SWEET SALT AIR by Barbara Delinsky

Are you a beach lover?

SWEET SALT AIR by Barbara Delinsky

Should we accept the life we have been given, or always search for something else?

After ten years of separation, friends Charlotte and Nicole have reunited on Quinnipeague Island to collaborate on a cookbook about unique delicacies of the island cuisine.  While apart each built a life with Charlotte writing about her travels around the world, and Nicole settled into the life of a doctor’s wife and envied blogger.  However, Nicole wonders if the book they are producing will fix whatever drove Charlotte from their friendship.

Nicole’s can capture the recipes for each delight while Charlotte will write to capture that there is so much more than just food on the table when it is prepared with love.  Nicole and Charlotte know the peace the island can provide as well as the joy of just dipping a toe in the ocean.  An unexpected surprise for Charlotte is her discovery of Leo Cole, an island loner with a terrible reputation and worse attitude.  Charlotte is drawn to this dark and foreboding man and dares to push the relationship envelope with him regardless of whether he lets her into the one place no one is allowed to visit, his mother’s garden.  There are legends born around this mystical place and Charlotte wants to examine it but is it the garden or Leo she wants to know more about. 

Mystery is the spice of life but secrets are the danger lurking around the corner ready to ruin everything.  Nicole never quite understood why Charlotte took off and when the answer to that question is revealed Charlotte prior poor decision is about to intersect with Nicole’s present life in a most shocking fashion

Barbara Delinsky has produced a literary masterpiece of life, love, tragedy, and answering the question about what you do when your life does not follow your carefully constructed plan.

Aloha to Rochelle Alers and HAVEN CREEK

The Hawaiian word of the day is 

Kahawai.

It is creek.

It is a derivative of wai - water - the essence of life.   Rochelle Alers writes about seaside life in her Cavanaugh Island series, including HAVEN CREEK, available May 28 from Forever Romance:

Home is where the heart is. 

Architect Morgan Dane has always lived according to a plan, crossing off her achievements one by one. But when she's offered her dream job-the restoration of historic Angels Landing Plantation on beautiful Cavanaugh Island-Morgan's life takes an unexpected turn.

Carpenter Nathaniel Shaw once took a big chance on commitment-and lost. Needing the healing comforts of home, he returns to Haven Creek to join the family business. Nothing in the small town has changed-except for Morgan Dane. The wallflower he knew in high school has grown into a beautiful woman . . . and stirs feelings Nate isn't sure he's ready for.

Together Nate and Morgan find a happiness neither could have predicted. But when secrets from the past come to light, their budding relationship is threatened. Will they play it safe, or risk their hearts to build a life together?

I am giving away a print copy of HAVEN CREEK to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  What would be your dream job?

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through midnight tonight in Hawaii.   I'll contact the winner by email so I can mail the book before I depart for Korea.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

To learn more about Rochelle and her books, check out her website rochellealers.org.

THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE by Beth Ciotta

Tell me what nickname you go by or what would you like to have as one?

THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE by Beth Ciotta

Always fight for what you want

Rochelle “Rocky” Monroe has always known that regardless of what would come at her she was prepared for it, mostly.  Rocky is starting up a B&B, writing a cookbook with her other cupcake lovers, and trying hard to stay away from what she wants the most in life Jayce Bello. 

With their up, down and all around  relationship path making Rocky crazy she has been successful keeping her distance from Jayce.  All her great plans fell apart when Rocky has to visit the Big Apple to finalize the cookbook details.  In a quick blink, she finds herself the victim of a mugging and looking for Jayce’s strong arms to keep her safe.  After swearing to never let him near her again Rocky spends her time negotiating some both a great book deal and time with Jayce.

What Rocky thought was a quick revisit of prior intimacy she returns home to a lot of questions and Jayce relocating to his childhood home.  Staying away became impossible for Rocky and she is glad he is right beside her as someone is trying to take her bad luck and turn into a permanent state of disaster.

