Single Southern Flirt

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Title: Single Southern Flirt

Series: Magnolia Grove

Author: Cary Hart

Release Date: February 18, 2024

Tropes: Brother's Best Friend, Forced Proximity, Summer Fling

Cover Design: Sarah Paige

Falling for my brother’s best friend is the last thing I expect to do when I return home to Magnolia Grove, heartbroken and ringless.

But catching my fiancée banging his Harvard grad intern made me rethink my life choices, like ditching my education to play house.

No more pretending, and no strings. All I need now is some careless fun while I rebuild my life, one odd job at a time.

Single, southern flirt, Matty Lincoln is the perfect distraction. The former professional football player had big dreams, and no back up plan.

After a career ending injury lands him back in our hometown, I find myself falling fast and hard for my old crush.

Now he’s simultaneously fixing up my house, and my heart, making me feel things I wish I didn’t.

And our little rendezvous? Yeah, it’s about to make big waves in our small town.

Cary Hart hails from the Midwest. A sassy, coffee drinking, sometimes sailor swearing, Spotify addict, lover of all things books!

When not pushing women down the stairs in the fictional world, Cary has her hands full. Soccer mom in all sense of the word to two wild and crazy, spoiled kiddos, and wife to the most supportive husband. In addition to writing full time, she enjoys binge watching Netflix, laying around in her hammock and baking up cookies for her family and friends.

Cary writes real, raw romance! In her stories the characters deal with life's everyday struggles and unwanted drama, they talk about the ugly and they become the broken. Everyone deserves a happy ending, but sometimes before you can appreciate the light, there has to be darkness.

As a child, if someone would have told her she would become a writer, she wouldn't have believed them. It wasn't until she got her hands on her first romance novel, that the passion grew. Now she couldn't imagine her life any other way - she's living her dream.

In the heart of Alabama, lies a charming little town on the river, where everyone knows your name… and your business.

Follow the intertwined lives of its beloved residents as they navigate first love, second chances, and all the unexpected surprises that their small-town holds.

Welcome to Magnolia Grove, where every neighbor has a story worth unraveling, the roots run deep, and love blossoms around every corner.

Join the Magnolia Grove Reader Group to find out more!

HOSTED BY:

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Outlaw's Lady

 

OUTLAW'S LADY

by Bobbi Smith

 

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GENRE:  Historical Romance

 

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BLURB:

 

Wrongly Accused

 

When Pinkerton detective Slade Braxton went undercover to infiltrate the notorious Dakota Kid’s gang, he became one of the most wanted outlaws in the West. Now, set to stand trial for murder and robbery, he realized his ruse had been all too convincing—especially when the judge at his hearing turned out to be the woman of his dreams—the woman he’d shared a kiss with before sinking back into the shadows.

 

Out for Justice

 

Alyssa Mason was shocked when the mystery man who swept her off her feet at the town dance strode into her courtroom, accused of killing her father. Something about the handsome, arrogant Braxton disturbed her usually calm resolve. Though not easily distracted from her moral duties, Alyssa soon found herself fighting a forbidden attraction—and wondering if she’d have no choice but to abandon the law…and become the Outlaw’s Lady.

  

Excerpt

 

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Slade had been standing in the shadows watching the evening’s festivities, feeling like the outsider he was. He’d been looking for the town’s sheriff in the crowd when he saw the woman for the first time. She was a timeless beauty, and as he was watching her, another man took her out onto the dance floor. It was only as they turned his way while they were dancing that he saw the sheriff’s badge on the man’s chest.

 

As he moved farther back into the darkness, Slade’s frustration over his situation grew even more. He knew a driving need to be someone other than Slade Braxton, the outlaw and fast gun, for just one brief moment that night. When the music ended and he saw the woman standing alone on the dance floor, he started through the crowd. 

 

“Miss?” Slade said as he reached her side.

 

Alyssa looked up, startled. She hadn’t noticed the stranger’s approach. She found herself gazing up at by far the best-looking man she’d ever seen—tall, dark and somehow dangerous.

