I really enjoyed this newest book in this series. I love Violet, Darren and her mother. I enjoyed learning about another part of this small town and learning a little bit about the art scene. I am looking forward to finding out where the Merry Maker will place the next sign fir the next holiday. I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
CELEBRATE GOOD CRIMES
Get ready for a thrilling and explosive read that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the final twist, in this Fourth of July Forgery.As the Fourth of July festivities kick off in the quaint town of Holiday Junction, a body washed up on the beach, murdered in cold blood.Journalist Violet Rhinehammer just can’t resist the lure of the case, her nose for news and following the next big story led her straight into finding out all she can about the victim, including digging into their past.As the investigation begins, Violet finds herself unraveling a web of deceit and uncovering dark secrets hidden behind the town’s idyllic facade.With suspects as numerous as fireworks in the sky, Violet must navigate a dangerous path to uncover the truth, all while celebrating the most American of holidays.Will she solve the murder before the party ends? Or will the killer strike again under the cover of night, leaving the town to mourn the loss of another innocent victim?
I loved this fun cozy mystery. I love Sissy and Aunt Bethal. I love that Sissy came to help Aunt Bethal at her cafe when her cousin needed to go on bed rest and then she keeps coming upon bodies. I love that in this story that Sissy helps to solve the death of a rotten man. I love all the twists and turns and the many laughs in the story. I love the Aunt Bess sayings at the beginning of each chapter. I received a copy of the book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
The award-winning author’s brand-new Sunflower Café Mystery series, set in small-town Kansas, features a twenty-something advice columnist turned café manager and sleuth, her loyal Yorkie, farm-fresh produce—and murder. Will appeal to fans of Charlotte Hubbard, Molly Jebber, Susan Lantz Simpson, and Kelly Long.
Twenty-something Sissy Yoder never imagined herself running her Aunt Bethel’s café, but her help is needed, so she’s making a go of it. And she must admit that life in tiny Yoder has been anything but dull–she’s already solved one homicide—after being named the prime suspect in the case! Enjoying a peaceful respite after all that excitement, Sissy just wants to write her advice column, hang out with her loyal Yorkie, Duke, and procure some of local farmer Walt Summers’ scrumptious “To Die For” tomatoes for the Sunshine Café’s menu. But when the unsavory Summers–resented by just about everyone in town–turns up murdered in his garden shed, it’s up to Sissy to roll up her sleeves, dig for some clues, and weed out the culprit . . .
“A promising new sleuth whose lovable dog and incipient love interest combine nicely with Lillard’s trademark Amish lore.” –Kirkus Reviewsl
I loved this book. I loved Minerva and Del. I loved how Del comes to the Appalachian Mountains to get to know Minerva and learn more about her life. I did not want to put this book down. I needed lots of tissues before this story was finished. I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
Award-Winning Author Pens a Unique Southern TaleWhen Minerva Jane Jenkins was just 14 years old, she married a man who moved her to the mountains. He carried with him a small box, which he told her was filled with gold. And when he died 50 years later, he made her promise to keep his secret. She is to tell no one about the box or the treasure it contains.Now 94, Minerva is nearing the end of what has sometimes been a lonely life. But she’s kept that secret. Even so, rumors of hidden gold have a way of spreading, and Minerva is visited by a reporter, Del Rankin, who wants to know more of her story. His friend who joins him only wants to find the location of the gold. Neither of them knows quite who they’re up against when it comes to the old woman on the mountain.As an unlikely friendship develops, Minerva is tempted to reveal her secret to Del. After all, how long is one bound by a promise? But the truth of what’s really buried in the box may be hidden even from her.