Great fun characters surrounded by an amazing story carries this series into the must read category.

Aloha to Liza Palmer and NOWHERE BUT HOME

The Hawaiian word of the day is

Kauhale.

It is home.

Liza Palmer celebrates kauhale in her recent release, NOWHERE BUT HOME:

Bestselling author Liza Palmer carries readers to North Star, Texas, in the amusing and poignant Nowhere But Home.

After Queenie Wake is dismissed from her restaurant job, she returns to North Star to cook meals for death row inmates.

Hopeful that the bad memories of her late mother and promiscuous sister (now the mother of the captain of the high school football team) have been forgotten by the locals, Queenie discovers that some people can’t be forgotten—heartbreaker Everett Coburn—her old high-school sweetheart.

When secrets from the past emerge, will Queenie be able to stick by her family or will she leave home again?

I am giving away a print copy of NOWHERE BUT HOME to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  What is your favorite sight at home?  Mine is Diamond Head!

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Wednesday, May 22, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll notify the winner by email so I can mail the book before we depart for Korea on May 26.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

To learn more about Liza and her books, check out her website at lizapalmer.com.

STOLEN CHARMS by Adele Ashworth

Comment for the day is....if you could steal something what would it be?

STOLEN CHARMS by Adele Ashworth

What would you give up for the love of my life?

Natalie has a desperate need to have a personal issue resolved, and the Black Knight is the man to handle it.  Problem is to get to this phantom righter of wrongs; she must have Jonathan Drake take her to him.  Drake it seems for some reason is willing to do that but the rendezvous has to take place in France, seriously?

Jonathan designs a pretend marriage for them so that moving about the cluster of people they encounter there are no questions of propriety.  Natalie plays along while waiting for the introduction, she desperately needs, and Jonathan plays cat and mouse with her emotions.  They are drawn to one another and chemistry is at times too much to hold back from the want of one kissing to the brink of satisfaction.

Natalie will give Jonathan anything he requests to end the nightmare she is forced to live with but is the gift as priceless as her love.  Jonathan has had many women in his life but has never had the want of a woman as he does for Natalie.

Adele Ashworth has the gift of drawing each reader to a sigh of gratification with one statement….and yet he wanted you.  An author has to know how to write the romance of a relationship with Ms. Ashworth is well versed in.

Aloha to Amanda Forester and A WEDDING IN SPRINGTIME

Mahalo for the support of Armed Forces Appreciation Week!   This coming week brings graduation at the service academies ... and the mad dash to the alter for a spring wedding to a newly commissioned officer!   Romance author Amanda Forester celebrates a spring wedding in Regency England in A WEDDING IN SPRINGTIME, released May 7 from Sourcebooks.  Amanda joins me for a cozy chat ....

Kim:  You hail from the Pacific Northwest - what is your favorite sight, sound, and smell? 

Amanda:  Hello, thanks for inviting me! I grew up in Seattle and love the Pacific Northwest. There are few places in the world where you have access to skiing, sailing, hiking, all within the same day if you wish. My favorite sight is going exploring around this area. Here is a picture I snapped the last time I went camping. Beautiful! My favorite sound is the low moan of a ferry horn before it pulls away from the dock. To me that horn represents the beginning of an adventure! As for my favorite smell, since this is the Pacific Northwest I will have to say freshly brewed coffee. I confess I actually do not drink the stuff, but the aroma brings me back to spending time in coffee shops with my friends. 

Kim:  When caught daydreaming, you respond, "I'm plotting a scene for my next novel." How has your family, friends, and even former colleagues responded to your success as a romance novelist? 

Amanda:  I think at first people were surprised I was trying to write a book. And when they found out it was a romance book they were VERY surprised. Apparently, people do not find me particularly romancey in real life. Once the shock wore off, people have been very supportive. I started writing during a stressful time in my life when my husband was deployed. Writing for me has been one of those unexpected blessings. 

