I am an avid reader and reviewer. I am open for review requests please contact me at Cnnamongirl at aol dot com. I work with big name publishers and indie publishers alike. I am on launch and street teams and have MANY NetGalley and GoodReads reviews up. I love all animals and I am a vegetarian. Thank you for joining me here.
Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.
My favorite shoes are still my Converse . I have many pairs in many colors, low tops and high tops and even a pair of wine colored velvet high top ones. They’ve taken me to casual places , for walks, to appointments, the library and everywhere in between.
Share one of the best gifts you’ve ever received.
Material things you accumulate, so many come and go. They can get broken, scratched, lost or you lose interest in them. While I am grateful for every gift given to me my biggest blessings are not material. The greatest gifts I have are the love of my family and pets.
Publisher Amazon Original Stories February 1, 2025, publication date 4823 KB file size
ABOUT THE BOOK
An American mathematician’s assignment in Russia spirals into a high-stakes maze of shifting loyalties and intrigue in a propulsive short thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child.
Nathan Tyler is an unassuming professor at a middling American university with a rather obscure specialty in mathematics—in short, a nobody from nowhere. So why is the White House calling? Summoned to Washington, DC, for a top-secret briefing, Nathan discovers that he’s the key to a massive foreign intelligence breakthrough. Reading between the lines of a cryptic series of equations, he could open a door straight into the heart of the Kremlin and change the global balance of power forever. All he has to do is get to a meeting with the renowned Russian mathematician who created it. But when Nathan crashes headlong into a dangerous new game, the odds against him suddenly look a lot steeper.
MY THOUGHTS
This is a Lee Child short story and is not part of the Reacher series instead focusing on a mathematician sent on a high stakes’ assignment in Russia. Dealing with foreign intelligence and a cryptic series of equations.
A quick read that was fun and had a surprise twist I just didn’t see coming.
Those mathematically inclined may be interested in this though it does get into the security aspect of things as well. Fast paced and now my husband needs to read this as this is one of his favorite authors.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Lee Child is one of the world’s leading thriller writers. He was born in Coventry, raised in Birmingham, and now lives in New York. It is said one of his novels featuring his hero Jack Reacher is sold somewhere in the world every nine seconds. His books consistently achieve the number-one slot on bestseller lists around the world and have sold over one hundred million copies. Two blockbusting Jack Reacher movies have been made so far. He is the recipient of many awards, most recently Author of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards. He was appointed CBE in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Photography © Sigrid Estrada
My husband is a big fan of the Reacher series. What about you have you read any in this series?
Have a great day. Thank you for stopping in.
250 pages February 10, 2025 publication date Storm publishing
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the cozy town of Redwood Grove, Annie Murray’s Valentine’s Day plans take a sinister turn when a beloved pillar of the local community is found dead at her Agatha Christie-inspired bookshop.
As Annie assists the lead detective in unraveling the mystery, she quickly identifies a host of likely suspects – from an oddball psychic, to a professional matchmaker, to a rival bookseller – each with a worryingly plausible motive.
With her keen eye for detail, soon Annie suspects there may be connections to the decade-old tragedy of her best friend’s death, which still haunts her. Putting her own Valentine’s Day plans with the irresistible Liam on hold, Annie must solve the crime – before she ends up on a hot date with a killer.
This charming and utterly addictive cozy mystery will keep you guessing until the very end. Fans of Tonya Kappes, Lauren Elliott and Ellery Adams will love this murder mystery with a dash of romance.
MY THOUGHTS
I’ve been enjoying this series, I mean you can’t go wrong with a series taking place in a bookshop with lots of mentions of a coffee shop.
The theme of Valentines Day was great, and I could vividly visualize the lovely decorations and the scrumptious dinner in the fun matchmaking event.
Fast paced with a collection of characters with pretty even tempers but can you really trust them to be who they seem to be.
Though this is a series this can easily be read as a standalone.
I enjoyed our main character and seeing how her relationship is developing along with everyone else’s this Love Weekend as the matchmaking is in full force.
Small town charm is in abundance with our main character once again getting right in there helping to solve the crime. Not too heavy of a mystery this time with a nice blend of romance, intrigue, small town charm and friendships.
