, and very entertaining. It’s also the first book in a series, with the second book, <i>Flight Risk</i> releasing November 1, 2022. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 16pt;">RATING: 3-3½ OUT OF 5.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt;">BUY THE BOOK:</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grave-Reservations-A-Novel/dp/B08ZYY7D3K/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=grave+reservations+cherie+priest&qid=1648236384&sprefix=grave+reser%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #4472c4;">Amazon</span></a> <b><span style="background-color: white;">|</span></b><i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></i><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grave-reservations-cherie-priest/1138725894?ean=9781982168896" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #4472c4;">B&N</span></a><b> | </b></span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cherie_Priest_Grave_Reservations?id=J7YYEAAAQBAJ" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #4472c4;">Google Books</span></a><b> <span style="background-color: white;">| </span></b></span><span style="color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/grave-reservations" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #4472c4;">Kobo</span></a></span><u><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Grave-Reservations/Cherie-Priest/9781982168896?id=8427153741874" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #4472c4;">Books-a-Million</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="background-color: white;">| <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/grave-reservations/id1551655310" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #4472c4;">Apple Books</span></a> | </span></span><span style="color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Grave-Reservations-Cherie-Priest/9781982168902?ref=grid-view&qid=1648236591714&sr=1-1" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4472c4;">Book</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #4472c4;"> Depository</span></a></span><u><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #4472c4; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Join the Addiction:</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56706285-double-take" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglzYXKlwsMghfO96zybMbxV3drQL3nRjXP7yJioHxu8Z3mF7DqoTuheG8XMk1A_V0koFvUfEZbGfqWoE104mBbQmMQV8DxMmi7cjCMc0sME3TbukXhUCvH3LiWdj471Co0FNjkCsVYkHOlwVbVt3SWJ5_Nk0HpcidWd_xdLH-uGQkDM7JudtdzC_dI=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56706285-double-take" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEionscmkWz2KpEy_ZFyEYQIxgzznciPm-tt-FQ343KtxC4ydODrjHsKHCpDmPmorRJqJvJOyaAnwhpk627sS8_yzzYq-GjVlC4wae7AKM-H5U2iRHpa8N3WSFUc0g2z-pePL3bg1Nok9LGgkdsY4z8ZfomRE5yddlBeVhrlG7c0ojQzh-W1uNuEj0AE" width="130" /></a></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publication: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">October 12, 2021<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publisher: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crooked Lane Books<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Source: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publisher<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span style="color: #d52863; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">When a young journalist goes missing in sunny San Diego, P.I. Madison Kelly learns the true price of knowing too much. </span></i></b><i><span style="color: #d52863; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br />It's a perfect San Diego fall--cool and crisp with bright blue skies. But not everything is right in the sunny idyll dubbed America's Finest City. Young journalist Barrett Brown has been missing for a week, and her boyfriend hires private investigator Madison Kelly to find her. Right away, Barrett reminds Madison of a younger version of herself: smart, ambitious, and a loner.<br /><br />As she launches her investigation, Madison realizes that Barrett's disappearance is connected to a big story she was chasing--and she sets out to walk in Barrett's footsteps to trace her whereabouts. As the trail grows colder, things begin to heat up between Madison and Barrett's boyfriend. But he doesn't seem to be telling everything he knows, and Madison gets the feeling that her every move is being watched. What dirty secrets lie at the heart of Barrett's big lead?<br /><br />If Madison can't get to the bottom of the case in time, she could be in line to become the next victim. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> </span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">******<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I was excited to jump back into the world of Madison Kelly again with <i>Double Take. </i>It<i> </i>was a very easy story to get into and my interest was piqued from the first chapter. I could tell right away that there was more to the story than meets the eye. This case was not your average missing person’s case. Not only was Madison trying to find a missing Barrett, but she was also investigating what story Barrett was looking into herself. It was interesting to see how everything was connected and how it would all come together. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">This time, Madison seemed to have a slightly bigger network of friends/people she could talk to and who could help her investigate things. Even though Madison likes to do things her own way and usually by herself, it was a nice change to have her not do everything on her own and to rely on others, even if it was just for something small. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">There were a few red flags when it came to certain characters or situations that I thought Madison with all her experience should have realized there was something strange going on. Madison should have involved the police a lot sooner than when she did also. That just makes the story even more entertaining though. All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next mystery that Madison aims to solve. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">RATING: 3½ OUT OF 5.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #833c0b; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #833c0b; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #833c0b; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">BUY THE BOOK:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Double-Take-Madison-Kelly-Mystery-ebook/dp/B08SWJMJ22/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12ZO7LRWPY6IP&keywords=double+take+elizabeth+breck&qid=1642715069&s=books&sprefix=double+take+Elizabeth%2Cstripbooks%2C197&sr=1-1" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Amazon</span></a> <b><span style="background-color: white;">|</span></b><i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></i><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/double-take-elizabeth-breck/1138610516?ean=9781643857664" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">B&N</span></a><b> | </b></span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Elizabeth_Breck_Double_Take?id=O7QhEAAAQBAJ" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Google Books</span></a><b> <span style="background-color: white;">| </span></b></span><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/double-take-86" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;">Kobo</span></a></span><u><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 12pt 0in 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Double-Take/Elizabeth-Breck/9781666521221?id=8427153741874" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Books-a-Million</span></a></span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="background-color: white;">| <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/double-take/id1548615874" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: #002060;">Apple Books</span></a>| </span></span><span style="color: #002060; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Double-Take-Elizabeth-Breck/9781643857664?ref=grid-view&qid=1642715347179&sr=1-1" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;">Book</span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"> Depository</span></a></span><u><span style="color: #1f3864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Join the Addiction:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; 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margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-6842622243848295242022-01-21T04:00:00.002-08:002022-01-21T04:00:00.172-08:00The Wedding Setup by Sonali Dev Blog Tour & Giveaway!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsCrHn1_SZFA-G5ikhs2zelEWlQ7gUhEHZZ1bZ-koiqSuzEFu6JkyLs9rTJEzWcLXI9uPFDm5JnfP6i_JeCaEXec-UEkWVnwdLRqBBNxipK276hsVT-iC7ORcnI8nHN1OwEWYNkvMix5Zg_eM-sOOzBSNa5oJriqOz5MxNnobgvvgXZ9tNC6LIByo-=s1080" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsCrHn1_SZFA-G5ikhs2zelEWlQ7gUhEHZZ1bZ-koiqSuzEFu6JkyLs9rTJEzWcLXI9uPFDm5JnfP6i_JeCaEXec-UEkWVnwdLRqBBNxipK276hsVT-iC7ORcnI8nHN1OwEWYNkvMix5Zg_eM-sOOzBSNa5oJriqOz5MxNnobgvvgXZ9tNC6LIByo-=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #2f5597; font-size: 16pt;">Interview with Author Solini Dev</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #2f5597; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">The Wedding Setup</span></i></b><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> may be a short story, but it is tremendously powerful. How would you describe it to readers?</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Thank you. It’s the story of a girl who used to be a rebel who followed her heart and fought for what she wanted, and then her brother’s death leaves her responsible for her widowed mother. It’s about being knocked off your feet and getting stuck, and learning how to stand back up and reclaim yourself.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">The story invites us to take an intimate look into a mother-daughter relationship. This is a universal theme, however, you also steep the plot in your own Indian heritage. Can you tell readers what this story means to you as a daughter? What it means to you as an Indian woman?</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">There is so much of my own relationship with my mother in this book. We’ve always been incredibly close. She’s outspoken and confident and she modeled some powerful behaviors for me growing up about owning her own body and her voice. But there were the other parts where she was a product of her time and culture, believing in absolute terms that it is a woman’s duty to nurture her family, to marry ‘at the right time,’ to be a certain kind of mother. These are things she pushed hard. Things I internalized but also fought to do on my own terms and not hers. Ayesha’s relationship with her mother used to be this way, and then a tragedy changes their dynamic. So, it’s an exploration of how battles for identity get derailed by tragedy and grief and what it takes to heal.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Ayesha’s mom describes her as obedient, responsible, and “always putting everyone else before her own needs.” After hearing this Ayesha (internally) feels hypothermic. Can you explain how these seemingly sweet compliments completely destroy your heroine?</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">The mother-child bond comes with a kind of intuitive understanding of each other that’s unique to that relationship. So, while Ayesha has lost her fiery spirit and both she and her mother have lost years to their grief and struggle to survive, her mother knows who her daughter is deep down and how much she’s buried. So there’s a very nuanced intent to these ‘compliments’ and they hit the nerve they’re meant to hit. Ayesha’s reaction to these words is her dead parts coming back to life.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">It only takes a moment—one second—for Ayesha to break free from her ice…a single word from Emmitt has her coming back to life. Why does she have such a powerful reaction to someone she hasn’t seen in seven years?</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Ayesha had a crush on Emmitt for many years before they got together. She’s always had a strong reaction to him. The years they spent together as young adults were years when she came into herself, and felt seen and cherished. Then she loses all of that when her brother dies and they break up. So, it’s a combination of things that come together when Ayesha meets Emmitt again. They have a natural connection, but also, with his return come all the memories of who she used to be and how much she used to let herself feel.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Ayesha has never forgotten how Emmitt turns “her messy, impulsive, unfettered emotion into something beautiful.” But she has forgotten the effect that she has on him. What buried memories are uncovered as she watches Emmitt react to their reunion?</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Emmitt has always dealt with the world and the pain it causes him by keeping everyone at arm’s length. But Ayesha destroys his defenses with her ability to love (and do everything else) so fiercely. So, when he loses her he’s already lost his ability to protect himself. Their joint grief is what separated them, so, while they understand each other’s pain they both also understand the loneliness of not having each other to lean on. They’ve had to make the journey to healing individually, but meeting each other again brings up the piece that needs the other to heal.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">How did you get to know your couple? How were you able to understand what was needed to heal their broken hearts?</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">The one theme that threads through all my books is finding yourself on the tightrope between personal freedom and responsibility to family and community. Healing is always about finding or rediscovering your love for yourself. So, I understand my characters through that lens: how have they lost themselves? What about themselves do they need to reclaim and fall in love with? A truly connected couple is one who aids this journey in each other, recognizes it, and supports it.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">In a limited number of pages you not only give readers a living, breathing couple, but also an avalanche of equally interesting characters like Ayesha’s best friend, suitor, aunties…and you even create depth with characters that are no longer living. Why was it so important to spend time with these secondary characters? What do they reveal about your hero and heroine?</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">I believe that as humans we are a sum total of our relationships and the world we live in and build for ourselves. How someone treats other people and how they respond to how they are treated is what constitutes character. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">At its heart, every story is about a person who is somehow at odds with the world they live in or with themselves because of the expectations of their world, and the journey they make to resolve that conflict. Ayesha wouldn’t be Ayesha without her mother and Bela, her best friend and the community she was raised in. Bela has been her wild other half growing up, then their paths diverged, but they continued to be each other’s support. Her mother has become a crutch she uses to hold on to her grief. Emmitt’s grief over his friend has run his life for seven years too. So the secondary characters are just as integral to the story as the protagonists.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">While the plot focuses on grief, there is also great joy to be found. After all, the backdrop of the story is a giant wedding. What do you personally find the most fun at a traditional Indian wedding celebration?</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">I’m always only there for the food and dancing! Fine, and getting to dress up. And the wine. Also, maybe the chance to hang out with family and friends I only see at weddings. And the drunk aunties and uncles.