 

“Hello,” she said, giving him a tentative smile. “Have we met?”

 

“No, we haven’t, but would you care to dance?”

 

A new tune had just begun to play.

 

Mesmerized by the mysterious man who’d appeared out of nowhere, she knew she had to.  “I’d love to dance with you.”

 

The handsome stranger smiled as he took her in his arms and swept her out onto the dance floor.

 

The melody was a slow one, and Alyssa couldn’t have been more pleased. She felt as if she were floating on air as they moved together.

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

After working as a department manager for Famous-Barr, and briefly as a clerk at a bookstore, Bobbi Smith gave up on career security and began writing. She sold her first book to Zebra in 1982. Since then, Bobbi has written over 40 books and several short stories. To date, there are more than five million of her novels in print. She has been awarded the prestigious Romantic Times Storyteller of the Year Award and two Career Achievement Awards. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists. When she's not working on her novels, she is frequently a guest speaker for writer's groups. Bobbi is mother of two sons and resides in St. Charles, Missouri with her husband and three dogs.

 

Website: https://bobbismithauthor.com

 

Read on Kindle Unlimited or buy for only $0.99 during the month of January.

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Outlaws-Lady-Bobbi-Smith-ebook/dp/B00FQOAP64/ref=as_li_ss_tl

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

Bobbi Smith will award a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Western Justice

 

Western Justice

by Dean L. Hovey

 

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GENRE:   Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

When human remains are found at the Vore Buffalo Jump, the short-staffed local sheriff’s department requests assistance from Park Service Investigators Doug and Jill Fletcher.

 

ATV tracks lead the investigators to the victim’s boots and a hunting blind constructed on the edge of the Black Hills National Forest. With more questions than answers the Fletchers find themselves pulled into the community dynamics of tiny Aladdin (population 15) where the café and general store are the hub of information for the county.

 

The surprising identification of the victim only opens more questions about him, and his connection to the location of his murder. When the Fletchers follow up on the few leads provided by John Doe’s identification, they unwittingly open a can of worms.

 

 

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EXCERPT 

 

Jill’s voice was soft and even. “Have you noticed anyone sitting in the timber behind the store?”

 

Tanya opened her mouth, but hesitated. “I don’t often look up the hill. I mean, it’s just trees and stuff. I’m usually focused on doing something for the store when I’m in the back.”

 

Jill nodded toward Tanya’s pistol. “I used to carry a 9mm when I was younger. I could never handle the recoil of a .45.”

 

Tanya relaxed a bit. “I’m not concerned about the recoil because I only plan on shooting once. When you shoot something with a .45, it stays shot.”

 

Randy leaned forward to look at Jill. “Unlike the well driller you shot thirteen times with your 9mm before he stopped running.”

 

Zane’s eyes went wide, and he turned toward Jill. “That was you in the Hulett shootout?”

 

I gestured for Randy to zip his lips. He saw Jill look away, then made a circle on the bar top with his beer bottle. “I might’ve spoken out of school. Sorry, Jill.”

 

Seeing Jill’s remorse, Zane turned toward her. “I’m sorry. I get it. I really do. I take no joy in shooting an animal. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I shot another person.”

 

Jill nodded. “Thank you. Can we talk about something else?”

A Word With the Author

1.Did you always want to be an author? I’ve always written, for the high school and college newspapers, and a few magazine articles. I never dreamt of being a full-time fiction author until my first book (Where Evil Hides) was published in 2000.

2.Tell us about the publication of your first book. I thought the hard part of getting a book into print would be the writing. Little did I know how hard it was to find a publisher (I received a hundred rejections before my first publisher offered me a contract). Following the contract was the pain of multiple edits and rewrites. Finally, I had no clue how much effort I’d have to put into book promotion.

3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in? I have several that I enjoy equally. William Kent Krueger is probably at the top of my list. Right behind him are Tony Hillerman, David Housewright, and John Sandford.

4.What's the best part of being an author? The best is talking to readers at library and bookstore events. The people there are polite, well read, and interested. It’s a joy to meet them and to speak with them.

