Book Spotlight: Begin Again by Crystal Walton

Begin Again by Crystal Walton

 A 2017 Readers' Favorite Gold Award Winner and Kindle Book Review Award Semi-finalist. Escape to the beach and enjoy a laugh-out-loud clean romance.

What happens when a free-spirited artist from big-city New York collides with an uptight business owner from small-town Ocracoke? Fireworks. The kind neither saw coming.

 A single call is all it takes to drive artist Ti Russo into what she does best. Run. But hey, lying low in a beach town for a while isn’t so bad. Thanks to the distraction of playing consultant to a guy she’s determined to crack, she can almost forget about the past stalking her back home. But she never counted on the real danger being a picket-fenced life she has no business falling for. 

Focus and self-preservation have gotten single dad Drew Anderson through the last nine years. With the threat of his shop’s foreclosure jeopardizing his daughter’s health care, the last thing he needs is a distracting hippie chick swooping in to shake up what he’s fought to protect. Including himself. The bank’s deadline adds enough pressure without re-risking feelings better left buried. But as sparks flare and secrets escalate, the race against time propels Ti and Drew into a choice neither’s ready to make: Find the faith to surrender their past or forfeit their only chance to begin again.

Download Begin Again and escape into a sparks-flying, opposites-attract contemporary clean romance full of small-town charm, broken characters, and deep undertones of grace that’ll win your heart. For fans of Gilmore Girls, you’ll love Drew and Ti’s sparring relationship, along with Begin Again’s small-town setting, quirky characters, and family bonds.

  



A 2017 Readers' Favorite Gold Award Winner and Kindle Book Review Award Semi-finalist. "Love, Love, Loved spunky Ti and the banter between her and Drew. I didn't want to stop reading. Great character development and the characters are engaging and interesting." - Amazon Review

 "This book was well written, the characters were relatable and refreshing and the plot flowed quickly...Grab this book and her others and be prepared to be wowed! You will quickly discover that you have found a hidden gem of an author!" - Nerd Girl Official

 "The prose is excellent and her narrative voice so powerful and clear that it will have readers hooked throughout the entire ride. This is a character-driven story that will have you entertained, reminding you of some of the finest emotions you have experienced." - Readers' Favorite



 



Inside, conversations coming from a small den to the right competed with laughter and music trailing in from a sliding door leading to a pool. Drew took one look at both options and headed into the kitchen instead. Other than the faint sound of a girl singing nearby, only the churn of the ice maker filled the quiet room.

He leaned against the counter, closed his eyes, and massaged his temples.

“You shouldn’t try so hard.” From behind a cute pair of glasses, blue eyes met his. A blonde in an off-the-shoulder, white cotton dress and an unabashed gaze stood in front of him.

Where’d she come from? Drew glanced behind him. To what, the wall? Of course she was talking to him.

When his vocal cords caught up, he cleared his throat. “Excuse me?”

A lot of good unclogging his voice did. If it got any more pubescent, he’d take that windpipe right out and knock some sense into himself with it.

She reached for his hand and lowered it from his throbbing temple. “De-stressing. You’re trying too hard.”

Drew stared at her warm fingers against his. “I’m sorry, and you are?”

“Ti Russo.” A series of bracelets jingled down her arm. “Pleasure.”

He’d never met a girl who went by an initial.

Looking down, she ran the back of her bare foot along her calf. Waiting.

Now would be the appropriate moment for southern hospitality. Or at a minimum, basic manners in returning the introduction. Yet Drew just stood there like a washed-up piece of seaweed languishing under a sunrise he couldn’t look away from.

She was probably a few years younger than him. Twenty-eight at best. But her eyes carried the experiences of someone twice her age, along with an artistic flair he knew better than to entertain.

“Thanks, but I’m fine.” He strode to the opposite counter.

“If you really want to work on something, you might try honing your lying skills.”

Drew turned, jaw slack. If the girl’s accent wasn’t enough confirmation she was from the Big Apple, her lack of a filter just eliminated any doubt. Unbidden, thoughts of New York triggered memories that’d been festering beneath the surface all day. He tamped them back down where they belonged.

Ti dipped her head in front of his, brow raised as if waiting for him to divulge his inner thoughts. Like that was happening.

“Don’t you have a hot yoga class to go to or something?” He scanned the kitchen for a drink. Or maybe a pail of ice to dump over his head.

“What do you know about hot yoga?"

Way to open himself up for that one.

 



Author Crystal Walton

Crystal received her bachelor of arts from Messiah College in PA, married her exact opposite in upstate NY, and earned her master of arts from Regent University in VA, where she currently resides with her husband, David and son, Ryder. She writes modern clean romances with humor, broken characters, and emotional plots full of grace and hope. Her popular Home In You series includes Write Me Home, a 2017 RONE Award finalist, and Begin Again, a 2017 Readers' Favorite Gold Award winner. When her hands aren't full with her very active, little blue-eyed hero, she's delving into the wonder of words, supporting her Starbucks habit, or laughing over movie quotes with her husband.











 

Giveaway Details

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway Ends 3/27/19.  Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from Clean Wholesome Romance and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Book Spotlight: The Fiance's Secret by Kimberley Montpetit

The Fiance's Secret by Kimberley Montpetit 

He's a successful entrepreneur who almost has it all. She's the long-ago crush—the girl who got away. When they meet again, fireworks explode once more. But will a buried secret steal their second chance at a happy ending? 

