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This morning, I have a historical fiction novel to share! Check out Sunny Gale, learn about author Jamie Lisa Forbes, and read my thoughts on the book!
It's 1895 and
fourteen year old Hannah Brandt is struggling with the hard life on a
new Nebraska homestead. When her imagination is captured by a wild filly
she becomes obsessed with horses, which opens the door to her destiny.
Just four years later she enters the first Cheyenne Frontier Day rodeo
where she wins the relay race and her fate is sealed. She gives herself a
new name, Sunny Gale, and pursues a rodeo career, much to the disgust
of her young husband and her very proper mother. Sunny defies convention
with every move as the drive to compete takes over her life, leaving
everything else behind, including husbands and children. It is a rough
life she has chosen, but she craves the glory of the spotlight and
refuses to bow to the expectations for a woman in her time.
Award winning author Jamie Lisa Forbes has once again brought us
complex characters in a story based on real women and the early days
when rodeo was wide open for them to become stars. It is a story of the
social mores of the times and of a woman determined to defy them no
matter how high the personal cost or where that choice might take her.
Realistic Historical Fiction with a Strong Female Lead. I knew little about rodeo life, horses or even life in historical Nebraska--but this book transported me to the life and times of Sunny Gale perfectly from the very first pages. From the harsh life and challenges to the main character's dreams, goals and strength, the author navigates Sunny's story from the days of her youth to her older years. Sunny's story feels so real that I had to double-check that it wasn't based on a real character, incorporating real diaries or stories from a real person. While Sunny is fictional, the author takes readers on an emotional journey to another time and place.
Strength, Perseverance, and Reflection. The book combines a young girl's story of struggle and triumph to achieve goals in the male-dominated rodeo world and an older woman's reflections on those accomplishments, losses and memories. Readers will find characters to love and hate throughout Sunny's story and a setting that immerses readers immediately into each page. The novel is well-developed, with a believable cast of characters and an even storyline that remains engaging from the first page to the last.
Would I Recommend Sunny Gale by Jamie Lisa Forbes? If you're a fan of historical fiction, women's fiction, westerns, or memoirs, this book offers a unique blend of genres that will transport you to the past. It's an emotional journey that will have you cheering for Sunny and a satisfying conclusion, all while tugging at your heartstrings. More than just a story, Sunny Gale also serves as an educational tool, shedding light on the challenges faced by a woman breaking barriers in a different era and place. I found the book engaging and look forward to reading more from this author.
Jamie Lisa Forbes was raised on a
ranch in the Little Laramie Valley near Laramie, Wyoming. She attended
the University of Colorado where she obtained degrees in English and
philosophy. After fourteen months living in Israel, she returned to her
family’s ranch where she lived for another fifteen years.
In 1994, she moved to Greensboro, North Carolina. In 2001, she graduated
from the University of North Carolina School of Law and began her North
Carolina law practice.
Forbes’ first novel, Unbroken, won the WILLA Literary Award for Contemporary Fiction in 2011. Her collection of short stories, The Widow Smalls and Other Stories, won the High Plains Book Awards for a short story collection in 2015.
Forbes’ novel of rural North Carolina in the segregation era, entitled Eden, was published in 2020. Her historical novel about women bronc riders in the early days of rodeo, entitled Sunny Gale, was published in May 2024 by Pronghorn Press.
Ms. Forbes continues to live—and write—in North Carolina.
Connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ pinterest ~ X ~ goodreads
This morning, I have a romantic, women's fiction novel to share in our book release spotlight! Check out Nightcaps at the Beach House Hotel and learn about author Judith Keim!
The Beach House Hotel, Book 9
Romantic Women's Fiction
Date Published: October 21, 2024
Another favor can mean another problem for Ann and Rhonda ...
When Ann and Rhonda receive a request from the vice-president to provide a private space at the hotel for a nighttime talk show host having difficulties, they’re worried. Trouble always happens when they do something for her. Sipping nightcaps, they watch Darryl Douglas’ show and decide to allow him to rent one of the guesthouses at the same time their beloved daughter-of -heart, Tina Marks, is renting the house next door along with her personal trainer, Abbie Hathaway. When Darryl’s ex-wife appears at the hotel a lot more than the usual problems appear, leaving Ann and Rhonda to fight for the hotel’s reputation.
A light "beach read" with humor sprinkled in for readers’ enjoyment featuring two women, Ann and Rhonda, whom readers adore. Be sure to read all the books so far in the series – Breakfast at The Beach House Hotel, Lunch at The Beach House Hotel, Dinner at The Beach House Hotel, Christmas at The Beach House Hotel, Margaritas at The Beach House Hotel, Dessert at The Beach House Hotel. Coffee at The Beach House Hotel, High Tea at The Beach House Hotel, Nightcaps at the Beach House Hotel, and Bubbles at the Beach Hotel coming soon. Two more books, Canapes at the Beach House Hotel and Sea Breezes at the Beach House, follow.
Another of Judith Keim’s series books celebrating love and families, strong women meeting challenges, and clean women’s fiction with a touch of romance—beach reads for all ages with a touch of humor, satisfying twists, and happy endings. Be sure to check out her other delightful books and series that readers adore.
Check out the Complete Series!
The Beach House Hotel Series
Breakfast at The Beach House Hotel
The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 1
Lunch at The Beach House Hotel
The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 2
Dinner at The Beach House Hotel
The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 3
Christmas at The Beach House Hotel
The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 4
Margaritas at The Beach House Hotel
The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 5
Dessert at The Beach House Hotel
The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 6
Coffee at The Beach House Hotel
The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 7
High Tea at The Beach House Hotel
The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 8
Nightcaps at The Beach House Hotel
The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 9
Bubbles at The Beach House Hotel
The Beach House Hotel Series, Book 10
About the Author
Judith Keim, A USA Today Best-Selling Author, is a hybrid author who both has a publisher and self-publishes. Ms. Keim writes heart-warming novels about women who face unexpected challenges, meet them with strength, and find love and happiness along the way, stories with heart. Her best-selling books are based, in part, on many of the places she's lived or visited and on the interesting people she's met, creating believable characters and realistic settings her many loyal readers love.
She enjoyed her childhood and young-adult years in Elmira, New York, and now makes her home in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and their adorable dachshund, Wally, and other members of her family.
While growing up, she loved the idea of writing stories from a young age. Books were always present, being read, ready to go back to the library, or about to be discovered. All in her family shared information from the books in general conversation, giving them a wealth of knowledge and vivid imaginations.
Ms. Keim loves to hear from her readers and appreciates their enthusiasm for her stories.
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Today, I have a dark fantasy in our book teaser spotlight! Check out Dark Legion and learn about author Isabella Jordan!
Dark Fantasy, Romance, Horror
Date Published: October 18, 2024
Darkness is falling...
Things at Woods University are not what they seem. When Joey Sumner's roommate Maria joins the growing ranks of blazer-wearing supergeeks who roam the campus in emotionless packs, Joey begins to think she has a problem. Then Joey stumbles upon a secret ritual being performed on campus, and her world is turned upside down. Joey and her boyfriend Will are forced to fight for their lives against an ancient evil cult that is preying on the student body. To make matters worse, their boss is one of them, and his obsession for Joey goes way beyond thinking she has a cute ass...
Evil is growing...
A year after the mysterious death of her husband Terrence, Ada Ross is still seeking answers. When handsome detective Eric Perfater comes back into her life offering a chance to unravel the mystery of her husband's demise, Ada is more than ready to help. She's also willing to throw off her endless loneliness and wantonly offer herself to sexy Eric in bed... But a dark shadow falls across their chance at happiness. Ada is a pawn in a desperate man's ploy to hang onto the past and take control of a secret society whose very existence threatens the entire world.
Can the forces of evil's hungry claws be defeated? Or will they all be consumed by the Dark Legion?
Publisher's Note: This duet contains the previously published novellas Legion: University and Legion: Adult Education.
Meet the Author
Isabella Jordan is the alter ego of an otherwise stressed out web designer, programmer, and internet junkie. When she's not trying to perfect her own personal caffeine IV drip, she enjoys spending time with her family, doing volunteer work, and writing. She loves creating new stories of all kinds and chatting with readers and friends.
Isabella would love to hear from her readers!
Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress
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This morning, I have a psychological thriller to share! Check out The Bluff, learn about author Bonnie Traymore and enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post!
When I first moved from Manhattan to this small town six years ago, I worried about many things. I worried about finding a job. I worried that I’d be bored. I worried that my relationship with charming photographer Ryan Breslow was moving too fast. But I never worried about whether the ground beneath my feet would crumble—both literally and figuratively.
My marriage didn’t go as I’d imagined. A year ago, Ryan met his untimely death in a car accident that’s still under investigation. Isolated and alone, all I wanted was to sell my home and leave Crest Lake and its painful memories behind.
But with my home inching ever closer to the edge of the crumbling bluff, the property has become unmarketable. All of us on the lakefront have lost chunks of property, and tempers are at a boiling point about what to do next.
And now, on the evening of a contentious vote about how to fix this pressing issue, my nemesis on the shoreline committee has been murdered. I know how it looks, but it’s not what it seems. But I have to get my plan passed and cash out.
Because I do have secrets.
And they won’t stay buried forever.
"With a slow-burn intensity that explodes into a jaw-dropping finale, this psychological thriller is both bingeworthy and delicious. Traymore is a master of layered tension, and she left me guessing until the last page."
~ Noelle W. Ihli, #1 bestselling author of Gray After Dark
"With its high-stakes plot and complex characters, the novel is a masterclass in building tension and intrigue."