The worst? The worst are the months of writing in virtual isolation. I plod along writing what the characters are saying to me (yes, I listen to my imaginary friends who take the story places I’d never intended), and hoping that what I’m writing is as engaging to readers as it seems to me.

5.What are you working on now? I’m always working on a new book! I have a draft of “Conflict of Interest”, the next Pine County mystery at the editor. I’m drafting “Strung Out to Die” the 15^th Doug Fletcher mystery, and I have an outline for “Whistling Wedding” the next Whistling Pines cozy. I’m also collecting plots and doing research for 2025 titles.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Dean Hovey is a Minnesota-based author with three mystery series. He lives with his wife south of Duluth.

 

Dean’s award-winning* Pine County series follows sheriff’s deputies Floyd Swenson and Pam Ryan through this police procedural series.

 

Dean’s Whistling Pines books are humorous cozy mysteries centered on the residents of the Whistling Pines senior residence. The protagonist is Peter Rogers, the Whistling Pines recreation director.

 

In Dean’s latest series  his protagonist, a retired Minnesota policeman, is drafted into service as a National Park Service Investigator after a murder at a National Monument.

 

* “Family Trees: A Pine County Mystery” won the 2018 NEMBA award for best fiction.

https://bookswelove.net/hovey-dean/

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00J78JMLY/about

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

 

Dean L. Hovey will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Beyond the Book: I Didn't Like This

 You wake up one morning with no water coming in, (water main break at 2 AM). What do you do? 

Actually, I had a similar scenario last summer. We got up one morning after a huge storm the night before and found we had no water. We also had a huge oak tree lying a few inches from our house. It turned out that during the storm the pumping station took some damage, and no one in our neighborhood had water. 

We first called the water department to report the problem, but of course they were already aware of it. They said they had no idea when it would come back on. So, we headed to the nearest grocery store and bought some water in big jugs and some bottled water to drink. My children live nearby, and they both invited us to stay with them, but we didn’t really want to leave home. 

It was an aggravation, but we managed without dreadful hardship. I had no nice shower that night, and I wanted one because it was summer, and not only was the water gone but we had no power either. 

The next morning the water was back, and we didn’t need all the jugs we bought the day before. We gave it to our grandson whose summer job required him to be in the heat all day. I don’t think her wasted a bit of it. 

What about the power? It took several days for it to come back on, but we have a generator large enough to keep food safe in the freeze and refrigerator. We managed just fine, but I will say it was an experience I hope not to repeat.

Do you have stories to share? We’d love to hear them.

Return to Lerici

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rachel Dacus will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A suspenseful, uplifting story of second chances, family bonds, and redemption.

Sisters Elinor and Saffron rarely see eye-to-eye, but they agree that an unknown half-brother appearing in their lives can only spell trouble. The Greene sisters want to support their ailing mother, Betsy, as they gather in their cottage in Lerici, Italy. But they don’t want Betsy to keep searching for Baby Boy, the only name they have on faded adoption papers.

While the Greenes debate, Baby Boy finds them. A rough childhood has led Daniel to a life as a thief. When he learns of his connection to the wealthy Greenes, he decides to scam them. He goes to Italy and using a fake identity observes them at close range. Watching these people makes him ache for what he never had—a loving family.

Betsy is touched by the young man’s story and guesses their hidden connection. Discovering his true identity, she asks the family to help him. But Daniel’s shady past is catching up and putting the Greenes at risk. Should they bring their lost lamb into the fold—and can he claim his heritage if it endangers his family?

Read an Excerpt:

Robert sang a few words. “How about this?”

“I don’t know it, but it sounds good.”

“It’s my own. I wrote it.”

He began to strum, accompanying his soft voice, and Betsy had another jolt of recognition. It was the voice. There was so much of a similarity in the timbre that it made her ache. She wondered what Elinor would think if she came in while he was singing and heard Nathan’s singing voice coming out of this young man.