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">After readers devour <i>The Wedding Setup</i>, which of your other books would you recommend they read next?</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">First, thank you so much for devouring<i> The Wedding Setup</i>! I’m incredibly proud of my Raje series, a set of retellings of my four favorite Jane Austen novels set in a politically ambitious Indian American family from Northern California. <i>Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors</i> is a gender flipped <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>. <i>Recipe for Persuasion</i> is a two-generational homage to <i>Persuasion</i> set on a Food Network show.<i> Incense and Sensibility</i>, the love story between a gubernatorial candidate and a yoga therapist who can save him but also destroy his campaign, pays tribute to <i>Sense and Sensibility</i>. And the upcoming <i>The Emma Project</i> (May 17<sup>th</sup>2022), which is a gender flipped <i>Emma</i> that explores what it means when a person with tremendous privilege offers charity to someone who has much less.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #2f5597; font-size: 16pt;">The Wedding Setup</span></i></b><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #2f5597; font-size: 16pt;"> Excerpt</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #2f5597; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Goose bumps rose across Ayesha’s skin, one sharp dot at a time. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">“Ayesha.” </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">That was it. Just that one word. Her name. In a voice that was its own ghost. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">She squeezed her eyes shut. One tight squeeze. Tight enough to hurt, tight enough to almost dislodge the false eyelashes Andre had pressed into her lash line one by one with the precision of a surgeon. Then <i>boom</i>! she was in control again and back to Ayesha on Ice. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Eyes blank, face set, she turned toward the voice. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Emmitt</span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">The impact of him was a body blow. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">The entire universe stilled. Words weren’t a thing. Or sound. Breath? What was that? </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Ayesha! Get a grip.</span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">No grip. That’s how it had always been. She’d had no grip when it came to Emmitt Hughes. Not even a little bit. Not when she’d spied on him and Ajay playing <i>Mario Kart</i> and <i>Minecraft</i> and <i>GTA</i> for hours, for years. Not when she’d yearned and dreamed and spun stories with him at the center. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">I’ve made my love for you, my god. </span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">It was the cheesiest of lines from one of those Bollywood songs her parents had played on repeat at the restaurant. Amma had loved translating the over-the-top lyrics and explaining their nuances.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Back when Amma was full of stories and songs and laughter. Before Ajay. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Ajay. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Her brother’s unspoken name fell between them like a glass bauble and shattered. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">“You remember Emmitt,” Edward had the gall to say. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Bela shot him a glare. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">You didn’t tell me he would be here. </span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Ayesha threw the silent accusation at her traitorous best friend, who gave her nothing more than another worried look. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">No, Eddie. Remind me again who he is?</span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> The snarky words stuck in Ayesha’s throat. Old Ayesha would have said them. Old Ayesha said everything. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">“Emmitt,” New Ayesha said, every feeling buried under her customer-is-king voice from the restaurant. “Nice to see you again.” </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">His Adam’s apple bobbed in the long column of his throat. How was he still so darned beautiful? </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">One swallow, and then he smiled back. Banking feelings where no one saw them had been his thing. Emmitt the Wall. That’s what Ajay had called him. Her brother had been best friends with him since Emmitt had moved to Naperville in fifth grade after his parents’ divorce. Years of friendship, and he’d still held Ajay at that slight distance he’d been so good at. Something she would always wish she hadn’t cured him of.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">You broke me, Ayesha.You broke every defense I’ve ever had against the world. </span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">She, Ayesha Shetty—too tall, too dark, too outspoken, too intense, too ambitious, too everything for everyone else had been just enough to break through Emmitt the Wall. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">“It’s nice to see you too,” he said gently, sounding . . . she dug through her brain to come up with the right word. Grown-up? Contained? </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Good. Because Ayesha was all those things now too. Not a grenade with its fuse pulled, ready to blow up the world.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">***</span></b><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">About the Story</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEw8a2xcZe6_ScsH-kiDE0aHZN27_lIemSGYSQMTKRJLe6bGVzTOKlJxgfy5Vlzw0ZHWq3UtI60Sl6FK0ZhRke5xhBNLjeoNQVpOYpWMaZLj1WpLTKeIGQRPiwV6QeXgQEg4_6W_T4a4N6kBpz2a9XNoH5l_DuBIZPbHL2GLXmWlBwuPxKP3YTq7Cg=s500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEw8a2xcZe6_ScsH-kiDE0aHZN27_lIemSGYSQMTKRJLe6bGVzTOKlJxgfy5Vlzw0ZHWq3UtI60Sl6FK0ZhRke5xhBNLjeoNQVpOYpWMaZLj1WpLTKeIGQRPiwV6QeXgQEg4_6W_T4a4N6kBpz2a9XNoH5l_DuBIZPbHL2GLXmWlBwuPxKP3YTq7Cg=s320" width="213" /></a></div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Title: <i>The Wedding Setup</i></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Author: Sonali Dev</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Release Date: January 11, 2022</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Publisher: Amazon Original Stories</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Summary</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Ayesha Shetty lost her brother seven years ago, the same time she lost everything else important to her: her dreams, her fierce independence, and the man she loved. Not wanting to see her mother hurt anymore, she put her wild self away and became the dutiful daughter her mother needed and took on her brother’s role in the family business.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Now her best friend’s big, fat Indian wedding is a chance to get away from her endless duties at the restaurant and maybe even have some fun (if she remembers how). But a setup arranged by her mother, with a doctor no less, is the last thing she needs. The fact that he checks all her mother’s boxes just makes everything better…and worse.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Then Emmitt Hughes shows up. Her brother’s best friend. The love she once chose over family duties and her responsibilities. The one she asked to leave, and who did. The one who knows the real Ayesha. Torn between a love from the past that could cost her the only person she has left and her sense of obligation to her mother, will Ayesha find the strength to stop thinking about what everyone else wants and finally put herself first? Or is the old Ayesha truly gone for good?</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Author Biography</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqhnw64n7dXiIZCgyUpGXehoKlL1afWkoSBpzQQx83UvkfHlpzg80ngftixZfr7tYWzJxJZsD7NW6Ae703KuwhvA1saPgpLdJcJUeIYxRDMi5Xyl6BsqHV03vJdnHqtWYU6ultjA0cIVaYxGulmr0PGVYuUocONWyyVGEq1v2hgtCxNUeK1Se_BClL=s724" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqhnw64n7dXiIZCgyUpGXehoKlL1afWkoSBpzQQx83UvkfHlpzg80ngftixZfr7tYWzJxJZsD7NW6Ae703KuwhvA1saPgpLdJcJUeIYxRDMi5Xyl6BsqHV03vJdnHqtWYU6ultjA0cIVaYxGulmr0PGVYuUocONWyyVGEq1v2hgtCxNUeK1Se_BClL=s320" width="243" /></a></div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">USA Today</span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> bestselling author Sonali Dev writes Bollywood-style love stories that explore universal issues. Her novels have been named best books of the year by <i>Library Journal</i>, NPR, the<i> Washington Post</i>, and <i>Kirkus Reviews</i>. She has won numerous accolades, including the American Library Association’s award for best romance, the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for best contemporary romance, and multiple RT Seals of Excellence; has been a RITA finalist; and has been listed for the Dublin Literary Award.<i> Shelf Awareness</i>calls her “not only one of the best but one of the bravest romance novelists working today.” She lives in Chicagoland with her husband, two visiting adult children, and the world’s most perfect dog. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Buy Link</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">: </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3pWDqM8" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://amzn.to/3pWDqM8</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Social Media Links</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Website: </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://sonalidev.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://sonalidev.com/</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Facebook: </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SonaliDev.author" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.facebook.com/SonaliDev.author</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Twitter: </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Sonali_Dev" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://twitter.com/Sonali_Dev</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Instagram: </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sonali.dev/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.instagram.com/sonali.dev/</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif">Goodreads: </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7025918.Sonali_Dev" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7025918.Sonali_Dev</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="07c2363f276" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f276/" id="rcwidget_v668cdln" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"> </span></p>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-18899233902087350272021-08-30T11:20:00.000-07:002021-08-30T11:20:07.029-07:00The Aristocrat by Penelope Ward Release Blitz!! <p><br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkRTaE9OfubosHE5BdnT-24BFfN1yYgt448f_C0dlY_ggIWK5DaOKUQfLlsYcvLypC4w5kU2qs-FESDXnQ5Cbg92aZYdzvibG0rCophi6JD9iLuNGT7RE0oSioidYzo9Ph-UvRMRlzoc/s1702/RB+Banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1702" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkRTaE9OfubosHE5BdnT-24BFfN1yYgt448f_C0dlY_ggIWK5DaOKUQfLlsYcvLypC4w5kU2qs-FESDXnQ5Cbg92aZYdzvibG0rCophi6JD9iLuNGT7RE0oSioidYzo9Ph-UvRMRlzoc/w640-h237/RB+Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgb-5jGofb6AM6k_comOrvLLF02IBxIQ7FMpbY6cjSZliUuOl7WWXsXbgaWVhE2mlKtmT-vzpwBf5nIwe4b2eh4pWZAJysLd3JxnVakT9z8KqUEKIVl-qr_KAGDAlXoaLgnUoex4f3bU/s2000/The+Aristocrat+Ebook+Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1243" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgb-5jGofb6AM6k_comOrvLLF02IBxIQ7FMpbY6cjSZliUuOl7WWXsXbgaWVhE2mlKtmT-vzpwBf5nIwe4b2eh4pWZAJysLd3JxnVakT9z8KqUEKIVl-qr_KAGDAlXoaLgnUoex4f3bU/w398-h640/The+Aristocrat+Ebook+Cover.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Title: The Aristocrat</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Author: Penelope Ward</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Release Date: August 30, 2021</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;"></span><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: arial;">From </i><span style="font-family: arial;">New York Times</span><i style="font-family: arial;"> bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.</i></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The one that got away. Every girl has one, right?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mine was a charming, British aristocrat who turned my world upside down one summer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">From the moment I first spotted Leo in the distance through my binoculars, I’d been captivated. I certainly never expected to find a man showering outside of the property across the bay in his birthday suit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then I noticed his housemate staring back at me with binoculars of his own—watching <i>me</i> watching Leo.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">That made for an interesting conversation starter when I inevitably ran into them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Turned out, the handsome Brits were only renting that house for the summer in my seaside town.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leo and I formed an instant connection, even though we were technically opposites by all appearances. I taught him how to dig for clams, and he taught me that not all wealthy and powerful guys are pretentious.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite knowing he was totally wrong for me, I couldn’t seem to stay away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was a wild and crazy few months. And before I knew it, we’d fallen in love.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We both had one wish: more time together.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Leo had obligations back home. He lived a life I’d never fit into. And I was going to law school. So, we decided to end it and never look back.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A part of me always felt like I’d let my soulmate walk away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I believed our story was over.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Until five years later when he sent me a letter that shook me to my core.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’d thought my world was turned upside down that first summer?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, I knew nothing yet.</div></span><div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58567712" target="_blank"><span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #e2c555; font-family: arial;">ADD TO GOODREADS</span></span></b></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Penelope
Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling
author of contemporary romance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">She grew up
in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a
television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son,
and beautiful daughter with autism. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">With over two
million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author
of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen
languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.</span></span></div>
