Book Spotlight: Investigation of a Journalist by Danielle Grandinetti

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Investigation of a Journalist by Danielle Grandinetti, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Investigation of a Journalist
Series: Harbored in Crow's Nest #6
Author: Danielle Grandinetti
Publisher: Hearth Spot Press
Release Date: November 19, 2024
Genre: Christian Historical Romance/Suspense

A second chance to set the record straight, and rekindle a lost love. 

Wisconsin, 1931—Buck Wilson refuses to accept failure as his reward for all he has sacrificed, but he’s kept secrets for too long to be believed. With his freedom on the line, there’s only one person he trusts to mine for the true story: the woman he left one month before their wedding. 

All investigative journalist Caroline Wagoneer wants is to shine a light on the truth wherever darkness threatens to obscure it. Which is the only reason she agrees to help her ex-fiance when he begs for her to go undercover in Crow’s Nest. What she discovers paints Buck in a whole new light. 

With lies and rumor hemming them in, Buck and Caroline realize their love may be doomed on the altar of altruism. 

Unless love can truly conquer all. 

Welcome to Crow’s Nest, where danger and romance meet at the water’s edge.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Buy Directly From the Author | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookBub

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Also Available

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Excerpt

“Caroline.” Her name on his lips emerged broken, just like him.

A variety of emotions danced across her round features before she shuttered them away. She was not overly tall, but neither was she short. Indeed, diminutive she was not. Dressed in her typical white blouse and black skirt, a tie at her throat, and a black eyebrow cocked, she looked like the warrior he knew her to be. Her dark hair was exactly as he remembered, pinned up with combs to soften the bob. She shifted. With one hand, she held the door open, but she relaxed a hip, resting her other hand on it as it jutted out in her signature stance. Still, not a word left her unsmiling mouth.

He’d rehearsed this moment in his mind since they left Crow’s Nest. No, ever since he’d made this ridiculous plan with Detective O’Connor, his nemesis-turned-partner. Though if this didn’t work, the man beside him might have to arrest him, as he had surely dreamed of doing the last few years. Buck could picture the older man’s bushy mustache twitching in glee as he secured Buck’s wrists in cuffs.

“Did you have something to say?” Carrie spoke firmly, neutrally, showing the skills that made him first admire her. Her gaze took in his companion but focused on him. “Or are you going to stand here in a daze until supper?”

“I need your help.” Dunderhead. Those were not the first words he’d planned. Beside him, O’Connor sighed.

The index finger of Carrie’s right hand bounced against her belt, the only sign he’d caught her off guard. “The girls think I should slam the door in your face.”

“I deserve it.”

She huffed and threw the door closed.

“Your eloquence leaves something to be desired,” O’Connor growled.

Buck cringed. But before his brain engaged, Carrie flung it open again. “Get your posteriore in here, Wilson. And shut the door.” She spun on her heels, leaving him gaping on her front step and O’Connor laughing like a crazy old man.

Caroline Wagoneer had used those exact words the first day they met over six years ago.

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About the Author

Danielle Grandinetti is an award-winning inspirational romance author fueled by tea and books. As a FHLCW Reader’s Choice and Selah Award Finalist, she mixes romance, suspense, and history to bring her stories to life. Originally from the Chicagoland area, she now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons.

Connect with Danielle at daniellegrandinetti.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(3) winners will each win a paperback copy of Confessions to a Stranger, a Crow's Nest tote bag, and a Crow's Nest Journal!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 19, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 26, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Book Spotlight: Sheltered by the Doctor by Danielle Grandinetti

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Sheltered by the Doctor by Danielle Grandinetti, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Sheltered by the Doctor
Series: Harbored in Crow's Nest #5
Author: Danielle Grandinetti
Publisher: Hearth Spot Press
Release Date: May 21, 2024
Genre: Christian Historical Romantic Suspense

A fake relationship might keep her safe, but will it break their hearts? 

