Month: April 2020

Book Features, Book Reviews, Giveaways

Book Review: Imperfectly Happy by Sharina Harris

Teresa Beasley

 

 


(Im)perfectly Happy
by Sharina Harris
Genre: Women’s Fiction

When four college friends formed the Brown Sugarettes Mastermind Group, they had very different goals—but matched each other in ambition. Yet ten years later they can’t help wondering what happened to the hopeful, confident, driven women they used to be—and how to get
them back . . .

Radio personality Raina, known as “the black Delilah,” hates the wholesome persona that’s made her a success. Doling out syrupy versions of her grandma’s wisdom feels worlds away from the sarcastic,
tell-it-like-it-is woman Raina really is.

Kara Jones was sure she’d be a master sommelier by thirty. Life and loss interfered with that plan. Now she has one more chance—but it’s taking a toll on her self-esteem and her marriage.

Nikki Grayson hardly recognizes the stay-at-home mom she’s become. When her band signed a record deal, she swapped the limelight for a minivan and a sensible ’do. Now she’s wishing she had followed her heart. Instead, she’s drowning her regret in alcohol.

Public defender Sienna Njeri willingly put her city council aspirations aside to support her fiancé’s bid for office—and now she’s wondering if her loyalty is misplaced.

Longing for the support, advice, and tough love they once shared, all four resolve to start meeting up again. After all, their dreams may still be within reach. But are they worth the price they’ll pay to achieve them?

I like reading books with in-depth characters that evoke emotions in me. I definitely had this with Imperfectly Happy by Sharina Harris. It made me wonder why I’m just now hearing about this author.

Imperfectly Happy follows four friends who start a mastermind group to help them stay on track in pursuing in their dreams and passions. It didn’t work out how they expected since life got in the way. All four put their dreams and what they love to do on hold for the cookie cutter life. And now find themselves unhappy and wanting change. This prompts them to start their mastermind back up again and it definitely has a different vibe.

These character’s journey hit home for me because I saw myself in a few of them. Rana is a radio host working at a job she doesn’t like because of they won’t allow her to be her true self. Nikki wants to be back with her being so bad she turns to alcohol to dim her pain. Kara is letting the death of her mother stop her from passing the test she knows will make her a master of what she loves to do. Sienna is so busy making her fiance’s campaign run well she doesn’t see the wrongdoings right in front of her.

All four put others before themselves not realizing what harm they were doing to the hearts and how it was truly affecting their lives. I haven’t read a book in a while that’s brought me to tears but this one did. These women’s personalities and lives were well-defined as well as their back stories, which made it easier to connect with them and follow their story lines. I do wish the publisher would have created a book cover their represent what the book was truly about, but that is just one person’s opinion.

Overall, for me this was a heartfelt book of family, marriage, compromise and pursuing happiness once I got past the secrets and some betrayal. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of this author’s work.

Add to Goodreads

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51773394-im-perfectly-happy

Buy Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ImPerfectly-Happy-Sharina-Harris-ebook/dp/B07TT1VX4T
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/imperfectly-happy-sharina-harris/1134984647
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sharina_Harris_ImPerfectly_Happy?id=NvmfDwAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/imperfectly-happy

Sharina Harris earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgia State University. After college, she pursued a career in digital marketing and public relations. Although her profession required writing, she decided to pursue a career in writing in 2012.

Sharina’s contemporary romance series under the pen name, Rina Gray, was named Book Riot’s 100 Must-Read Romantic Comedies. When Sharina’s not writing, she can be found with her head stuck in a book, rooting for her favorite NBA teams, and spending time with friends and family.

Author Links

Website: http://www.sharinaharris.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSharinaHarris/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharinaWrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharinawrites/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sharina-harris
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sharina-Harris/e/B082J6J1KH
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19471165.Sharina_Harris