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Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-81348428279338569032021-08-26T08:55:00.003-07:002021-08-26T08:55:52.386-07:00The Aristocrat by Penelope Ward Excerpt Reveal!<p> </p>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Title: The Aristocrat</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Author: Penelope Ward</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Release Date: August 30, 2021</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;"></span><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: arial;">From </i><span style="font-family: arial;">New York Times</span><i style="font-family: arial;"> bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.</i></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The one that got away. Every girl has one, right?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mine was a charming, British aristocrat who turned my world upside down one summer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">From the moment I first spotted Leo in the distance through my binoculars, I’d been captivated. I certainly never expected to find a man showering outside of the property across the bay in his birthday suit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then I noticed his housemate staring back at me with binoculars of his own—watching <i>me</i> watching Leo.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">That made for an interesting conversation starter when I inevitably ran into them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Turned out, the handsome Brits were only renting that house for the summer in my seaside town.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leo and I formed an instant connection, even though we were technically opposites by all appearances. I taught him how to dig for clams, and he taught me that not all wealthy and powerful guys are pretentious.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite knowing he was totally wrong for me, I couldn’t seem to stay away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was a wild and crazy few months. And before I knew it, we’d fallen in love.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We both had one wish: more time together.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Leo had obligations back home. He lived a life I’d never fit into. And I was going to law school. So, we decided to end it and never look back.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A part of me always felt like I’d let my soulmate walk away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I believed our story was over.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Until five years later when he sent me a letter that shook me to my core.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’d thought my world was turned upside down that first summer?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, I knew nothing yet.</div></span><div style="text-align: center;">
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<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hell.</span></i></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Hell was the moment I stepped into the grocery store a few days later and nearly knocked right into him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“It’s you.” He held up a long, phallic-looking baguette and shook it. “Remind you of something?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My face felt hot. “Very funny.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I haven’t seen much of you outside over the last couple of days. Did we scare you?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This was not Shower Guy, but rather the one who’d caught me peeping. He had a strong British accent and was extremely tall, with dark hair.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I’ve just been taking a break from the backyard.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Too <i>hot</i> outside for you, eh?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Look, I didn’t intend to see what I saw. I’ve been into…birdwatching this summer. Then one day you two moved in, and I—”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Whoa, whoa, whoa...” The other guy had appeared next to his housemate. “I’m sorry for anything he might have said to you just now. Rest assured, it’s all shite. He’s just playing around.” He, too, had a strong British accent. “I don’t believe we’ve properly met.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Although, you’ve <i>improperly</i> met...” his friend chided.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Put a sock in it, Sigmund.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, so the asshole is Sig—or Sigmund. The previously naked one must be Leo, then. They were both tall and good-looking, but Leo, with his chiseled features, lustrous hair, and striking eyes was on another level—a total Adonis, and intimidatingly gorgeous.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sigmund shrugged. “Surely she knows I’m just kidding.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“But you don’t know when to stop. That’s always been your problem. Can’t you see how red her face is getting? You’re embarrassing her.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-style: italic;">Uh…how red is my face getting?</i> This was mortifying. I couldn’t control that about myself. After all, I was a redhead with fair skin covered in freckles. Whenever I got embarrassed, I basically turned red from head to toe.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leo’s tone softened. “I apologize for his rude behavior.” He held out his hand. “I’m Leo Covington.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I took it, enjoying the warmth of his skin. “Felicity Dunleavy.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other guy offered his hand. “Sigmund Benedictus. But please call me Sig.”</div><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Benedictus?</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Been a dick-tus.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>He sure had.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Fitting.</i></div></i><div style="text-align: justify;">“Good to meet you,” I said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“And you, as well, Freckles.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-style: italic;">Freckles?</i> He couldn’t have come up with a more original nickname? I was self-conscious about my freckles, and typically wanted to murder anyone who dubbed me Freckles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Do you mind not calling me that?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Do you prefer a different nickname?” Sig asked. “Peeping Tom, perhaps?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leo gritted his teeth. “Enough. Seriously.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“All right. I’ll behave. Going in search of tapenade for this bread.” He winked. “Be back.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Relief washed over me as he walked away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I’m...really sorry about him,” Leo said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Well, given how you came to know of me, the ridicule is warranted. I shouldn’t have been spying.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I don’t reckon you anticipated seeing me in my birthday suit. That was the first time I’d ever done that. I assumed no one was in the vicinity, of course. For the record, I don’t make a habit of showering for all the world to see. I never had an outdoor shower in England. So it’s a novelty.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leo was simply striking. His hair was light brown with golden undertones. He had beautiful bone structure and full lips that were difficult not to stare at. There wasn’t one thing I would change about his face. His eyes were a deep blue. They reminded me of a piece of sea glass I’d used to make a necklace once.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I cleared my throat. “What brings you to Narragansett?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I’m taking six months off from life. It seemed like a good location to get lost. We picked this place randomly on a map, actually. Sigmund and I have spent our time in a few different locales. First was California, then New York, and now Rhode Island.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Are you two…together?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">His brow lifted. “What do you mean by <i>together</i>? We’re rooming together. But if you mean <i>romantically</i> together, then no. Exactly what did you assume?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I thought you might be gay.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“If I were gay, I’d have far better taste in men than that wanker cousin of mine. What in God’s name made you think we were gay?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I don’t know. Two handsome men...living together in a big house…”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“So, if I’m a guy living with another man, I’m automatically shagging him?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“You’re right. That was a hasty assumption.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Thank you for the compliment, by the way.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-style: italic;">I just called him handsome, didn’t I?</i> Feeling suddenly hot, I looked toward the produce section. “Well, I’d better be going...”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Before you do, I want to apologize for the flowers he sent your way the other night. I urged him not to. Not everyone appreciates that sense of humor.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I shrugged. “It was fine. And they were pretty. I was embarrassed, at first, but then I ended up laughing about the whole thing. Mrs. Angelini certainly got a kick out of it.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">His brow lifted. “Mrs. Angelini?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i style="font-style: italic;">How do I explain who she is without unloading my history on this stranger?</i> I kept it simple. “She’s my roommate.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Ah. Roommate. So she must be your lesbian lover, then.” He raised an eyebrow, and I had to smile. “Anyway, why do you call her Mrs. Angelini? She doesn’t have a first name?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Well, she’s seventy. It’s more of a respect thing. It’s what I started calling her some years back, and it stuck. She’s always asked me to call her by her first name, but I got used to calling her Mrs. Angelini.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I see.” His eyes seared into mine for a moment. “Your roommate is seventy. And how old are you, might I ask?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Twenty-four. What about you?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Twenty-eight,” he answered. His eyes lingered on mine for a bit. “Listen, we’re going to be renting the house across from you for the entire summer. We know virtually nothing about Narragansett. I’d love to pick your brain about places to go and things to do here. Maybe you wouldn’t mind coming over for tea sometime this week?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Tea? You really <i>are</i> British, aren’t you?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Guilty as charged.” His white teeth gleamed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Looking down at my feet, I said, “I don’t know.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I promise not to take off my clothes...” He added a crooked smile.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I let out a much-needed laugh. “Well, since you put it that way.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Tomorrow at two, then? Or whatever time works for you.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A part of me wanted to refuse, but why? It wasn’t like I had anything more exciting going on. I didn’t quite understand whether he genuinely wanted my expertise on Narragansett, or if there was something more to the invitation, now that I knew he wasn’t gay.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Sure. Two tomorrow works.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Brilliant. You know how to get to the house without having to swim across, I take it?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Yes.” I smiled.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Very well, then. And I promise, Sigmund will be on his best behavior.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I can handle it if he’s not.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This seemingly rich traveler had no idea just how much I could handle. I might turn red when I was embarrassed, but I’d grown a pretty-thick skin over the years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">That’s the way it is when you always had to fend for yourself.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Copyright © 2021 Penelope Ward</div></span><div><br /></div><br /><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Penelope
Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling
author of contemporary romance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">She grew up
in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a
television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son,
and beautiful daughter with autism. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">With over two
million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author
of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen
languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.</span></span></div>
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Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-71084922829106588092021-08-05T15:00:00.025-07:002021-08-05T19:51:17.343-07:00Claimed (The Lair of the Wolven #1) by J.R. Ward Blog Tour!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">Thank you for joining me on the Claimed by J.R. Ward blog tour! J.R. Ward is an author who knows how to draw readers into her stories and get them hooked. She creates unique situations and characters that us readers cannot get enough of. Curious about her newest book? Well as special treat today, I have an excerpt from chapter 1 of Claimed! Happy reading </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">. </span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55711656-claimed" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1126" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvhyphenhyphenBo_DIQqi_e5XTC18xoPpcVvhdXBlEnEv8pL4oenNSNU7i8hTOa89z3ltEakVZccEzRmH_iraQGQXdvEwsrqUz2mkCnwDygKV2HqdYnRynvI3DV8M16GmgKnkG0YXwPn3nd-RIWa0/w352-h640/claimed-9781982150372_hr.jpg" width="352" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55711656-claimed" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" height="41" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8Os5Ge4V_7zdHE72rTYdNjJYFNy5zQI8-ZMIYfDvtwV9J_5EIzjypyQKylxQmSLx4lUZN1_-6tm0zZlk3G27eH5gxeU1ACevSkDId5zNzfsbwVbbdMzfL-y0jSlgd0dhOTo9OuFQIkw/s0/Goodreads+Badge.png" width="130" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="m-5637566021800676851paragraph" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><u><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><span class="m-5637566021800676851normaltextrun">About the book:</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p><p class="m-5637566021800676851paragraph" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="m-5637566021800676851paragraph" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">Lydia Susi is passionate about protecting wolves in their natural habitat. When a hotel chain develops a tract of land next to the preserve, Lydia is one of the most vocal opponents of the project—and becomes a target.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="m-5637566021800676851paragraph" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="m-5637566021800676851paragraph" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">One night, a shadowy figure threatens Lydia’s life in the forest, and a new hire at the Wolf Study Project comes from out of nowhere to save her. Daniel Joseph is both mysterious, and someone she intrinsically wants to trust. But is he hiding something?