Wisconsin, 1931—Mindy Zahn can’t understand why her parents deserted the family farm, leaving her mute younger sister in her care. Until her mother’s cryptic warning to keep her sister safe becomes a life-threatening task. 

Searching for that elusive something to ease his weary heart, Dr. Nick Matrone is drawn to the cheery Mindy. He would never presume to bring such a sweet woman into his beleaguered past, so friendship is all he can offer. Except, he doesn’t expect needing to save her life. 

As the danger grows, they both must battle through physical and emotional wounds to have a hope of their counterfeit relationship becoming true. 

Welcome to Crow’s Nest, where danger and romance meet at the water’s edge.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

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More Books in This Series

     

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Excerpt

(Opening Lines)

A certain smiling blonde waitress had nothing to do with why Dr. Nick Matrone detoured to the Wharfside Cafe that morning. He needed coffee before seeing his first patient. The cantankerous Mrs. Bindle. An older widow who came into the clinic at least once a week complaining of one malady or another. However, in his professional medical opinion, Nick believed the woman was simply lonely. He could relate.

The sun glared off the glassy water to his left as his shoes clumped on the wooden boards of the wharf. The fishing boats were all out on Lake Michigan at this time of the morning. He’d learned enough from rooming with David Martins, a fishing captain, that such calm conditions made for poor fishing. He whispered a prayer for his friend. The man was engaged and needed the income during these lean times. Not that God listened. Nick just couldn’t shake the habit of bringing every worry to Him.

He turned his face away from the brightness as his mood darkened. He tightened his grip on his satchel. Beginning a day in a grouchy mood never ended well. His patients needed him to be positive, encouraging, to foster healing. A perspective that had been increasingly difficult over the last six months. Today's newspaper headline only added to the problem.

Coffee.

Nick plowed through the empty outdoor seating and pulled open the door to the Wharfside. He spotted several of the retired captains sitting at a table in the middle of the room and promptly spun around. He didn’t want to talk. Didn’t want to be jovial. The gregarious Italian. He barely restrained a muttered Italian phrase that would have had his mamma crossing herself.

Sometimes he wished his skin tone was several shades lighter. His nose, not so straight. His hair, not so black. Then people would see him as a doctor. Not as someone related to Al Capone, whose indictment for tax evasion dominated the front page of today’s Crow’s Nest Gazette. Just because Nick was also Italian. No matter that he had never been to Chicago, except to travel through on his way from New York City.

Yes. He needed coffee. Lots of it.

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About the Author

Danielle Grandinetti is an award-winning inspirational romance author fueled by tea and books. As a FHLCW Reader’s Choice and Selah Award Finalist, she mixes romance, suspense, and history to bring her stories to life. Originally from the Chicagoland area, she now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons. Find her online at daniellegrandinetti.com.

Connect with Danielle at daniellegrandinetti.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will win a Crow's Nest Prize Bundle which includes a print copy of Confessions to a Stranger, a Crow's Nest canvas tote, a Crow's Nest paperback notebook and Crow's Nest stickers!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight May 22, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on May 29, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Book Spotlight: Relying on the Enemy by Danielle Grandinetti

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Relying on the Enemy by Danielle Grandinetti, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Relying on the Enemy
Series: Harbored in Crow's Nest #4
Author: Danielle Grandinetti
Publisher: Hearth Spot Press
Release Date: February 20, 2024
Genre: Historical Romance, with suspense

She’s protecting her children. He’s redeeming his past.  But there’s nothing convenient about saving their patchwork family.  

Wisconsin, 1931—All widowed mother Marian Ward wants is to provide for her girls. However, she faces the dead of winter with no income and dwindling resources. Then she overhears a nefarious conversation, putting her life and that of her children in immediate danger. 

Aiming to make amends to the Wards, Gilbert steps in when the threat to Marian escalates. It costs him dearly. Either lose his career or marry her, and be tied to his past until death do them part. 

He leaves the decision to Marian, who will do anything to protect her girls, even marry the son of the man who ruined her family. How will their fledgling trust prove strong enough to fulfill their vows as winter tightens its grip and desperation stalks at the door? 