The song soothed her every aching muscle and bone. It did her body good and her nerves too. Like a fond memory, it wrapped her in the sensation that life was good and harmonious, that there was honey in every breeze and heaven just around the corner. He had a gift, this fellow. He definitely had talent. So how had he wound up tinkering with plumbing in Lerici? Maybe her intuition was true, and he had come for them.

Betsy lay back as he sang, her arm across her eyes, and thought of days past when musicians sang just for her, and she went home with one of them. Days long before Nathan and his stuffy circle of academics. The music was pulling her back to a time when she could relax and be herself, and her stuffy daughter didn’t criticize her every impulse and comment. She understood that Elinor felt criticized by her; what Elinor didn’t realize is that she’d adopted Betsy’s habit of sharp comments. And somewhere—God knew where—she’d picked up that skepticism that was going to burn her sweetheart down, if she didn’t marry the wonderful Tonio soon.

Robert strummed a last chord, his voice fading into the silence.

She sat up and looked at him. They stared at each other for a moment.

“You remind me of someone,” she murmured. “My ex-husband, Nathan.”

Why didn’t Robert look surprised?

About the Author

Rachel Dacus is the author of six novels, four time travel books in the Timegathering Series and two books of women’s fiction. She has also published four poetry collections. Rachel’s work has appeared widely in print and online, in journal that include Boulevard, Gargoyle, and Prairie Schooner. Her poetry is in the anthologies Fire and Rain: Ecopoetry of California and Radiant DisUnities: Real Ghazals in English. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Website: http://www.racheldacus.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelDacusAuthor
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/racheldacusauthor

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Return-Lerici-heartwarming-siblings-Invisibles-ebook/dp/B0CBY5PQSH/ref=sr_1_1

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A Southern Meal

 If you’re invited to Christmas Dinner at your friend’s house, you never know what will be on the menu. Of course ham and turkey make an appearance on many Southern tables, but so do many other things. My friend always has lobster. Another has a standing rib roast. My granddaughter has a big buffet of heavy hors d’oeuvres. It won’t necessarily be a traditional Christmas meal, but if go on New Year’s Day I can almost 100% tell you about part of the menu. 

On New Year’s Day almost all Southerners serve black eyed peas and collard greens. That’s what I had this year along with cornbread and chicken pie. I usually serve ham with it, but I did a ham for Christmas this year and didn’t want another one so soon. So where did this tradition come from, and why do people follow it?

They do it for the simplest reason in the world. The black eyed peas bring good luck, and the green collards stand for money. People have been eating these foods for hundred’s of years even though not everyone started eating them for those reasons. We think the Jewish people ate black eyed peas for Rosh Hashanah, and if you eat your peas with rice that’s an African tradition. One reason that Southerners started to eat these foods so much is that in the Civil War food was scarce, and these foods weren’t expensive. No one in the Confederacy had money to waste. Oh, and if you served cornbread with your peas and greens it represented gold. 

Think about trying this tradition next year at your house. Look up various recipes to give you a hint about what you want to do. You may not get especially healthy or lucky, but you’ll have a really nice dinner.

Slashed By You

 🏒 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗢𝗢𝗡 🏒

Slashed By You (Chicago Steel Series Book 5) by Jessica Buss is releasing on February 5th!

PreOrder ➜ https://mybook.to/slashedbyyou

Goodreads TBR ➜ https://bit.ly/3S4InjM

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:

Accidental Pregnancy

Working Class Heroine

Hero Falls First

Instant Attraction

Opposites Attract

Alpha Male

𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞

Josh

As the captain of the Steel, Josh is always in control and confident as hell. In relationships, not so much, especially after being majorly burned. Then a gorgeous baker enters his life and changes everything. Her confections are pure magic, and now she’s all he craves.

Kenzie

Kenzie’s always dreamed of owning her own bakery. With a heart of gold, everything she does is filled with love. Busy running her shop, she doesn’t have time for relationships. However, priorities shift when she catches the eye of a kind and sexy professional hockey player who has developed a major sweet tooth.

🏒 𝘚𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘉𝘺 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 but you can catch up with the entire Chicago Steel Series now with #KindleUnlimited

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