<br /><br />As the stakes get higher, and one of Lydia’s colleagues is murdered, she must decide how far she will go to protect the wolves. Then a shocking revelation about Daniel challenges Lydia’s reality in ways she could never have predicted. Some fates demand courage, while others require even more, with no guarantees. Is she destined to have true love...or will a soul-shattering loss ruin her forever?<span class="m-5637566021800676851eop"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">CLAIMED<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Chapter 1<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #2f5597; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Town of Walters, est. 1834 <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Upstate New York<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">Lydia Susi’s Destiny came for her in the veil, on a random Thursday in the early spring.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> As she ran along the wooded trail, two miles into a loop that would take her through the preserve’s northeastern acreage, she was measuring the glowing line that topped the contours of the mountains. Soon, the stripe would expand to an aura, and after that, the sun would accept the handoff from the moon, and day would arrive.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> Her grandfather had always told her there were two twilights, two gloamings, and if you wanted to find your past, you went into the pines in the evening as the sun went down. If you wanted your future to come to you, you went alone into the forest in the veil, during that sacred transition of night into morning. There, he’d told her, when the distinction between that which ruled the light and that which held domain over the dark was at its narrowest, when the moon and the sun reached for each other before the rotations of their orbits tore them asunder, there was when the mortal could brush up against the infinite and seek answers, direction, guidance.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">Of course, that did not mean you got good news. Or what you wanted.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">But life was not an <i>à la carte</i> buffet where you could choose everything that went on your plate—another words-of-wisdom from a man who had lived to be 101 years old still smoking a pipe and drinking a glass of sima after his dinner year round.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">Why limit spring to just <i>Vappu</i>? he’d said.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">Lydia had never believed in his superstitions. She was a researcher, a scientist, and the kinds of things that her <i>isoisa</i> had gone on about did not fit in with that Ph.D. in biology she’d bought on layaway from the federal government and was still paying off.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">So no, she was not out looking for any prognosti-cation from the universe this morning. She was get-ting her workout done before she headed into her office at the Wolf Study Project. With the way things had been going lately, she was going to blink and it would be seven at night. Short-staffed and under-funded, everything was a fight for resources at WSP, and by the time she locked things up every evening, she was exhausted. So <i>Carpe Cardio</i> was her motto and why she was out in this misty darkness—<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">Lydia let her stride peter to a halt.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">Her breath pumped in clouds that captured and held the moonlight, and as a breeze came across the trail, her body did the same with the chill, grabbing it out of the air and bringing it in under her wind-breaker.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">As she shivered, she looked behind herself. The trail she was on was the widest one in the preserve, a highway rather than a street, but she couldn’t see much into the trees. Pines crowded up close to the shoulders of the packed path, and the fog wafting through the craggy trunks and fluffy boughs obscured the forest even more.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> In a quick calculation, she figured she was a good three miles from any other human, two miles from her car at the trailhead’s parking area, and a hundred yards from what had caught her attention.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> There, up ahead, something was close to the ground, moving.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> <i>Fight or flight, Lydia</i>, she thought. <i>What’s it going to be.<o:p></o:p></i></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> She reached around to the small of her back. There were two cylinders mounted on the strap of her fanny pack, and she left the Mace where it was. Clicking on her flashlight and bringing it forward, she swung the beam in a wide arc—<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> The eyes flashed over on the left, a set of retinas flaring the light back at her as pinpoints. The stare was about three feet from the ground and the pupils were set close together, as predators’ were.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> Lydia looked around again.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">“I’m not going to bother you,” she said. But like the gray wolf spoke English?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> The growl was soft. And then came the rustling. The animal was prowling toward her.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> “Oh, shit.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">Except . . .<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">Lydia kept the beam down on the fallen pine needles as she, too, walked forward. Something was wrong with the wolf, its gait wobbly and uneven. Yet the spirit of the hunter remained undeterred—and she was identified as its target.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> She was about twenty feet away when she got a sense of the fully mature male. He was filled out, at a healthy weight of about a hundred and thirty pounds, and his mottled white, gray, and brown fur was thick and lush, especially at the tail. But his head was hanging at a bad angle, and he was dragging his back paws as he continued to close the distance between them.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> It was obvious when the wolf was going to collapse. Though his head remained forward, his body listed to the side, his will staying strong even as his rear legs, and then his forelegs, gave out.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> He landed on the soft bed of pine needles on his side, and the struggle was immediate, useless paws batting at thin air and ground cover. As Lydia drew a little closer to him, he snarled, flashing long white fangs, his golden eyes narrowing.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> “Shh . . .” she said as she kneeled down.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> Her hand shook as she got out her cell phone. As she called a number from her favorites, she tried to keep her breathing steady.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> In the flashlight’s beam, she could see the grayness of those gums. The wolf was dying—and she knew why.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> “God damn it, pick up, pick up—” Her words ma-chine gun’d from her mouth. “Rick? Wake up, I’ve got another one. On the main trail—what? Yes, it’s the same—enough with the talking, get your ass out of bed. I’m on the loop, about two miles into the—huh? Yes, bring everything, and <i>hurry</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> She cut the connection as her voice gave out.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> Letting herself fall back to a sit, she stared into those beautiful eyes and tried to project love, acceptance, gentleness . . . compassion. And something got through, the majestic male’s muzzle relaxing, its paws falling still, his flank rising and falling in a shuddering breath.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"> Or maybe it was dying right now.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;">“Help is coming,” she said hoarsely to the animal.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #3ec2bd; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="m1026778325374390134paragraph" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span class="m1026778325374390134normaltextrun"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">About J. R.</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></span><span class="il"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">Ward</span></b></span><span class="m1026778325374390134normaltextrun"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">:</span></b></span><span class="m1026778325374390134eop"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span></u><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="m1026778325374390134paragraph" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span class="m1026778325374390134eop"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></u></p><p class="m1026778325374390134paragraph" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="m1026778325374390134eop"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiafsS4-NGq2kTzY6J083yzimFhXK4otso-lGZApLiLVWSTNGT5AoaYXwJNk2jXNmVAcmgF3D7PuUtuRTQ1loBKMVCxoq0ibjmsbbJ2q5BHJSmar-QqxoFHC_gjOQ9nAUf9NF1fjGzBE0g/s360/JR+Warrd.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="270" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiafsS4-NGq2kTzY6J083yzimFhXK4otso-lGZApLiLVWSTNGT5AoaYXwJNk2jXNmVAcmgF3D7PuUtuRTQ1loBKMVCxoq0ibjmsbbJ2q5BHJSmar-QqxoFHC_gjOQ9nAUf9NF1fjGzBE0g/w150-h200/JR+Warrd.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><p></p><p class="m1026778325374390134paragraph" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="m1026778325374390134normaltextrun"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">J.R.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><span class="il"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">Ward</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><span class="m1026778325374390134normaltextrun"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">is the author of more than thirty novels, including those in her #1</span></span><span class="m1026778325374390134normaltextrun"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><span class="m1026778325374390134normaltextrun"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">New York Times</span></i></span><span class="m1026778325374390134normaltextrun"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></span><span class="m1026778325374390134normaltextrun"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">bestselling <i>Black Dagger Brotherhood</i> series. There are more than fifteen million copies of her novels in print worldwide, and they have been published in twenty-six different countries around the world. She lives in the South with her family.</span></span><span class="m1026778325374390134eop"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-48128667598596276582021-08-03T05:00:00.002-07:002021-08-03T05:00:00.223-07:00Mrs. Rochester's Ghost by Lindsay Marcott Blog Tour & Giveaway!!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1080" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijf0y_2tL4qINo-B0cxv0vzA9CAJOu4wocwYR4fjqBcqPjmj_TQqecb7KPBrKkdhM9GBuC62BQ2kHWM99aEEETq2iAFTxvx62e7zmY9Am19lThtuunil3sJW4uoLrYw32KnIQPkOup1Ms/w400-h365/MrsRochestersGhost.jpg" width="400" /></div><br /><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Lindsay Marcott’s new book, Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost was just released yesterday and to celebrate, I have a guest post from the author herself as well as an excerpt from the book and a giveaway! Love a good spin/retelling of classic story? Well then happy reading!</span></p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Jane Eyre</span></i></b><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> for the Modern Age with Lindsay Marcott </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">What is it about <i>Jane Eyre</i> that has made it a blockbuster for over a hundred and seventy years? The breathtaking writing, yes. The gripping plot: part Gothic romance, part coming-of-age story. The swooning romance between a rich man and a poor orphan, and the shock of the mad wife secreted in an attic.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">But I think most of all it’s the voice of Jane herself: a young woman with an extraordinary sense of her own worth and independence. A voice that was revolutionary in 1847 when Charlotte Brontë published it. At the time, women had little say outside family and home. Their career opportunities outside of marriage were limited to underpaid servants and schoolteachers. Female characters in early Victorian novels were usually portrayed as either sugary too-good-to-be-true angels or fallen women seeking repentance.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Jane is neither. She’s constricted by the society she lives in--she needs to keep a stifling job as a governess or else starve to death—but she makes it clear she’d rather starve than sacrifice her will or stifle her intelligence. As a child, she has a temper and a will, even though she’s punished harshly for it. Later, when her employer, Mr. Rochester, grills her, she responds with strong opinions and engages in spirited debates. And when he tempts her to go live in sin with him in Europe, she escapes through the only means available to her—by running off to the surrounding moors, though it probably means she will die in those wilds. And she will not return to him until she learns he has fundamentally changed, and she can now love him passionately and physically without compromising her true self.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">I believe it’s this will and independence of Jane’s that keep modern readers coming back for more (not to mention that throbbing romance!), and these are the same elements that inspire continual adaptations of the story. I had long dreamed of creating modern versions of these characters, because they so thrilled and delighted me and taught me life lessons over many years of my rereading the book. A nervy dream, yes. But also one that presented huge challenges: there are so many elements of the book that just won’t fly in an updated story.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">For example: a current-day Jane would not be able to keep her curiosity under wraps about all the strange and spooky things going on in Mr. Rochester’s house. She wouldn’t just accept vague explanations or agree to his request to simply not ask about them. She would be itching to find out more.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Also a sexual relationship outside of marriage is no longer a taboo for most women of today. Jane wouldn’t have to flee that temptation. And of course a modern Mr. Rochester would be able to divorce a mad wife, though no doubt having to pay a heavy alimony for her future care. So that’s no longer even an obstacle.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">But lies are always a problem in a relationship. Especially big lies.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">A secret bigamist is a pretty big lie.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Being a secret murderer would be an even bigger one.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">It was thinking about this that gave me the idea of adapting the book as a modern thriller. One in which Rochester does not have a stashed-away wife—instead he’s suspected of murdering a famous wife who has now disappeared. Jane would have to surreptitiously seek out the truth about him--guilty or not?--before she could give in to falling in love. And when spooky things happened, she would need to confront those as well. She would be risking an enormous amount. Losing the love of her life. And maybe also losing her life.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">And so I set about writing a thriller, adding startling new twists, putting in jumps and shivers. The result is <i>Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost</i>. It was a joy to write, and I certainly hope it’s an equal joy to read.