The Sullivans Series (Boxed Set: Books 1-3) by Bella Andre (VBT: Book Review / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Providence Book Promotions, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for The Sullivans Series (Boxed Set: Books 1-3) by Author Bella Andre!

Book Review

The Sullivans Series (Boxed Set: Books 1-3) by Bella Andre

Publisher: Oak Press, LLC

Publication Date: December 5, 2015

Format: e-Book / 662 pages

               Kindle: 5984 KB

               Nook: 1 MB

ISBN: 2940157256548 

ASIN: B018ZY7USM

BNID: 2940157256548

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Buy The Boxed Set:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

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Buy The 17 Book Series:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the boxed set from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Providence Book Promotions. 

Book Description:

More than 6 million readers have already fallen in love with the Sullivans! Now get ready to meet your new favorite family in Bella Andre's New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romances with the first three books in the #1 hit series.

"Not since Nora Roberts has anyone been able to write a big family romance series with every book as good as the last! Bella Andre never disappoints!" ~ Revolving Bookcase Reviews

The Look Of Love

Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really bad night. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skids off the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she's convinced even the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be too good to be true. Or is he? As a successful photographer who frequently travels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, and whenever he's home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually up for causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as it is–until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley. Not only has he never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out, but he quickly realizes she has much bigger problems than her damaged car. Soon, he is willing to move mountains to love–and protect–her, but will she let him?

From This Moment On

For thirty-six years, Marcus Sullivan has been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings after their father died when they were children. But when the perfectly ordered future he's planned for himself turns out to be nothing but a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all. Nicola Harding is known throughout the world by only one name – Nico – for her catchy, sensual pop songs. Only, what no one knows about the twenty-five year old singer is that her sex-kitten image is totally false. After a terrible betrayal by a man who loved fame far more than he ever loved her, she vows not to let anyone else get close enough to find out who she really is…or hurt her again. Especially not the gorgeous stranger she meets at a nightclub, even though the hunger – and the sinful promises – in his dark eyes make her want to spill all her secrets.

Can't Help Falling In Love

Gabe Sullivan risks his life every day as a firefighter in San Francisco. But after learning a brutal lesson about professional boundaries, he knows better than to risk his heart to his fire victims ever again. Especially the brave mother and daughter he saved from a deadly apartment fire…and can't stop thinking about. Megan Harris knows she owes the heroic firefighter everything for running into a burning building to save her and her seven-year-old daughter. Everything except her heart. Because after losing her navy pilot husband five years ago, she has vowed to never suffer through loving – and losing – a man with a dangerous job again.



Book Excerpt:

THE LOOK OF LOVE

Chase almost missed the flickering light off on the right side of the two-lane country road. In the past thirty minutes, he hadn’t passed a single car, because on a night like this, most sane Californians—who didn’t know the first thing about driving safely in inclement weather—stayed home.
Knowing better than to slam on the brakes—he wouldn’t be able to help whomever was stranded on the side of the road if he ended up stuck in the muddy ditch right next to them—Chase slowed down enough to see that there was definitely a vehicle stuck in the ditch.
He turned his brights on to see better in the pouring rain and realized there was a person walking along the edge of the road about a hundred yards up ahead. Obviously hearing his car approach, she turned to face him and he could see her long wet hair whipping around her shoulders in his headlights.
Wondering why she wasn’t just sitting in her car, dry and warm, calling Triple A and waiting for them to come save her, he pulled over to the edge of his lane and got out to try and help her. She was shivering as she watched him approach.
"Are you hurt?"
She covered her cheek with one hand, but shook her head. "No."
He had to move closer to hear her over the sound of the water hitting the pavement in what were rapidly becoming hailstones. Even though he’d turned his headlights off, as his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, he was able to get a better look at her face.
Something inside of Chase’s chest clenched tight.
Despite the long, dark hair plastered to her head and chest, regardless of the fact that looking like a drowned rat wasn’t too far off the descriptive mark, her beauty stunned him.
In an instant, his photographer’s eye cataloged her features. Her mouth was a little too big, her eyes a little too wide-set on her face. She wasn’t even close to model thin, but given the way her T-shirt and jeans stuck to her skin, he could see that she wore her lush curves well. In the dark he couldn’t judge the exact color of her hair, but it looked like silk, perfectly smooth and straight where it lay over her breasts.
It wasn’t until Chase heard her say, "My car is definitely hurt, though," that he realized he had completely lost the thread of what he’d come out here to do.
Knowing he’d been drinking her in like he was dying of thirst, he worked to recover his balance. He could already see he’d been right about her car. It didn’t take a mechanic like his brother, Zach, who owned an auto shop—more like forty, but Chase had stopped counting years ago—to see that her shitty hatchback was borderline totaled. Even if the front bumper wasn’t half smashed to pieces by the white farm fence she’d slid into, her bald tires weren’t going to get any traction on the mud. Not tonight, anyway.
If her car had been in a less precarious situation, he probably would have sent her to hang out in her car while he took care of getting it unstuck. But one of her back tires was hanging precariously over the edge of the ditch.
He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Get in my car. We can wait there for a tow truck." He was vaguely aware of his words coming out like an order, but the hail was starting to sting, damn it. Both of them needed to get out of the rain before they froze.
But the woman didn’t move. Instead, she gave him a look that said he was a complete and utter nut-job.
"I’m not getting into your car."
Realizing just how frightening it must be for a lone woman to end up stuck and alone in the middle of a dark road, Chase took a step back from her. He had to speak loudly enough for her to hear him over the hail.
"I’m not going to attack you. I swear I won’t do anything to hurt you."
She all but flinched at the word attack and Chase’s radar started buzzing. He’d never been a magnet for troubled women, wasn’t the kind of guy who thrived on fixing wounded birds. But living with two sisters for so many years meant he could always tell when something was up.
And something was definitely up with this woman, beyond the fact that her car was half-stuck in a muddy ditch.
Wanting to make her feel safe, he held his hands up. "I swear on my father’s grave, I’m not going to hurt you. It’s okay to get into my car." When she didn’t immediately say no again, he pressed his advantage with, "I just want to help you." And he did. More than it made sense to want to help a stranger. "Please," he said. "Let me help you."
She stared at him for a long moment, hail hammering between them, around them, onto them. Chase found himself holding his breath, waiting for her decision. It shouldn’t matter to him what she decided.
But, for some strange reason, it did.
**
Excerpt from THE LOOK OF LOVE by Bella Andre. Copyright © 2017 by Bella Andre. Reproduced with permission from Bella Andre. All rights reserved.

