Small Town Romance

Rising Star by Jennifer Faye – Review & Giveaway

May 9, 2022 by Suzie Waltner 5 Comments

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Rising Star

(The Bell Family of Bluestar Island #4)

By Jennifer Faye

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 308 Pages

April 16, 2022 by Lazy Dazy Press

When Bluestar’s hometown celebrity unexpectedly returns to the island, there’s a heartbreaking scandal following her…

Country singer Emma Bell is finally making headlines—just not the right ones. Before she has time to heal her broken heart, her assistance is desperately needed. Bluestar’s Concert on the Beach Summer Spectacular is in trouble, and her soon-to-be sister-in-law’s job is on the line.

Financial investor turned carpenter, Noah Sullivan, has retired from his high-stress job due to health issues. He’s moved to Bluestar Island for a quiet, healthy life, but when Emma blows into town, his days are anything but serene.

Everyone in the small town counting on them, Noah and Emma must work past their conflicts to keep a promise to someone special to both of them. Will the summer’s sun soothe their tension and the sea breeze lull them into a peaceful surrender of their hearts?

Includes a recipe for Emma’s Heavenly Angel Food Cake!

The Bell Family of Bluestar Island series:
Book 1 – Love Blooms (Hannah & Ethan)
Book 2 – Harvest Dance (Aster & Sam)
Book 3 – A Lighthouse Café Christmas (Darla & Will)
Book 4 – Rising Star (Emma & Noah)
Book 5 – Summer by the Beach (Summer & Greg)

(Affiliate links included.)

Goodreads | BookBub | Print & ebook

Go to Jennifer’s Contact Page HERE and order your bookmark(s)!

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Until I Met You by Tari Faris – Review

September 18, 2020 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

About the Book

When she hears that the small town of Heritage, Michigan, is looking for a new librarian, Libby Kingsley jumps at the opportunity. Little did she know the library is barely more than a storage closet stuffed with dusty, outdated books. What the community really needs is a new building. But the only funds available are those being channeled into the new town square, and the landscape architect in charge of the project wants nothing to do with her plans.

All Austin Williams wants to do is get the town square project finished so he can do right by the family business and then extricate himself from the town that reveres the brother who cost him so much. But the local media and the town’s new librarian seem to be conspiring against him at every turn. Will the determined bookworm find her way into his blueprints–and possibly even his heart?

Novelist Tari Faris invites you back to the small town with a big heart in this second book in the Restoring Heritage series.

Heart’s Desire by Catherine Lanigan

March 7, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 2 Comments

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

***Premiering as Sweetest Heart on the Hallmark Chanel March 17 9 PM ET***
(check your local listings for your air time)

Heart’s Desire
(Shores of Indian Lake #2)
Catherine Lanigan
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 191 pages
August 1st 2014 by Harlequin Heartwarming
Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Harlequin

His homecoming is bittersweet…for both of them

Café owner Maddie Strong is finally ready to take her burgeoning cupcake business to the next level. With the help of handsome businessman Alex Perkins, her future’s all mapped out. Until her first love comes home.

At seventeen, Maddie adored Nate Barzonni with her whole heart and soul. But when he asked her to elope, she’d said no—she couldn’t let him throw away his dream of becoming a doctor. Then he vanished from her life for eleven years. Now the cardiac surgeon has returned to Indian Lake asking for a second chance, and Maddie has to choose between her new life…and the man she never stopped loving.

In My Opinion (Review)

As long as each book stands alone, I’m fine with coming in late to a series. Despite my best intentions, though, I don’t make it to the earlier books. As is the case with Catherine Lanigan’s Shores of Indian Lake books. So I was thrilled when the opportunity to read one of the second book written in this series came about. It was a treat to get to go back in time a little—to the true introduction of the Barzonni family.

What struck me most about this book is the exploration of changing dreams. Remember when you were in high school and thought your future was all mapped out for you? How did those dreams work out?

Probably about the same as they did for Nate and Maddie Strong. When life brings them back together, eleven years later, each has new goals and dreams. As they admit the mistakes of their youth, are they willing to let go of their new dreams and plans now?

Another engaging and warm read from Catherine Lanigan that, thanks to Hallmark, we can soon watch on the small screen. Between Maddie’s friendships, Nate’s family, and the small town, this story is a perfect fit for the channel that focuses on romance.

