Between The Pages - Wild Justice

Wild Justice
By Liz Fielding Riva
April 2011

Betrayed by a lover, her career in ruins, Fizz Beaumont devotes all her energy to restoring Broomhill Bay pier, using the old theatre as the home for the radio station that is her life.

The arrival of tycoon Luke Devlin, who has taken over her major sponsor, threatens not just her radio station but offers her a lesson in passion which promises to set the skies ablaze.

Between The Pages of this story is a romance filled with a good plot of revenge. The characters are real and the storyline is engaging. Liz Fielding has a unique writing talent of transporting her readers into the setting of her novels. I look forward to reading the remaining books in this trilogy, Wild Lady and Wild Fire.

Review Rating: 4 Stars

Promo - Sarah Grimm

Web Link: www.SarahGrimm.com

Between The Pages - Jezebel's Wish

Jezebel’s Wish
By AJ Nuest 
Wild Rose Press
April 2011

Haunted by nightmares, tormented by guilt, Jezebel came to Redemption Ranch to escape the past-except now she's stuck in the middle of nowhere with no redemption in sight. When her mother pushes her into riding lessons with local veterinarian Matthias Saunders, Jezebel balks. Sure, the doctor is gorgeous, but he's completely obnoxious and knows how to push every one of her buttons. Only her deep connection with The Reverend, a gentle stallion who guards her darkest secrets, has her agreeing to spend any more time with Dr. Saunders. Caring for the stallion is the first bright spot in her life in months, and if being around the horse means she has to deal with Matthias Saunders, then so be it. Surely a city girl like her can handle one country vet-even one with disturbing blue eyes. Can't she?

Between The Pages of this story is a tender romance filled with heart-wrenching emotion and moving characters. The heroine, Jezzy, may seem strong-minded at first, but as you read through the story, you soon understand the reason behind Jezzy’s torment, and support her. The hero, Matty, is a true hero, always there for Jezzy. I was saddened by AJ’s choice over the final scene of the Reverend, but I also praise the her for pulling me into the story to show how emotionally invested I was in the storyline. The scenery was exquisitely shown and the details were well-done. Cozy up to Fall with Jezebel’s Wish, and be sure to have a tissue handy.

Review Rating: 5 Stars

A Writer's Words - Seeing The Mountains

Seeing The MountainsBy Nan Russell

    Bits and pieces of the man's life story emerged as two strangers, seated directly behind me, visited during the flight. After overhearing the reason why he was traveling to Montana, I was surprised when we landed to notice that the robust middle age man behind me looked like everyone else.
    “I'm doing things now," he told his seat-mate, "that I've been pushing off for that proverbial someday." After working through the shock and anger of his diagnosis, he decided to spend his remaining time seeing parts of the country he'd not seen, and reconnecting with friends and family. He was traveling to Montana to see the mountains.
    He had cheerfully given his seat to me so I could sit next to my husband. Yet, in the bustle of plane boarding, I hardly saw him. Just like I hardly saw the man who checked our luggage, or the woman who looked at our boarding passes, or the stewardess who served our snack, or any number of people I encountered.
    I did see the distracted grocery store check-out clerk later that day when my impatience reached frustrating heights, but I saw her as the cause of my being late for an appointment, not as a fellow journeyer perhaps having a difficult day.
    Still, she reminded me how distracted, irritable, or distant I can be on my heavy-hearted days - after an argument with my husband, a call about Mom's declining health, or more recession-dwindling finances. There is nothing stamped on my forehead warning others to what is occupying my head.
    Thinking back to when my father died, I remember returning to work in just a few days. Those who knew offered words of encouragement and condolences, for which I was grateful. But most people I dealt with didn't know I was trying to get through a day without crying, and that my robot-like approach, lasting several months, was a shelter to my grieving heart.
    You see, we rarely know what lives in another's heart, what challenges they're dealing with, what tragedies are touching their lives, or what coping mechanisms they're using to just get through another day.
    As a sample of one, I know I'm quick at times to judge, assume, or render speculation. Yet with each passing year, I'm working to diminish my judgment-habit, realizing things are not always as they appear, in your life or in mine.
    In the scheme of things, I think we need to be gentler with each other. We need to see others with more compassionate eyes. And, we need to understand that the loads we carry are often invisible, and the person next to us or behind us or across from us may have a waterlogged heart, a broken spirit, or limited days for seeing the mountains.
© 2011 Nan S. Russell.  All Rights Reserved.
Nan Russell left the corporate world in 2002 to pursue a life dream to work and write from the mountains of Montana. Today she is the award winning author of Hitting Your Stride, a syndicated columnist, and motivational speaker. More about Nan and her work at http://www.nanrussell.com/ or follow her insights and tips on twitter @nan_Russell

