October 6, 2017

* Review * SUGAR PINE TRAIL by RaeAnne Thayne

Sugar Pine Trail by RaeAnne Thayne
Series: Haven Point
Published by HQN Books on September 26, 2017
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

An unlikely attraction brings comfort, joy and unforgettable romance this holiday season!

Librarian Julia Winston is ready to ditch the quiet existence she's been living. She's made a list of new things to experience, but falling for Jamie Caine, her sexy military pilot neighbor, isn't one of them. Julia's looking to conquer life, not become the heartbreaker's latest conquest. But when two young brothers wind up in Julia's care for the holidays, she'll take any help she can get—even Jamie's.

Happy to step in, Jamie reveals a side of himself that's much harder to resist. Not only is he fantastic with kids, he provides the strength Julia needs to tackle her list. She knows their temporary family can't last beyond the holidays, but the closer she gets to Jamie, the more she wonders if things could be this merry and bright forever…

Unlikely hearts connect and make for an endearingly emotional read! They say opposites attract and anyone looking at them from the outside would definitely say this was Julia & Jamie, but beneath the surface they are more alike than anyone knows. They both have injured hearts that they have hidden away because they now doubt their own worth in the game of love. As two little boys tear into their lives, they find themselves connecting with the innocence of these children and the fact that they need them. The plot is well contrived, and an enjoyable read. We see many familiar faces and build on the magic that Haven Point is all about. Loved it!

Librarian Julia Winston might have played along with a recent self-help book she read and made up a list of how she was going to change her life this year, but she never expects the changes to start happening so fast! She finds herself suddenly entrusted to care for two little boys who could use her nurturing heart to protect them in their time of need. They just so happen to bond with her new upstairs tenant as well … sexy pilot Jamie Caine!

Jamie might have the reputation as a player, but he’s got a deeper soul than that. He has a past that makes him keep himself casual with everything around him. He focuses on the job that he loves and his boisterous family, and he’s content with that. When he finds himself entrenched into a little make-believe family with his landlord and her adorable little charges, he finds he quite likes it and might want to keep her in his life for real!

* Blog Tour / Book Review * BIDDING ON THE BACHELOR by Kerri Carpenter

Bidding on the Bachelor by Kerri Carpenter
Series: Saved by the Blog
Published by Harlequin Special Edition on October 1, 2017
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Another roll of the dice

Big news, fair readers! Bayside High’s favorite It Girl is back. Would you have bet Carissa Blackwell would ever return? Ten years ago, she crushed Jasper Dumont’s heart under her Jimmy Choos and left town for a bigger, better life. Her return raises one question: What is she running from (or is it to) now?

Perhaps Jasper knows? One look at Carissa and he fell in the bay! (Rich, single and devastatingly handsome, Jasper’s our catch of the day.) That icy plunge should have brought him to his senses, yet “Casper” has been spotted together all over town. Does this mean Bayside’s legendary couple may reunite? The stakes are high, but the Bayside Blogger’s money is riding on love!

The Bayside Blogger strikes again! As soon as former “it girl” Carissa Blackwell hits town, she’s in the spotlight of the infamous blogger as the town tries to guess why she’s back … and more importantly, if she’s returned for her long lost love Jasper Dumont! If you read the first book in the series, you will recognize a good bit of the primary cast, but if you didn’t you will be able to pick the gist of the story up just fine. As always, the characters were fun to get to know and their connection after all these years apart was something special!

Ten years ago, Carissa Blackwell left Bayside, Virginia in her rear view mirror vowing never to return .. yet here she is, sulking back into town with her tail between her legs! She went off to conquer the big bad world yet she’s coming back feeling like it kind of did her in. Will she be able to get back on her feet and get a business up and running here in her hometown … or will the scandal surrounding the one she left behind continue to flare out of control?

Jasper Dumont was crushed all those years ago when Car walked away. Not only was he expecting a future with her, but they had been friends for all of their lives and then suddenly she was just gone and never heard from again. He doesn’t plan on forgiving her … he really doesn’t … but it doesn’t take long after seeing her and hearing the guilt in her voice for him to take her under his wing and get her settled into town again. He’s a good guy … but will he be able to hold out against the attraction that struck the second she was back in his sight again??

Recently divorced Carissa Blackwell returns to her hometown and reconnects with her first love Jasper Dumont, while the ubiquitous Bayside Blogger reports their every move for the town newspaper in this delightful & playful novel by award-winning romance author Kerri Carpenter.