Sorry to see this is the next to last book in this series.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
LLIE ALEXANDER is a voracious storyteller, a lover of words and all things bookish. She believes that stories have the ability to transport and transform us. With over thirty published novels and counting, her goal is to tell stories that provide points of connection, escape, and understanding.
She loves inhabiting someone else’s skin through the pages of a book and is passionate about helping writers find their unique storytelling lens. As a writing teacher and coach, she guides writers in crafting the story they’ve always wanted to tell while navigating the path to publication that’s right for them.
Find out more about Ellie, her books, and writing courses by visiting her online:
Website: https://www.elliealexander.co/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_alexander
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/elliealexanderauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elliealexanderauthor
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elliealexanderauthor
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ellielovesbooks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/elliealexanderauthor
Have a wonderful weekend. Thank you for stopping in.
Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?
No, I’m certainly not perfect but I haven’t broken laws, not even in youth. Let’s just not talk about the time I skipped a class. If that’s the only kind of “law breaking” I’ve done I think that’s pretty good.
368 pages Bethany House Publishers April 01,2025 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
In 1874, a battered woman awakens atop a forgotten gravesite by Lake Superior. Identified only by the locket around her neck inscribed with the name Rebecca, she seeks refuge with an elderly lighthouse keeper named Edgar. But as Rebecca struggles to remember who she is, she finds herself haunted by the lingering memories of Annabel, a mysterious woman who perished in the unforgiving waves of Lake Superior years earlier. With the spirit of Annabel seemingly reawakened, and an unknown adversary on the hunt to silence Rebecca once and for all, there is more at stake than just reclaiming her own memories. Rebecca must reclaim Annabel’s as well.
In the present day, author and researcher Shea Radclyffe escapes to the lighthouse outside a historic mining town in Michigan, seeking clarity about her failing marriage. Instantly drawn to the lighthouse’s landlord, Shea contends with the vengeful legend of Annabel’s ghost and a superstitious community that has buried the secrets surrounding a decade-old murder. As the secrets harbored around Annabel’s lighthouse unravel, Shea must navigate a fight of torn loyalty, self-discovery, and the haunting forces of love and a vengeance that should have drowned a century before.
MY THOUGHTS
Tempest at Annabel’s Lighthouse is another book by Jaime Jo Wright. This one doesn’t have the degree of creepiness some of the other books have but it’s just as good. This one has a slower build up than her previous books.
The locals keep the ghostly legend alive of the haunted lighthouse.
Taking place in two time periods this time slip takes place on the southern shores of Lake Superior.
The setting of the wild storms and crashing waves against the shores sets the book up for the perfect haunting story. Lighthouses are fascinating with many things both good and bad connected with them, ships coming in and rescues.
There are many secrets in both time periods and some unexpected family drama. When the story got going there were some very unexpected twists and turns that kept me reading late into the night, as it always is with the author’s books.
I love a lighthouse story, and this one kept my attention. I excitedly look forward to whatever the author will have out next.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.
MEET THE AUTHOR
aime Jo Wright, multi award-winning author–including the Christy and Daphne du Maurier awards–is a coffee-fueled and cat-fancier extraordinaire. She has entwined her life with the legendary Captain Hook, residing serenely in Wisconsin’s rural woodlands. Her literary vocation involves penning chilling Gothic tales, a baffling change from that of Austenites, with a strong preference to the master of dark, Edgar Allan Poe. Two mischievous urchins adorn their family, who keep their mother on her toes – providing an exhilarating amount chaos.
Visit her at: http://www.jaimewrightbooks.com and listen to her podcast MadLit Musings on your favorite podcast player or at http://www.madlitmusings.com
I hope you’re having a nice day. Thank you for stopping in.
Happy Friday & Happy Valentine’s Day & welcome to First Line Friday hosted at Reading is my Super Power! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line. Today I’m delighted to feature The Angel of Second Street by Barbara Tifft Blakey who is a new to me author.
FIRST LINE
Saturday, July 19,1884, Eureka, California
Ida Dempsey pinned her bonnet on and skipped down the staircase, eager to enjoy the church picnic among the redwoods.
ABOUT THE BOOK
How Can Compassion be Considered Wrong?
When life is weighed down by challenges, pillars of enduring hope and love are always waiting to be discovered.