Welcome to Crow’s Nest, where danger and romance meet at the water’s edge.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookBub

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More Books in This Series

   

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Excerpt

Marian Ward battled the wind and her disgust as she pushed out of the door to the Lightning Bug, where the less reputable fishermen drank the winter away regardless of Prohibition. Never would she have considered asking for a job—and still not get one—at such a place, but she was desperate. If she couldn’t find a job, couldn’t heat their home, her little girls … she shuddered, and not because of the icy wind that ripped across a sluggish Lake Michigan only to slam into her threadbare coat.

Where else could she look for work? The Lightning Bug was the last place in Crow’s Nest for her to try, and without money to buy gas for the old truck, how could she drive to Hawk’s River to look for a job? Were there any open positions left? Just one, at a place willing to hire a woman instead of a man. A woman with children, even if she was a widow. As times became leaner, those types of jobs became even more scarce. And how she needed one.

Tears pricked her eyes as she turned her back to the deserted lake and ducked into the alley beside the Lightning Bug. Walking home along Main Street would provide a better buffer to the wind. It hadn’t snowed since the new year, making January bleak and gray. What little sunlight peeked through the overcast sky vanished in the narrow space between the buildings. However, she refused to give in to despair. Her girls, and her ill mother-in-law, depended on her. She would do anything for them.

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About the Author

Danielle Grandinetti is an inspirational romance author fueled by tea and books, and the occasional nature walk. A 2023 Finalist in the FHLCW Reader’s Choice Award, she has also won the UNW Distinguished Faith in Writing Award and the CROW National Excellence in Story Telling Award. Originally from the Chicagoland area, she now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons.

Connect with Danielle by visiting daniellegrandinetti.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will win signed paperback copies of Refuge for the Archaeologist & Relying on the Enemy; a Crow's Nest Canvas Tote & a Crow's Nest paperback notebook!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight February 19, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on February  26, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Book Review: Confessions to a Stranger by Danielle Grandinetti

About the Book: 

She’s lost her future. He’s sacrificed his. Now they have a chance to reclaim it—together.

Wisconsin, 1930—While fleeing for her life, Adaleigh Sirland’s rescue of a child introduces her to a family who provides her safe harbor. When her identity comes under threat of exposure, she must choose between running once more or helping the man who teaches her to hope again.

First mate David Martins is intrigued by the mysterious woman taken in by his grandmother, but she wrestles with a troubled past. When his estranged father is arrested for murder, can David put aside his own struggles in time to discern which secret threatens Adaleigh before it kills them both?

Welcome to Crow’s Nest, where danger and romance meet at the water’s edge.

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My Thoughts:

Confessions to a Stranger starts off Danielle Grandinetti’s Harbored in Crow’s Nest series. The little fishing town of Crow’s Nest makes a charming setting for this book and future novels. It’s got the typical small-town mystery elements: social hierarchy, gossip, corruption, a shocking crime, etc. The main storyline in Confessions to a Stranger concludes within the novel, but some lesser threads continue into the next book.

Adaleigh Sirland, the female lead in Confessions of a Stranger, has grit. Her boldness makes her likable and interesting. She confronts serious threats but runs for her life because PTSD prevents her from standing up to her sister. The on-page PTSD depictions felt authentic but not overly disconcerting. Adaleigh’s physical and emotional journey encapsulates a prominent theme in the book – not allowing fear to rule one’s life.

I found Confessions of a Stranger to be more historical romance with mystery rather than historical romantic suspense (which is what I expected from reading the book blurb). Although circumstances get intense and dicey at the end, most of the story focuses on Adaleigh and David’s blossoming relationship.

Confessions of a Stranger by Danielle Grandinetti was entertaining to read but in need of another round of editing. Most of the typos were minor, but some truly detracted from the story. I also thought David and Adaleigh’s feelings developed a bit too quickly to feel authentic. In conclusion, Confessions of a Stranger contains good themes and interesting characters, but it has typos and development issues. 3.5 Stars. 

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.