$15 Amazon

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Book Features, Giveaways

Book Spotlight of Guilty by Christer Tholin

Teresa Beasley
Guilty?
Stockholm Sleuth Series Book 4
by Christer Tholin
Genre: Mystery Crime Thriller
Stockholm: From one day to the next, 16-year old Hanna just vanishes without a trace. Her worried parents hire detectives Lars and Elin to find their daughter. The two of them do just that and very quickly. However, Hanna’s problems are far from over – she is trapped in the clutches of a “loverboy”. Just a couple of months later, the two private detectives are asked to help once again, because now Hanna is facing a much more serious issue. This difficult assignment pushes everyone involved to their limits …
GUILTY? is the fourth, standalone book from Christer Tholin’s Stockholm Sleuth Series.
If you like fast-paced action and surprising twists and turns, then you will love Christer Tholin’s sleuth series.
Buy GUILTY? to see how this suspenseful case is solved!
Murder?
Stockholm Sleuth Series Book 3
Christina’s idyllic existence with her husband Patrik comes to an abrupt end when Patrik suddenly vanishes from their suburban home in Stockholm. Christina is precipitated into a hellishly desperate and anguished search for Patrik – which after six weeks turns up nary a trace of him.
At her wits end, she contacts local sleuths Lars and Elin, who, after a brief investigation, reach the conclusion that Patrik simply decided to abandon his cushy existence to embark on a new life –without Christina.
Lars and Elin ultimately trace Patrik’s movements to the wooded wilds of northern Sweden, but too late – he’s found dead. The police rule his death an accident, but Christina thinks otherwise – and so she asks Lars and Elin to do a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding Patrik’s demise. Was his death really accidental, or was foul play involved? And was the mysterious Natalia somehow implicated?
Unfortunately, none of the countless leads that Lars and Elin follow up gets them any closer to solving the mystery of Patrik’s death. But then they get a startling break that results in Christina having to make a tricky and extremely consequential decision that plunges our three protagonists into a life or death struggle.
MURDER? is the third, standalone book from Christer Tholin’s Stockholm Sleuth Series.
If you like fast-paced action and surprising twists and turns, then you will love Christer Tholin’s sleuth series.
**On Sale for .99 cents May 20-27**
Secrets?
Stockholm Sleuth Series Book 2
“Dammit! She’d made a huge mistake. She’d never make it out of here – they were going to kill her.”
In the crime novella SECRETS?, fledgling private investigator Elin Bohlander takes on what looks like an easy assignment — at first: to determine if her client’s boyfriend is having an affair with another woman. To do this, Elin follows him to a secluded cabin in the woods, where she soon discovers that what’s actually transpiring is stranger than anyone thought. Having ventured too far, she’s stumbled upon a hornet’s nest and put her life at risk. But it’s too late. Can Elin win the unequal fight against a gang of brutal child molesters?
SECRETS? is the second, standalone book from Christer Tholin’s Stockholm Sleuth Series. In the previous novel VANISHED?, Elin and her colleague Lars solve their first case together.
If you like fast-paced action and surprising twists and turns, then you will love Christer Tholin’s sleuth series.
**On Sale for .99 cents May 20-27**
Vanished?
Stockholm Sleuth Series Book 1
She: a very hot 30 something Swedish woman. He: a native of Berlin, on vacation in rural Sweden, seeking solace for his broken heart. They meet. He finds her irresistible. But before their relationship can get off the ground, she vanishes mysteriously, having apparently been abducted. So Martin sets out to rescue Liv from her captors, with the aid of two Swedish detectives in a race against time – and across Sweden. In so doing, Martin and his intrepid detective duo put their very lives on the line.
VANISHED? is the first book in the Stockholm Sleuth Series and where we meet the two private investigators, Elin and Lars. If you like fast action and surprising twists, then you’ll love Christer Tholin’s Swedish crime novels.
Get VANISHED? today, and join the hunt across Sweden!
The second English edition was edited and partially retranslated by Doreen Zeitvogel and is an improved version in all aspects.
**On Sale for .99 cents May 20-27**
The author grew up in the North of Germany, Schleswig-Holstein. Today, he lives together with his family in Stockholm, Sweden, where he works as a management consultant.
Already for ages he has been a great fan of crime stories and therefore, had the desire to write his own crime story with the characters acting in Sweden. This crime-fiction is now available under the title “Vanished?”.
The crime novel starts at a slower pace – like Martin’s holidays, but the tension goes up more and more. It comes to a number of surprising turns giving new impulses to the story. Apart from that, the lovely country Sweden is described with the view of a foreigner.
$20 Amazon
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Book Features, Giveaways

