Monday, March 31, 2025

Monday Book Date

 





It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.
Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

Just Finished





From New York Times Bestselling author Kristen Proby comes When We Burn, a single-dad, friends-to-lovers, small-town romance, and the first in the Blackwells of Montana series, set in Bitterroot Valley!

Bridger

I’m her safe place.
I always have been.
The torment that Dani Lexington went through at the hands of her father was something no child should have had to endure. But I was the lucky one she turned to.
Our age difference and the fact that her brother was my best friend kept her off-limits, even though something was always there, lingering under the surface.
But when she was old enough, she left Bitterroot Valley, and I was forced to move on with my life.
I got married and had my little girl. Now, I’m a single dad, focused on my job as fire chief and making sure my daughter stays healthy after a mysterious illness has plagued her for the past year.
But after Dani’s father dies, she returns to Bitterroot Valley and is now living across the street from my daughter and me.
Dani’s no longer a child. No longer off limits.
This time, I won’t let anything or anyone stop me from being her safe place again.

Dani

I’ve been in love with Bridger Blackwell for as long as I can remember.
He’s a smoke show, kind, and gives the best hugs in the world. But best of all? He’s everything my sorry excuse for a father wasn’t.
Now, I’m back in Bitterroot Valley, living across the street from Bridger and his adorable daughter.
It doesn’t take long for all those old feelings to come rushing back, and every cell in my body knows that I belong with them.
That they’re mine.
Bridger’s arms are where I feel safest. They feel like home.
I’m growing to depend on him, to truly 
love him and his daughter. But I have deep-rooted baggage, and Bridger’s past has decided to rear its ugly head.
Will we survive this, or is our relationship doomed from the start?


Reading 





A bookstore owner discovers that life as a recluse isn’t for everyone in this sharp yet sweet novel about how sometimes you need to abandon the quest for love to find your true passion.

Emma Rini is in a rut so deep she could shelve books there. While her sister awaits her first baby, and her parents kick off retirement with vow renewals and travel, Emma stays put among the stacks of the family bookshop.

In fact, she can’t remember the last time she took a vacation. Or had a romance that hovered above disappointing. When her parents assume she’ll take over the shop for them without a break, she realizes she needs to get away—back to the nineteenth century. Channeling her favorite poet recluse, Emily Dickinson, Emma rents a crumbling manor house outside Amherst where she can learn how to be quietly, blissfully alone.

But becoming a world-weary spinster isn’t easy. She can’t start a fire or reason with the bunnies that are destroying the garden. She finds herself sparring constantly with the grumpy-hot architect who is renovating the manor. And then there’s the secret admirer who keeps sending her complicated floral messages…

No matter what she does, the outside world keeps knocking, and Emma starts to dream about the future. Will she forgo love for the family legacy? And will she shrink away or become the sort of bold person fortune favors?



On my TBR List : 





Friday, March 28, 2025

Bookish Friday

 

Happy Friday and time for some book fun



I am linking to Friday Book Blogger  Hop,  Book Beginnings, a meme in which readers share the first sentence of a book they are reading, hosted by Gillion of Rose City Reader and First Line Friday hosted by Carrie of Reading is My Super Power, as well as Friday 56 hosted by Anne of My Head is Full of Books, in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading.  

First Line : a blur of lights and guests streak pst as i spin my five year old daughter through the cool night air. 








NATIONAL BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • “A dark and haunting debut that explores secret societies, the bonds of sisterhood, and the intricacies of privilege at an elite college . . . I couldn’t put this twisty tale down.”—Julia Bartz, author of The Writing Retreat

“Readers of dark academia, prepare to meet your new obsession.”—Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here

How far would you go to belong?

Maya has returned to Princeton for her college reunion—it’s been a decade since she graduated, and she is looking forward to seeing old faces and reminiscing about her time there. This visit is special because Maya will also be attending the graduation of her little sister, Naomi.

But what should have been a dream weekend becomes Maya’s worst nightmare when she receives the news that Naomi is dead. The police are calling it an accident, but Maya suspects that there is more to the story than they are letting on.

As Maya pieces together what happened in the months leading up to her sister’s death, she begins to realize how much Naomi hid from her. Despite Maya’s warnings, Naomi had joined Sterling Club, the most exclusive social club on campus—the same one Maya belonged to. And if she had to guess, Naomi was likely tapped for the secret society within it.

The more Maya uncovers, the more terrified she becomes that Naomi’s decision to follow in her footsteps might have been what got her killed. Because Maya’s time at Princeton wasn’t as wonderful as she’d always made it seem—after all, her sister wasn’t the first young woman to turn up dead. Now every clue is leading Maya back to the past . . . and to the secret she’s kept all these years.


page 56 ;  The dark mansion= towered over me, all grey brick and ivy, captivating and exquisite, music and part noise drifting from its glowing window,Daisy looked back at me . You read." 




