Author: deanne01

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.

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Blog tour for The Bookseller of Paris by Suzanne Kelman  Books On Tour

ABOUT THE BOOK

Paris, 1940: Madeline tries to scream, but she can’t breathe. A German soldier is working to free her from the rubble – but if he reaches her, he will find the books hidden beneath her clothes…

When the Germans seize Paris, its peaceful streets fill with terror overnight, and nowhere is safe. Desperate to help her friends, Parisian bookseller Madeline Valette turns her bookshop into a sanctuary for those in hiding, but she knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s found out.

So when she is asked to join the Resistance and smuggle banned books from Berlin, she accepts, desperate to defy the Nazis. And while she wants to save precious books from destruction, she also hopes her trips to Germany might help her find the last living connection she has to her beloved husband…

Because Madeline has received a letter from a German woman called Ada, the mother of her husband’s son. Facing persecution, the Jewish boy is in terrible danger. But where are they now, and can Madeline help them before it’s too late?

When Madeline finally finds Ada and the child, she realises Ada is at the mercy of a high-ranking Nazi official and both their lives are now at risk. Can Madeline get them to safety? Or will the unthinkable happen to this innocent child?

The second unputdownable novel in the Paris Sisters series, this is the story of two women’s bravery in the face of the darkness of the Second World War. Perfect for fans of Roberta Kagan, Kristin Hannah, and Fiona Valpy.

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MY THOUGHTS

I knew as soon as I started this book, I wouldn’t be able to put it down and it kept me reading until the wee hours of the morning.
This is a series which I strongly suggest you read in order. Book 0 is The Paris Orphans, book 1 is The Last Day in Paris and this is the Paris Sisters series.

I’ve read most all of the author’s books, and I’m always so impressed by how well researched the books are. She adds little known facts about WWII into her books making them so realistic that I feel as though I could take the hand of the scared and crying child in the book and comfort them.

With this being a dual timeline at times you don’t make the connection right away in some books, not the case here. I very much enjoyed meeting one of the characters as a child in one of the timelines and seeing them as an adult as well. We are shown how the effects of the war and all they had to go through affected who they became.

During WWII ordinary people, many of them women became heroes as they exhibited extraordinary bravery far above what they though themselves capable of.
Highly recommended!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Suzanne Kelman is a 2015 Academy of Motion Pictures Nicholl Finalist, Multi-Award-Winning Screenwriter and a Film Producer. As well as working in film she is also an International Amazon Bestselling Fiction Author of the Southlea Bay Series – The Rejected Writers’ Book Club, Rejected Writers Take the Stage and The Rejected Writers’ Christmas Wedding. Born in the United Kingdom, she now resides in Washington State.

https://www.suzannekelmanauthor.com/

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https://www.instagram.com/suzkelman/

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Suzanne Kelman here: https://www.bookouture.com/suzanne-kelman

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CWLBYS1Csocial

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

Enjoy your day. Thank you for stopping in.

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The Paris Orphans: A heart-wrenching and moving WW2 historical fiction short story (The Paris Sisters)

88 pages Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bookouture (January 17, 2024)

ABOUT THE BOOK

Clutching her suitcase tightly to hide her trembling hands, Charlotte takes a steadying breath. This is the most dangerous thing she has ever done, but the lives of five innocent children are depending on her. I can do this…

Paris, 1943: As Charlotte rushes into the station, she can feel the unmistakeable chill of being watched. Turning her head, she catches the eye of a Nazi guard, and forces herself to slow down. Not today, please not today…

Reaching the platform, she sees her sisters Isabelle, Madeline, Antoinette and Gigi waiting with five children, fear etched onto their young faces. As she gets closer, Charlotte can see each child has a faded patch on their coat where a yellow star has been carefully unpicked.