Kim:  You are known for your "rugged Highlands" of Medieval Scotland but now you are venturing into "witty banter" of Regency England. What were the challenges and rewards of changing time periods? 

Amanda:  I love historical romances. My two favorite settings are medieval Scotland and Regency England, so it was just a matter of time before my imagination turned to the Regency (thank you Jane Austen). I have found my writing voice for these two time periods is a bit different. In the Regency I could be more lighthearted and have my characters attack each other with their wits rather than fists. The one challenging thing about writing in this time period is that it is beloved and very well known. If you get a historical detail wrong you can be sure someone is going to call you on it! I had to do a lot of research to make sure I got it right! 

Kim:  Tell us a little bit about A WEDDING IN SPRINGTIME - what inspired it? 

Amanda:  Interestingly enough this series started with a matchmaking character who is a supporting character in this first book. This series is a little different because it has some strong secondary characters through the first two books in the series, who finally have their own story in the third book in the trilogy. Each book is stand alone though, and A WEDDING IN SPRINGTIME has my absolute favorite hero - I adore William Grant. He was so much fun to write and would whisper things in my ear that had me laughing out loud! Here's the blurb for A WEDDING IN SPRINGTIME:

Five minutes into Miss Eugenia Talbot's presentation at court, notorious rogue Mr. William Grant makes her laugh before the queen, ruining her debut. To hush up the scandal, Genie needs to make a brilliant marriage, and fast. Genie's aunt hires a matchmaker to find a suitor—anyone except the infamous William Grant—but amiable Genie shows a disturbing tendency to follow her heart. When a traitor creeps closer, threatening to ruin more than just her reputation, Genie and Grant are drawn into a dangerous world of deceit and intrigue, where losing their hearts could mean their ultimate undoing. 
Kim:  What's next for Amanda Forester?

Amanda:  A WEDDING IN SPRINGTIME has just been released and has gotten some fabulous reviews, included Starred Reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Booklist. MIDSUMMER BRIDE will be released in November of this year, and finally WINTER WEDDING is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2014. I am also writing some fun crossover novellas to link my Scottish Medievals with my Regencies. Out in October will be HIGHLAND BRIDE'S CHOICE, which features Elyne Campbell from HIGHLANDER'S HEART and tells the story of Mr. Grant's medieval ancestor!

I hope you will have as much fun reading A WEDDING IN SPRINGTIME as I had writing it! I love to hear from readers so come visit me at my website, Facebook, or Twitter.

Mahalo, Amanda, for joining us today!   I often post pictures of Korean weddings in Hawaii.   As it happens, we are visiting Korea next week .... so I am giving away a Korean sampler gift pack to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about daydreaming ... do you do it?  Do you get caught?  I daydream all the time ... Hawaii creates the perfect place to do so!

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, June 1, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 2, here at The Reading Reviewer.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Kim's Weekly Winners

From my travel blog, ALOHA ON MY MIND, Jane wins a book choice from my convention stash.

Sara Luck's MARCI'S DESIRE:

- Debby is the winner.

Amanda Berry's FATHER BY CHOICE:

- Barbara is the winner.

Lori Wilde's LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT:
- Dani is the winner.

Terry Spear's A HOWL FOR A HIGHLANDER:
- Carol L. is the winner.

Winners - please claim your prize by sending your mailing address to sos.aloha@yahoo.com.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Aloha to Molly Harper and A WITCH'S HANDBOOK OF KISSES AND CURSES

We are counting down to the start of summer vacation and beach reading!   Molly Harper is getting ready for summer adventure, too, with a Nice Girl series spinoff, A WITCH'S HANDBOOK OF KISSES AND CURSES:

Nola Leary would have been content to stay in Kilcairy, Ireland, healing villagers at her family’s clinic with a mix of magic and modern medicine. But a series of ill-timed omens and a deathbed promise to her grandmother have sent her on a quest to Half-Moon Hollow, Kentucky, to secure her family’s magical potency for the next generation. Her supernatural task? To unearth four artifacts hidden by her grandfather before a rival magical family beats her to it.

