Happy Thanksgiving!

A Book Girl's Guide to Marietta: Montana Born Reader Guide by Montana Born - Review

Love nothing more than snuggling up with a western or cowboy romance? You've found the best place to start! A Book Girl's Guide to Marietta includes everything a book girl needs to know about Tule Publishing's most popular town for love, Marietta, Montana.

Starting with an exclusive Forward by founding Tule author and USA Today Bestseller CJ Carmichael, you'll get insight to the history of Marietta, a map and guide to all of the key locations in town, an overview of every series and how their characters are connected, delicious recipes straight from the kitchens of Marietta residents, and much more!

Whether you've loved Marietta from the start, or are brand new to town, this guide is a must-have for every Marietta romance reader!


My Review:

I have been reading Montana Born’s books set in the fictional town of Marietta Montana from the start.  So when they came out with this book, I knew I had to get it.  It is the ultimate guide for anyone who enjoys the books.  I especially liked the map in the front.  It helps me visualize the locations when they are mentioned in a book.

The book also talks about the history of Marietta and backgrounds on the founding families.  It also lists series and little tidbits about each character in the books.  There is a section with recipes and a part with information the authors. 

I would definitely recommend getting this book if you have read (or even thinking about reading) any of the Marietta books.  I will definitely be referencing back to it as I read each of the upcoming books. 

 

Featured Book: For Sale by Owner by Marlene Bateman

Blurb: 

Filled with plans, McKenzie Forsberg returns to her hometown to spend Christmas with her family. Stressed by a year of intense, ongoing problems, she quit her high-powered job to move back and rebuild her life. Kenzie desperately needs the peace and security she is sure will come from buying the home she grew up in. But when she arrives, Kenzie discovers that a handsome widower, Jared Rawlins, has already put an offer on the house. However, he can only close the deal if he sells his own house by Christmas Eve.

When Kenzie unexpectedly runs into a couple who are considering buying Jared’s house, she unthinkingly gives them information that changes their mind. Jared is more than a little interested in Kenzie, but has second thoughts when it appears Kenzie may have attempted to sabotage the sale of his home. Feeling bad, Kenzie apologizes but the damage may be too much for their relationship to overcome. Despite themselves, sparks of attraction grow into something more. Then, a few days before Christmas, Kenzie makes a stunning discovery about her past. In that moment, everything changes. Will the power of love be enough to bring Jared and Kenzie together and allow them to find their happily ever after?


 
Excerpt:

“What made you decide to move to Lake Forest?” Kenzie asked.
“I’ve always loved it here,” Jared said. “It’s a beautiful area, and there’s a special atmosphere here. People are so friendly. I guess part of the reason I came is because I needed to go someplace new and kind of start over, you know?”
Kenzie did know. That was exactly what she was doing now. She’d gotten over Larry, but she needed to go someplace new and reinvent herself and her life.
“Now let me ask you,” Jared said. “What made you decide to come back?”
“A lot of reasons. I need a fresh start too. I’m tired of the hectic pace in Chicago.” Impulsively she added, “Also, I had to get away from my job at Midwest. A guy was causing some real problems for me—” She stopped. Their eyes met and lingered. Jared’s compassion was evident and the expression on his face kind. She felt so comfortable talking with him—as if they were kindred spirits. Something in her heart softened into a spreading pool, and she smiled at him.
Tearing open his packet of Oreo cookies., Jared took one and dunked it in his hot chocolate.
Kenzie frowned. “Figures. You’re a dunker.”
“And I bet you’re a twister.”
Snatching up a cookie, Kenzie twisted it open and took a bite of the creamy middle. “Ummm.”
Jared shuddered. “That’s wrong in so many ways.”
Picking up her mug and warming her fingers, Kenzie sipped her hot chocolate. “This is wonderful!”
“It’s a secret recipe—been in my family for generations.”
“Really?”
“No, but it sounds good, doesn’t it?”

Bio:

Marlene Bateman Sullivan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and grew up in Sandy, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor's degree in English. She is married to Kelly
R. Sullivan and they live in North Salt Lake, Utah with their two dogs and four cats. Marlene has been published extensively in magazines and newspapers and wrote the best-selling romance/suspense novel, Light on Fire Island. She has written three other mysteries; Motive for Murder, A Death in the Family, and Crooked House.

Marlene has also written a number of LDS, non-fiction books: Latter-day Saint Heroes and Heroines, And There Were Angels Among Them, Visit’s from Beyond the Veil, By the Ministering of Angels, Brigham’s Boys, Heroes of Faith, Gaze into Heaven; Near-death Experiences in Early Church History, and The Magnificent World of Spirits; Eyewitness Accounts of Where We Go When We Die.


Pick up your copy of For Sale by Owner today:

Amazon: https://goo.gl/5a60QZ 
Seagull Book; https://goo.gl/yQboNh


Be sure to check out Marlene on Goodreads and her website too:

GoodReads
Marlene Bateman



 

Mixing It Up by Tracie Banister - Review

Synopsis:

Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Manhattan upper-cruster Cecily Sinclair now uses that pricey utensil to dish up fancy French fare on her cooking show, Serving Romance. When there’s an executive shake-up at the network, she’s not worried. Not much anyway. Her show’s a hit after all. Why would the new CEO want to mess with success? The driving force behind several buzzed-about networks, Devlin Hayes is considered to be a wunderkind in the television industry. Although his plans to rebrand CuisineTV and make Serving Romance more Millennial-friendly don’t thrill Cecily, her charming, blue-eyed boss is a hard man to say “no” to and she really wants to keep her job—even if that means sharing screen time with a loathsome blast from her past. Mercurial Italian chef Dante Marchetti a.k.a. “Il Duce” was once Cecily’s boss, and she has the PTSD to prove it. Now the owner of one of the hottest restaurants in town, Dante’s egomania knows no bounds and his constant attempts to provoke and upstage Cecily make her want to conk him on the head with a sauté pan. She thinks they’re toxic together, but viewers love their chemistry and clamor for more. As Cecily battles to maintain the integrity of her show, she finds herself scheming and manipulating right along with Dante and Devlin. Is she fighting a lost cause? Does she really belong on TV, or would her culinary talent be better served elsewhere? And could one of the men who makes Cecily’s blood boil ignite a passion in her for something other than food?

My Review: 

An absolute joy to read.  With witty dialogue, fun characters and scenes, this book had me hooked from the start.

Mixing It Up is set to the backdrop of a cooking show so food is mentioned a lot.  Grab your snack before sitting down to read.  There are a lot of comical and entertaining moments between the chefs on the set of the show and in the personal life of Cecily Sinclair who is also part of a high society family which isn't as perfect as they appear. 

This story follows Cecily through the changes in her life on air and in private.  It also follows Cecily's quirky astrologist cousin and her best friend as they search and find love.  Cecily also finds love and a new meaning in her life when she decides to mix it up as well.

Anyone who loves a good romantic comedy will really enjoy this book.  It has all of the elements to keep you entertained to the very last page

 

 

Kitty Smile

The Kidnapped Christmas Bride (Taming of the Sheenans Book 3) by Jane Porter - .99 Sale

All he wants is a Christmas memory...

Trey Sheenan has cultivated his reputation as Marietta’s resident bad boy, until one day he lets things go too far and he loses everything—his freedom, his fiance McKenna Douglas, and his infant son.

McKenna has loved Trey since they were kids, but she’s had enough. When Trey is sent away for five years, McKenna is determined to do what’s right for her and baby TJ, which means putting her mistakes—namely Trey—behind her, and move on.

When Trey is released early, he returns to Marietta determined to beg McKenna’s forgiveness and become the father TJ needs him to be, only to discover that he’s too late. McKenna’s marrying local insurance agent Lawrence Joplin in a candlelight Christmas wedding.

Or is she?

Once again, Trey risks everything, but this time it’s for love….and the memory of one perfect Christmas together as a family.

Taming of the Sheenan series
Book 1: Christmas at Copper Mountain (Brock Sheenan)
Book 2: The Tycoon's Kiss (Troy Sheenan)
Book 3: The Kidnapped Christmas Bride (Trey Sheenan)
Book 4: Taming of the Bachelor (Dillion Sheenan)
Book 5: A Christmas Miracle for Daisy (Cormac Sheenan)
Book 6: The Lost Sheenan's Bride (Shane Sheenan)


On sale for only .99 (for a limited time)  Amazon

Adventurous Proposal by Laura Barnard - Countdown to Release Day!

Guess what I'll be reading this weekend?  An ARC of Adventurous Proposal 

#WhirlwindRomance #ThreeSleeps #ChristmasChickLit #FlorenceandHugh #CountdowntoChristmas