I loved this story and how it brought back memories of growing up in the late seventies. I really liked the four seasons. I loved that each of these girls were very different from each other but they were best friends. I loved that this story made me laugh and cry. I recommend having many tissues handy while reading and be willing to stay up late to finish. I really enjoyed how the story went back and forth from the summer of 1977 to 1997. I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
Summer Wilde is a wannabe country music star. But when her latest girl band abandons her in a motel outside Tulsa, she is forced to face the shadows of her past. Twenty years ago, the summer of ‘77 was supposed to be the best summer of her life. She and her best friends, Spring, Autumn, and Snow–the Four Seasons, 4ever–had big plans.But those plans never had a chance. After a teenage prank gone awry, the Seasons found themselves on a bus to Tumbleweed, “Nowhere,” Oklahoma, to spend eight weeks as camp counselors. Arriving with hidden secrets and buried fears, those two months changed their friendships and the course of their lives.Now, thirty-something and with no direction for her future, Summer is at a crossroads. Returning to the place where everything changed, she soon learns Tumbleweed is more than a town she left and never wanted to see again. It’s the place for healing, for reconciling the past with the present, and for finally listening to love’s voice.Celebrating the songs of our hearts, the joys of love, and the threads of friendship that tie us all together, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hauck’s radiant story perfectly captures all the romance, heartache, and hope of the best summer ever.
I really enjoyed this western historical romance. I loved Belle and Colt. I love that Belle comes to the west as a mail order bride but ends up as a Harvey girl. I love that Colt needs to clean up his life before he can move on. I loved the laughs and the intrigue in the story. I received a copy of the book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
About the Book
Book: The Pursuit of Miss Parish
Author: Grace Hitchcock
Genre: Historical Romance
Release date: May 31, 2023
Love’s gentle promise becomes nothing more than a withered dream.
With dreams of love and a hope for belonging, shy Belle Parish leaves her position as a maid in Charleston to travel to New Mexico with her best friend to become mail-order brides. Colt Lawson’s letters hold great promise and while his devilishly handsome face matches his picture, something does not add up. Discovering his lie only moments before they wed, Belle flees the church and straight into the Castañeda Hotel Harvey House. Giving up the prospect on ever marrying, she dons her nun-like uniform and focuses on her role as a Harvey Girl waitress until a strong, former Texas Ranger rides into her life.
Colt Lawson didn’t want to send that letter to Belle Parish in the first place, but her first response had all but captured his heart. When he is left standing at the altar alone, he is left with two choices—either release his dream of a love marriage, or attempt to win her heart. Wooing her would be a lot easier if that Texas Ranger wasn’t back in town. Who wants a dusty rancher with a past when she could have a shining knight in a Stetson?
Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of multiple historical novels and novellas. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives in the New Orleans area with her husband, Dakota, sons, and daughter. Connect with her online at GraceHitchcock.com.
More from Grace
Questions from READERS for Grace Hitchcock
Q: As a mom, how/when do you find time to write?
Grace Hitchcock: I used to walk around the block to my favorite coffee shop in New Orleans, writing with a delicious latte and scone beside me, headphones in with the perfect soundtrack playing waiting for the muse. . . and now days, I write during Sofia the First episodes blaring in the background for my toddler while the baby sleeps and my Kindergartner is in half-day school.
On the days when I can’t get the word count down during those tiny moments, my husband takes the babies for an hour in the evenings and tells me to go write! When I’m on tight deadline with days left to go, the house usually isn’t the cleanest and Laundry Mountain, in all its splendor, may just fall on top of us. Sometimes while on deadline, I get the urge to pause and clean, but if I ignore the impulse long enough, the feeling generally passes. Once the book is in to my editor, it’s time to clean.
Q: What is your favorite source of inspiration for creating the characters in your stories?
Grace Hitchcock: For main characters, I use Names Through the Ages to figure out their names based on their background and once I know a character’s name, it’s as if the heroine/hero stroll into my writing room and I get to know their personality, the story closely following.
For the supporting characters, I have a need/plot point that they need to fill and I build their personality around that need. Not quite as exciting haha but they serve a purpose. But, I always remind myself to try to fill them out because they do not know they are not the main characters.
Q: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Grace Hitchcock: One of my earliest memories is writing stories in my little diary in my closet. (Remember the diaries with the locks on them that were super easy to pick, but still dreamy to have a book with a lock on it.)
I started taking my desire to write seriously when I was a senior in high school. I was homeschooled and my mom let me write a novel for my senior English project to test that theory if I wanted to write. It was so fun to write, I knew that’s what I wanted to do, so I got my Masters in Creative Writing and I’ve been typing away ever since
Q: What is your writing process like?