Ida Dempsey has grown up in a privileged life of luxury thanks to her aunt and uncle. Although Second Street—where women of ill repute ply their wares—is off limits to respectable citizens, her heart of compassion compels her to frequent the area, hoping to make a difference in their lives. Ida has also befriended Qui Shau, a Chinese woman who keeps house for her family, but friendships between the whites and Chinese are taboo in Eureka. Ida tries to keep secret her forbidden compassion, but someone is watching and will use it against her.
When Blaine Prescott meets Ida at a church picnic, his parents warn him away from any relationship with the young lady who has been seen on Second Street in the company of a Chinese woman. But how could such a kindhearted, lovely young woman be anything but good? But when riots break out in Chinatown and Ida disappears, Blaine will do anything to find out where and why she has gone.
Other books in the Enduring Hope series include:
The Undercover Heiress of Brockton by Kelly Goshorn
Publisher : Barbour Fiction (May 1, 2025)
Publication date : May 1, 2025
This sounds so good. Hope I can get to it soon.
What are the first lines from your current book?
Have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping in.
At my age my mother was done raising me and had pets she cared for with my help. I was out working and contributed to the household expenses and bought my own food.
304 pages Bethany House Publishers F4b 4,2025 publication date
ABOUT THE BOOK
In a land of gold and grit, can two hearts uncover the true treasure?
In 1875 California, Brody MacKenzie arrives at the Two Harts Ranch on a mission to find his runaway brothers, worried they may have fallen into harm. Instead, he discovers them thriving at the ranch’s school and orphanage under the care of Ellie Hart, a woman with a heart as resilient as the land she calls home. His options limited, Brody reluctantly takes on the role of ranch doctor, and he forms an unexpected bond with Ellie, who’s kept a steady eye on Brody’s two rapscallion brothers. When the boys show him a mysterious journal that has been guiding their travels and may hold the key to a lost treasure, Brody and Ellie are captivated by the possibility of a thrilling adventure.
With winter approaching and his brothers threatening to bolt again, Brody and Ellie race against time to decipher cryptic clues and unearth the hidden fortune. But along the way, old adversaries resurface, threatening their newfound affection and the safety of those at the ranch.
Whispers of Fortune is a kisses-only western historical romance with plenty of witty banter, action-packed adventure, and a heartwarming happily-ever-after. It’s the first book in the Golden State Treasure series and can be read as a standalone.
MY THOUGHTS
Such an exciting start to the newest series by Mary Connealy, the Golden State Treasure series. This takes place in 1875 in California on the Two Harts Ranch.
I see this has a great mix of characters with a variety of personalities. They mix together to form an interesting and exciting book.
A nice blend of faith, brotherly love, a bit of a mystery and romance kept my attention.
I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by the author. There’s a bit of western ruggedness with a bit of hardship that you have to keep reading to see if things will improve.
I loved the concept of the treasure hunt which occupied a good bit of the book. I loved the reunion of the brothers, and the teen brothers are rascals for sure, but I can see them settling down in future books.
This book is the perfect set up for the upcoming books in the series and I can’t wait to read them.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is independently publishing a contemporary romantic suspense series called Garrison’s Law, book one is Loving the Texas Lawman. Her new historical series, High Sierra Sweethearts begins with The Accidental Guardian. She is also the author of these series: Kincaid Brides, Trouble in Texas, Wild at Heart, Cimarron Legacy, Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages and Sophie’s daughters, and has man other books.
She is a two-time Carol Award winner and has been a finalist for the Rita and Christy Awards. She’s a lifelong Nebraskan and lives with her very own romantic cowboy hero. She’s got four grown daughters and four spectacular grandchildren.
Find Mary online at:
Her website: maryconnealy.com
Her blog for aspiring writers: Seekerville
Her blog for lovers of western romance: Petticoats & Pistols
Sign up for her newsletter at maryconnealy.com/newsletter
Mary is on Facebook at facebook.com/maryconnealy
And Twitter at twitter.com/maryconnealy
Give an extra smile to someone today. Thank you for stopping in.
Write about your dream home.
I don’t really have a dream home. A dream home to me is one where my family is happy and healthy our pets are well cared for and loved and laughter rings out. And we have this so I believe we have our dream home. 🏡😺🐾😃
Vegan Book Blogger