HE'S NO PRINCE CHARMING - coming soon from LuAnn McLane

LuAnn McLane has a new book releasing in about a week, October 6th to be exact, and I know I'm not the only one looking forward to it!
I don't have a review, but here's a little info to tempt you!

At sixteen, Dakota Dunn was America's Pop Princess. Now twenty-five, she's all grown up-and definitely washed up. She decides to head to her parents' lakefront retreat in Tennessee, fixing to write songs and transform her image from squeaky clean to kickin' country.
Turns out her folks have handed things over to sexy, if cranky, cowboy Trace Coleman-a former bull riding champion benched by injuries. He's none too happy about Dakota's arrival-and makes no secret of it. But though Trace is rough around the edges, Dakota feels a pull of attraction she can't quite shake. For all his brooding, Trace has an animal magnetism that may just lead Dakota to dig in her heels and hold on tight...

You can read the entire first chapter in this fun excerpt on LuAnn's website - go take a look!
I'm figuring by now you're excited and want a copy for yourself - so buzz on over to Amazon and toss a copy in your cart! I can't think of a better way to be entertained than to read for a few hours - and for less than $7.00, this book's a real bargain!
Thanks for checking it out!
Laurie

HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO by HelenKay Dimon - did I mention the giveaway?

The winner of the autographed copy of HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO is LOIS! Congratulations, Lois! Thank you again, HelenKay, for the fun giveaway, and thank you all for playing. I loved your comments - especially about favorite characters. It's always interesting to see how different everyone's favorites are! Lois, please contact me at ljodamron@gmail.com with your mailing info by Wednesday. If I don't hear from Lois by Wednesday evening, I'll draw another name. Remember, I don't track down winners!
Have a great week, all!
Laurie

HelenKay Dimon has a new book about to release, HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO. Take a sec and check it out - there's a great excerpt on HelenKay's site!

Deana Armstrong needs a hero—not for herself, but for the nephew all her money and time can’t seem to get out of jail. Unfortunately, the best hero in all the Hawaiian Islands is set on turning in his badge and getting his excellent butt into another line of work. If that wasn’t enough, Josh Windsor also has a big-time grudge against Deana herself. But if there’s anything being rich, smart, and stubborn has taught Deana, it’s never to settle for second best…
Josh has had it with saving people. He’s had it with getting hauled into court. And boy, has he ever had it with Deana. Or well, he hasn’t had it. Yet. But the more she pops up sounding infuriating and looking good enough to eat, the more her hot bod and her cold case wriggle into his mind. And there’s only so much even a hero can resist…

My review:
When Deana Armstrong needs someone to help get her nephew out of prison, she immediately thinks of Josh Windsor. He’s knowledgeable and dedicated and she knows he’ll do a thorough job. Her biggest problem is convincing him to overlook how much he hates her family. One thing Deana refuses to listen to is the word “no.” Given her determined tenacity, and the abundance of time Josh has on his hands since he recently quit the DEA, he can’t refuse her. Deana has found that money can make almost anything happen and being certain of her nephew’s innocence, she’ll spend any amount necessary to see him free. What Deana is uncertain of are the emotions stirred by Josh’s near-constant presence. She finds herself opening up to Josh, easily telling him secrets from her past. These are deep, shameful secrets she has never told anyone, but in the telling a huge weight is lifted from her.
Josh has serious issues with Deana and the way she and her family have used wealth and privilege to get their way. He had a difficult, almost nonexistent childhood, and initially refuses Deana’s request for help. Determined to make quick work of confirming Deana’s nephew’s guilt, Josh is totally unprepared for feelings for her that go far beyond simple lust. By the time he realizes that there’s much more to Deana than just money, she’s gone and he’s guilty of pushing her away.
HelenKay Dimon fans eagerly anticipate her every release; HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO is no exception. HelenKay’s storylines are uniquely original, the dialogue snappy and characters bright and fresh. Individually, Josh and Deana are intelligent and extremely likable. Together, they are explosive. Readers will relish witnessing the sparks between them turn to embers that hold great promise. As with every other HelenKay Dimon book I’ve read, I highly recommend HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO.

Now for the giveaway! HelenKay has generously provided an autographed copy of HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO for one lucky reader here! Thanks, HelenKay! This one will be simple – leave a comment about your favorite HelenKay book, favorite character, what you like best about her website, you get the gist. Send a friend who mentions you in their comment, and you’ll be entered an extra time. I’ll draw a winner on Sunday the 27th.
Don’t wait to see if you’ve won, go ahead and pop over to Amazon and toss a copy in your cart - the last time I looked it was being offered for the bargain price of $10 - a steal!

Good luck, everyone! Thanks again to HelenKay for sharing this great book with my blog visitors!

Oooh, and don’t forget about the Christmas anthology, KISSING SANTA CLAUS, coming next month from HelenKay, Jill Shalvis and Donna Kauffman – romance simply doesn’t get better than these three!
Laurie

The winner is . . .

Sarah! Please email me at ljodamron@gmail.com with your mailing info and I'll get SIMON SAYS MOMMY in the mail on Monday. If I don't hear from Sarah by Tuesday, I'll have Lindsay give me another number! Thanks for all of the great comments!
Laurie

Weekend plans, anyone?

Warm, clear days and crisp, clear nights and mornings can only mean one thing: fall is coming to Ohio! Personally, I love fall. I love the changing leaves, the changing farm market produce, making applesauce, the festivals, and decorating with gourds, Indian corn and leaves. Fortunate for me, Tim enjoys fall as much as I do, so we spend a good deal of our weekends running around from one farm market or festival to the next. Tomorrow we have plans to go to an antique show/flea market - it will involve walking hundreds of miles. Not really, but it will feel like it by the time we fall into the car to drive home. We're not looking for anything in particular. Tim likes to tell the girls when we leave on an antique outing "We're going to see if we can find some more shit for you to auction off when we die." Funny guy.






Fall also brings our county fair to life. It starts tomorrow, and while I don't go every year, it's fun to occasionally indulge in a little fair food and check out the various exhibits. My favorite has always been the Arts & Crafts building, where you'll find various flowers, produce, home canned goods (so beautiful!), baked goodies, quilts, clothing and photographs. It's fun to compare the blue ribbon winners to those less fortunate, and throw out our .02 as to who was more deserving, or maybe thinking out loud that "we" could have done better. The fair also means almost a week of harness racing, prequel to The Little Brown Jug races on Thursday. "The Jug" draws competitors and spectators from all around the world and is a very big deal in the horse racing community. Around these parts, Thursday of fair week is known as "Jug Day" and city schools and many/most businesses close for the day. We live directly behind the fairgrounds, meaning we hear all of the sounds, the star spangled banner at noon everyday, the announcer, the starting horn and cheering fans. Of course, we also hear the whoosh of the throw-up rides (as my friend April appropriately used to call them when our kids were young - the name stuck), and the screams of the riders. We're also close enough to smell the various edibles on sticks deep frying in oil, to hear the horses and various livestock being led to race or show, and the thundering engines of the buses during the school bus races, the demolition derby, or the massive tractors in the tractor pulling contest. Those monsters are so loud that our windows occasionally rattle. Earplugs, anyone? One thing I don't relish about fair week is that the fly and yellow jacket populations increase dramatically in our neighborhood.
Given how important harness racing is to our community, the city high school mascot is a "Pacer" and we have an All Horse Parade the week before the fair starts. The pic below is from last Sunday's parade, and the riderless horse was in memory of a 22 year old local soldier who was killed in Iraq on September 8th. I went to school with his mother and the tragedy of her loss hit me when his funeral procession went through town yesterday and hundreds lined the streets holding flags. News helicopters buzzing overhead, sniffling onlookers and the hum of the dozens of police cars and motorcycles in the motorcade were the only sounds to be heard. I hope you'll all keep this young man's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

Another pic from the horse parade below. There are (I believe) over 300 horses in this parade. The only exception to the rule of being "all horse" are the marching bands. I've always been terribly intimidated by horses and still find their power a little frightening, but I love, love, love those little miniature horses and these big black Percherons - from a distance. I realized that the majority of the photos I took were of those two groups of horses!

I hope you all have a great weekend and that you're able to get out and enjoy the impending fall. Please tell us about the fun things you do to celebrate fall.
I'll be posting a review and giveaway in the next few days - a clue for you: HelenKay Dimon!!
Laurie

BLOODY AWFUL by Georgia Evans

For Georgia Evans, aka Rosemary Laurey, the sweet taste of success continues with her Brytewood series. Georgia/Rosemary is multi-talented: wife, mother, grandmother, seamstress, storyteller, and she's an absolute pleasure to visit with. Her telling of the night she met her husband is truly priceless, the stuff of romance novels. I love hearing it! The reviews for the Brytewood series have been upbeat and positive and Rosemary was even recently mentioned on the Huffington Post, so exciting!

Noteworthy from Georgia's Brytewood site:
Georgia Evans is the pseudonym I use for my Fantasy books. I'm better known as Rosemary Laurey.
The Brytewood books are a different venture from my Paranormal Romance and this series is very special to me as I grew up in the Mole Valley - the setting for my imaginary village - and some of my earliest childhood memories are of seeing the damage wrought on the area by the Blitz, and listening to stories from my mother, grandmother, aunts and older cousins on how they coped with rationing, bombs, the blackout and shortages of all sorts.
These books are a testament to the hundreds of thousands of women who struggled, did without, and made do under dire conditions and survived the war and to those who didn't.

Want to learn more about the "Bloody" series? Go here for videos, excerpts and ordering info.

A brief review from me:
1940 England isn't want it appears to be. Yes, war is raging all around, but chances are the locals might be more fearful of their fellow residents if they knew the truth about them. Nurse Gloria Prewitt is a werefox, clever and savvy; she changes at every full moon. Toss in a witch, some pixies and a weredragon, and you've got a unique cast of characters in BLOODY AWFUL by Georgia Evans. Gloria has fallen quite hard for Andrew Barron, secret munition plant supervisor, and while she is fully competent and willing to do battle with the vampires who've invaded Brytewood, her biggest fear is Andrew's reaction should he learn her secret.
This was my first Georgia Evans book, but it certainly won't be my last. She's been blessed with a creative flair that few possess. Ms. Evans writes with a rhythm that smoothly takes readers through the story while giving a bit of a history lesson, to boot. I highly recommend BLOODY AWFUL and hope you'll be tempted to check out the entire "Bloody" series.

Thank you, Rosemary, for allowing me to review this fun book for you! Readers, please do yourself a favor and visit Brytewood it's cast of characters. I've distributed Brytewood bookmarks to several area bookstores, but held onto ten to offer up to readers here, so let me know if you're interested in one (first come, first served). Don't post your mailing info here though, please send me an email at ljodamron@gmail.com and I'll pop one in the mail to you.

Laurie

Kay Stockham's SIMON SAYS MOMMY - there's a giveaway!

Kay Stockham has a new book out and it's available now - SIMON SAYS MOMMY. Typical of Kay, this book is sweetly romantic, a poignant story about a couple who desperately need each other, but have many obstacles in their way. Kay was kind enough to request that I review this book on behalf of Romance Junkies for her and needless to say I was excited to have the opportunity!
Kay's website blurb:
Talk about being in over your head!
Dr. Ethan Tulane is juggling more than even his type A personality can handle. Between his new job as chief of surgery and learning to be a dad to Simon, his adopted son, Ethan is desperate. Enter Megan Rose, the temporary nanny. Simon bonds instantly with her, which makes Ethan heave a sigh of relief—even as he notices she’s very good-looking.
It’s not long before they’re exploring those sparks between them. Megan might be the one woman he could have forever with. Too bad there’s something she’s not sharing—something that could send her to the door before he can talk commitment. Ethan can’t let that happen, so it’s time for the big guns—letting Simon persuade her!

My (4 blue ribbon) Romance Junkies review:
In SIMON SAYS MOMMY, Kay Stockham tells the story of a beautiful young woman with a flawed past and a successful surgeon who’s questioning his future. Together they might just find the secrets of true love and the promise of happiness.

Megan Rose has repeatedly found herself the target of the most brutal of life’s hard knocks. Having suffered at the hands of an abusive husband, struggled her way through a bitter divorce, and finding herself extremely ill and living in her car, Megan makes her way to her sister’s home. She’s hopeful that Jenn will set aside their past differences and let her stay long enough to regain her strength and attempt to mend their damaged relationship. When Jenn wants no part of Megan and refuses to let her stay, Jenn’s brother in law, Ethan Tulane, takes Megan home with him and his recently adopted son, Simon. Megan never dreamed she would find herself being cared for by the incredibly handsome surgeon, or in turn, caring for his young son.
Ethan Tulane’s sole purpose in life seemed to be attaining the position of Chief of Surgery. When he was passed over for the position, he went to Niger with Doctors Without Borders where he fell in love with a young orphaned boy and decided to adopt him. After Ethan returns home and is named interim Chief of Surgery, he quickly finds himself in over his head. Taking pity on the very ill Megan, Ethan takes her home and doctors her back to good health. When she’s back on her feet, he offers her the position as live-in caregiver for Simon. Being fond of Simon, and thinking that staying on with Ethan will keep her in close proximity to her sister, enabling her to work on renewing their sisterly bond, she accepts his offer. The last thing Ethan or Megan expects is the attraction between them that quickly becomes heated, or the way Simon instantly connects with Megan.
Kay Stockham has once again given readers a beautiful love story. Megan and Ethan aren’t your typical romance characters. Megan has the baggage of a difficult childhood, an abusive marriage and a strained relationship with her sister. Ethan is without a doubt one of the good guys, but his need for total organization and perfection has put almost every aspect of his life on a collision course. Seeming the most unlikely pair, Megan and Ethan couldn’t be more perfect for each other. SIMON SAYS MOMMY comes with my very highest recommendation.

I'm going to give away my autographed copy of SIMON SAYS MOMMY. You'll have to do a little work for it (very little) - simply visit Kay's website and tell me a couple of things that you like about it. Don't forget to visit her blog while you're there, it's always great fun and she gives away some yummy prizes! I'll draw the winning name on Friday the 18th, so be sure to leave a comment by then. Most importantly, I don't attempt to track down giveaway winners, so be sure to check back to see if your name was drawn!
For all of you who aren't able to get out to your favorite bookseller to get a copy, here's a link to Amazon so you can order a copy to be delivered directly to your door!
Thanks to Kay for asking me to review this one, and thanks to all of you for checking it out!
Laurie

A NEW WINNER

Ok, I never heard from Maureen, so I've drawn another name. The new winner is Sheena. I hope I'll hear from Sheena over the next few days but if not, I'll be drawing yet another name. I'm going to give Sheena until Tuesday.

I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend! We've been doing a lot of running around today, antique/flea market and a couple of farm markets. I think I'm going to bake some zucchini bread before the day's done.

Laurie

Living in the kitchen?

It seems like I've spent much of this summer in my favorite place in the house - the kitchen! Since my last post about canning, I've done more canning, peach preserves, four berry jam and picked corn. Now I've never eaten pickled corn but Tim claims to like it, so I tried it. Evidently it needs to sit for a while to "work" - I have no idea how long, so I guess I'll have to be checking on that. Anyone have any thoughts on that? I'm hoping to can some tomatoes for Kelsey. She's the only one at our house that really eats tomatoes and I thought this way she could keep a couple of pint jars in her dorm room and have them when she wants. Lindsay is interested in making some salsa too, so we'll see if we can make that happen too. I love seeing canned goods on the counter - they look so pretty.


Speaking of pretty, take a look at Lindsay's birthday dessert. I've never tried cherry crisp before, although it was so incredibly simple that I shouldn't admit that. It turned out great and she said she now has a new favorite dessert. It disappeared pretty quickly - the difficulty I had was in believing that she's 24! Where did the time go?


I'll be making some zucchini bread, hopefully today. It seems like I've been making zucchini bread of some sort and/or banana bread all summer. It's easy to grab for breakfast or for a quick snack and packs nicely to take to work. I used to spread cream cheese between two pieces and put in Kelsey's lunch when she was tired of the usual sandwiches.
Have a great weekend, everyone! I hope you're all off work on Monday!
Laurie