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost </span></i></b><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Excerpt</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">The fog streamed in white scarves and pennants, with a bright half moon playing hide-and-seek among them. I walked briskly down the asphalt drive, Pilot racing figure eights around me. We cut across switchbacks toward the highway. I kept to the gravel shoulder as the grade descended.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">A pair of headlights glowered in the mist, then swept swiftly by. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">The highway continued to dip. Pilot romped ahead and disappeared from my sight around a curve. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Pilot!” I heard him barking but couldn’t see him. I quickened my steps. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">I found myself in the middle of a dense cloud. Fog gathered in the depression in the road. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Pilot?” I yelled again. “Where are you?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">Excited yapping. But he was a ghost dog. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">The roar of a motorcycle echoed from around the far side of the bend. Through the blanketing cloud, I caught a glimpse of the poodle trotting onto the road. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Pilot, get back here!” I screamed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">The motorcycle’s headlamp glowed dimly as it appeared on the near side of the bend. Pilot barked with sudden frenzy. The headlamp veered crazily. Pilot darted off the road into the underbrush. A sickening sound of tires skidding out of control on gravel. A shout. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">With horror, I watched motorcycle and rider slam down onto the gravel shoulder. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">I ran toward the rider. He was sprawled crookedly next to the bike, but his limbs, encased in black leather and jeans, were moving stiffly. Alive, at least. With a groan, he hoisted himself up onto his elbows.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Are you okay?” I shined my flashlight on him. He whipped his head. “What the hell are you?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Just a person,” I said quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">He yanked his goggles down. “For Chrissake. I meant <i>who</i> are you? What are you doing here?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Taking a walk.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“What kind of lunatic goes out for a walk in this kind of fog?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Maybe the same kind of lunatic who drives way too fast in it.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“You call that fast? Christ.” He gingerly gathered himself into a sitting position, then flexed his feet in the heavy boots experimentally. He took off his helmet and shook out a head of rough black curls. A week’s tangle of rough salt-and-pepper beard nearly obscured a wide mouth. The prominent nose might be called stately on a more good-natured face. “What the hell was that creature in the middle of the road?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“A dog.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“A dog?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“A standard poodle. Unclipped.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">He put the helmet back on, then pulled a cell phone from his jacket and squinted at the screen. “Nothing,” he muttered. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“The reception’s kind of iffy around here.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">He flung out an arm. “Help me up, okay?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">I approached him tentatively. He was over six feet and powerfully built. About twice my weight, I guessed. “I’m not sure I can pull you.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Yeah, you probably can’t. Stoop down a little.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">God, he’s rude.</span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"> I did, and he draped his arm around my shoulder, transferring his weight. My knees buckled a little but didn’t give. He began to stand, crumpled slightly, then got his balance and pulled himself up straight. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">I suddenly became aware of his intense physicality. The power of his arm and shoulder against my body, the taut spring of the muscles in his chest. As if he sensed what I was feeling, he shook off my support and stood on his own feet.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“At least you can put weight on your feet,” I said. “That’s a good sign.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Are you a medical professional?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“No.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Then your opinion doesn’t count for much at the moment.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">Go to hell,</span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"> was on the tip of my tongue. But the fog’s chill was making me sniffle. It seemed absurd to attempt a stinging retort with a dripping nose. I swiped it surreptitiously with the sleeve of my jacket. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">He walked, limping slightly, to the Harley. “This thing’s supposed to take a corner. That’s the main reason I bought it!” He gave the seat a savage kick. Then he hopped on his nonkicking boot and shook a fist as if in defiance of some bully of a god who particularly had it in for him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">I laughed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">He whirled on me. My laughter froze. The look of fury on his face sent a thrill of alarm through me. I edged backward; I felt at that moment he could murder me without compunction and leave my corpse to be devoured by coyotes and bobcats.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">But then, to my astonishment, he grinned. “You’re right. I look like an ass.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">Pilot suddenly came crashing out of the underbrush.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Is that your mutt?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Yes. Though, actually, not mine. He’s a recent addition at the place I’m staying.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">He stared at me, a thought dawning. I forced myself to stare back: deep-set eyes, dark as ink. I was about to introduce myself, but he yanked the goggles back over his eyes and stooped to the handlebar of the bike. “Help me get this up. Grab the other bar. You pull and I’ll push.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“It’s too heavy.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“I’ll do the heavy lifting. Just do what you can.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">Obstinately, I didn’t move. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Please,” he added. He made the word sound like an obscenity. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">I took a grudging step forward and grabbed hold of the handlebar with both hands. I tugged it toward me as he lifted his side with a grunt. The bike slowly rose upright. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“Hold it steady,” he said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">It felt like it weighed several tons—it took every ounce of my strength to keep my side up as he straddled the seat. He grasped both bars. Engaged the clutch, cursing in pain as he stomped on the pedal. He glanced at me briefly. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">And then, sending up a heavy spray of gravel, the Harley roared off into the enveloping fog.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #b92d82; font-size: 14pt;">“You’re welcome, Mr. Rochester!” I shouted into the deepening gloom.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">******</span></b></p><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">About the Book</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58042394-mrs-rochester-s-ghost" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjCv2swuAd1PKVblWQDbnCNoYkj13E3G8kNhUL5QWFkrXuHT3J51TKRHyJNzHaERv_G70XCLpzPBOI0OMntjrKlRxNSOKtRtUaBCD2kI2Y3G6BtqYmNDR0jkIU-JVP6F-crh6evlRNbE/w266-h400/Mrs.+Rochester%2527s+Ghost.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Title: <i>Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost</i></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Author: Lindsay Marcott</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Release Date: August 1, 2021</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher: Thomas & Mercer</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Summary</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Jane has lost everything: job, mother, relationship, even her home. A friend calls to offer an unusual deal—a cottage above the crashing surf of Big Sur on the estate of his employer, Evan Rochester. In return, Jane will tutor his teenage daughter. She accepts.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">But nothing is quite as it seems at the Rochester estate. Though he’s been accused of murdering his glamorous and troubled wife, Evan Rochester insists she drowned herself. Jane is skeptical, but she still finds herself falling for the brilliant and secretive entrepreneur and growing close to his daughter.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">And yet her deepening feelings for Evan can’t disguise dark suspicions aroused when a ghostly presence repeatedly appears in the night’s mist and fog. Jane embarks on an intense search for answers and uncovers evidence that soon puts Evan’s innocence into question. She’s determined to discover what really happened that fateful night, but what will the truth cost her?</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">About the Author</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznIaqkw-2flyZEq8ZC5SaGtiP40TG6Kylli8uWB0c9_LN7vkBKLcM4p5SEMxExEY8nq3EymifqT5Czg7XABFfDSf4_havLuiJZp9VplXYuhuINP-Dm0FGfURvUsaqjzbWesOwtL2xiv0/s1947/Lindsay+Marcott_%2528c%2529+Kenneth+Locker.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1947" data-original-width="1896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznIaqkw-2flyZEq8ZC5SaGtiP40TG6Kylli8uWB0c9_LN7vkBKLcM4p5SEMxExEY8nq3EymifqT5Czg7XABFfDSf4_havLuiJZp9VplXYuhuINP-Dm0FGfURvUsaqjzbWesOwtL2xiv0/s320/Lindsay+Marcott_%2528c%2529+Kenneth+Locker.jpeg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Lindsay Marcott is the author of <i>The Producer’s Daughter</i> and six previous novels written as Lindsay Maracotta. Her books have been translated into eleven languages and adapted for cable. She also wrote for the Emmy-nominated HBO series <i>The Hitchhiker </i>and co-produced a number of films. She lives on the coast of California. You can contact the author on her website at </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.lindsaymarcott.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.lindsaymarcott.com/</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">. </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">Giveaway!!!</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="07c2363f270" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f270/" id="rcwidget_oeuayntb" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></div><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="07c2363f270" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f270/" id="rcwidget_oeuayntb" rel="nofollow"><script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></a>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-18379235735715387982021-07-20T12:00:00.001-07:002021-07-20T19:35:27.395-07:00Aristocrat by Penelope Ward Cover Reveal!<p> </p><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vvgs526zDTahpVvVG6rOPlSGisQgmQBlZzMV6cYDTSfTHL8jLGPcQph330ztnmUKV2N2JA5wpat2ZLYh7TZNoRwTroZL7_JqcyMJ0LubmZs_oxS7r5c8j-ZMV9VcLE4au_Rr0QW-P_0/s1702/CR+Banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1702" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vvgs526zDTahpVvVG6rOPlSGisQgmQBlZzMV6cYDTSfTHL8jLGPcQph330ztnmUKV2N2JA5wpat2ZLYh7TZNoRwTroZL7_JqcyMJ0LubmZs_oxS7r5c8j-ZMV9VcLE4au_Rr0QW-P_0/w640-h237/CR+Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgb-5jGofb6AM6k_comOrvLLF02IBxIQ7FMpbY6cjSZliUuOl7WWXsXbgaWVhE2mlKtmT-vzpwBf5nIwe4b2eh4pWZAJysLd3JxnVakT9z8KqUEKIVl-qr_KAGDAlXoaLgnUoex4f3bU/s2000/The+Aristocrat+Ebook+Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1243" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgb-5jGofb6AM6k_comOrvLLF02IBxIQ7FMpbY6cjSZliUuOl7WWXsXbgaWVhE2mlKtmT-vzpwBf5nIwe4b2eh4pWZAJysLd3JxnVakT9z8KqUEKIVl-qr_KAGDAlXoaLgnUoex4f3bU/w398-h640/The+Aristocrat+Ebook+Cover.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Title: The Aristocrat</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Author: Penelope Ward</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cover Design: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Photo: Alejandro Brito</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Model: Kacey Carrig</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Release Date: August 30, 2021</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;"></span><div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-family: arial;">From </i><span style="font-family: arial;">New York Times</span><i style="font-family: arial;"> bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.</i></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The one that got away. Every girl has one, right?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mine was a charming, British aristocrat who turned my world upside down one summer.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">From the moment I first spotted Leo in the distance through my binoculars, I’d been captivated. I certainly never expected to find a man showering outside of the property across the bay in his birthday suit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then I noticed his housemate staring back at me with binoculars of his own—watching <i>me</i> watching Leo.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">That made for an interesting conversation starter when I inevitably ran into them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Turned out, the handsome Brits were only renting that house for the summer in my seaside town.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leo and I formed an instant connection, even though we were technically opposites by all appearances. I taught him how to dig for clams, and he taught me that not all wealthy and powerful guys are pretentious.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite knowing he was totally wrong for me, I couldn’t seem to stay away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was a wild and crazy few months. And before I knew it, we’d fallen in love.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We both had one wish: more time together.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Leo had obligations back home. He lived a life I’d never fit into. And I was going to law school. So, we decided to end it and never look back.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A part of me always felt like I’d let my soulmate walk away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I believed our story was over.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Until five years later when he sent me a letter that shook me to my core.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’d thought my world was turned upside down that first summer?</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, I knew nothing yet.</div></span><div style="text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBXp8sBWdf4TVIHFqfoiYdCsvraN5w_uQg2yGD98oDA9mITxVXbUne2vJYhrcQ0pJ2BsJzdRy1wEfiBffunVy38_kRfX_dOGlri7pgbaA2cZHEJPCpxa1xdG2FAkqeVR_KftuFi7WVzo/s2048/The+Aristocrat+Full+Wrap.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1558" data-original-width="2048" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBXp8sBWdf4TVIHFqfoiYdCsvraN5w_uQg2yGD98oDA9mITxVXbUne2vJYhrcQ0pJ2BsJzdRy1wEfiBffunVy38_kRfX_dOGlri7pgbaA2cZHEJPCpxa1xdG2FAkqeVR_KftuFi7WVzo/w400-h304/The+Aristocrat+Full+Wrap.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 32px;"><span style="color: #e2c555;">PRE-ORDER LINKS</span></b></div></div> </div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://apple.co/3iigYYL">APPLE BOOKS</a> </b><b style="font-family: arial;">/ <a href="https://amzn.to/2TgxM9T">PAPERBACK</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fave.co/2KoLPUN" target="_blank"><span><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">AMAZON LIVE RELEASE ALERT</span></span></b></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Penelope
Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling
author of contemporary romance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">She grew up
in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a
television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son,
and beautiful daughter with autism. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">With over two
million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author
of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen
languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.</span></span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/PenelopesPeeps/">FACEBOOK GROUP</a></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 32px;"><span style="color: #e2c555;">OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD</span></b></div>
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63q5klHRTnTDuBn_FxgOO2QCmv9nqLzfa5JIHhqx4qUfwkzRh2oBAH75dDsfpKOCg1GPCuTrgJRPmPXN_aGnWtPw_MNCTZrYKawnyrBreTywwSNyI3f4vdmedTH274U7WhlKV8fV7iZ4/s2000/The+Anti-Boyfriend+Ebook+Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1242" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63q5klHRTnTDuBn_FxgOO2QCmv9nqLzfa5JIHhqx4qUfwkzRh2oBAH75dDsfpKOCg1GPCuTrgJRPmPXN_aGnWtPw_MNCTZrYKawnyrBreTywwSNyI3f4vdmedTH274U7WhlKV8fV7iZ4/w249-h400/The+Anti-Boyfriend+Ebook+Cover.jpg" width="249" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b>AMAZON <a href="https://amzn.to/32IqJra">US</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3lBeoho">UK</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3lyC2ek">CA</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/31HFHyl">AU</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://bit.ly/3jbsTX7">B&N</a> / <a href="https://bit.ly/32hslrV">KOBO</a> / <a href="https://apple.co/3j9rGQC">APPLE BOOKS</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://bit.ly/2EpJYgX">GOOGLE PLAY</a> / </b></span><b style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://adbl.co/3l3jjr6">AUDIOBOOK</a></b></span></div>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-5341914978577529722021-07-06T05:00:00.004-07:002021-07-06T05:00:00.225-07:00Anonymous: A Madison Kelly Mystery #1 by Elizabeth Breck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51653441-anonymous" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5XsgH_uGTEBXL277duiJSTmRHrsxh7eiQDfuKLd3t14E0SJMogXhNvJva637KYH5aWIl7Te2Yw0aqS_DoKdchVDmtHTHWXDMexARftAWF6fsTmJYfhuU4CE3BfscfNjYh8UytzugMvo/w266-h400/Anoymous+Image.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51653441-anonymous" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWu0zG7BLJb8mNddh2qFOKkaMpaAXIXhkYGG4FsboH50-GBG6CmjnzqeD9DsCyDjGqcN1dFJgF4EMWpgXn7f6arWeuOCoTWzrwQlmkZjJizFvlBBtH3fb7wa4aC-TYI6KlO032tqOkl_w/s0/Goodreads+Badge.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publication: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">November 10, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publisher: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Crooked Lane Books<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Source: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publisher/Purchased<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #c00000; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Madison Kelly, a San Diego private investigator, arrives home to a note stabbed to her front door: "Stop investigating me, or I will hunt you down and kill you." The only problem? Madison hasn't been investigating anyone--she's been taking time off to figure out what to do with her life. But how does she prove a negative? The only way to remove the threat is to do exactly what “Anonymous”, the note writer, is telling her not to do: investigate to see who left it. Could this have something to do with the true crime podcast she’s been tweeting about, and the missing girls?</span><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The girls went missing, two years apart, after a night at the clubs in San Diego's famed Gaslamp Quarter, and Madison had been probing the internet for clues. She discovers that someone has been one step ahead of her, monitoring her tweets to prevent her from getting too close. Soon Madison's investigation brings up more questions than answers: are the disappearances connected? Are the girls dead or did they just walk away from their lives? And who is Anonymous, the person who will stop at nothing to keep Madison from learning the truth?</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">As she closes in, so does Anonymous. Set against a backdrop of surfer culture and coffee houses of San Diego, Anonymous follows Madison as she confronts the reality of the girls' disappearance in a terrifying climax where the hunter becomes the hunted--and Madison is running for her life.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 26pt;">******</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anonymous </span></i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">as an easy red and quickly caught my interest from the very first chapter. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I have what could be considered a spoiler alert below. I had an issue with one of the characters in the book and his behavior but that does not affect the mystery portion of the story at all in my opinion. Still I am just putting it out there.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">***SPOILER ALERT***<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">*</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">*</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">*<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I disliked the whole stalker situation. My main issue with it was the guy who was the stalker…he is a police officer and an acquaintance of Madison. If I remember correctly, he would sit outside her home at night and watch her. Supposedly because he was curious/fascinated by her. Madison even attempted to sort of sweep things under the rug and make it seem like it wasn’t that big of a deal. She never even reported him for his behavior. And the guy didn’t even truly apologize until the end. During the middle of the story, he said he was sorry he guessed…it wasn’t a big deal because no one got hurt and she didn’t really get scared…so I guess those are the requirements for a situation to be officially called stalking. Even when he did apologize Madison still tried to make it seem like it wasn’t a problem. I just thought it was pretty strange and I was very annoyed by it. Unless he was on a stakeout and watching her because she was a suspect or for her protection, it is creepy and unprofessional behavior. It doesn’t matter if anyone got hurt or not. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">So that was my biggest problem with the book. Luckily, he didn’t have a huge presence in the story, and I could ignore him and that situation…for the most part. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Having said all of that, I did enjoy the story. It was well written and there was never really a dull moment. The mystery was appealing and kept my attention. It was easy to get caught up in the story and question what exactly was going on and who could be behind it all. I like a good PI story especially if the PI is a woman. Madison is an interesting character. She is smart, quick thinking, and determined to discover the truth no matter the risk. She did make some weird choices in the story though, that had me questioning her thought process. But that added to the drama. I am curious to see what other cases Madison gets involved in, in the future</span>. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #9e5a9e; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">RATING: 3½-4 OUT OF 5.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGn2y7Qb2kdmPCgzBsu_SWk3bmEU2zRML2LZ7kT3t2lsrvccD3gTa-8DOCOj52qZ-T0OsbZGW0-e7O4ZYCl92LtUy4kOy4T6EGAcXjD3fct4OPNEtqgI5ku6lPLhMl8RkICz76R7Ldv2c/s1080/TheChecklistGraphic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1080" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGn2y7Qb2kdmPCgzBsu_SWk3bmEU2zRML2LZ7kT3t2lsrvccD3gTa-8DOCOj52qZ-T0OsbZGW0-e7O4ZYCl92LtUy4kOy4T6EGAcXjD3fct4OPNEtqgI5ku6lPLhMl8RkICz76R7Ldv2c/w400-h383/TheChecklistGraphic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Guest Post: Checklists, Broken Hearts, & James</span></b><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Brown with Author Addie Woolridge</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p> <span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Hi, I’m Addie Woolridge, author of</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Checklist</i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">. A bit about me—I am a classically trained opera singer with a deep devotion to glitter, coffee, Beyoncé, and The Rock. In my free time, I am also a marathon runner who is desperate to finish up the seven continents marathon challenge so that I can retire and go on vacations where running is not a requirement (just two races left, Sydney and Antarctica). I was born and raised outside of Seattle, WA, and although I now call Northern California my home, a piece of my heart will always be soggy in Seattle. That’s why I set my debut novel,</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Checklist</i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">there!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The Checklist</span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> is a multicultural, contemporary rom-com that centers around Dylan Delacroix, a type-A, corporate consultant with a plan for her life. That plan includes making partner at her firm and purchasing a condo in Texas with her boyfriend. It does not include dealing with her bohemian family and their longstanding feud with their straight-laced neighbors. However, that plan is derailed when she accidentally upstages her temperamental boss. Banished by her boss, she is forced to return to Seattle on a career-killing assignment to try and revive a struggling tech company. Once she is home, she is immediately sent to negotiate a peace with the neighbors. Between her client, her fizzling relationship, and her family, it is hard enough for Dylan to stay on track, but when she finds herself falling for the neighbors’ son, Mike, sticking to the plan becomes near impossible. As pressure mounts, Dylan has to decide if she wants to keep checking things off of her list, or if she needs a new plan entirely.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">I love Dylan so much, even when she is messy and uptight! While coming up with her, I was inspired by the idea of a fish out of water. I think a lot of people are expected to grow up to be like Dylan—responsible, competent, and predictable. I wanted to play with the idea that what many of us are told is “normal” behavior could be absolutely bizarre to someone else.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">To write Dylan, I borrowed a few things from my life (take <i>that</i> terrible exes!). Like Dylan, I do make lists anytime I feel like things are getting a little chaotic, although I love colored markers and glitter, and Dylan would never sully a list with glitter. Both of us are Janet Jackson devotees—seriously, do not get me started on how much credit I think she deserves for normalizing female sexuality or we could be here all day. Also, both of us have perfected the OMG-this-is-bad smile. At this stage, my coworkers can spot “the smile” a mile away and know to ask what is wrong (or, maybe they know to hide from me?).</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Unlike Dylan, I’m not named for a 60s folk singer (I actually have a family name and I love it). Nor do I have an awesome corporate wardrobe (I’m a skirts and dresses with pockets kind of girl). Similarly, none of our family dogs were as well behaved as Milo, who is not well behaved so that is saying something. Our family once had a German Shepherd who chewed up three couches when we weren’t home. Feathers were everywhere. That dog was so naughty and we loved her like she was made of gold.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The biggest thing that we have in common is that both of us have loving, albeit quirky families. My family is not composed of visual artists (with the exception of my Aunt Bob), but we are creative. Like Dylan’s family, my parents gave us a lot of freedom. We had one real rule, you had to be kind. Other than that, the rules were kind of a hodgepodge of different parenting philosophies. One of my favorite childhood “rules” came from the James Brown song, <i>Hot Pants. </i>My parents would frequently quote the lyric, “Never let anyone tell you how to wear your pants.” To them, it meant that no one in the family could tell you how to dress. It also meant that I wore overalls and Doc Martens at least three days a week throughout high school. <i>Thanks, mom and dad.</i></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">To wrap it up, I hope that readers see a little bit of themselves and the people they love in this book. I also hope that readers get a break from the real world and fall in love with the Delacroix family, Mike, and Dylan—lists and all.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The Checklist</span></i></b><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Excerpt</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“Dear God. Are they trying to signal someone in outer space?” Setting her book down, Dylan unpretzeled herself from the armchair she’d been installed in. Quietly she opened her bedroom door to survey the rest of the house’s response to the neighbor’s giant motion light. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“I told you so! Now, do what you must.” Bernice’s mocking voice floated up three stories. Dylan marveled at her hearing the bedroom door open over her dad’s experimental Ghanaian drum-circle music. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“I’m on it,” Dylan called back before slinking down the stairs and grabbing her heels from over by the door. “‘Do what you must.’ Who says that?” she mumbled as she reached for the handle, already regretting how quickly she’d caved. What had she said to her mother? Something about her age and independence? Obviously, that wasn’t true. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">Cursing herself, she closed her parents’ door and began the slog to the Robinsons’ house. Although modestly painted and well landscaped, the house wasn’t entirely dissimilar to her parents’ home. However, it was scientifically impossible for the family living inside of the house to have less in common with her own. Linda and Patricia Robinson were both tech-industry big shots in their own right. Linda was a patent attorney and the recent recipient of the Latina Bar Association’s Trailblazer Award, a fact she never failed to mention. Patricia was an accomplished programmer and volunteer youth-cheerleading coach who’d even made the cover of <i>American Cheerleader</i> magazine when her all-Black squad had pulled a real-life <i>Bring It On</i>–style competition victory. Both had come through the tech boom when the industry had still employed few women, and they took absolutely no shit from anyone—including Dylan’s parents. Dylan believed her parents objected more to the Robinson women’s love of golf than their jobs. As far as Bernice was concerned, golf was like standing for hours in a glorified front lawn.