About Bidding on the Bachelor:

Title: Bidding on the Bachelor
Author: Kerri Carpenter

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 1, 2017
Publisher: Harlequin Special Edition
Series: Saved by the Blog #2

Format: Print/Digital
Print ISBN: 9780373623792
Digital ISBN: 9781488079146

Another roll of the dice

Big news, fair readers! Bayside High’s favorite It Girl is back. Would you have bet Clarissa Blackwell would ever return? Ten years ago, she crushed Jasper Dumont’s heart under her Jimmy Choos and left town for a bigger, better life. Her return raises one question: What is she running from (or is it to) now?

Perhaps Jasper knows? One look at Carissa and he fell in the bay! (Rich, single and devastatingly handsome, Jasper’s our catch of the day.) That icy plunge should have brought him to his senses, yet “Casper” has been spotted together all over town. Does this mean Bayside’s legendary couple may reunite? The stakes are high, but the Bayside Blogger’s money is riding on love!

Add to your TBR list: Goodreads

Available: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Excerpt:

“I’m back in town.”

“For how long?” he asked quickly, too quickly. In fact, if she wasn’t mistaken, anger laced his question. She must have reacted to it because his features softened. “Sorry, it’s none of my business. And I do remember that today is your birthday. So, happy birthday, Carissa.”

“Thanks,” she said, and meant it. She decided to offer an olive branch because the truth was that she’d dumped him and she hadn’t been kind about it. This icy reception she was receiving was well deserved. While she knew the reasons behind her decision, she’d never let Jasper in on it. She’d been a bratty, selfish teenager, not capable of understanding her emotions. Unwilling to admit that Jasper had always reminded her of her father and that summer her dad had dropped a bombshell on her.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be in town. I’m sort of in a transition period right now.” He waited patiently. After another long drink of beer, she finished. “I just got divorced.” Saying the words out loud left an awful taste in her mouth. An acidic aftertaste of yuckiness.

First, shock flashed on his face. Then, true concern shone in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said.

And that might have been her undoing. Because he had every reason to be stiff and awkward with her. Instead, any kind of compassion from him loosened her lips.

“Today is my twenty-ninth birthday. I’m having a beer next to my ex-boyfriend, who hates my guts, in a dive bar in the town I swore I would never step foot in again. An ex-boyfriend I should really apologize to because I was an evil witch to him.” The words were flying now. She gripped her hand tightly around her glass. “I’m not even thirty and already I’ve been married and divorced. And I got divorced because he freaking cheated on me.”

She couldn’t miss the way Jasper’s eyes narrowed, his hands curled into fists, and there was a definite tic in his clenched jaw. “He cheated on you?”

“Yep. Apparently, the fact that I was homecoming queen, prom queen and head cheerleader did nothing to impress him. Or keep his pants zipped up when anyone wearing a skirt in the Central Time Zone walked by. That probably makes your whole day, doesn’t it?”

He slammed his hand on the bar and she jumped. But she just as quickly composed herself. “What? You have every right to revel in my misery after the way I broke up with you. I got divorced. You win.”

His eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to win at that game. And I certainly don’t want to hear that some idiot cheated on you. I’m sorry you’re getting divorced.”

“That makes one of us.”

Other Books in the Saved by the Blog series:

Falling for the Right Brother

Saved by the blog!

This just in, fair readers! Chic and stunning, that gorgeous new woman about town is none other than our very own little Ellie–now Elle–Owens. She’s a far cry from the frumpy, bookish student we used to know, but then, living in Italy will do that to a girl! Still, this blogger can’t forget the infamous video that caused her to leave!

Apparently Miss Elle has been spotted with yummy contractor Cam Dumont…but we thought her heart belonged to his little brother. Are Cam and Elle a new couple? They were seen cooling their passions in the bay…in April! If this is love, let’s hope she’s swimming with the right brother. The Bayside Blogger will keep you posted.

Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

About Kerri Carpenter:

Award-winning romance author Kerri Carpenter writes contemporary romances that are sweet, sexy, and sparkly. When she’s not writing, Kerri enjoys reading, cooking, watching movies, taking Zumba classes, rooting for Pittsburgh sports teams, and anything sparkly. Kerri lives in Northern Virginia with her adorable (and mischievous) rescued poodle mix, Harry. Visit Kerri at her website, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or subscribe to her newsletter.