 

My Book Review:

Who could pass up reading a passionate collection of three romance stories featuring a big close-knit family on a cool autumn day?

Since I enjoyed reading all three romance stories in The Sullivans Family Series (Boxed Set: Books 1-3), I decided to only provide a general book review instead of individual reviews.

In The Sullivans Series (Boxed Set: Books 1-3), Author Bella Andre introduces the readers to the Sullivan clan from San Francisco and Napa Valley. The eight siblings - six brothers (Chase, Ryan, Marcus, Zach, Gabe, and Smith) and twin sisters (Sophie and Lori) along with their Mom Mary, take the readers along for the ride as their family deals with life and love in a big family way!

In the first three books of an impressive seventeen book series, the readers follow brothers Chase, Marcus, and Gabe as they each find love. Each of the brothers' stories flows smoothly from one to the next, and has a unique mixture of romance that will appeal to diehard family series romance fans.

Author Bella Andre weaves an intriguing, unique, and thoroughly enjoyable family romance series with engaging characters, a variety of romantic themes, and vividly rich settings of San Francisco and Napa Valley. There is enough drama, humor, mystery, and suspense that will easily draw the reader into each story, keep them turning the pages, and leave them wanting more.

The Sullivans Series (Boxed Set: Books 1-3) is the perfect collection of family romance stories to read on a cool autumn day. Each story will certainly peak your interest, and whet your appetite to read the remaining books in this delightful series!



RATING: 5 STARS 

About The Author

         

Bella Andre is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of "The Sullivans", "The Maverick Billionaires", "The Morrisons", and the NYT bestselling "Four Weddings and a Fiasco" sweet romance series written as Lucy Kevin.

Having sold more than 6 million books, Bella Andre's novels have been #1 bestsellers around the world and have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists 32 times. She has been the #1 Ranked Author at Amazon (on a top 10 list that included Nora Roberts, JK Rowling, James Patterson and Steven King), and Publishers Weekly named Oak Press (the publishing company she created to publish her own books) the Fastest-Growing Independent Publisher in the US. After signing a groundbreaking 7-figure print-only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella's "The Sullivans" series is being released in paperback in the US, Canada, and Australia.

Known for "sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance" (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine "Red Hot Reads" twice and have been translated into ten languages. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post called her "One of the top writers in America" and she has been featured by Entertainment Weekly, NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and TIME Magazine.

A graduate of Stanford University, she has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco, including a standing-room-only keynote at Book Expo America in New York City.

If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country and a 100-year-old log cabin in the Adirondacks.

Author Website
Sign up for Bella's newsletter at www.BellaAndre.com/Newsletter
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Contest Giveaway

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Providence Book Promotions for Bella Andre. 

There will be two (2) winners of one (1) Gift of Special Bella Andre Swag! 

This giveaway is open to US residents only. 

The giveaway begins on September 1 and runs through November 2, 2017.

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Virtual Book Tour

The Sullivans Boxed Set by Bella Andre ~ VBT Event Page Link

Tour Schedule:

09/01 Interview @ The Reading Frenzy 

09/01 Showcase @ Readaholic
09/04 Showcase @ Lynchburg Mama
09/06 Review @ Wall-to-wall books (1st book)
09/09 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader (all 3)
09/12 Interview @ Writers and Authors
09/15 Showcase @ The Pen and Muse Book Reviews
09/20 Review @ The Coffeeholic Bookworm (All 3)
10/11 Review @ CMash Reads
10/12 Interview & Showcase @ CMash Reads
10/13 Review @ Cheryls Book Nook
10/24 Review @ Brooke Blogs (all 3)
10/27 Review @ Jersey Girl Book Reviews (all 3)
10/31 Review @ Bookish Lifestyle

See You Later Broadway by Melissa Baldwin (Book Review)

In association with Chick Lit Plus, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for See You Later Broadway by author Melissa Baldwin!