Complication One: The artifacts are lost somewhere in vampire Jane Jameson’s occult bookshop. Complication Two: Her new neighbor Jed Trudeau keeps turning up half-naked at the strangest times, a distraction Nola doesn’t need. And teaming up with a real-life Adonis is as dangerous as it sounds, especially since Jed’s got the face of an angel and the abs of a washboard. Can Nola complete her mission before falling completely under his spell?

I am giving away a print copy of A WITCH'S HANDBOOK OF KISSES AND CURSES to one randomly selected commented.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about "hidden" items - have you hidden something that you couldn't later find?  Or have you found something that you thought was lost?

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  

3.  Comments are open through Thursday, May 23, 10 pm in Hawaii.   I'll contact the winner shortly thereafter to mail the book before we depart for Korea.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

To learn more about Molly and her books, check out her website at mollyharper.com.

Aloha to Patricia Beard and A CERTAIN SUMMER

The Hawaiian word of the day is

Kau wela.

It is summer.

Continuing our celebration of Armed Forces Appreciation Week, Patricia Beard writes about life after WWII in A CERTAIN SUMMER, available May 21 from Gallery Books:

"Nothing ever changes at Wauregan.” That mystique is the tradition of the idyllic island colony off the shore of Long Island, the comforting tradition that its summer dwellers have lived by for over half a century. But in the summer of 1948, after a world war has claimed countless men—even those who came home—the time has come to deal with history’s indelible scars.

Helen Wadsworth’s husband, Arthur, was declared missing in action during an OSS operation in France, but the official explanation was mysteriously nebulous. Now raising a teenage son who longs to know the truth about his father, Helen turns to Frank Hartman—her husband’s best friend and his partner on the mission when he disappeared. Frank, however, seems more intent on filling the void in Helen’s life that Arthur’s absence has left. As Helen’s affection for Frank grows, so does her guilt, especially when Peter Gavin, a handsome Marine who was brutally tortured by the Japanese and has returned with a faithful war dog, unexpectedly stirs new desires. With her heart pulled in multiple directions, Helen doesn’t know whom to trust—especially when a shocking discovery forever alters her perception of both love and war.

Part mystery, part love story, and part insider’s view of a very private world, A Certain Summer resonates in the heart long after the last page is turned.

I am giving away a print copy of A CERTAIN SUMMER.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about your summer plans.

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Thursday, May 23, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Friday, May 24, here at The Reading Reviewer so I can mail prizes before we fly to Korea.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Aloha to Terry Spear and A HIGHLAND WEREWOLF WEDDING

Continuing our celebration of Armed Forces Week, I welcome Army Veteran turned romance author Terry Spear  ...

Adding Veteran Tales to the Story 

I joined Army ROTC and became a second lieutenant in the US Army all because my father had been in the AF and was a storyteller extraordinaire. He regaled us about all his adventures during WWII and his mission teaching English to the Saudi princes, and duty in Japan and his misadventure with the recreational boat he and some other servicemen took two miles out that sank in the shark-infested Sea of Japan.

My mother was in the Woman’s Army Corp—a way to earn her citizenship sooner. She was from Canada. She worked as a postal clerk when the post office on post was still run by the military and my father was an AF recruiter on the army post. My mother went to see him speak to a group about his experiences in Saudi Arabia, and Mom fell in love with him. Though he had only eyes for a girl my mother described had bedroom eyes.

When Dad went to retrieve a package from home—Seattle—at the post office, Mom talked up her new home, Portland, Oregon. They were stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and no one was from the West Coast there. Dad asked her sergeant to let her go on break and that was all she wrote. It was true love. Within three months, they were married.

So hey, if you can find true love, a career, and have some fun in the military—sounded good to me.