Once she and the children are onboard, Charlotte turns and stares down at her sisters on the platform. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tries to imprint their beloved faces in her mind. And as the whistle blows, she presses her hand to the cold glass, murmuring a silent prayer that her sisters will be safe, and that they will all meet again…

As she turns her attention back to the children in her care, her heart breaks to see tears glistening in their eyes. Taking a deep breath, she promises that they will be safe, that she won’t let anything happen to them. But has Charlotte just made a promise she can’t possibly keep?

The prequel to the Paris Sisters series, this short story tells a tale of bravery and determination in the face of the darkness of the Second World War. Perfect for fans of Roberta Kagan, Kristin Hannah, and Fiona Valpy.

MY THOUGHTS

Oh, I really love this author’s books. So realistic, your heart beats faster as you read while holding your breath. A brave young woman, one of five sisters, Charlotte takes with their parent’s permission, 5 children on a train ride. Thinking to take them out of the city away from the Gestapo’s as the children are Jewish away to safety. Children under twelve don’t need papers and she has her false identification papers with her. The train ride is long, and you can feel the fear pouring off the children as the German police are everywhere. Charlotte stays brave in the face of danger for the children’s sake and knows the trip is not much longer and they will be free of danger. When it’s discovered one of the children has a forbidden item and then she is betrayed by the one she thought she could trust who will she turn to and what will happen to the children? This is the prequel to the Paris Sisters series and ends in a cliff hanger, so I’ll need to continue reading it to find out what happens. I eagerly look forward to finding out what happens to the characters whose bravery shines.

Free download on Amazon here. I’m not sure if it’s free in any other countries besides the US right now.

THE AUTHOR

Suzanne Kelman an Amazon bestselling author in America, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, and her books have sold over 400,000 copies worldwide accumulated 10 rights deals across eight territories. Her WW2 historical fiction books are published by Bookouture – an imprint for Hachette U.K.

She is also the author of the bestselling book, “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club”, published by Lake Union, which is the first book in the Southlea Bay series. Other books in the series include, “Rejected Writers Take the Stage” and “The Rejected Writers’ Christmas Wedding”.

Kelman is an award-winning writer/screenwriter whose accolades include the Best Comedy Feature Screenplay Award from the L.A. International Film Festival, the Gold Award from the California Film Awards, and the Van Gogh Award from the Amsterdam Film Festival.

In 2015 her script, Held, was recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures and was shortlisted to the top ten in the Academy Of Motion Pictures Nichols Fellowship competition.

As well as a screenwriter and a published author, Suzanne is also a playwright, and her award-winning comedy play, “Over My Dead Body”, had its World Premiere at Outcast Theatre in Washington, Fall 2019.

Born in the United Kingdom, Suzanne now resides in Washington State.

Please sign up for her newsletter to stay in touch – https://www.suzannekelmanauthor.com

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Peach Tea Smash (A Tea Shop Mystery) by Laura Childs

320 pages Berkley publisher August 6, 2024 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

Murder at an Alice in Wonderland–themed event threatens to send Theodosia Browning through the looking glass in the latest entry in this New York Times bestselling series.

During the Mad Hatter Masquerade, a fundraiser hosted by the Friends of the Opera on the grounds of the old Pendleton Grist Mill, Harlan Sadler, husband of Cricket Sadler, the chairwoman, is killed. He’s been hit in the head with a croquet mallet, and his body hung on the chains and paddles of the grist mill. Nobody can figure out why since Harlan was much beloved by everyone. It’s only after Cricket and Delaine beg Theodosia to investigate that she realizes the killer might have mistaken Harlan for his crazy son, Duke. After all, Duke is a slum landlord and recently injured a woman in a boating accident.

Photo by Maksim Goncharenok on Pexels.com

MY THOUGHTS

I really enjoy this series. I own most of the books in the series and they are all worth a reread.
Once again Theodosia is front and center again conveniently asking questions and nosing around to solve the crime. Some of the things she did took me by surprise as I’m not too sure they’re safe.

A fundraiser with a Mad Hatter Masquerade party goes horribly wrong when a body is found in the old Pendleton Grist Mill.
The deceased, Harlan Sadler is the husband of the chairwoman, involved in banking and all-around friendly guy liked by all who know him.