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">The Robinsons had two boys around Dylan’s age, and she had been jealous of the entire family growing up. They’d gone to church and played organized sports, their clothes had always matched, and their mothers had joined the PTA. Dylan’s dad had endured a short stint with the PTA, but the Delacroix didn’t do organized anything. If Dylan had left the house wearing something that matched, it was by accident. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">Distracted by the past, Dylan had stopped paying attention to where she was walking until her foot sank into the divot near a storm drain, filling her heel with water. She cursed, her heart thwapping in her chest. Visions of her father toilet papering the neighbors’ house ran unchecked through her head. As did the memory of her mother nailing the police citation to the Robinsons’ door when it had arrived in the mail a week later. Dylan thought this was a tame response where Bernice was concerned, but it led to the Robinsons sending boxes of craft-store glitter to the house. The Robinsons had lost that round, and the joke was on them, because her mother loved glitter. It had appeared in several of her most lauded collages that year, which she’d named for Linda and Patricia Robinson when she’d taken out an ad in the <i>Seattle Times</i> to feature the work.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">Ignoring the panic sweat forming on her palms, Dylan knocked on the door, then frowned, looking down at her soaked woolen pant leg. If she didn’t dry-clean those ASAP, they were going to reek. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“One minute.” She had barely registered a man’s voice when the door swung open. “Hello.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“Uh. Hi.” Dylan’s voice cracked. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">Mike was, if possible, better looking than the last time she had seen him. His thick hair had been cut short, highlighting his high cheekbones and the ambient glow of his golden-brown skin. Time had turned him into the sort of made-for-TV manly pretty that seemed unfair for one person to achieve. The vaguely chiseled features and broad-shouldered Latino archetype that beer commercials aspired to. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">Aware that she needed to state her purpose, Dylan said the first thing she thought—“You still live here?”—and instantly regretted her decision. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“No, I’m visiting. Do you still live here?” Mike asked with an incredulous laugh. The Robinsons’ younger son filled up what felt like the entire doorframe, with one arm on the handle and the other resting comfortably on the jamb, as if being the J.Crew catalog guy were no big deal. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“I’m staying with my parents while I’m here for a work assignment. How are you?” Dylan smoothed a hand over the hem of her blouse and collected herself. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“Great. I live in Capitol Hill. I’m finishing my PhD at the U-Dub. I basically come here to bum dinner off my parents.” He smiled, and Dylan wished he still had braces. Braces had made him just above-average looking in high school. Now, hazel eyes and straight teeth made him uncomfortable to be around. Or maybe that was the vast amount of water in her shoe. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“I’m sorry. My dad’s drum circle carries all the way over here. I forgot how loud it is.” Dylan gestured around the front door with a nervous laugh. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“We’ve gotten used to it. Do you want to come in?” He stopped leaning on the frame and took a step back to let her in. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“Thank you. I . . .” Dylan nodded, then paused as her shoe squelched. Panic left the little corner of her brain and seeped all the way to its outer edges as she tried to find a graceful retreat. If she walked in, she would track muddy water into the Robinsons’ otherwise spotless home, further cementing her place in the Worst Neighbor Hall of Fame. “Actually, I really shouldn’t.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">Mike must have sensed her guilt, because his face relaxed into an easy smile. “No worries; I wouldn’t want to be seen entering the home of the enemy either.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“Oh no. It’s not that.” Dylan rushed to explain herself before she was firmly entrenched in Camp Dreadful Delacroix. “It’s just, my shoe is full of storm drain water, and your house is always spotless, and I don’t want to track it in.” She pointed erratically at her heel, which seemed more absurd now that she was drawing attention to it. What kind of Seattleite wore expensive shoes in this weather? “I promise I’m still significantly less strange than the rest of my family. Shoe thing aside.” She let her hands drop helplessly to her thighs. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">To her horror, Mike started laughing, his face cracking into a lopsided grin. “Why don’t you dump your shoe out and come in? My parents are picking up dinner, so we don’t have to tell them about the averted carpet disaster.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">“That is probably the most reasonable option,” she admitted, adopting a woman-as-flamingo pose as she tried to take off one heel while still wearing the other. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #ff2f92; font-size: 14pt;">Wobbling precariously close to a fall, Dylan threw her hand out to catch the front of the house, but instead she caught the lean muscle of Mike’s bicep as he grabbed her forearm to keep her from toppling over. Appreciating the feel of muscle under the cotton dress shirt he wore, Dylan grabbed her heel and pulled. <i>He likes the gym</i>, she thought, smiling. Those don’t just happen overnight… <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">******</span></b><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">About the Book</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57589437-the-checklist?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Qt55GawNTA&rank=2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FBPKIx9RY1Fvrw0vJ4iZqc7Y4XcWt-0M2tVKec5yaRg5OZPFSjamEIqVfcpevPd5XcYKWpUh-htsrZ4n3VaPeoVjTG0cPqriONDbw8AxXeZbSiqTZm4qDtMHMelLb_gVOJDttRsjw7s/w266-h400/TheChecklist.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Title:</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> <i>The Checklist</i></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Author:</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Addie Woolridge</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Release Date:</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> June 1, 2021</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher:</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Montlake</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Summary</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Killing it at work? Check. Gorgeous boyfriend? Check. Ambitions derailed by an insecure boss? <i>Sigh</i>—check.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Things were going a little too well for Dylan Delacroix. After upstaging her boss on a big account, she gets dispatched to the last place she wants to be: her hometown, Seattle. There, she must use her superstar corporate-consulting skills to curb the worst impulses of an impossibly eccentric tech CEO—if she doesn’t, she’s fired.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The fun doesn’t stop there: Dylan must also negotiate a ceasefire in the endless war between her bohemian parents and the straitlaced neighbors. Adding to the chaos is a wilting relationship with her boyfriend and a blossoming attraction to the neighbors’ smoking-hot son.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Suddenly Dylan has a million checklists, each a mile long. As personal and professional pressures mount, she finds it harder and harder to stay on track. Having always relied on her ability to manage the world around her, Dylan’s going to need a new plan. She may be down, but she’s definitely not out.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">About the Author</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9tX5ToREhQ-ZPTQL64A948THV-_HuvGbHbp2dtmnzP0s73iquGJmxGxEEnRjjsu3BfOwzXt62CTXmfSyI6AmEvRKd-JpNBlAKG4wmyqxJ3TMKj3mYkh3MFyzSzNP_VOZ6m8iM_953D8/s2048/AWoodridge_c+Natasha+Beale.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9tX5ToREhQ-ZPTQL64A948THV-_HuvGbHbp2dtmnzP0s73iquGJmxGxEEnRjjsu3BfOwzXt62CTXmfSyI6AmEvRKd-JpNBlAKG4wmyqxJ3TMKj3mYkh3MFyzSzNP_VOZ6m8iM_953D8/s320/AWoodridge_c+Natasha+Beale.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Born and raised outside Seattle, Washington, Addie Woolridge is a classically trained opera singer with a degree in music from the University of Southern California, and she holds a master’s degree in public administration from Indiana University. Woolridge’s well-developed characters are a result of her love for diverse people, cultures, and experiences.<br /><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Woolridge currently lives in Northern California. When she isn’t writing or singing, Woolridge can be found baking; training for her sixth race in the Seven Continents Marathon Challenge; or taking advantage of the region’s signature beverage, wine.</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Social Media:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Website: </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://addiewoolridge.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://addiewoolridge.com/</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Twitter: </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/addiewrites" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://twitter.com/addiewrites</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Instagram: </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/addiewoolridge" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.instagram.com/addiewoolridge</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Goodreads: </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20788059.Addie_Woolridge" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20788059.Addie_Woolridge</span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="07c2363f267" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f267/" id="rcwidget_x831q99w" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></o:p></p>Cristal | Book Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17366994154591636660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481916275212774152.post-19132373348983926652021-05-17T05:00:00.011-07:002021-05-17T05:00:00.186-07:00The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon<p style="text-align: center;"> <b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54303987-the-drowning-kind" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1361" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EqmyTKTQLmb8Itb9nL_iyIApBJOlpOyHLsfE2pw4UC86rDEvKS63MoiQUM-dXBR0oWEuewzFQp0BK8Be6o927K5TguA2sYAoKlghnitN_CD1fKYLIt2OF_eNyk7_fBZujDOvsNiE8FA/w266-h400/the+drowning+kind.jpg" width="266" /></a></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54303987-the-drowning-kind" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoAQcZQJOBBe2cBnU5LmiupJLdqHpCsDRkvQVDGJ-sbXxy0R_mIN0BjIiwWNVw1R3yH18kqmhIfctxXpo5lnt8GQl6jeNPLyzi2Vc27L1kt_1UhQllOEoKBjWW6CfmQkjmSFIaylk_tI/s0/Goodreads+Badge.png" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Published: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">April 6, 2021<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Publisher: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Gallery/Scout Press<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Source: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Publisher<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b><i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Be careful what you wish for.</span></i></b><i><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /><br />When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister, Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. Manic and increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie has pushed Jax away for over a year. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax arrives at the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was researching the history of their family and the property. And as she dives deeper into the research herself, she discovers that the land holds a far darker past than she could have ever imagined.<br /><br />In 1929, thirty-seven-year-old newlywed Ethel Monroe hopes desperately for a baby. In an effort to distract her, her husband whisks her away on a trip to Vermont, where a natural spring is showcased by the newest and most modern hotel in the Northeast. Once there, Ethel learns that the water is rumored to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure to what it gives.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">********</span></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="color: #ff0066; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="color: #ff0066; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">“Miracles are not witho</span></i><i style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #ff0066; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">ut their price, my darling…”</span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="color: #ff0066; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">After checking out the synopsis I was excited to read this book. I really enjoyed the dual timelines and was curious to see how everything would tie into the present day lives of Jax and her family.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Jax feels guilty for not having been there for Lexie when she needed her. So naturally after arriving back at Sparrow Crest, she wants to retrace her sisters footsteps and see what she was working on and discovered before her death. There were some things that Jax found out and that happened during her stay there that I wish had been explored more. I still have some unanswered questions about a couple of things even after finishing the book. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">The Drowning Kind</span></i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> is a creepy and atmospheric tale that is also a little bittersweet…This story perfectly demonstrates that you can never leave the past very far behind. This is a slower paced suspenseful story, that’s well written and entertaining. I enjoyed very much and look forward to reading more books by Jennifer McMahon.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #f433a7; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;">RATING: 4 OUT OF 5.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 27.600000381469727px;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">BUY THE BOOK:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866666793823242px; margin: 12pt 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #002060;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drowning-Kind-Jennifer-McMahon-ebook/dp/B08BZVMGQC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39S0DVGL4OQ2P&dchild=1&keywords=the+drowning+kind&qid=1621203386&sprefix=the+draw%2Caps%2C227&sr=8-1" style="color: purple;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;">Amazon</span></a></span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 21.466665267944336px;"> <b><span style="background-color: white; 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text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.TheLostVillageBook.com" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="728" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHwSk_r3D18ijtjCNsO0w4RRGXJv-ZfNJfA5nC0OQvX1AZxNOmkBniC0G1Ktuwpu3vR6C6rfQS9jXddopj0gnn8XAIvOwTrV1VlL90nEI2ujZgdkQm1AJChgWFjm43ltD05UJeF2ob9g/w640-h158/LostVillage_CE_728x180.gif" width="640" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></b></div><p></p><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">About the Book:</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publication: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">March 23, 2021<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Minotaur Books<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Source: </span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">Publisher<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53137992-the-lost-village" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lLCOghZW0sBzXYOZDk3Zt-dGn5m6zhLHs3uZg216jPEJ_hENeLVHm4ybBuwM8xoxcNH7bDOpFqAv5GlMeTr3YPwCdg-WK0o-DM35suX6HrVgd_fUHC6Y-CEocSAkYFnkPyRUczytBqg/w263-h400/The+Lost+Village+Image.