Grace Hitchcock: I usually begin with a spark of an idea that I at once research to see if it would work with the eras I enjoy writing (Gilded Age and Regency England). From there, I do a deep dive into writing out a chapter by chapter plot, which generally takes about a week to ten days.
Once I have my plot down, I do about a week or two more of basic research and begin the first very, very rough draft that I usually finish at 50,000 words after 3 months of writing.
Then, I research any spots that needed improving in the first draft and go full editing mode, pausing throughout the book to research spots that need more description and historical accuracy, which is about two months and then, I do a third round of edits and research while doing a line edit, which takes a month.
By the time I get to the 6-month mark, I am more than ready to have a break haha and I send my 75,000/80,000 word novel off to my publisher/editor who does a content edit, sends it back to me for three weeks, another editor does a line edit, sends it back to me for three weeks, then another editor does a copy edit and sends it to galleys (where they format the book) and send it back to me to proof one last time for two weeks! Then, it goes to press at usually 75,000-100,000 depending on the novel. So long story short, 6 months to write and about 2 months to edit!
Q: Do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
Grace Hitchcock: In this business, just about every author gets a rejection from a publisher . . . even by publishers who later accept them!
When I began sending out one of my first manuscripts, I thought it was pristine, but after about 15 rejections, I put it on the shelf and focused on a new manuscript with fresh eyes and new goals based on some of the industry professionals’ suggestions. Six months after I shelved that first manuscript, I went back and looked over it . . . the professionals were right. It wasn’t ready and it would require a lot more love (aka bleeding edits) before I attempted to send it out again. Sometimes, time is what you need to get a fresh perspective.
But it is also important to remember thatwhen you get a rejection letter, they are not rejecting you. They are rejecting the work. And as much as you see it as a work of art, the publishers see it as a product. They are there to sell a product and if the product isn’t ready, it won’t sell well, so take heart and “hone your craft” and focus on any feedback you received that has merit.
That critique was very hard for me to hear haha but it helped push me to keep learning, attending writer conferences, and following my dreams. Over the years, I have had novels rejected by Barbour, Bethany, and Kregel, but I tried again and again and eventually signed with each publishing house! So keep it up! You can do it!
To celebrate her tour, Grace is giving away the grand prize package of an autographed copy of The Finding of Miss Fairfield AND The Pursuit of Miss Parish with bookmarks and book magnets, and a $50 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
I loved this wonderful suspense novel. I loved how spooky this book is. I loved Daisy and Cleo. I love that this story is told by what happens in 1870 and what happens in the present. I love that the truth in discovered in the present but it also affects the past. I could not put the book down. I love that this story kept me biting my nails.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTIONIn 1865, orphaned Daisy Francois takes a position as housemaid at a midwestern Wisconsin castle and finds that the reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress inside hides more than the harrowing tales in her novels. With women disappearing from the area and a legend that seems to parallel these eerie circumstances, Daisy is thrust into a web that may threaten to steal her sanity, if not her life. In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of American aristocratic family the Tremblays to help his matriarchal grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman’s stashes of collectibles, a century-old mystery of disappearance, insanity, and the dust of the old castle’s curse threaten to rise again, and this time, leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.Fan-favorite Jaime Jo Wright draws readers into a seamlessly woven dual-time tale of suspense, mystery, romance, and redemption.
I loved this wonderful contemporary romance. I loved Harper, Bodie, Ivy and Shay. I loved how close Bodie and his brothers were. I loved that each of these four characters had something to work out and they each helped each other. I received a copy of the book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
What makes life sweet?Freshly baked breadA cool lake on a hot summer dayThe comfort of a cozy bookstoreSecond chances and new beginnings When Harper Shaw’s life falls apart, she knows it’s time for a change. She removes everything that doesn’t spark joy—from her soul-sucking job to eating kale to making lists—and sets off for the last place she was happy, Lake Tahoe (who wouldn’t feel good there, right?) to fulfill her dream of opening her own bakery.With her Sugar Pine Bakery in between a tavern, owned by sexy, grumpy Bodie Campbell, and a bookstore, run by her new BFF, she feels a peace she’s never experienced since…well, forever.. Then she meets Ivy, a teenage runaway, who barrels into her heart. She sees a lot of herself in Ivy and takes her under her wing, but the teenager has secrets…When those secrets explode, it changes Harper’s new world, and she’ll learn, it’s never too late to start over, it’s never too late to figure out your life, and best of all, it’s never too late to let yourself believe in love.