Do you judge an author's works based on their political stances?

No I do not. There works speak for itself. 


Tuesday : Tell Me Something 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About. Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.



March 25th: Are you satisfied with your blog?

Never satisfied. Its a labor of love and changes all the time. It might just be pictures ,background or ty*pe but it evolves. 


RELEASE BLITZ - Ruthless Oath by Ella Jade



Title: Ruthless Oath
Series: Cruel Empire #1
Author: Ella Jade
Genre: Dark Romance
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers/Mafia
Release Date: March 27, 2025


BLURB

Kidnapped by a savage enemy

As heir to the throne in a royal mafia family, it's my job to get the information needed to bring my father home. And that means kidnapping a rival's spoiled mafia princess daughter.

At the time, I don't know the man is in negotiations to marry her off to a brutal arms dealer, but when I discover how difficult of a captive she is, it kind of makes sense. Soon, she foolishly starts to see me as the lesser of evils, but while she seems willing to be my captive, she's mistaken to believe I'm doing her any favors.

I can't allow anything to distract me. Especially not some naïve woman who doesn’t realize we've just set off a mob war. Now the only way to stop what I started and be reunited with my father is to let her go.

Problem is, I've fallen for my hostage, and while I have the guts, power, and resources to keep her as a willing prisoner, if I make the wrong choice, it could cost my family’s empire everything.


PURCHASE LINKS

99c for a limited time!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited






COMING SOON


Releasing April 24

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU






AUTHOR BIO

USA Today Bestselling author Ella Jade has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a child, she often had a notebook and pen with her, and now as an adult, the laptop is never far. The plots and dialogue have always played out in her head, but she never knew what to do with them. That all changed when she discovered the eBook industry. She started penning novels at a rapid pace and now she can't be stopped.

Ella resides in New Jersey with her husband, two boys, and two feisty Chihuahua writing companions. She can often be found creating sexy, domineering men and the strong women who know how to challenge them in and out of the bedroom. She hopes you'll get lost in her words.


AUTHOR LINKS




SERIES BLITZ - The Middleton Trilogy by Lisa Lang Blakeney

 


The Middleton Trilogy
Author: Lisa Lang Blakeney
Genres: Mafia Romantic Suspense
Tropes: Billionaire/Age Gap/Opposites Attract



OBSESSION

I can have anything I desire…but all I want is her.

Hunter Middleton
My name strikes fear when most men hear it, especially in the underbelly of the city.
Self-made billionaire.
Alpha Asshole.
Ruthless Negotiator.
Owner of a notorious Los Angeles Nightclub where life and death deals are made, and street justice is served.

Driven by a family tragedy that has haunted me all my life, I’ve never had any interest in a serious romance until the fateful night I clashed with a new spunky server with the face of an angel.
She has no clue who I am.
Her employer.
And I have no idea who she’s going to be.
My addiction.

Despite all our differences and the danger closing in on us, I’m ready to claim her after one interaction. There’s something about her I cannot resist, and we begin a rollercoaster ride of passion and danger, fueling my…obsession.

OBSESSION is a steamy, possessive, age-gap, suspenseful romance from USA Today bestselling author Lisa Lang Blakeney.

WARNING: Contains a ruthless billionaire with dirty intentions.








PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU




SUBMISSION

All He Fears Is Losing Her…

SUBMISSION, the latest installment in the pulse-racing series, self-made billionaire Hunter Middleton finds himself at war with unseen enemies who threaten to take away the only thing he’s ever wanted—Megan. As dangerous forces close in, their forbidden age-gap romance intensifies, and Hunter is forced to confront the lengths he’ll go to possess her, heart and soul. But can their love survive when the world is determined to tear them apart?








PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU




POSSESSION

All He’ll Surrender To Is Her…

POSSESSION is the heart-stopping finale of Hunter and Megan’s story—raw, real, and packed with the kind of love that conquers everything.
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for Megan. She’s the one thing in my life I got right, even when the rest of the world tried to tear us apart. I’ve fought the demons of my past and eliminated some of hers, and now she’s back where she belongs—in my arms, carrying my child, building our forever.
But peace doesn’t come easy for men like me. The ghosts of what we’ve endured still linger, threatening to pull us under. Only this time, I’m not letting go. Megan and I didn’t come this far to lose now.
We’ve earned this love.
We’ve bled for it.
And now, nothing will stop me from giving her the life she deserves.
She’s mine.








PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU



2026 Summer Reading program

Monday starts our Summer Reading program that ends July 31 st. Since school starts early August here in Louisiana. The book krewe is hard at...