It’s not all fun and games, of course. As a personnel officer, I helped mobilize men and women to serve in other countries and their lives were at risk. While I was at Fort Hood, Texas, I was the 1st Cavalry Division’s safety officer, and even in training or not during training, we had a number of fatalities and I would have to report the circumstances to the commanding general. I also served in Compassionate Reassignments and Hardship Discharges, helping soldiers to move or be released from service obligations when close family members were ill or dying.

In some of my stories, I’ve included a taste of military life from my vampire tails to werewolf and even incorporated a Special Forces branch in the jaguar stories that you will get to read about in Jaguar Fever. I’ve trained on various weapons, had water survival, navigated obstacle courses and confidence courses, leadership reaction courses, orienteering, gas mask training and more. It helps to make the stories real.

Many of my family served in the military. My father’s uncle who was only seven years older than my dad, died in the Philippines as a prisoner of the Japanese. My dad had been a prisoner of the Germans for 16 months at the age of 16 and was lucky to survive. One of our family members in Canada was a member of the Black Watch. And my maternal grandfather was a doctor in the Canadian forces during WWI. Even further back, we had a German ancestor brought over as a mercenary to fight with the British against the Patriots during the American Revolution. But he was so impressed with George Washington, he went AWOL with another young man, both were about 16, and he married in NY and finally moved to Quebec. There, he joined the militia, as did his son, and his grandson was named George Washington Cramer in honor of the man they’d so admired.

My maternal great grandfather who was French, served in Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, and my mother had a picture of him in uniform at one time. My father’s maternal grandfather broke horses for the cavalry during WWI. And his paternal grandfather served in the Merchant Marines in WWII and his ship was bombed. So even when someone wasn’t a bona fide member of the Armed Forces, many helped to serve the military in different capacities over the years.

With a stretch of the imagination, I’ve incorporated some fun characters into stories who are connected to the military in some way.

One lucky commenter will have a chance to win a copy of A Howl for a Highlander, the book right before my current release, A Highland Werewolf Wedding (US or Canada only) if you answer this question: if you had a choice to serve in the military, would you prefer teaming up with jaguar shifter military types, or wolf shifters and why? ;-)

A HIGHLAND WERWOLF WEDDING – IN STORES MAY 2013

On The Run...

After werewolves Elaine Hawthorn and Cearnach MacNeill almost have a head-on collision on a foggy Highland road, they're pretty well stuck with each other. It'll be hours before anyone can get there to pull his car out of the ditch and they both have better places to be.

And Nowhere to Hide From Each Other...

The sexy little American brings out all of Cearnach's big bag protective instincts. If she thought she was in trouble before, Elaine has no idea what kind of complications a hot Scot can cause...

Delightful, steamy, and devilishly funny, join the hundreds of thousands of readers who already discovered that USA Today bestseller Terry Spear delivers a sizzle worth howling about. 
Praise for A Highland Werewolf Wedding:

“The two protagonists are well matched in intelligence, and their snappy dialogue will have readers chuckling from the first chapter on.” —Booklist

“The hills of Scotland make a dramatic backdrop for this novel, and the characters are pleasing and well written.” —RT Book Reviews

“A Highland Werewolf Wedding is another shining example of exactly why Terry Spear is the Queen of the shifter romance.”—Night Owl Reviews, 5 Stars, Reviewer Top Pick

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear has written over two dozen paranormal romance novels and medieval Highland historical romances. She has received incredible praise for her romances, including Heart of the Wolf named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry also creates award-winning teddy bears that have found homes all over the world. She lives in Crawford, Texas, where she is working on her next paranormal romances! For more information, please visit www.TerrySpear.com.

To purchase A Highland Werewolf Wedding:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books-a-Million
IndieBound
Chapters/Indigo
Discover a New Love
Sourcebooks

Mahalo, Terry, for your military service!   Comments are open through Saturday, May 18, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, May 19, here at 

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii