Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors: Turnaround Farm

Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, your chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. When you finish here you can find more excerpts at:

http://www.wewriwa.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Turnaround Farm is a kindle unlimited title available at https://wingsepress.com/turnaround-farm/

Blurb:

If up and coming realtor Holly Grant can buy Turnaround Farm for her client, her business will boom. Who says you have to have a man in your life to complete you? She’s fine as she is thank you very much. Her first problem is that Jeb Wakefield doesn’t want to sell his farm, and her second problem is Jeb’s grandson Dan, the finest looking man Holly’s ever seen. 

Excerpt: Chapter One

Last week

“What do you think of this place?” Loretta asked as she extended her feet a little closer to the fire. 

Holly looked around with a critical realtor’s eye. TheWakefields appeared to live in this one big room that you entered through the mudroom. The living area was centered around the fireplace on one of the short walls. An old, faded sofa done in a plaid fabric and two beat up leather recliners clustered around the fire while a small TV sat just to the right of the hearth. An old fashioned kitchen with a farmhouse sink lay behind the living area.

The one thing Holly liked about the kitchen was the big window over the sink. The green appliances looked as if they had been manufactured somewhere around 1970 while the finish on the cabinets had been worn away near the hardware. A scarred maple dining table with four chairs stood in the part of the kitchen closest to the sofa.

This Week: Loretta and Holly are talking while the Wakefields are in the barn.

Saturday Sample

No Saturday Sample today as I agreed to post a promo for another author. Come back next week for another installment of Turnaround Farm.

The Hate Vow

Title: The Hate Vow

Series: The Quicksilver Trilogy

Author: Nicole French

Publisher: Raglan Publishing

Photographer: Sara Eirew Photography

Model: Lucas Bloms

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 29, 2019

---

Blurb:

Eric de Vries.

Looks like millions.

Worth billions.

A body like the David with a mind to match.

Unfortunately for this wayward heir, to keep his money, he needs a wife.

And of all the women in the world, he chooses me.

Too bad I've hated him for five years, since he took all my tears and tossed me away. The guy slept his way through half of New England and discarded women like hotel toiletries.

Been there. Done that.

Still...what would you do for twenty million dollars?

Would you wear the dress?

Fake a smile for the man who broke your heart?

Or would you run far, far away?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

I'll see you at the church.

---

Purchase Links:

$0.99 preorder and release day ONLY!

The Hate Vow moves to Kindle Unlimited beginning 4/1/19!!!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU |

Kobo | Nook | Apple

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Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2MTKNie Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2Gt1ks6 Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2UFSGL2 Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2JkwqoN Ibooks: https://apple.co/2Bl87Rq Nook: http://bit.ly/THVNook Kobo: http://bit.ly/THVKobo Author’s Note: The Quicksilver Trilogy is a companion series to the Spitfire Trilogy. Both can be read separately, but readers may enjoy meeting Eric and Jane for the first time in Legally Yours, available free at bit.ly/LYwide Add The Hate Vow to your Goodreads TBR

Author Bio:

Nicole French is an East Coast/West Coast hybrid creature, Springsteen fanatic, hopeless romantic, and total bookworm. When not writing fiction or teaching writing classes, she is hanging out with her family, playing soccer with the rest of the thirty-plus crowd in Seattle, or going on dates with her husband. In her spare time, she likes to go running with her dog, Greta, or practice the piano, but never seems to do either one of these things as much as she should.

Author Links:

WEBSITE | NEWSLETTER | FACEBOOK FACEBOOK GROUP

INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | PINTEREST

Lowcountry Incantations

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. C.J. Geisel will be awarding a paperback copy of "Lowcountry Incantations" to a randomly drawn winner (U.S. Only) via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Quinn Riley has just had her life turned upside-down. Life is about to get worse…and weird.

After losing her job, Quinn Riley goes on the hunt for another boring, nine- to- five when a split- second decision to save a dog turns into a nightmare. The ghost of a stunning young woman in a blue dress starts to follow her, she is forced to move in with a stranger named Caleb, and events in her life have her questioning everything she thought she knew. With the help of Caleb, a new Psychologist turned friend, and a magical root doctor, she navigates the blessings and dangers of her new life.

Read an Excerpt

Burn. It all needs to burn.

The thoughts raced through my mind over and over again, a record on loop. I’m shaking, match in my hand ready to strike. I picture Father and his evil smirk, reeking of beer and cigarettes, closing the door in my face as he prepares to defile Kailee. I hear her screams as if they were my own. Attempting to break the door down, the pain in my arm explodes, yet the locked entrance doesn’t budge. He must have wedged a chair under the door knob again. This wouldn’t be the last time. Mom comes to his defense, as always, declaring I’m full of it. She stands barefoot on the kitchen’s dirty linoleum floor, pregnant with another child that he would be sure to violate. I imagine her face, staring at me as if I were an abomination, making up lies about my own father to get attention. I was certain she could hear the screams echoing through the halls. How could she not care? The anger welling up inside of me seemed to grow exponentially, threatening to escape my throat and bellow into the wind. Her own flesh and blood was being beaten, assaulted by a monster while she stood in the kitchen, hands on her hips. She disgusts me.

About the Author:

CJ Geisel is the author of the paranormal crime thriller "Lowcountry" series. She lives in Florida with her boyfriend, family, and dogs. She is an animal advocate, especially for those who are misunderstood or disabled. She also loves baking, photography, and travelling.
br> Website: https://www.cjgeisel.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cjgeisel
Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/cjgeiselauthor
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cjgeisel

Purchase links-

Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NF9LWR7
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Lowcountry-Incantations-CJ-Geisel/dp/1796311715/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Trailblazer

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michelle Diener will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

He's on a mission . . .

She's running for her life . . .

And if they get off-planet alive, she'll have to trust he won't reveal her darkest secret.

Tally Riva is not what she seems, and even she's not happy about it. Infected, invaded, she's not quite sure how to describe it, but on a disastrous mission to a ghost ship, something burrowed its way into her body. Into her mind.

When her commander decides the best cure for what he thinks is Tally's trauma is to send her on the famous Veltos Trail, Tally goes without revealing what's really behind her mental anguish. Anything to be seen as normal again, anything to ignore what she's afraid is happening to her.

But Veltos isn't the safe place it seems. The chosen military personnel lucky enough to be offered the chance to walk the Trail are supposed to be the only people on Veltos. But Ben Guthrie, a captain in Arkhoran Special Forces, knows they're not. He and his team have been on Veltos for a month already, tracking suspicious enemy activity, and he's gone undercover on the Trail in search of a satellite his superiors are sure has been shot down.

When Ben's worst fears become reality, and they find themselves hunted by a cunning enemy through the thick forests of Veltos, Tally and Ben fight together to survive. And Tally has to decide if accepting the changes inside her will save them both, or be her doom.

TRAILBLAZER is part of the Verdant String series but can easily be read as a standalone novel. Other books in the series include Interference & Insurgency (Two Novellas of the Verdant String), and Breakaway and Breakeven.

Read an Excerpt

Ben stood outside to watch the military runner come in.

The flare of the engine was visible because dusk had already fallen and the sky was the indigo blue that shouldn't be unique to Veltos, but somehow was. There was just something special about the color here.

“Nervous?” Irwin stepped out to join him and looked up, following the runner as it fell toward them.

Ben glanced at him, wondering if the guide actively worked to be this annoying, or whether it was just a gift.

“Should I be?” He kept his tone mild.

Irwin glanced at him, shrugged. “Most people are a little nervous to meet their fellow Trail walkers. It's a two week journey, and there's no getting away from anyone who's difficult.”

And certainly no getting away from them if they were the guide.

Ben crossed his arms and watched the runner touch down lightly on the hoverpad a thou away. It was close enough that he could hear the hum of the engine and the silence when it cut off.

“So you never said which warship dropped you off.” Irwin had turned to watch the runner, too.

“No, I didn't.” Ben kept his answer short.

Irwin gave a snort. “Super secret, huh?”

Ben said nothing.

“Do you Arkhorans actively try to irritate the living shit out of the rest of us, or is it just how you're made?”

Irwin's comment was so similar to what Ben had thought about the guide, he couldn't help the laugh that burst from him.

“Let's leave it at 'super secret'.”

About the Author:

Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.

Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and children. When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her at her website, or online at Twitter and Facebook.

Website: https://www.michellediener.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/michellediener
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/michelle.diener.author
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/michelle_diener/

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Trailblazer-Verdant-String-Michelle-Diener-ebook/dp/B07P6PJ51H

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Evil Embers

Evil Embers (Vale Investigation, book 2)

by Cristelle Comby 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Urban Fantasy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

After narrowly preventing the destruction of Cold City, PI Bellamy Vale needs a rest. Or rather, he needs a plain and simple vanilla case—no monsters or otherworldly creatures involved!

When foreign businessman Eli Smith shows up at his doorstep with a thick wallet and a request to find his missing sister, Vale doesn’t think twice before agreeing.

If he’d known body-hopping demons and smoke monsters came attached to this job, however, he might have.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

The door slammed shut as something grabbed at me. And by “grabbed”, I mean “lifted me off the ground and rammed me into the nearest wall”.

The structure bent under the impact while a nightmare that would have fit in an old-school John Carpenter movie screamed at me. With my gas mask on, I never heard it coming.

Dazed, I glanced up and faced sharp, yellow-tainted teeth. They formed a circular pit of canines, ready to swallow my head whole. I pulled a knife from my boot and slashed the creep at the center of its mass. The fiend’s scream rose an octave as the cold steel struck home.

The creature dumped me back on the floor before dissipating into nothingness.

The attack sucked the air out of my lungs, and I spent the next few minutes coughing through the mask. I felt like kicking myself. I spent my first week here carving wards around the entire six-block area before going in for the first time. I should have known better than to cut one on this house’s front door and move on. I forgot the back door. That mistake left that damned poltergeist way too much room to attack.

The monster du jour was a ghost, an escapee from the realm of death—the Underworld, Hell, or whatever else you call the place people go to once they’re done with life. From what I knew, not everyone turns Casper in their afterlife. However, those who do become near-mindless creatures stuck in their own plane of existence. When they make it to our side of the border, they turn into full ectoplasmic savages.

The dead guy I stepped over near the open back doorway was proof enough of that. What was once an engineer working for the city now had his chest cavity cut down to the bone and his head severed from his body. Blood splatters all but drowned out the muted yellow of his shredded biohazard suit. Judging from the angle of what remained of his corpse, he was trying to flee the house when the poltergeist got him.

“Dammit,” I muttered as I tightened the straps on my gas mask. Whoever this engineer was, I was pretty sure he didn’t come in here alone, which meant I may have to explain what a six-foot PI in a surplus army jacket, a gas mask right out of the First World War and second-to-thirdhand leather gloves was doing in an area strictly reserved for city workers and engineers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Cristelle Comby was born and raised in the French-speaking area of Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva, where she still resides.

She attributes to her origins her ever-peaceful nature and her undying love for chocolate. She has a passion for art, which also includes an interest in drawing and acting.

She is the author of the Neve & Egan Cases series, which features an unlikely duo of private detectives in London: Ashford Egan, a blind History professor, and Alexandra Neve, one of his students.

Currently, she is hard at work on her Urban Fantasy series Vale Investigation which chronicles the exploits of Death’s only envoy on Earth, PI Bellamy Vale, in the fictitious town of Cold City, USA.

Twitter : 

https://twitter.com/cristelle

Website :

www.cristelle-comby.com

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Cristelle-Comby/e/B00EAWEODS

Goodreads :

https://www.goodreads.com/CristelleComby

Amazon buy link:  https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Embers-Vale-Investigation-Book-ebook/dp/B07MD2Z7ZV/ref=sr_1_1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Kind of Perfect

Title: My Kind of Perfect

Author: K.L. Jessop

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Release Date: March 25, 2019

I, Adele Roberts, am a romance author, and it’s the most remarkable career in the world, until I lose myself in the depths of my characters’ love lives and realise theirs are way better than my own. 

Determined to find out if ‘Mr Perfect‘ exists, I do the one thing I never thought I would: I sign up for online dating. 

Yes, that’s right.

I can only imagine it’s a disaster waiting behind the click of a button—or is it?

Enter Drew Adams.

He’s hot, dreamy and exactly like the kind of heroes I write about in my books, which means he is too good to be true. 

Right?

Well, there’s only one way to find out...

5 Stars ➜ "This book gave me the best kind of whiplash as K.L. Jessop seamlessly bounced back and forth between pure comedy and enough heat to catch everything around you on fire with Drew and Adele’s story." ➜ The Red Hatter Book Blog

Kate has lived in South West England her entire life just on the edge of Dartmoor where the moorland goes on for days. It's beautiful, breath-taking and occasionally rather wet. 

She is a dyslexic author and finds things challenging which often leads to banging her head against the wall or searching for vodka. 
Kate loves anything creative, her college years were spent in the art room, she has numerous qualifications in advanced nail art and as well as writing her passion is photography.
She probably swears way more than she should. Her mum makes the best cupcakes in history, and she goes weak at the knees for a guy with a five o'clock shadow.

HOSTED BY:

Beyond the Book: Turnaround Farm

Welcome to Beyond the Book. Turnaround Farm which is one of my all time favorite books released last September 1 from Wings ePress. I thought today I'd share a blurb and a short excerpt with you. The book is a Kindle Unlimited title available at https://wingsepress.com/turnaround-farm/

Blurb:

Dedicated career girl Holly Grant has no time for romance. She doesn’t need a man to complete her, thank you very much. Building Grant Realty takes all of her time and attention. If she can close a deal for Turnaround Farm her business will take off like a rocket. Her first problem is that Jeb Wakefield doesn’t want to sell his farm, and her second problem is Jeb’s grandson Dan, the finest looking man Holly’s ever seen.

Last Week: 

“I have no idea why you’d think Miss Grant is high maintenance, but it doesn’t matter if she is or not. I’m not asking you to make a life-long commitment to her. Just take her to dinner or a movie. You really need to get out more. Your social life is nonexistent.”

“I don’t think so, Gramps.”

Jeb’s lips marginally tightened. Dan was so stubborn.That was one thing he had inherited from Kyle, although he’d never said so to Dan. Any resemblance to his father horrified his grandson.

This week: We've picked up where we left off last week. Jeb speaks first.

Finding Lord Farlisle

Finding Lord Farlisle

by Cassandra Dean

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Regency

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

The girl he finally remembers

Eleven years ago, a shipwreck robbed Lord Maxim Farlisle of his memory. Recovering himself, he journeys to his childhood home to find Waithe Hall shut and deserted. Unwilling to face what remains of his family, Maxim makes his home in the abandoned hall…only to have a determined ghost hunter invade his uneasy peace.

The boy she never forgot

Fascinated by spirits, Lady Alexandra Torrence cannot disregard the opportunity to investigate the estate she knew so well. She arrives at the shuttered hall to discover a ghost of a different kind—the boy she thought to never see again. Maxim had been the boy next door, her best friend, her soul mate…and then he’d vanished.

As the two rediscover their connection, the promise of young love burns into an overwhelming passion. But the time apart has scarred them both—will they discover a love that will draw them together or will the past tear them apart forever?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

It was eleven years ago. The pain had faded, but had never truly left. Alexandra had thought

she’d learned to live with it. But now…now Maxim was here?

A thunderous scowl on his face, he made a noise of impatience. “I do not have the inclination for this, girl. Tell me why you have come.”

His voice crashed over her. That, too, had deepened with age, but it was him. It was him.

“It is you.” Joy filled her, so big it felt her skin couldn’t contain it. Throwing herself at him, she enveloped him in a hug.

He stiffened.

Embarrassment coursed through her. What was she thinking? Immediately, she untangled herself from him. “I beg your pardon,” she stammered. Always before they’d been exuberant in their affections. They’d always found ways to touch one another, even though that last summer, the one before he’d gone away, she’d begun to feel...more....

Clasping her hands before her, she brought herself to the present. Much had changed, now they were grown and he, apparently, had not died.

Maxim had not died.

A wave of emotion swept her, a mix of relief, joy, incredulity…. It buckled her knees and burned her eyes. He was alive. Maxim was alive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Review

I enjoyed reading this story, partly because the characters are so well drawn. Alexandra is a ghost hunter and thinks for herself even though many of her acquaintances label her as odd. She's multi-dimensional, not a flat, insipid heroine like some I've read. Maxim is also multi-dimensional. He isn't flat either. He's conflicted, but not to the point that it's ridiculous. 

The plot of the story is good and well drawn, and the author couldn't have picked a better setting for the story. The end too didn't disappoint, and I thought the last line of the story was wonderful. 

If you enjoy a good regency with warm, likable characters and a good plot and setting I'd recommend the book to you. I'd give it 4.5 stars. 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Cassandra Dean is an award-winning, best-selling author of historical and fantasy romance. She is a 2018 recipient of the coveted Romance Writers of Australia Ruby Award.

Cassandra is proud to call South Australia her home, where she regularly cheers on her AFL football team and creates her next tale.

Visit Cassandra’s website at http://cassandradean.com

Join Cassandra’s mailing list at http://cassandradean.com/extras/subscribe

Follow Cassandra on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraDean and on Twitter @authorCassDean

Contact Cassandra at cassandra@cassandradean.com

Buy Links

Amazon:

https://amzn.to/2CYxUBh

https://amzn.to/2R5emhq

https://amzn.to/2Sain5x

https://www.amazon.ca/Finding-Lord-Farlisle-Lost-Lords-ebook/dp/B07JLWSFJG

iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/finding-lord-farlisle/id1439825567

B&N

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-lord-farlisle-cassandra-dean/1129772576

Google Play

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cassandra_Dean_Finding_Lord_Farlisle

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/finding-lord-farlisle

Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/902543

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Cassandra Dean will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors: Turnaround Farm

Welcome to Snippet Sunday and Weekend Writing Warriors, your chance to sample the work of a talented group of authors. When you finish here you can find more excerpts at:

http://www.wewriwa.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Turnaround Farm is a kindle unlimited title available at https://wingsepress.com/turnaround-farm/

Blurb:

If up and coming realtor Holly Grant can buy Turnaround Farm for her client, her business will boom. Who says you have to have a man in your life to complete you? She’s fine as she is thank you very much. Her first problem is that Jeb Wakefield doesn’t want to sell his farm, and her second problem is Jeb’s grandson Dan, the finest looking man Holly’s ever seen. 

Excerpt: Chapter One

Last week

“When I saw him in the office, he was so verbally abusive I never thought about his looks,” Loretta answered in an injured tone. Holly stifled a smile. Loretta never took criticism well.

“He sure wasn’t pleasant tonight, was he?” Holly said. Thank goodness Loretta didn’t know about her knees. When she first saw Dan, her knees had felt spongy, and she’d have given a sizeable commission just to see if his shoulders felt as muscular and hard as they looked.She’d always had a thing for nice shoulders.

Of course she had no intention of saying anything to Loretta. If Loretta thought she had any interest whatsoever in Dan, she’d go on and on about it and tell everybody in the whole dang real estate office.

This Week: Loretta and Holly are talking while the Wakefields are in the barn.