My Rating:

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Other Books in the Series

About the Author

Catherine Lanigan is the international bestselling and award-winning author of over forty-five published titles in both fiction and non-fiction, including the novelizations of Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile. Ms. Lanigan’s novels have been translated into over twenty-four languages. Lanigan was tasked by the NotMYkid foundation to pen a collection of compelling and informative true stories of teen addicts. Ms. Lanigan’s SHORES OF INDIAN LAKE series for HARLEQUIN HEARTWARMING includes LOVE SHADOWS, HEART’S DESIRE , A FINE YEAR FOR LOVE, KATIA’S PROMISE, FEAR OF FALLING, SOPHIE’S PATH, PROTECTING THE SINGLE MOM, FAMILY OF HIS OWN, HIS BABY DILEMMA, TOO CLOSE TO THE FIRE (2018) and MY RACING HEART (2019).

The Hallmark Channel will air HEART’S DESIRE on March 17, 2018.

Ms. Lanigan is a frequent speaker at literary functions and book conventions as well as inspiring audiences with her real stories of angelic intervention from her Angel Tales series of books. She is an outspoken advocate for domestic violence and abuse and was honored by The National Domestic Violence Hotline in Washington, D.C. She has been a guest on numerous radio programs including “Coast to Coast” and on television interview and talk show programs as well as blogs, podcasts and online radio interview programs. She writes a monthly blog for Heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.com. Visit her at www.catherinelanigan.com, on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter@cathlanigan.com, Pinterest, Goodreads and Google+.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│LinkedIn│Pinterest

Tour Schedule

March 5th:
Launch
Reading Is My SuperPower
It’s All About the Romance
Busy Bumble Bee Book Reviews

March 6th:
Mello & June, It’s a Book Thang!
The Power of Words
Heidi Reads…

March 7th:
Remembrancy
I Am A Reader

March 8th:
Christian Chick’s Thoughts
Nicole’s Book Musings

March 9th:
Rockin’ Book Reviews
Hearts & Scribbles
Thoughts of a Blonde

March 12th:
Book Reviews & More by Kathy
Paulette’s Papers
underneath the covers
Katie’s Clean Book Collection

March 13th:
Among the Reads
Wishful Endings

March 14th:
Inside The Mind of an Avid Reader
Faithfully Bookish
Locks, Hooks and Books

March 15th:
Brooke Blogs
Janice’s Book Reviews

March 16th:
Teatime and Books
Cafinated Reads
Becky on Books

March 17th:
Grand Finale
Sweetest Heart on the Hallmark Channel 9 PM ET

Tour Giveaway

1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon eGift Card
Open internationally
Ends March

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Whenever You Come Around by Robin Lee Hatcher

April 14, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

In need of a quiet place to write her novel, Charity Anderson returns to her parents’ home in Kings Meadow, Idaho after because her house has flooded and is undergoing renovations. Returning to the small town and reliving painful memories is not the best option for Charity, it is her only option. And to top everything off, Buck Malone, her high school crush, lives next door. When Charity’s dog causes Buck a broken wrist and ankle, a loss of employment, and a lot of downtime, there is no choice but for Charity to assist her neighbor as he recovers. As she spends more time with him, she bases the hero for her romance novel off of him

Buck is perfectly content with his life. Perhaps he never went to college and gave up some dreams, but he has no complaints about his bachelor lifestyle. The more time he spends with Charity, the less he’s convinced remaining a bachelor is what he really wants. He senses pain and sadness in Charity but she shuts down whenever he tries to get her to talk. Should he get involved emotionally? And what will happen when Charity moves back to her home in Boise?

As a former resident of Idaho, I really enjoy Hatcher’s books and the memories of the area (this one even mentioned my alma mater—University of Idaho in Moscow). I’ve been small towns like Kings Meadow. There are plenty of them. But what is even better about the books are the characters. In Whenever You Come Around, both Charity and, especially Buck, are likable. Sure, Charity is running from mistakes she’d made in her past and hiding from her friends and her family. Buck is hiding in a way too but it’s not as obvious as it is with Charity. Loved the addition of Charity’s dog in this one too. Cocoa is another character in her own right. There are some familiar faces in the book as well but this story is most definitely built around Charity and Buck and their story.

Release date: May 12

Thomas Nelson Fiction provided me with a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.