As his wife Cricket begs Theodosia for her help, past relationships are uncovered, and things may not all be as friendly as assumed. With red herrings and the list of suspects growing this one had me thinking the suspect may have been several different people.

Set in historical Charleston, the author easily brings it to life with her vivid descriptions adding a delightful flavor to her mysteries.

I always enjoy reading about the different themed teas Theodosia and Drayton have. The themed teas with the Indigo Tea Shop being decorated and the different teas and meals to go with it sounds like so much fun.

I’m all in for reading more of my favorite tea shop cozy mysteries.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fund raising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

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Daily Prompt: Meal money

What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?

The most I’ve spent personally was around $30. I don’t believe a meal needs to be fancy or expensive to be delicious. Most of the time I prefer eating at home anyways. I have been taken out for a more costly meal though and though the meal was delicious I’m not sure it was worth the cost. I mean I didn’t have to  cook it and that’s worth something but yet again I enjoy cooking and baking.

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Love and Lavender (Proper Romance Mayfield Family Regency Series) (Proper Romance: Mayfield Family, 4) 

320 pages Shadow Mountain publisher October 31, 2021 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Mayfield Family Romance – Vol. 4 in the standalone series

Hazel Stillman is a woman of rare independence and limited opportunities. Born with a clubbed foot, Hazel knows marriage is unlikely, so she devotes herself to teaching at a private girls’ school.

When her uncle offers Hazel a substantial inheritance if she marries, she is offended. What kind of decent man would marry for her money? But when she learns the school might be sold, she knows she must consider all her options.

Duncan Penhale thrives on order and process. He has no interest in marriage, so when Elliott Mayfield, his guardian’s brother, offers him an inheritance if he weds, Duncan finds it intrusive. However, an inheritance means he could purchase a building and run his own accounting firm.

Hazel and Duncan believe they have found a solution to both of their problems: marry one another, claim their inheritances, and then part ways to enjoy their individual paths. But then Uncle Mayfield stipulates that they must first live together as a couple for one year.

Over time, their marriage of convenience becomes much more appealing than they had anticipated. At the end of the full year, will they go their separate ways or could an unlikely marriage have found unsuspecting love?

MY THOUGHTS

Thought this is the fourth and final book in the Mayfield Family series it is the first I have read. I enjoyed it so much though that I will be looking for the others in the series as well.

Every time I read a regency romance from this author I just fall more in love with her writing.

Hazel and Duncan are settled in life, used to routine and don’t like when it’s changed. She has limited mobility due to a club foot and because of it she doesn’t expect to marry. She’s happily settled into her routine of teaching.

Duncan is extremely smart, visiting other businesses around town and learning all he can from them in his spare time. Duncan is also autistic; has a few quirks and doesn’t think he’ll be able to find anyone to marry that can put up with his originality and exacting ways.

In this early 1800’s regency taking place in London the characters are both a bit quirky in their own way. When it becomes known there is an inheritance for each of them, but they need to marry and live as husband and wife for one year first.

A marriage of convenience is born with neither of them going into this for love. I enjoyed seeing the interaction between the main characters and how he set out to prove how he really felt about her time after time giving her all the time and space she needed. Will love grow or will these characters go their separate ways after the required year is up?

The characters are complex and have difficult backstories but together they are able to move forward and past these times.

Wow, this book is so sweet and emotional. The love story was realistically and beautifully brought to life.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

Josi S. Kilpack has written more than thirty novels, a cookbook, and several novellas. She is a four-time Whitney award winner, including Best Novel in 2015 and 2019, and has been a Utah Best of State winner for Fiction. Josi loves to bake, sleep, eat, read, travel, and watch TV–none of which she gets to do as much as she would like. She writes contemporary fiction under the pen name Jessica Pack.

Josi has four children and lives in Northern Utah. For more information about Josi, you can visit her website at http://www.josiskilpack.com or her blog at http://www.josikilpack.blogspot.com

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Daily Prompt: Happiness 😊

List 30 things that make you happy.

A warm soft quilt on my bed on a cold day and I’m cuddling with my cats, drinking tea and reading.

My husband

My children

A nice cold drink of water on a hot day

Being in nature, seeing animals, birds and photographing it

Reading and learning about historical facts

Visiting historical buildings

Reading and reviewing

My blog

Eating a healthy meal

Exercising or walking and feeling energized

Hanging laundry outside to be air dried

Traveling with my husband and children

My families good health

Living in a country that has fresh water, utilities readily available and indoor plumbing

Bird songs from nature

Music I enjoy listening to while walking

An interesting and informative tv program

Enjoying a meal and relaxing with family

An evening if playing board games

The freedom to live in a country where women have rights and freedom to make choices

Helping someone in need

The smell of many baking things, Italian foods, vanilla , pumpkin spice etc

Cuddling with my cats and giving them treats

Changing a room around and putting up new decorations

Working hard cleaning, doing yard work etc. and getting that sense of accomplishment

Getting my library books read and returning them to the library before their due date

Getting a sincere compliment

Having someone do chores around the house without being asked

Lots of other things too 😁

Thanks for stopping in. 😊

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Fondue or Die: A Cheese Shop Mystery (Cheese Shop Mysteries, 5)

304 pages St. Martins Paperbacks 22 October 2024 publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

In Korina Moss’s Fondue or Die, the lazy, hazy, dairy days of summer are coming to a close in the Sonoma Valley. . . and so is someone’s life.

The small town of Yarrow Glen’s neighbor, Lockwood, hosts an annual Labor Day weekend bash: Dairy Days. And Willa Bauer and her cheese shop, Curds & Whey, refuse to miss out on the fun. Willa is thrilled to celebrate her favorite thing―she is a cheesemonger after all―and this festival goes all out: butter sculptures, goat races, cheese wheel relays, even a Miss Dairy pageant. Too bad the pageant runner, Nadine, is treating Dairy Days prep like it’s fondue or die and is putting everyone around her on edge. When Willa finds Nadine’s dead body under years’ worth of ceramic milk jugs, the police aren’t sure whether the death was an accident. But fingers are pointing at Willa’s employee, Mrs. Schultz, who steps in to help the pageant after Nadine’s death. Someone wanted Nadine out of the whey, and Willa is going to find out who.

AI Image

MY THOUGHTS

If you were to ask me what the perfect food was, I’d have to say cheese, mixed with things and alone so I’m sure this is the perfect series for me to read and review.

Fondue or Die is the fifth book in the Cheese Shop cozy mystery series and like the others it’s delectable. Everyone loves a summer festival, and the hot, lazy days are perfect for the Labor Day weekend bash: Dairy Days.

Booths filled with delicious and refreshing cheeses and other dairy products, butter sculptures, cow contests and other things all take a backseat when the Miss Dairy pageant starts as it’s the main attraction and has been for years.

Curds & Whey owner, Willa Bauer once again finds herself embroiled in a riveting case to solve when behind the scenes things are not as calm as they appear.

An engaging cozy mystery that was a fast read that kept my attention. I liked the characters, and the reveal took me by surprise. Looking forward to more in the series.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

THE AUTHOR

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Agatha Award-winning Cheese Shop Mystery series (St. Martin’s Press) set in the Sonoma Valley. Her books have been featured in PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World, AARP, and Fresh Fiction. Her short stories have been included in the mystery anthologies Crime Travel and Death by Cupcake. She lives and writes in a small town in New England. To learn more about her, visit her website at korinamossauthor.com

Have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping in.

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Saved by the Matchmaker (A Shanahan Match Book #2): (An Arranged Marriage Historical Romance Novel Set in 1800’s St Louis) 

346 pages Bethany House Publishers 5 August publication date

ABOUT THE BOOK

After her annulment is finalized, Enya Shanahan finds herself caught in a web of scandal and obligation while carrying a secret that threatens to shatter her family’s reputation. Determined to find a suitable marriage for Enya, her father turns to a wily matchmaker to save them from their circumstances.