Spotlight of Spirits of Earth Trilogy by Milo James Fowler

Teresa Beasley
After the Sky
Spirits of the Earth Book 1
by Milo James Fowler
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic SciFi Fantasy
The world isn’t how they left it. When the bunker airlocks release them after twenty years in hibernation, the survivors find a silent, barren world outside. But they are not alone. There is a presence here, alive in the dust—spirits of the earth, benevolent and malicious as they interact with the human remnant.
Milton is haunted by a violent past he’s unable to escape, despite the superhuman speed the spirits give him.
Not interested in bearing the next generation, Daiyna is determined to destroy the flesh-eating mutants lurking in the dark, pierced by her night-vision.
Luther is a man of conviction who believes the Creator has offered humankind a second chance, yet he’s uncertain they deserve it—and he’s perplexed by the talons that flex out of his fingers.
Willard is a brilliant engineer-turned-soldier who refuses to leave his bunker, afraid of becoming infected and willing to destroy any obstacle in his way.
As their lives collide, the mysteries of this strange new world start unraveling, culminating in the ultimate life-or-death decision one survivor will make for them all.
Don’t miss this Post Apocalyptic Adventure with a Paranormal Fantasy twist! It’s perfect for fans of Stephen King, T.W. Piperbrook, and The Walking Dead.
** Only .99 cents!!**
Tomorrow’s Children
Spirits of the Earth Book 2
The future is in their hands.
The post-apocalyptic world is bigger than the remnant imagined. Across the ocean, the domed cities of Eurasia have survived the nuclear holocaust that ravaged the rest of the planet. But only the survivors from the North American Wastes can give the sterile Eurasians what they need most in order to continue existing as a society: children.
Sergeant James Bishop, United World Marine, leads his team across the desert wasteland in order to make first contact with survivors in Eden, who are rumored to have a lab full of viable embryos. Meanwhile Cain, a coastal warlord dedicated to repopulating the planet, follows the will of Gaia, a malicious spirit of the earth with no love for humankind. Margo, telepathic geneticist responsible for designing the next generation, struggles to balance the will of a selfish dictator with what’s best for humanity. Tucker, an invisible man on a mission, carries precious cargo across the Wastes in an effort to rally a group of survivors into action against Eden.
As their lives intersect, agendas collide and tensions reach a breaking point. Twenty unborn children in incubation chambers hang in the balance—along with the fate of the world.
Grab the thrilling sequel to After the Sky! It’s perfect for fans of Stephen King, Tom Abrahams, and The Walking Dead.
City of Glass
Spirits of the Earth Book 3
The children of the remnant are adults living in the 10 Domes of Eurasia, self-sustaining biospheres along the Mediterranean Sea. Aerocars fly, clones work as security officers, and every citizen’s words and actions are monitored via their neural implants. Peace reigns over all—until a group of terrorists targets government buildings, and Chancellor Persephone Hawthorne is kidnapped.
Sera Chen, Dome 1 law enforcer, is drawn into the conflict after chasing a curfew violator capable of leaping from one skyscraper to another. When her augments go offline due to a localized EMP burst, she starts hearing voices. The band of survivors in North America is fractured. Daiyna roams the Wastes with a bounty on her head, refusing to confront her demons. Samson and Shechara target UW raiders who are pillaging ruins for resources the remnant needs to survive. James Bishop struggles against unexpected obstacles to be reunited with his family. And Luther is determined to find a way into Eurasia to meet the twenty children taken from Eden.
As their lives converge, unlikely alliances will form to combat an emergent enemy with plans to undermine the course of humanity’s future.
The Spirits of the Earth Trilogy concludes with this epic final installment. You won’t want to miss this!
Milo is a teacher by day and a speculative fictioneer by night. When he’s not grading papers, he’s imagining what the world might be like in a dozen alternate realities. http://www.milojamesfowler.com
$25 Amazon Gift Card
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Book Features, Giveaways

Authors Susan Saxx shares When You Came

Teresa Beasley
When You Came
The Real Men Series Book 10
by Susan Saxx
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Snowy Slopes. Faithful Dogs. Sudden Intrigue.
Golden Boy Ski Patroller meets Plain Jane Geek, anti-skiing heroine.
Military reservist Sven Golden works as a first responder for the Canadian Ski Patrol, saving lives and training avalanche dogs in stunning British Columbia on Canada’s West Coast.
But after the woman he thought he’d marry does indeed get married—only to someone else—and he’s forced to take the harrowing new management job at Snowy Peaks Chalet, things go downhill fast. And when he’s asked to head the resort’s new Valentine’s Day Extravaganza instead of working on the slopes, protecting people, he’s had enough.
But when he meets organizational whiz Keara Linn, a Torontonian desperate for the 2-week temporary job as his assistant, things just don’t add up. Very plain, somewhat overweight, yet smart and focused, she’s hiding secrets.
But the passion and heart she’s buried deep inside finally explodes his world. Now nothing is going to shut that down—or his feelings. Not even a crazed madman who is determined to bring revenge on Keara and her guardian dog, the one she loves with all her heart.
And when it’s time? The whole quirky Terrence Point community will have something to say…about everything.
Hi there! I’m SO glad we’ve connected!
I write books set in the small towns and big cities of Canada. Right now I’m writing the Real Men series – first installment set in Jack’s Bay, northern Ontario – a place I ❤ so much!
My heroes and heroines haven’t had an easy time of it. But they take what life dishes out, and somehow, with grit, determination and heart – especially heart – they transform it into gold. Their gold.
Their stories – like life! – range from sweet to sexy, contemporary to suspenseful.
Want to know when there’s a new Susan Saxx book released? Click the yellow “FOLLOW” button above.
Want more news and special, subscriber ONLY ‘insider’ stories? Join my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/bFwHOb.
Interaction your thing? Come hang with me at Saxxy Reads, on FB. I promise – the water’s always fine!
And welcome…to Jack’s Bay, northern Ontario, to the upcoming sister series in B.C., and to the rancher (#1), the tormented dark-net genius (#5), the ‘hit rock-bottom’ ex-Seal (#4), and the ex-star hockey player (Coming Dec. 2018) – all military reservists, and the passionate, heroic women they fall for.
REAL MEN is the series – get to know them all at http://www.susansaxx.com.
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!