I really enjoyed this historical romance with a little bit of intrigue. I enjoyed that this takes place in 1925 during prohibition. I enjoyed the descriptions of some of the items that were in the Metropolitan Museum during this time period. I liked that there were women who had jobs that showed how capable women are. I really liked Joe and Lauren and how they worked well together to try to find the forger. I loved that this book had laughs and some tears.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
For years her explorer father promised Dr. Lauren Westlake she’d accompany him on one of his Egyptian expeditions. But as the empty promises mounted, Lauren determined to earn her own way. Now the assistant curator of Egyptology for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauren receives two unexpected invitations. The first is her repentant father’s offer to finally bring her to Egypt as his colleague on a new expedition. The second is a chance to enter the world of New York’s wealthiest patrons who have been victims of art fraud.With Egyptomania sweeping the city after the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, Detective Joe Caravello is on the hunt for a notorious forger preying on the open wallets of New York’s high society. Dr. Westlake is just the expert he needs to help him track the criminal. Together they search for the truth, and the closer Lauren and Joe get to discovering the forger’s identity, the more entangled they become in a web of deception and crime. In this rich 1920s tale, bestselling author Jocelyn Green invites you into one of New York City’s most esteemed museums, where a young woman discovers secrets, betrayal, and romance.
I felt this was a very good contemporary romance. I loved the characters and how they each helped each other to keep their faith. I loved Jackson and Lexi. I also hope Ellie gets her own story. I loved some of the descriptions of the ranch land. I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
I give this book a five out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
For Lexi Franklin, returning to Trinity Lakes feels a little like running home with her tail between her legs. But what’s a girl to do, when her life has been turned upside down on the other side of the world? She needs a place to regain hope and healing – just didn’t count on meeting a cowboy whose own battered heart might need nursing back to health too. Jackson Reilly has his own set of troubles, between caring for his ranch, his mom, and the black hole of finances. So when a pretty redhead with a sassy tongue offers some distraction – and a potential solution to one of his most pressing concerns – he’s not going to say no. But as they spend time together, questions soon rise about their future, and whether faith can truly win over fears. Will Jackson be able to save his ranch, and his hopes and heart, before Lexi returns to Australia?
I liked this book about government bureaucracy. I like how the author tells a story in the first chapters about how he survived in his job in the government. I liked that he then gave examples of government spending. I got some good laughs in the first half and was a bit horrified by the numbers in the second half of the book. Overall it was an enjoyable read.
I give this book a four out of five stars.
PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION
The famous movie Office Space is no match for the Federal Government version! Bureaucracitis is a stunning account of vast, ridiculous government procedures, bureaucratic buffoonery, and shocking waste, all in a comedic, direct style. The author battled in the trenches of the U. S. Department of Defense, arguably the world’s largest government labyrinth, for over 30 years, and has had past works published on Federal Government dysfunction under his real name. Possible causes for pandemic Bureaucracitis are explored, as are offered treatments, including ways to reduce its remarkable waste, and coping strategies for paperwork “Minions” facing the micro-controlling ways of their “Rulers” in huge bureaucracies. A number of fellow Minions helped the author develop the book’s chapters, such as A Random Day of Dysfunction, The Trilogy of Failure, and The Four Stages of Federal Employee Assimilation. Bureaucracitis is an entertaining, impactful page-turner for Federal Employees, others working in public service or similar large disorganizations, and concerned taxpayers, with half of the writer’s proceeds being donated to the Tunnel-2-Towers Foundation, the author’s favorite cause in retirement.
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