Sullivan O’Brien, a steamboat captain committed to aiding enslaved people on their path to freedom, is faced with an ultimatum from his father. Forced to marry or lose his livelihood, a marriage of convenience seems to be the only solution. As he and Enya face the trials of their pasts and a city consumed by fire, they must confront their deepest fears and learn to trust in love, even when darkness threatens to engulf them.

MY THOUGHTS

Though this easy can be read as a standalone I’d suggest you read the series in order. I loved the first book in the series, and I think this one was even better.

Once again, the matchmaker is called upon, with different circumstantial needs the couple has a marriage of convenience. A previous marriage had her thinking she was in love, and he loved her until she realized it wasn’t true.

He has insecurities due to past circumstances. I loved how gentle and understanding Sullivan was. He didn’t rush her into anything. He knew she was hurting from her past relationship and not ready to trust another man yet. He goes out of his way to ensure her happiness, security and trustworthiness not caring it was at the expense of himself.

Time and again he proves to her he is not like the one who abandoned her and he can be trusted.

I loved Enya and Sullivan’s characters and how he gave her all the time she needed to trust him and fall in love. I couldn’t put this down and highly recommend it to all lovers of historical fictional romance.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book all opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over fifty books and is the winner of numerous awards. She writes sweet, clean historical romances with plenty of sizzle (but without the spice).

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Daily Prompt: curiosity?

What are you curious about?

I am like a kid with my curiosity. Always asking questions, wanting to know, wanting to learn  Curiosity and willingness to learn keep you going in life, at least they do me

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Happy Publication Day and Blog Tour for The Treehouse of Dreams by K.T. Dady

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Treehouse of Dreams

Welcome to Pepper Bay, where you’ll find love, drama, and a happily ever after.

Snuggle down with this cosy, feel-good, comfort read that whisks you away to a beautiful bay on the Isle of Wight – Perfect for fans of Christie Barlow, Alison Sherlock, Rachael Lucas, and Holly Martin.

The Pepper Bay books are standalone stories, best read in order, that intertwine with recurring characters.

The Treehouse of Dreams: When Willow Silverpays for a psychic drawing of her soulmate, she truly believes that one day he will come into her life, not that she has any time for love. She’s busy helping run the family garden centre. Plus, her best friend, Cody, is staying with her for a while, so she doesn’t feel she could run off in the name of love and abandon everyone, even when she bumps into a man who looks exactly like the one in the drawing.

MY THOUGHTS

The Pepper Bay series is a must-read series for me. I’ve read many of the books in it and the characters have become like friends to me. I just love meeting the new characters introduced but at the same time knowing some of the characters from previous books is great too. Though I’d recommend reading all in the series each is a standalone and can be read separately.

Willow Silver is busy, so busy she doesn’t have time to date around to find “the one.” After visiting a psychic, she has a drawing of her soulmate and enlists her best friend who’s been there for her through thick and thin. She just knows he’ll help her connect with her soulmate. And he does, in a way totally unexpected for her.

An unexpected love story that is fun, whimsical and such a treat to read.

Greatly looking forward to the next book by the author.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

VISIT OTHER BLOGS ON THE TOUR

Purchase Link-

https://www.amazon.com/Treehouse-Dreams-Pepper-Bay-Book-ebook/dp/B0CJ71V2LL

MEET THE AUTHOR

Author Bio – Hello, I’m K.T. Dady. I’m the bestselling author of the Pepper Bay series. I’m also a chocolate lover, mum to a grown-up daughter, and a huge fan of a HEA. I was born and raised in the East End of London, and I’ve been happily writing stories since I was a little girl. When I’m not writing, I’m reading, baking cakes, or pottering around in my little garden in Essex, trying not to kill the flowers.

Social Media Links –

Welcome

https://www.instagram.com/kt_dady

https://www.facebook.com/ktdady