Troy Thurlow let the girl of his dreams get away fourteen years ago, back when he was a high school football star. Now he’s a highly successful executive with a life most people only dream of. Still, he's never stopped thinking about Jasmine, and wondering what would have happened if he'd ever had the courage to ask her on a date. When he meets her by chance on a New York business trip, he's determined to take this second opportunity and run with it. That is, if his past doesn't catch up with him first . . . 

 Jasmine Cervantes does “happily ever after” for a living, arranging dream-destination honeymoons for the fabulously rich and famous. But, so far, her own fairy-tale ending has eluded her. That is, until the boy she couldn’t stop dreaming about in high school barges unexpectedly into her office one day. When the two start a whirlwind romance they begin to see that fate is giving them a helping hand. Until Jasmine ends up on Italy’s most romantic coast without him. Missing him desperately, she begins to believe that Troy is truly “the one.” But he's hiding something that could change everything . . .

 

“I have a confession to make,” she said, kicking up the sand with her toes.

“You—confessions?” Troy teased, but he seemed to tense as if unsure what she was about to tell him.

“I heard rumors that you were living out of the country. I figured I’d never see you again.”

“So why didn’t you come to our ten-year reunion?”

“I was on an important honeymoon trip right then. With Standing Ovation,” she quickly added with a laugh. “Not my own.”

Troy chuckled, but she thought she saw his jaw clench a little. “I figured that’s what you meant.”

“October in the South Pacific is very nice. That’s when the reunion was, right? At that point, the couple who wanted to honeymoon in Bali was our biggest client we’d ever had so I couldn’t tell my VP no.”

“I guess our lives weren’t meant to cross right then. Extended business trips that sometimes kept me away for a few months. Especially at the beginning of the founding of DREAMS. We were hustling like crazy. All of us keeping insane schedules.”

“That makes sense. Assumptions are often not true. Isn’t that human nature?”

They paused at the shoreline, warm waves tickling Jasmine’s ankles. She wrapped her other arm around Troy’s waist, snuggling into him tighter while he put his other arm around her, while they stood staring out at the Atlantic.

“You feel fantastic, Jasmine,” Troy whispered, brushing his lips against her hair.

“I was just thinking the same thing about you,” she whispered in return, her voice barely above the sound of the rushing ocean.

The water was black, but under the starlight, the waves were a soft, frothy white breaking along the shore.

Troy turned so that they faced each other, and Jasmine snuggled into his chest, his body warming hers in a perfect fit. She was dizzy with his closeness, longing for more.

“I can hear your heart pounding,” she told him, gazing up into his face.

“My heart’s going crazy because I’m overcome by the most beautiful woman in the world. If I go into cardiac arrest, just kiss me and I’ll come right back.”

“Like Sleeping Beauty kissing the prince instead of the other way around?”

 

The Executive's Secret is FREE today, March 9th!

Author Kimberley Montpetit

 When she was in Paris, Kimberley Montpetit spent most of her souvenir money at the La Patisserie shops with their beautiful and delicious pastries. She grew up in the fabulous city of San Francisco, loves all things chocolate, and now lives in a small town along the Rio Grande with her engineer husband and three sons. She once stayed in the haunted tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland and didn't sleep a wink, sailed the Seine in Paris, rode a camel in the ancient world wonder of Petra, shopped the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria. Kimberley also writes Award-winning Middle-Grade novels with Scholastic and epic Young Adult novels with Harpercollins under the name, Kimberley Griffiths Little.

 

Giveaway Details: $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway Ends 3/28/19.  Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from Clean Wholesome Romance and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Book Spotlight: Valentine Gold by Danielle Thorne

Valentine Gold by Danielle Thorne

When Natalie Boyd inherits an old cabin in the north Georgia mountains, she thinks it could be the answer to all of her problems. She’s ready to start over after a heart-breaking divorce, and the cabin on the banks of a river once mined for gold is the perfect hideaway for her new, reclusive life.

No sooner does she settle in, and Natalie realizes that living in the shadow of Good Hope Mountain isn’t what she expected. Her new neighbor, Jonathan Wilby, has plans for his property as soon as winter’s over, and that means noise, traffic, and people. To make things worse, he’s drop-dead gorgeous and could charm the skin off a snake.

 Natalie braces herself to do battle over the land and to resist Wilby’s charms, but her healing heart, an incredible discovery, and unexpected friendships along the way bring a gold mine of change she never expected – and just in time for Valentine’s Day.

 

This story reels you in from the beginning. Natalie and Jonathan's story is relatable. The story was sweet and I couldn't put it down! I highly recommend this book!

I liked how the author went beyond a mere romance. A sweet romance that uplifts and helps you remember the nuances to falling in love. ❤


 

 

   

Author Danielle Thorne

Danielle Thorne is the author of classic romance and adventures in several genres. She loves Jane Austen, pirates, beaches, cookies, antiques, cats, dogs, and long naps. She does not like phone calls or sushi. A graduate of BYU-Idaho, Danielle saw early work published by Every Day Fiction, Arts and Prose Magazine, Mississippi Crow, The Nantahala Review, StorySouth, and… you get the idea. Besides writing, Danielle has edited for both Solstice and Desert Breeze Publishing. Her growing blog, The Balanced Writer, focuses on writing, life, and the pursuit of peace and happiness. Currently, Danielle freelances as a non-fiction author while waiting to hear from readers like you through her website. During free time, which means when Netflix is down, she combs through feedback and offers virtual hugs for reviews. Her next historical romance is coming soon.

 


 

Giveaway Details: $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway.  Ends 3/12/19.  Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from Clean Wholesome Romance and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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