Promo - Brodie's Bride

Web Link: www.amielouellen.com

A Writer's Words - Big Spoons, Small Stomachs

Big Spoons, Small Stomachs

By Vicky DeCoster

     My girlfriend and I had just finished a fabulous low-calorie lunch the other day when the server approached our table with the question every woman nurtures a love/hate relationship with on a daily basis, “Would anyone care to see the dessert tray today?”

     I turned to my girlfriend—she turned to me.  We stared at each other.  No one wanted to be the first to stand up and scream, “IF THERE IS ONE MORSEL OF CHOCOLATE ON THAT DESSERT TRAY, OF COURSE WE WANT TO SEE IT!”  We both restrained ourselves and politely nodded as I said, “Yes.”
     The server scurried off to find the tray filled with plastic, hard calorie-laden desserts that eerily reminded me of the food my daughter used to play with in her pretend kitchen.  I glanced at my girlfriend and firmly said, “I am not getting any dessert. I just want to look because I’ve really got to watch it these days.”
     She nodded her head in agreement. “I’m with you,” she said, “Seriously. If I keep up eating the way I have been lately, my muffin top is going to look like a two-layer cake.”
     “Okay,” I replied, “So we are in agreement.  No dessert?”
     “No dessert,” she said, “And will you do me a teensy-weensy favor?  Don’t ask to chew on the plastic cake this time, okay?”
     The server returned with the dessert tray and began her spiel—pointing at each dessert while spinning the tray deftly on her other hand.  “Over here, we have crème brulee, here we have the chocolate mousse cake, this one is a warm brownie with ice cream on top, here we have bananas foster, and finally, we have our famous cheesecake topped with a caramel sauce and toasted nuts.”  She smiled and then handed me a napkin.  “You might want to wipe the drool off your chin.”
     As I rubbed the napkin over my face, my friend touched my arm and murmured, “Doesn’t that chocolate mousse cake look fabulous?”
     I glared at her and then nodded at the server, “We’re trying to be good today.”
     My friend joked, “These are fat-free desserts, aren’t they?” and then followed her remark with a bout of  nervous laughter that made me wonder if she was already going into sugar shock just by viewing the dessert tray.
    I stared at my girlfriend—and she stared at me back. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally blurted, “We will split a piece of the chocolate mousse cake. Now off with you before we change our minds.”
    “Very good,” the server said as she began to walk away with the tray.
    I yelled after her, “AND BRING TWO SHOTS OF INSULIN WITH YOU WHEN YOU COME BACK!”
    My girlfriend shook her head. “We shouldn’t have ordered that dessert.”
    “I know,” I replied. “Should we cancel the order?”
    “Good Lord no!” she exclaimed. “That would be so embarrassing.”
    I nodded, “Definitely.” I tapped my fingers on the table. Rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat. My friend grabbed my hand to stop me just as we saw the server returning with our cake and two soup spoons.
    “Now that’s what I like to see,” I remarked as she set the cake down between us, “Big spoons!”
    As the server walked the dessert tray to another pair of helpless women held captive by their chocolate addictions, my girlfriend and I held our usual dessert visitation. “Isn’t she beautiful the way they’ve fixed her up today?” I sighed as I turned the plate around so I could view the cake from all angles.
    “She’s gorgeous,” my girlfriend whispered, “I love the way they drizzled chocolate around her.”
    “Shall we?” I said as I held my soup spoon poised over the plate.
    “Let’s do it,” she said with all the ferocity of an athlete ready to begin a race.
    Together that afternoon, two women and our soup spoons entered the gates of sugar heaven and never regretted it for a moment, even when we felt our muffin tops crawling out of the top of our Spanx like prisoners escaping from jail.
© 2011 Vicky DeCoster All Rights Reserved.
Award-winning humor writer Vicky DeCoster is the author of Husbands, Hot Flashes, and All That Hullabaloo! and The Wacky World of Womanhood. Vicky lives in Nebraska with her husband and two children where she is working on her third book of humorous essays. Visit her at www.wackywomanhood.com.

Between The Pages - Love Me Once Love Me Twice

Love Me Once Love Me Twice
By Sandy Sullivan
January 2011
Erotic
Home. They say home is where the heart is, but can coming back to Red Rock, Montana really be home? Natalie Bennington is about to find out.
Finding herself in a blizzard and stuck in a ditch, the last person she expects to rescue her is gorgeous ex-high school jock, Cade Weston. His light brown hair and baby blue eyes had many a teenage girl all a twitter including her, but being the shy band girl didn't garner attention from his type. When Cade's best friend Kale, and ex-football jock shows up, the stakes have just shot through the roof. Both men want her and she can't understand why.

Between The Pages of this story is an erotic romance, filled with sizzling scenes. An intriguing plot keeps you reading and wondering who Natalie will end up with. The heroine’s grandmother, who is hilarious, is a bonus to the story.

Review Rating: 4 Stars

A Writer's Words - Create A Spa Experience

Create A Spa ExperienceBy Robbi Hess

Get away from it all… in the comfort of your own home

Create a spa experience at home

The kids are back in school so now’s the time to sneak away to an all day pampering at the local spa, right? If only! Even with the children back at school there are still items too pressing to be able to spend the day at a spa, but with a little planning you can re-create the spa experience in the comfort of your own home.

Imagine getting the kids on the bus, brewing up a pot of herbal tea and slipping way to soak and revitalize yourself in the comfort of your own bathroom. 

Set the mood for your in-home spa with aromatherapy. Pull the blinds in the bathroom and pull out your most comfortable pair of slippers and your robe.

Set the mood with aromatherapy

You can use essential oils or scented candles to set the mood. If you opt for essential oils, put a few drops onto a cotton ball then set the scented cotton ball on a coaster and the scent will fill the room. If you’re partial to the flickering glow of a candle, choose a scent that you adore, and light a few candles in your darkened bathroom to enjoy while you soak.

Add ambiance with music

When was the last time you listened to music that you actually wanted to listen to? During your spa day the choice is yours – whether it’s classical, opera or even rap, set your CD player to a continuous loop so you don’t have to worry about turning it on when you’re relaxing.

Getting ready for the soak

Choose your favorite bubble bath, bath salts or scented
oils for soaking and pampering your skin. Have a loofah and a either a store bought mud mask for your face or consider mixing up a bowl of oatmeal to put on your face as a cleansing mask. Oatmeal is both a gentle scrub and soothing for your skin at the same time.

Pamper your toes
Once your tub water has cooled, now comes the time for foot therapy. Wrap yourself in a cozy robe or towel and soak your feet in a basic of warm water to which you’ve added some sea salt and an essential oil – many people choose peppermint or rosemary for their deodorizing qualities. After the foot soak, massage in your favorite lotion then comes the manicure. Choose your favorite nail polish and paint them up!

Moisturize yourself
While your feet are soaking, slather yourself either with your favorite moisturizer or splurge on a lotion you’ve always dreamed of and keep it hidden away for your spa days. Also while you’re soaking you can treat your hair to a deep conditioning treatment.

Fingertip treatment
Don’t forget to spend some time on a manicure. Treat your cuticles, file your nails, give your hands a deep conditioning moisture treatment and when that’s over, paint your nails a bright, festive color. Your freshly painted fingernails will be a visual reminder of your day of pampering.

Once you’ve got the supplies for your first spa day, stash them away in a lovely wicker basket draped with a special towel or washcloth. Keep them next to your tub as a reminder of the relaxing day you just finished, and as a visual nudge to plan another!

Robbi Hess is a professional blogger and social media consultant who works with writers and entrepreneurs to help them build their online presence. You can find her at www.robbihess.com

Promo - Arial Burnz

Web Link: www.ArialBurnz.com

Between The Pages - Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights

Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights
By Jean Joachim
Astraea Press
February 2011

Caroline Davis White is a well-known artist and married to a wealthy, controlling man. She has everything money could buy except one thing: Love. Brad refuses to give her a divorce she so desperately wants. With no money, family, or friends, she flees to the Catskill Mountains where she spent her summers as a young adult.
Mike Foster has achieved success and made more money than he could have thought possible, but it destroyed his marriage and cost him his son. He is wary of every woman he meets, knowing his money may be more attractive than his good looks.
Caroline reconnects with the life she had and friends from long ago. Mike stepped out of her teenage dreams into her life again, looking more handsome and tempting than ever. Caroline knew Mike back then, but is he still the man she fell in love with?

Between The Pages of this story is a sweet romance perfect for reading outside on a warm day. With shorter books authors tend to rush the story, but Jean does a wonderful job with pacing and plot. The cabin, lake, and town fair settings were well described, and the chemistry between the main characters is undeniable. And for those of you who love dogs, there’s a little pug that’s absolutely adorable.

Review Rating: 4 Stars

Between The Pages - She's Gone Country

She’s Gone Country
By Jane Porter
5-Spot
August 2010

Shey Darcy, a 39-year-old former top model for Vogue and Sports Illustrated led a charmed life in New York City with a handsome photographer husband until the day he announced he'd fallen in love with someone else. Left to pick up the pieces of her once happy world, Shey decides to move back home to Texas with her three teenage sons. Life on the family ranch, however, brings with it a whole new host of dramas starting with differences of opinion with her staunch Southern Baptist mother, her rugged but overprotective brothers, and daily battles with her three sons who are also struggling to find themselves. Add to the mix Shey's ex-crush, Dane Kelly, a national bullriding champ and she's got her hands full. It doesn't take long before Shey realizes that in order to reinvent herself, she must let go of an uncertain future and a broken past, to find happiness--and maybe love--in the present.

Between The Pages of this story is an engaging storyline filled with family, friendship, and a vulnerable heroine with real-life problems as a single mom raising three boys. If you’ve read Odd Mom Out, Mrs. Perfect, and Easy On The Eyes , you’ll enjoy She’s Gone Country, and if you haven’t read those books, I recommend them. Dust off your cowboy boots and prop up those heels on the edge of the fence. Forget about cleaning out the barn, you’ll be too engrossed in this story to put it down.

Review Rating: 4.5 Flames

A Writer's Words - A Bit of Reflection

A Bit of Reflection By Nan Russell

    A carved sign on a wall in a country store caught my eye. "All because two people fell in love," it read. It got me thinking in this, our anniversary month, how that saying relates to our lives.
    There are, of course, the tangible results - two little girls, ages four and almost two, who call us Nana and GrDad, delight our lives, and make us smile. Plus one young father and husband whose creative spirit, zest for life, and loving ways make us proud parents. And an amazing daughter-in-law who completes our family with grace and a welcoming style.
    But the intangible impact of falling in love with this man who shares my life, is harder to quantify. Yet I feel it every day. While graying hair and extra pounds changed the outer package, my heart beats strongly with love, joy, and gratitude for this life we share.
    I don't claim a marriage without mistakes, scars, or life-happens-shifts that challenged, pushed, and demanded change or renewed focus from us, individually or collectively. I don't assert some magical happily-ever-after fairy tale experience (although that's appealing). We've enjoyed wonderful years, and we've struggled and weathered less than good ones in our time together.
    I don't profess to know what works for anyone else, but I do know this: Dan brings out the best in me. He helps me see tomorrow's sunshine when it's raining,
makes me laugh, challenges my thinking, pushes me from my comfort-zone, offers alternative perspectives, and nudges my good side. Yet, all the while, letting me be me - talents, shortcomings, technical incompetence and all.
    By nourishing my soul, supporting my dreams, and encouraging my life's passions, I am who I am today because I fell in love with, and am loved by Dan. It is that gift of unconditional love that ripples in intangible ways.
    Thirty-six years ago, a small group of family and friends gathered on an August day in the mountains to celebrate our simple ceremony of love. "You invent the future that you want to face," were the words we chose to engrave in our rings, plucked from a Fleetwood Mac song popular at the time.
    In the scheme of things, that vision has served us well as we created a life, a family, and a future. It still does as we embrace new demands, dreams, and changes together.
    Certainly, no one knows what the future holds. But we have today and it holds a loving, joyful anniversary celebration with my husband and best friend. Falling in love with Dan is the best thing that ever happened to me. The resulting wonderful son, daughter-in-law, and darling granddaughters think so, too!
© 2011 Nan S. Russell.  All Rights Reserved.

Nan Russell left the corporate world in 2002 to pursue a life dream to work and write from the mountains of Montana. Today she is the award winning author of Hitting Your Stride, a syndicated columnist, and motivational speaker. More about Nan and her work at http://www.nanrussell.com/ or follow her insights and tips on twitter @nan_Russell

Promo - Keeping Secrets

Web Site: http://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com

Between The Pages - Much Ado About Nuptials

The Wedding Season/ Much Ado About NuptialsBy Deborah Hale
Love Inspired Historical
June 2011

Plagued with a jaded heart, Sebastian Stanhope, Viscount Benedict, won't let his half brother rush into marriage. He must convince the bride's stubborn—if charming—governess, Rebecca Beaton, to help sever the engagement. Only, Rebecca is determined to encourage the engaged pair…and show Sebastian the blessing of true love.

Between The Pages of this story is a sweet Regency romance based in 1814. Another historical I was nervous about reading, yet another story I pleasantly enjoyed. Filled with emotion and a tender romance, I was captivated in the era. Well-written with spoken verbiage that was truly endearing. A beautiful love inspired story.

Review Rating: 4.5 Stars

A Writer`s Words - One Teenager

How One Teenager Turned  his Parents into Rhinoceroses By Vicky DeCoster

     Seventeen years ago I gave birth to a tiny baby that eventually grew into a picky toddler that ate virtually nothing in order to survive. “Is it possible to stay alive for longer than twelve hours after eating just one grape and two animal crackers for dinner?” I whispered to my husband as we nervously watched our toddler eat one evening. He shrugged. As I attempted to bribe, blackmail, and threatened our son into eating even just a few more morsels of food, neither of us could have possibly known what would happen fifteen years later.

     As the sun rises on a recent morning, my son enters the kitchen for the first of what will be multiple times that day and sits at the counter with a large box of cereal, a gallon of milk, the sugar bowl, and a spoon the size of Lake Superior. For several minutes, I hear nothing but crunching, slurping, and more cereal being poured into the bowl. I am too frightened to turn away from my newspaper to look at the scene being played out behind me. But then I do. I shouldn’t be shocked, but I am. The cereal box is empty, the milk carton is drained, and he looks … well … still hungry.
     “Don’t we have anything to eat around here?” he says and he walks over to the refrigerator, opens the door, and hangs on it like a wet towel.
     I have learned not to respond to this question. I quietly flip the newspaper page and continue reading. After a few seconds and thirteen long sighs later, he finally saunters out of the kitchen, only to return ten minutes later. He opens the pantry door, stands there, and sighs. “I am starving,” he announces dramatically as he opens a bag of chips and begins chomping away.
     My stomach growls loudly and for one very short moment, it drowns out the sound of his incessant crunching. “Mom!” he exclaims, “If you’re hungry, why don’t you eat?” If only it were that easy. At my age, ingesting just one potato chip makes my stomach look like I attached a bicycle pump to my belly button and pumped my abdomen full of air. But as the salty scent of the chips slowly wafts into my nose, I can’t help myself. I stick my hand in the bag of chips.
     “I’ll just have one,” I say to him as I “accidentally” pull out 35 chips. Just as I’m stuffing several of the chips in the pockets of my robe for later, my husband walks in the kitchen. He looks at me and shakes his head.
     “I’m just going to have a banana,” he says as he eyeballs the bag of chips when he thinks I’m not looking. As I walk to the coffee pot to fill up my cup, I hear the chip bag rattling. I already know he has helped himself.
     Back when our son was a toddler, we both weighed 10 pounds less, spent four thousand less a month on groceries, and succumbed to temptation only when the Girl Scouts delivered cookies once a year. But now, thanks to our teenager’s need to continually eat, we have officially turned into a bunch of rhinoceroses that graze nine hours a day and crankily charge anyone who gets in our way.
     Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, my son stuffs the now half-empty bag of chips back into the cupboard, rubs his stomach, and announces, “I think that’ll do it for now.” My husband and I both follow him out of the kitchen, glad to be finally free from calorie-laden enticements.
     Fifteen minutes later, I hear the freezer door open. My husband’s ears perk up like a dog that has just seen a rabbit in the backyard. “I hope he’s having ice cream,” he whispers.
     “I hope it’s the frozen waffles,” I mutter as we lurk outside the door and sniff the air. I think I hear the toaster turn on. But it could just be wishful thinking.
     My son sighs and says, “Mom and Dad, I can see your shadows on the wall.”
     “I just want one bite of whatever you’re having,” my husband states as we casually saunter into the kitchen.
     “Can I get you the syrup?” I ask.
     Three minutes later, I rub my stomach, pleasantly sated. “I’m full,” I say.
     “Me too,” my husband replies.
     “I’m not,” my son adds.
     This could go on for years.

“Never eat more than you can lift.” –Miss Piggy
© 2011 Vicky DeCoster All Rights Reserved.
Award-winning humor writer Vicky DeCoster is the author of Husbands, Hot Flashes, and All That Hullabaloo! and The Wacky World of Womanhood. Vicky lives in Nebraska with her husband and two children where she is working on her third book of humorous essays. Visit her at www.wackywomanhood.com.

Between The Pages - The Outlaw Bride

The Outlaw Bride
By Kelly Boyce
Carina Press
April 2011

Katherine Slade has two goals: to escape her outlaw husband and to find the family of the man who died saving her life. Taking the place of a mail-order bride isn't part of her plan—until she's forced to continue the charade and become Sheriff Connor Langston's housekeeper to stay out of jail. Pretending to be another woman is hard, but Katherine's real challenge is resisting her growing attraction to the handsome lawman…
Falling in love is the last thing Connor needs, even if the rest of Fatal Bluff wants him to. His hands are full with a band of outlaws threatening the safety of his town, and a child to raise. But Kate has a way of getting under his skin and into little Jenny's heart. Soon Connor can't get the fiery beauty out of his head—along with his suspicion that Kate isn't who she claims to be.
When Connor learns the truth about Kate, is there any way for this outlaw bride to become the sheriff's wife?

Between The Pages of this story is a fun 1873 Western romance that has delightful characters, compelling scenes, and a perfect plot. I’m not a big reader of historical and I was a bit hesitant to read this story, but because it was a debut novel from a local writer, I wanted to give it a chance. I’m so pleased that I did!

I enjoy western movies, and this well-written story places you right in the middle of every scene. I could almost see the tumbleweeds blowing in the dusty wind. The heartwarming scenes between Kate and Connor will absolutely have you hooked.

The Outlaw Bride is a page turner straight from the first paragraph. It even includes a wild-west shoot-out that will have you dodging bullets.

I absolutely loved this story and would definitely place it as my top read of the summer! I look forward to Kelly’s next book!

Review Rating: 5 Stars

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