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53137992-the-lost-village" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="41" data-original-width="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2dUmkLznRVTf0PMDlB2egmyjKR5OUkFg3ge8yCjPIz525C2DOLulf1ufExIDPE7nxJRJXFD54r8NKJJpoHLQjqeiYxn1Yrn-O6vgXvs8_-fIf-pSPCssTrAI1OwmguZxVbr7ckiBCFUU/s0/Goodreads+Badge.png" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"></span><b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;">Synopsis:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 14pt;">The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar in this brilliantly disturbing thriller from Camilla Sten, an electrifying new voice in suspense.</span></b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn—have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">But there will be no turning back.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice:</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">They are not alone.</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">They’re looking for the truth…</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">But what if it finds them first?</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;">******<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">The Lost Village</span></i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> definitely had a creepy vibe going on. The story alternated between the <i>Then</i> and the <i>Now</i>, which I really enjoyed. The <i>Now</i> /present story with Alice and her crew making a film about the village was enjoyable. As things progressed for them though, their story wasn’t as suspenseful as I had hoped it would be. And some of the things that happened, like certain choices and actions did not make any sense to me. I started to enjoy reading the <i>Then </i>flashbacks more than I did the <i>Now</i>. I was very interested in learning what evil befell a whole village. As I started inching closer to the ending of the book, I felt dread for what was happening to the characters in the past and anticipation for the whole reveal. I was hooked on the <i>Then</i> story.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;">I would categorize this book as more of a suspenseful thriller than an actual horror story. I will say that unfortunately the ending was a bit lackluster for me. Despite that, it did continually keep my interest and I enjoyed reading it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 18pt;">RATING: 3 OUT OF 5.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #833c0b; 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background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></i></span><span style="color: #203864;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-village-camilla-sten/1136846354?ean=9781250249258" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #203864; font-size: 14pt;">B&N</span></a></span><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #203864; font-size: 14pt;"> | </span></b><span style="color: #203864;"><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Camilla_Sten_The_Lost_Village?id=X9LtDwAAQBAJ&hl=en_US&gl=US" style="color: #954f72;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #203864; font-size: 14pt;">Google Books</span></a></span><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #203864; font-size: 14pt;"> <span style="background-color: white; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-D7VR1hj-wL-eKpvfSAeBoJj-JHAdi84hXRWOtxCO6IpbKmUxJ2zqPe_k-OOBUCjgtszpHPy9jcZYX-QfvHOwqGYQDpFJLbonkM1bB1T70qI32FwRgi03mcJ4bdwy_3iKVAz6Zgzha0/s352/Catherine+Bybee+Banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="352" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-D7VR1hj-wL-eKpvfSAeBoJj-JHAdi84hXRWOtxCO6IpbKmUxJ2zqPe_k-OOBUCjgtszpHPy9jcZYX-QfvHOwqGYQDpFJLbonkM1bB1T70qI32FwRgi03mcJ4bdwy_3iKVAz6Zgzha0/w400-h200/Catherine+Bybee+Banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Thank you for joining me on my stop of Catherine Bybee’s <i>Changing the Rules </i>blog tour! Catherine Bybee has created a brand-new series filled with action, romance, and characters to fall in love with. I am pleased to participate in this tour and to give you readers a glimpse into the first book and a chance to win your very own e-book copy plus a $100 Amazon gift card! Check out the excerpt below then enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post. Happy reading! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Excerpt from <i>Changing the Rules </i>by Catherine Bybee</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Claire collapsed onto the living room sofa the second she walked in the door. Not only had she suffered a headache the entire day, Cooper ran her like a trainer working an Iron Man competitor. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“That sounds like a bad day,” Jax said as she walked around the corner of the kitchen. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“You don’t want to know.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Claire flung an arm over her eyes to block out the sun. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">She heard Jax walk in the room and then exhale as she sat down. “You’re right. I don’t give a crap what happened in school, unless it involved Cooper. What I want is the details of last night after I got out of the car.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Before Cooper picked them up, Claire and Jax had agreed that Jax would give them a few minutes to have a private conversation. Now Claire regretted that plan. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“The long story, or the short story?” Claire asked. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Whatever one you want to deliver.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Claire’s arms slid off her head, and she pushed herself into a sitting position. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Cooper has a thing for me.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jax sat silent, blinked a few times. “Okay, and?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“What do you mean, ‘okay, and?’” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Sorry, Claire, but that’s obvious. I think you’d have to be an idiot to not see it. Even the guys on the team see it.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“What? Are they talking about—” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jax stopped her with a shake of the head. “Of course not. But you can tell by how they look at the two of you that they know there’s an attraction.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Claire pointed to her chest. “I’m not doing anything, it’s him.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Maybe it’s <i>more</i> him.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">She kept shaking her head. “No, it’s <i>all</i> him. I’m not instigating anything.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“You flirt with him all the time.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“I do not,” Claire huffed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">One look from Jax and she rescinded her statement. “Okay, we banter. But it’s always been like that. I have the pool stick, he makes some kind of phallic joke. It’s banter. Not flirting.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jax sat back, crossed her arms over her chest. Claire couldn’t believe her best friend was calling her out. “We’re friends. And last night he ruined that by telling me he’s had a thing for me since we met. Told me he left sunny California for dreary London because I was too young and naive to handle him when I first got here.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jax narrowed her eyes. “Is that really how he said that?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Claire’s headache was coming back. “No. He said I was a child.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“A child?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Claire stood up from the couch, started for the kitchen. “He kept repeating that I was eighteen back then.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jax followed behind. “Which is true.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Claire yanked open the fridge, pulled out a beer. “Whose side are you on?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Yours. Always. But I just don’t see where all the fire is about this. Cooper owns up to the flirting comments and puppy-dog looks he gives you, and you’re pissed because he walked away six years ago.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Like picking a lock, the pieces slid into place and finally started to click. “But he’s my friend.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Trying to say you’ve never thought of him as more?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“No.” Her denial was quick. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Jax started to smile. “You’ve never checked out his ass? The guy can fill out a pair of jeans.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Some of the anger she’d harbored all day eased. “That’s true.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“And that smile. When he’s belly laughing he has the tiniest dimples.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Claire closed her eyes, pictured his smile. She hadn’t noticed the dimples, but now that she thought about it . . . She opened her eyes to find Jax staring at her. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Sounds like you have a thing for him,” Claire said. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Wouldn’t matter if I did, and I don’t, by the way, but it wouldn’t matter. The guy can’t stop looking at you.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“God, what am I going to do with him?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“I don’t think you have to <i>do</i> anything. It’s not like he asked you out and you said no and now it’s awkward.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“You’re right. It’s worse than that.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“You’re overthinking it.” Jax pushed off the counter. “You know what, let’s gussy up a little and hit a proper happy hour. We’ll talk in German and pretend we don’t speak English and shamelessly flirt.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #203864; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Claire abandoned her beer. “Now that is exactly what I need to do and get my mind off of boys.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 20pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">**********</span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">About the Title</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTj35_xndazdXtV9BioidqNf6LP33MvT88l3VRN4ULbft6OVctgOY0zrswoNbUthDDQ5tsZtg4XnD03hO47-kgI9ItTWFbv1qKy8muC4szDS9cFwizIXVs_zDK8tLWNwrX-lbME74oJY/s1500/Changing+The+Rules+Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTj35_xndazdXtV9BioidqNf6LP33MvT88l3VRN4ULbft6OVctgOY0zrswoNbUthDDQ5tsZtg4XnD03hO47-kgI9ItTWFbv1qKy8muC4szDS9cFwizIXVs_zDK8tLWNwrX-lbME74oJY/w266-h400/Changing+The+Rules+Cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Title:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> <i>Changing the Rules</i></span></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Author:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Catherine Bybee</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Release Date:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> March 23, 2021</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Publisher:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Montlake</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Summary </span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">As an employee of MacBain Security and Solutions, Claire Kelly can certainly hold her own. Armed with an impressive set of covert skills, she’s more than prepared to tackle any job that comes her way…except one involving Cooper Lockman.</span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Cooper and Claire used to work together before his feelings for her sent him packing to Europe for six long years. But now he’s back and determined to ignore the still-smoldering heat that lingers between them.</span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Their current mission: go undercover together at a California high school to root out the mastermind behind a prostitution ring targeting young girls. The closer they get to the truth and the closer they get to each other, however, the deadlier their task becomes. As Claire and Cooper risk their lives to bring down their target, will their hearts be the final casualties?</span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">About the Author</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu-plWSBtC5BPJcQagVBgVDgXuifSdh7o2kvVADyVIwmz6Ymrmu2j9Ud0gv16alWNLQs3HwRlomBCCQXnJnwHXywcn3JNWHrTtGfUqvA5hWI61CtUhWvYNBwI7DwqZE7HJR0lRUgbBTk/s2048/Catherine+Bybee.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1638" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu-plWSBtC5BPJcQagVBgVDgXuifSdh7o2kvVADyVIwmz6Ymrmu2j9Ud0gv16alWNLQs3HwRlomBCCQXnJnwHXywcn3JNWHrTtGfUqvA5hWI61CtUhWvYNBwI7DwqZE7HJR0lRUgbBTk/w160-h200/Catherine+Bybee.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">New York Times, Wall Street Journal, </span></i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">and<i> USA Today</i> bestselling author Catherine Bybee has written twenty-eight books that have collectively sold more than five million copies and have been translated into more than eighteen languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Not Quite Series, the Weekday Brides Series, the Most Likely To Series, and the First Wives Series.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Social Media Links</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Website:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.catherinebybee.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.catherinebybee.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Facebook:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCatherineBybee" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCatherineBybee</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Twitter:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/catherinebybee" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://twitter.com/catherinebybee</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Goodreads:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2905789.Catherine_Bybee" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2905789.Catherine_Bybee</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /><br /></span><b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 20pt;">Giveaway!!</span></i></b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 20pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #c00000; font-size: 20pt;"><br /></span></i></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif" style="color: #c00000;"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="07c2363f266" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f266/" id="rcwidget_s2bsdduu" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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