Book Review

See You Later Broadway by Melissa Baldwin
Book 2: Broadway Series
Publisher: Independent Self Publishing
Publication Date: April 5, 2017
Format: Paperback - May 10, 2017 - 298 pages 
               eBook - April 5, 2017 - 337 pages
               Kindle - 612 KB
ISBN: 978-0692886854
ASIN: B06WP7ZR56
Genre: Romantic Comedy


Buy The Book:
Amazon
Goodreads


Buy The Series: Broadway Series
Book 1:  See You Soon Broadway
Book 2: See You Later Broadway
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus.


Book Description:


It’s finally here . . . the much-anticipated sequel to See You Soon Broadway! 

Maris is back! 

Decisions, decisions, decisions . . . Maris Forrester’s exciting new life is not everything she was hoping it would be. Although she’s happy in her new career, she’s plagued with the feeling that something is still missing. Imagine her surprise when an old friend presents her with an unbelievable opportunity that could change everything. This new career sounds almost too good to be true, including the upcoming trip to London. She quickly learns that even the most perfect scenarios have their drawbacks, and when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is . . . 

In addition to making a life-changing career choice, Maris realizes she has other decisions to make—whom to love and where to find happiness. What if neither is what she thought they should be?


Book Excerpt:

I can’t even look at Trevor. I don’t deny that I have feelings for him, but the stubborn girl inside me doesn’t want to admit it. “Maris?” Trevor calls, giving me a strange look. “You okay?” I nod my head absently. “Yes. My mind was just wandering.” I glance at Beatrice who winks at me. I squeeze her hand before practically sprinting out of the room. I try not to create a scene as I rush down the hall toward the elevator, still holding in my tears. I pound on the button as if my life depended on it. The doors finally open and I jump inside. Before the door closes, Trevor rushes in. 


My Book Review:

In See You Later Broadway, the second book of the Broadway series, author Melissa Baldwin weaves a sassy tale that continues to follow the Broadway dreams, life choices and decisions, and complicated romantic trials and tribulations of Maris Forrester.

Set in New York City and told in the first person narrative, the reader was introduced to Maris Forrester in the first book of the series, See You Soon Broadway. The reader followed Maris as she made the decision to move from her hometown to NYC to chase her dream of performing on Broadway. Now in See You Later Broadway, Maris' story continues as her aspirations to perform on Broadway go awry when unexpected choices leaves her with a lot of decisions to make in her career and romances, in order to move forward with her life.

This was such a fun book to read, it had a great mixture of drama, humor, and romance, that easily kept me engaged and laughing as I followed the continued unfolding of Maris' story. Anyone can relate to the craziness surrounding dreams and goals, and how the best laid plans can unexpectedly go awry, especially when romance issues are added into the mix. There are lot of laugh-out-loud moments and surprising twist and turns: from her family and friend relationships, to her complicated romances, to her determination to follow through on her career plan to star on Broadway. Nothing is going to keep this sassy lady from achieving her dreams and finding happiness in her life.

See You Later Broadway is a fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy that will leave a smile on your face.


RATING: 5 STARS 

About The Author

Author Melissa Baldwin is an avid runner, planner obsessed, and has always had a love for writing. She is a wife, mother, and avid journal keeper who took her creativity to the next level by fulfilling her dream with her debut novel, An Event to Remember...or Forget. Melissa writes about charming, ambitious, and real women and is now a published author of seven Romantic Comedy novels and novellas. 

When she isn't deep in the writing zone, this multi-tasking master organizer is busy spending time with her family, chauffeuring her daughter, traveling, running, indulging in fitness, and taking a Disney Cruise every now and then.  

Author Website

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Virtual Book Tour

See You Later Broadway by Melissa Baldwin ~ VBT Event Page Link

Tour Schedule:

October 16 – One Book at a Time
October 17 – Book Lover in Florida
October 17 – Granny Loves to Read
October 18 – Chick Lit Plus
October 19 – Book Junkie Reads
October 23 – Jersey Girl Book Reviews

What I Have Been Up To Since August ...

In January 2017 my Dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 Duodenal (Small Intestine) Cancer. We had hoped that his journey might be longer and that we would have time to check off some of his bucket list items, but unfortunately Dad passed away on Thursday, August 17th after a valiant fight. To make things worse, the week that he passed away I fractured my left wrist and had to have same day surgery. As an only child, I was devastated when he passed, especially since Mom had passed away 10 years ago in March 2007. My world has been turned upside down, and I didn't have the desire to read and review books, so I took time to heal and settle Dad's estate (Thank you Dad, I am so blessed and thankful for the inheritance you left me). Now that my wrist is finally healing and I have begun PT (hand therapy) 3x a week, it's time to get back to my passion for reading and reviewing books. <3

In Memory of My Dad, Thomas Higgins

Dad was so proud to be a member of the USMC.
God Speed Dad, Semper Fi and Oorah, Marine!

Practicing Normal by Cara Sue Achterberg (Book Review / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Providence Book Promotions, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for Practicing Normal by author Cara Sue Achterberg!

Practicing Normal by Cara Sue Achterberg
Publisher: The Story Plant
Publication Date: June 6, 2017
Format: Paperback - 336 pages
               ebook  / Kindle - 1868 KB
ISBN: 978-1611882445
ASIN: B06XH4SJW6
BNID: 978-1611882445
Genre: Women's Fiction


Buy The Book:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Providence Book Promotions.


Book Description:

The houses in Pine Estates are beautiful McMansions filled with high-achieving parents, children on the fast track to top colleges, all of the comforts of modern living, and the best security systems money can buy. Welcome to normal upper-middle-class suburbia.

The Turners know in their hearts that they’re anything but normal. Jenna is a high-schooler dressed in black who is fascinated with breaking into her neighbors’ homes, security systems be damned. Everett genuinely believes he loves his wife . . . he just loves having a continuing stream of mistresses more. JT is a genius kid with Asperger’s who moves from one obsession to the next. And Kate tries to manage her family, manage her mother (who lives down the street), and avoid wondering why her life is passing her by.

And now everything is changing for them. Jenna suddenly finds herself in a boy-next-door romance she never could have predicted. Everett’s secrets are beginning to unravel on him. JT is getting his first taste of success at navigating the world. And Kate is facing truths about her husband, her mother, and her father that she might have preferred not to face.

Life on Pine Road has never been more challenging for the Turners. That’s what happens when you’re practicing normal.

Combining her trademark combination of wit, insight, and tremendous empathy for her characters, Cara Sue Achterberg has written a novel that is at once familiar and startlingly fresh.


Praise for Practicing Normal:

“Does facing the truth beat living a lie? In PRACTICING NORMAL, Cara Sue Achterberg has given us a smart story that is both a window and a mirror, about the extraordinary pain ― and the occasional gifts ― of an ordinary life.”
– Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author of THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN

“What does it really mean to have a normal life? Achterberg’s stunning new novel explores how a family can fracture just trying to survive, and how what makes us different is also what can make us most divine.”
– Caroline Leavitt, author of CRUEL BEAUTIFUL WORLD and the New York Times bestsellers PICTURES OF YOU and IS THIS TOMORROW

“PRACTICING NORMAL takes a deep dive into the dysfunctional dynamics of a ‘picture perfect family.’ A compelling story about the beautiful humanity in the most ordinary of lives: from first love to a marriage on the downward slide to an unexpected family tragedy. Achterberg handles each thread with tender care and we can’t help but root for every member of the Turner family.”
– Kate Moretti, New York Times bestselling author of THE VANISHING YEAR


Book Excerpt:

Waving to Jenna as she waits at the bus stop, all I can think is, Please let her go to school today and stay in school all day. Jenna is such a smart girl; I don’t understand why she doesn’t apply herself to her studies. She could be anything. A doctor, even. I was a nurse, but Jenna is smarter than me. Of course, that was twenty years ago. Before I married Everett. Before Jenna and JT were born. Before we ever lived in Pine Estates.
I was the one who chose the house. Everett thought it was pretentious, and it was. All the houses on our end of Pine Road were pretentious. But it was the nineties. Everyone was building McMansions and taking out ridiculous loans to pay for them. Everett had just left his job as a police officer for the job at FABSO (Family and Business Security Options).
We needed to start a new life. We celebrated the new job and didn’t talk about the fact that things could have turned out very differently if his captain had chosen to bring charges against him. Instead, he recommended Everett for the job at FABSO and made it clear Everett would be wise to take it.
I remember lying in bed holding Everett the day he turned in his gun and his badge. He was devastated. Being a cop had been Everett’s dream since childhood. “All I’ve ever wanted to be is a cop. If I can’t be a cop, who am I?”
“You’re a father and a husband. That’s so much more,” I told him. He didn’t say anything about it again. He got to work. He made something of FABSO. And he’s tried so hard to be a good dad.
I don’t remember much about my own dad, and whenever I asked my mother she would say, “There’s nothing to remember about that louse except that he was a louse.” When I pressed her later, after I’d grown up, she’d said, “It doesn’t matter now. He didn’t want to be with us enough to stay.”
All that bitterness can’t hide the fact that when my father left, he apparently took my mother’s heart. She’s spent the rest of her life alone. Except for me. And Evelyn. Although, once Evelyn left home, she didn’t come around much. These days she visits Mama on Saturdays, unless she has something more pressing to do, which is most weeks. Mama annoys her. I suppose I do too. We don’t fit into Evelyn’s shiny, perfect life.
When I first met Everett and told Mama about him, she was skeptical. “A cop?”
I told her how he’d wanted to be a cop since he was a little boy, the same way I always wanted to be a nurse. I gushed about how he told me I was beautiful and how he said he’d been certain about us the first time he saw me. Mama said, “Men will say whatever it takes, Kate. When will you realize that?” But I knew she was wrong about Everett.
I met Everett in the ER. I was treating a patient who was high on coke or meth or God knows what. He was lean and riddled with track marks, his strength coming from whatever drug was flooding his body. I didn’t recognize him as one of our regulars—the ones who showed up like clockwork in search of pain meds. This guy was out of his mind and covered in his own blood from where he’d scratched his thin skin. Another nurse helped me attempt to strap him to the gurney with the Velcro holds, but he was out of his mind and reached for the needle I was about to use to sedate him. Everett was nearby at the desk filling out forms and heard me yell. In just moments, he wrestled the junkie to the ground and held him still as I plunged the needle in. When the man finally collapsed, Everett lifted him back onto the gurney and secured him.
When he turned and looked at me with his green eyes, the same eyes Jenna has, I knew I would marry him. I told him that on our second date. He laughed. I’ve always loved his laugh.
When Everett started at FABSO, he made nearly twice the salary he’d made as a cop. I didn’t need to work any longer. It was our chance. I would stay home and take care of our happy family in our beautiful house in Pine Estates. It was our new start. I thought we belonged there.
When I open the door to Mama’s house, she’s already calling for me. She may be losing her mind, but her hearing hasn’t deteriorated one bit.
“You’re late!” she scolds.
“Sorry, JT had a hard time picking out a shirt to wear today.”
“He’s not a baby! I don’t know why you put up with it.”
I smile at her. No sense taking the bait. “You’re right, Mama.”
“You’ve always been so indecisive. I swear if I didn’t tell you what to do next, you’d stand there like a statue.”
“Good thing you’re so good at telling me what to do,” I mutter as I go to prepare her tea.
Mama wasn’t always like this. When Evelyn and I were little, she was our whole world. She baked homemade cakes for our birthdays, and elaborately decorated them with whatever we were currently obsessing over—Tinker Bell, Barbies, guitars, or, for Evelyn, a computer one year, and the scales of justice the year she announced she was going to be a judge when she grew up.
Mama read to us every night. I remember snuggling into the crook of her arm, even when I was too old to be doing it. Evelyn would be on her other side and our hands would meet on Mama’s flat tummy. I loved the stories with a happy ending, but Evelyn demanded that she read “real books.” She wanted mysteries and thrillers instead of the children’s books Mama picked out at the library. So Mama began to read Nancy Drew, but Evelyn went to the adult aisle and picked out John Grisham, Tom Clancy, and Stephen King. Mama tried to read them to us. She’d come to a part that she felt was too racy for us and she’d hum while she skimmed ahead til she found a more appropriate section before beginning to read again. This drove Evelyn nuts. She’d pout and complain, eventually stomping off. Mama would return the books to the library unread, but it wasn’t long before Evelyn was old enough to have her own library card and checked them out for herself.
In the mornings, Mama would braid our hair, pack our lunches with tiny handwritten notes, and walk us to the bus stop for more years than was appropriate. When Evelyn reached high school, she demanded that Mama stop, but she still followed us with her car and waited to be certain we got on the bus safely.
Now that I’m a mom, I know it couldn’t have been easy raising us alone. As she’s gotten older, she’s gotten difficult. But I put up with her increasing number of quirks because I feel I owe her. Evelyn doesn’t see it that way, but then again Evelyn doesn’t feel she owes anybody anything.
“Here you go.” I hand Mama the bitter Earl Grey tea she likes over-steeped with no sweetener.
“I’ve already missed Phillip,” she says as I help her out the door to the back porch. She spends most mornings there, talking to the birds that frequent her multiple bird feeders.
“Who’s Phillip?” I ask, mostly to make conversation. She loves to talk about the birds.
The look she gives me is just like the one JT gives me when my random “Wow” comes at the wrong time in one of his lengthy soliloquies on his current obsession. “Phillip is the male cardinal who has begun stopping by each morning. He comes over the fence from the southeast. He’s usually here before the chickadees move in and take over the birdbath.”
I look at the crowd of birds fighting over the seed at the feeder. They all look the same to me. “I’ve got to take care of a few things at home after I run JT to school; I’ll be back at lunchtime.”
“Always leaving me!” she complains. “You can’t even spend five minutes with your mother.”
I’d protest, but there’s no point. She sees things the way she needs to see them. Rewriting history is one of her specialties. I’ve been listening to her do it all my life. When Everett and I took the kids to the beach last summer, she said, “Must be nice! I’ve never had a vacation.” Yet, I remember several summers when Mama took Evelyn and me to the same beach we were headed to. Or when I graduated from nursing school, Mama said, “I’ve always said you’d make a fine nurse,” when, in reality, she’d been telling me for years that I could never be a nurse because I was so weak at chemistry. She thought I should have considered something in business—like being a secretary. She’s been spinning her stories of Evelyn’s escapades, my mistakes, and my father’s general louse-likeness for so long, she probably believes them as gospel truth. They are, I suppose, at least to her mind.
I hurry home, hoping JT has finally decided on a shirt for school. We’re going to be late if we have to argue about it.
Excerpt from Practicing Normal by Cara Sue Achterberg. Copyright © 2017 by Cara Sue Achterberg. Reproduced with permission from The Story Plant. All rights reserved.

My Book Review:


Practicing Normal is a compelling women's fiction story that easily draws the reader into the drama and emotions that come with the complexity of life and the dynamics of relationships.

Set in the town of Pine Estates, the reader can't help but get drawn into the Turner family's story as they face the complexities that occur in their life. Told in the alternating perspectives of Kate (Mom), Everett (Dad), and Jenna (teenage Daughter), the reader can't help but get caught up in the intriguing dynamic of this family, as they each struggle to practice living "normally" while surviving everyday life issues.

Author Cara Sue Achterberg weaves an intriguing women's fiction story that will easily keep the reader engaged and turning the pages. The Turner's story has a great mixture of humor, drama, angst, heartbreak, and crazy trials and tribulations, but their family dynamic is both realistic and compelling, it is the kind of story that anyone can relate to, and provide a chance to ponder about their own family's style of living.

Practicing Normal is an interesting women's fiction story of trying to live a "normal" life while learning to survive life's challenges and twists and turns.


RATING: 5 STARS 

About The Author

Cara Sue Achterberg is a writer and blogger who lives in New Freedom, PA with her family and an embarrassing number of animals. Her first novel, I’m Not Her, was a national bestseller, as was her second, Girls’ Weekend. Cara’s nonfiction book, Live Intentionally, is a guide to the organic life filled with ideas, recipes, and inspiration for liv- ing a more intentional life. Cara is a prolific blogger, occasional cowgirl, and busy mom whose essays and articles have been published in numerous anthologies, magazines, and websites. Links to her blogs, news about upcoming publications, and pictures of her foster dogs can be found at CaraWrites.com.


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Contest Giveaway

Win A $25 Amazon Gift Card

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Providence Book Promotions for Cara Sue Achterberg and The Story Plant.

There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card and 5 winners of one (1) eBook copy of Girls' Weekend by Cara Sue Achterberg.

The giveaway begins on June 1, 2017 and runs through August 3, 2017. Void where prohibited by law.

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Virtual Book Tour 

Practicing Normal by Cara Sue Achterberg ~ Virtual Book Tour

Tour Schedule:

6/01 Guest post @ The Book Divas Reads

6/06 Review @ Rockin Book Reviews

6/07 Guest post @ A Bookaholic Swede

6/08 Showcase @ The Bookworm Lodge

6/12 Review @ Book Babble

6/13 Review @ Wall-to-wall books

6/14 Blog Talk Radio w/Fran Lewis

6/14 Review @ Just Reviews

6/16 Review @ Books Direct

6/18 Showcase @ Mythical Books

6/19 Review @ CMash Reads

6/20 Interview @ CMash Reads

6/26 Review @ Deco My Heart

6/27 Guest post @ Hott Books

6/28 Review @ The World As I See It

6/30 Review @ Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

7/01 Review @ Cafinated Reads

7/03 Interview @ BooksChatter

7/04 Interview @ Writers and Authors

7/26 Review @ Reading in White Bear Lake

7/28 Review @ BookLove

7/29 Interview @ BookLove

7/30 Review @ Celticladys Reviews

7/31 Review @ Jersey Girl Book Reviews

Executive Actions by Gary Grossman (Book Review / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for Executive Actions by author Gary Grossman!

Executive Actions by Gary Grossman
Book 1: Executive Series
Publisher: Diversion Books
Publication Date: PB - January 13, 2012 / eBook - January 15, 2014
Format: Paperback - 562 pages
               Kindle - 2629 KB
               Nook - 2 MB
ISBN: 978-1626811058
ASIN: B006WOEPCC
BNID: 978-0983988588
Genre: Political Thriller



Buy The Book: 
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
Kobo
Goodreads


Buy The Series: Executive Series
Book 1: Executive Actions
Book 2: Executive Treason
Book 3: Executive Command
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
Kobo
Goodreads



Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.



Book Description:


In the midst of a heated presidential campaign, Secret Service Agent Scott Roarke gets an assignment that turns his world upside down. His investigation uncovers a plot so monstrous it can change the course of America’s future and world politics. Roarke discovers that presidency is about to fall into the hands of a hostile foreign power. The power play is so well-conceived that even the U.S. Constitution itself is a tool designed to guarantee the plot’s success. With the election clock ticking, Roarke and Boston attorney Katie Kessler race at breakneck speed to prevent the unthinkable. But they also know that it will take a miracle to stop the takeover from happening.



Praise for the Executive Series:

“Executive Actions is the best political thriller I have read in a long, long time. Right up there with the very best of David Baldacci. [A] masterpiece of suspense; powerfully written and filled with wildly imaginative twists. Get ready to lose yourself in a hell of a story.”
Michael Palmer, New York Times bestselling author

“Break out the flashlight, and prepare to stay up all night … Once you start reading Executive Actions you won’t be able to put it down.”
Bruce Feirstein, James Bond screenwriter, and Vanity Fair Contributing Editor

“Executive Command mixes terrorists, politics, drug gangs and technology in nonstop action! Gary Grossman creates a … horribly plausible plot to attack the United States. So real it’s scary!”
Larry Bond, New York Times bestselling author of Exit Plan, Cold Choices, Red Dragon Rising

“Moving at break-neck speed, Executive Command is nothing short of sensational … Executive Command is not just a great book, it’s a riveting experience.”
W.G. Griffiths, award-winning, bestselling author of Methuselah’s Pillar, Malchus

“Executive Command ramps up the excitement … A truly bravura performance from a master of the political thriller!”
Dwight Jon Zimmerman, New York Times bestselling co-author of Lincoln’s Last Days, Uncommon Valor

“Intricate, taut, and completely mesmerizing. Grossman expertly blends together globe-spanning locations, well-researched technology, finely crafted narrative, and intriguing characters to create a virtuoso tale. Highly recommended.”
Dale Brown, New York Times bestselling author

“Executive Treason is more chilling than science fiction … You’ll never listen to talk radio again without a shiver going down your spine.”
Gary Goldman, Executive Producer, Minority Report; Screenwriter, Navy SEALs & Total Recall


Book Excerpt:

EXECUTIVE ACTIONS
by Gary Grossman

CHAPTER 1
Washington, D.C. Sunday 22 June

“Topic one. Theodore Wilson Lodge. Presidential material?” bellowed the host at the top of his Sunday morning television show. He directed his question to the political pundit to his left. “Victor Monihan, syndicated columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, is Teddy ready, yes or no?”

“Yes,” Monihan shot back. You had to speak up quickly on the lively program. There was no air between questions and answers. “If the cameras could vote, he’d be a shoo-in.”

“But they don’t. So again, will it be Mr. Lodge goes to Washington?” quizzed the host of the revamped McLaughlin Group. The reference to the Frank Capra movie was lost on most of the audience. Even AMC and Turner Classics weren’t running very many black and white movies anymore.

“Absolutely.” Monihan didn’t take a breath between thoughts. The host hated dead air. Pause and you’re dead. Someone else will jump in. “He’s totally informed, he’s had great committee assignments and he can do the job. Congressman Lodge comes off as a highly capable leader. Trustworthy. The all-American boy grown up. And he positively looks like a president should look … presidential.”

“So a tan and a good build gets you to the White House?” the host argued.

“It means I don’t have to worry about him taking my job.” The overweight columnist laughed, which made his belly spread his shirt to a point just shy of popping the buttons. The joke was good, but he lost his platform with it.

“Roger Deutsch, freelance writer for Vanity Fair, right now Lodge is trailing Governor Lamden. Can Teddy make it up?”

“No. With only two days before the New York primary, there’s no way Lodge can do it. He doesn’t have the votes. And there’s not enough time to get them. Henry Lamden will be addressing the Democratic Party at the August convention in Denver. But even when he gets the nomination, he’ll have a hard time against Taylor.”

The discussion expanded to include the other members of the panel. They talked about Montana Governor Henry Lamden’s qualities. About President Morgan Taylor’s rigid persona. About the voters’ appetite. And back again to the possibilities. “Is there any way Lodge can do what fellow Vermont favorite son Calvin Coolidge did: go all the way to the White House?” the venerable host rhetorically asked. The panel knew this was not the time to reply. Turning to the camera the host said, “Not according to my watch.”

This was the throw to the video package from the campaign trail.

Teddy Lodge smiled as he sat on the edge of his hotel bed to get closer to the TV set. He was half-packed. The rest would wait until the videotape report concluded. Lodge pressed the volume louder on his remote.

“It’s on,” he called to his wife, Jenny.

“Be right out,” she answered from the bathroom. Lodge tightened the knot on the hand-painted tie he’d been given the day before. The gift, from a home crafter in Albany, would go into his collection and eventually into his Presidential Library. But first he’d wear it for the cameras. She’d see it and tell everyone she knew. More votes.

Mrs. Lodge leaned over her husband and hugged him as he watched himself on TV. “You look great, sweetheart.” He agreed. The footage was perfect: Lodge in the thick of an adoring Manhattan crowd, the wind playing with his wavy brown hair, his Armani suit jacket draped over his arm. He came off relaxed and in charge; less like a politician than an everyday guy. An everyday guy who saw himself as President of the United States. And at 6’2” he stood above most of the crowd.

Lodge knew the unusual statistical edge his height provided. Historically, the taller of the two major presidential candidates almost always wins the election. And he was considerably taller than President Morgan Taylor.

The host obviously wasn’t a supporter. But the coverage counted. He hit the bullet points of Lodge’s career.

“Teddy’s been fast-tracking since college. He graduated Yale Law School and has a graduate degree in Physics at Stanford. The man speaks three languages. He worked on various government contracts until he decided to return to his country home in Burlington, Vermont, and run for State Assembly. Two years later, so long Burlington, hello Washington. Mr. Lodge went to Capitol Hill as a young, energetic first-term congressman. He distinguished himself in international politics and now serves as Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security. He’s as close to a rocket scientist as they come in Washington. He heads the House Committee on Energy and understands the complexities of the issues. But is he going to the White House?” the moderator asked in his feature videotape. “New Yorkers will decide Tuesday.”

And with that set up came the obligatory sound bite. It couldn’t have been better if Teddy Lodge had picked it himself. It was declarative and persuasive. The producer of the video package must have been in his camp.

“Tomorrow the world will be different. More dangerous. More hateful. Different times need different leaders. Make no mistake, there are no more safe harbors or promised lands. Unless … unless we make better choices today than yesterday. Better friends tomorrow than today.”

As he watched, Lodge remembered the clincher was yet to come. Things like that just didn’t get cut. He was right.

“So come with me and discover a new America. Come with me and discover a new world.”

Thunderous applause followed; applause from the audience at a Madison Square Garden rally.

Eighteen seconds total screen time. Unbelievable on McLaughlin. But Lodge was not an easy edit. He’d learned to break the sound bite barrier by constantly modulating his voice for impact, issuing phrases in related couplets and triplets, and punching them with an almost religious zeal.

Like everything else in his life, he worked hard at communicating effectively. He punctuated every word with a moderately-affected New England accent. Whether or not they agreed with his politics, columnists called him the best orator in years. Increasing numbers of them bestowed almost Kennedy like reverence. And through the camera lens, baby boomers saw an old friend while younger voters found a new voice.

The video story ended and the host brought the debate back to his panel. “Peter Weisel, Washington Bureau Chief of The Chicago Tribune, What sayest thou? Can Teddy un-lodge Lamden?”

“Unlikely.” Weisel, a young, black reporter, was the outspoken liberal of the panel and a realist. “But he’ll help the ticket. He’s a strong Number Two. A junior pairing with Governor Lamden can work. The flip side of Kennedy-Johnson. Let the Democrats make him VP. Besides, his good looks won’t go away in four or eight years. TV will still like him.”

Theodore Wilson Lodge, 46 years old and strikingly handsome, definitely could pull in the camera lens. He had the same effect on women and they held far more votes in America than men. The fact was not lost on the show’s only female contributor of the week. “Debra Redding of The Boston Globe, is Lodge your man?”

Without missing a beat she volunteered, “There are only two problems that I see. One, I’m married. The other – so is he.”

What a wonderful way to start the morning, the congressman said to himself.

***

Excerpt from Executive Actions by Gary Grossman. Copyright © 2017 by Gary Grossman. Reproduced with permission from Gary Grossman. All rights reserved.

My Book Review:

In Executive Actions, author Gary Grossman weaves a riveting political thriller that will captivate the reader's attention, and keep them sitting on the edge of their seats.

Executive Actions is a multi-layered fast paced tale that is masterfully interwoven with domestic and international intrigue; secrets, deception, and hidden agendas; political posturing, plots, threats, and enough surprising twists and turns that transports the reader into the fascinating world of politics and terrorism. The author easily engages the reader to follow ex-Army Special Ops Commando and current Secret Service Agent Scott Roarke's assignment to uncover who was behind the botched assassination attempt on Congressman Teddy Lodge's life ... only to uncover a more dangerous and serious plot by a hostile foreign power to overtake the US presidency.

The reader follows along as Scott is caught up in the middle of a dangerous web of political threats and deceit as this realistic story unfolds. This is an exciting and dramatic story that will keep the reader guessing who is behind the foreign plot until all the puzzle pieces are put together, and the explosive truth is unveiled in this dangerous international cat and mouse game.

As a fan of political thrillers, I really enjoyed how the author transports the reader into the fascinating inner workings of the domestic and international political world. When you add in the suspense and danger of the plot on the US presidency, you get an explosive story that takes you on one hell of a thrill ride, and a book that you won't be able to put down!

Executive Action is the first book in the Executive Series.

RATING: 5 STARS 

About The Author

Gary Grossman is a multiple Emmy Award-winning network television producer, a print and television journalist, and novelist. He has produced more than 10,000 television shows for 40 broadcast and cable networks including prime time specials, reality and competition series, and live event telecasts.

Grossman has worked for NBC, written for the Boston Globe, Boston Herald American, and the New York Times. He is the author of four bestselling international award-winning thrillers available in print, eBooks, and Audible editions: EXECUTIVE ACTIONS, EXECUTIVE TREASON, EXECUTIVE COMMAND and OLD EARTH. (Diversion Books, NYC) and two acclaimed non-fiction books covering pop culture and television history – SUPERMAN: SERIAL TO CEREAL and SATURDAY MORNING TV.

Grossman taught journalism, film and television at Emerson College, Boston University, and USC and has guest lectured at colleges and universities around the United States. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He is a member of the Board of Trustees at Emerson College in Boston and he serves on the Boston University Metropolitan College Advisory Board. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers Association and The Military Writers Society of America.


Author Website
Amazon Author Page
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Contest Giveaway

Win A $15 Amazon Gift Card

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Gary Grossman.

There will be 1 winner of one (1) $15 Amazon.com Gift Card AND the opportunity to Suggest a Character Name for the Next Book in the Executive Series!

The giveaway begins on June 1 and runs through August 3, 2017.


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Virtual Book Tour

 Executive Actions by Gary Grossman ~ Virtual Book Tour Event Page

Tour Schedule:

6/01 showcase @ Thoughts in Progress
6/02 Interview/showcase @ CMash Reads
6/03 Showcase @ A Bookworms Journal
6/04 Showcase @ Writers and Authors
6/05 Showcase @ The Bookworm Lodge
6/06 Showcase @ The Pulp and Mystery Shelf
6/07 Showcase @ Bound 2 Escape
6/08 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
6/09 Showcase @ Books, Dreams, Life
6/12 Review @ Mystery Suspense Reviews
6/13 Showcase @ Puddletown Reviews
6/14 Guest post @ Books Direct
6/17 Review @ BookLove
6/19 Guest post @ Mystery Suspense Reviews
6/21 Interview @ BooksChatter - GIVEAWAY
6/25 Interview @ A Blue Million Books
6/29 Guest post @ A Bookaholic Swede
7/07 Interview @ Booklishly Me
7/08 Showcase @ Chill and Read
7/10 Review @ Booklishly Me
7/11 Showcase @ Suspense Magazine
7/14 Review/showcase @ Romance Under Fire
7/17 Guest post @ The Book Divas Reads
7/18 Review @ Blogging with A
7/20 Review @ Lazy Day Books
7/23 Interview @ Deal Sharing Aunt
7/24 Review @ Jersey Girl Book Reviews
7/28 Review @ just reviews
7/30 Review @ Brooke Blogs
7/31 Guest Post @ Brooke Blogs
8/10 Blog Talk Radio w/Fran Lewis