~ NetGalley
"Gripping and full of surprises, The Bluff is a clever psychological suspense with layered characters and an atmospheric setting. Traymore masterfully ratchets up the tension little-by-little until the shocking, explosive end."
~ Tracey Devlyn, USA Today bestselling author
"This was a slow burn psychological suspense that heated up to a twisty, thrilling finale. A domestic thriller with a timely topic in the background. Great setting. Highly recommended."
~ NetGalley
Doug Mitchell takes in the shoreline of Lake Michigan, letting his Sundancer drift around in the currents. The sight of his house high atop the bluff reminds him of what’s at stake. The vote is tonight, and it’s sure to be a doozy of an evening. There’s a cool wind whipping up what little sand remains on the shrinking beach, and he can see the bare patch of earth where the southern stairs collapsed two years ago. But he feels safe and warm on the deck with the soon-to-be-setting sun still overhead, beaming down on him.
It’s not the same shoreline it was decades ago, but then the world is an ever-changing place. He knows this, although he doesn’t let on about it to most people. Right now, his mind is drifting to another place, and he feels a delightful stirring. He pictures the curve of her back. Her slender, graceful neck. The look on her face when he makes her moan. He takes another sip of his cocktail, closes his eyes, and sinks into it.
After a few minutes, a different kind of feeling washes over him. He’s dizzy. And tired. Way too tired. He’s barely had one drink. He opens his eyes, and the world appears blurry. He feels clumsy. Almost immobile. Shaking his head, he tries to snap out of it, but everything’s…
Fuzzy.
Confused.
Off.
He came out here alone, he thought, although he didn’t check the cabin before leaving the dock. A figure is standing on the deck now, too far away from him to make out who it is. It’s someone, though, and even with his mind dulled, he knows this isn’t good.
Seized with panic, he struggles to pull himself out of the quagmire. Finding a last burst of strength, he attempts to spring up and go on the offensive, but his legs are like rubber. His body rocks forward a bit, accomplishing nothing.
He sinks back into oblivion as the figure approaches.
You?
I arrive five minutes late, breathless from my run in from the parking lot. The proceedings haven’t started yet. I rush in, whip off my scarf and coat, and take a seat.
Just in time.
The stage is set for a contentious evening. Tonight, the town council will vote on the pressing issue of the failing bluff. I head up the shoreline committee, and I’ve been invited here this evening to present my plan, one of two the board will consider.
“Hi Kate,” the board member next to me says. “Glad you made it.”
She gives my shoulder a squeeze, confirming that I’ve got her vote.
“Of course,” I say. “Sorry I’m late.”
A tingling sensation creeps up my spine, and a feeling of dread squeezes my stomach like a vise. Perhaps it’s the weather. It’s early fall, but it may as well be the dead of winter. It’s bitter cold and gray, with intermittent downpours. The howling wind whipping off Lake Michigan has been keeping me up at night. It’s the same kind of weather we were having when my husband met his untimely death a year ago, which is likely stirring up some buried feelings. A widow at forty-one. Not the way I expected my life to go when I moved here six years ago.
“The meeting of the Crest Lake Township board of directors is now in session,” the president proclaims, banging his gavel with the countenance of a man desperate for power and relevance. Sam Bolger’s his name.
Sam takes role, and it’s lost on nobody that Doug Mitchell is absent. I fiddle with a strand of hair, twirling it between my fingers. It looks darker in this light, almost auburn. My eyes search the room, and hushed tones fill the silence as people whisper to each other.
Where the hell is Doug?
Are we really going to start without him?
I hope he’s okay.
His allies look concerned, naturally, but even his opponents seem troubled, although that could be an act. It would be unacceptable to show their glee, in the event they were feeling it. But I’m not feeling smug or excited or victorious. I’m feeling nervous. Doug is scheduled to present the opposing plan, and there’s no way he would miss this meeting.
Tempers have been flaring over the issue of what to do about the eroding bluff. The police had to be called during the last public hearing. And there have even been a few death threats, anonymous posts that most of us brushed off.
Silly, really. We’re all on the same team, trying to fight mother nature. Desperate to give ourselves the illusion of control. Struggling to keep our large, lakefront luxury homes from plummeting onto the shrinking shoreline that hugs the massive body of water eighty feet below the fragile bluff.
On some level, we all know that whatever we do will only be a stop-gap in the big picture of geological time, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s what’s making people so angry. Humanity’s stubborn insistence that we can bend the planet to our will. Because it’s obvious that we can’t, and perhaps it’s easier to blame each other than to face the realization that humans are at the mercy of forces we don’t really understand and can no longer control.
The president seems to be stalling, fumbling with his computer as he tries to pull up the agenda and project it onto the TV screen. The board member to my right shares a theory with me. Perhaps Doug’s pulling a stunt for dramatic effect, she whispers in my ear. Maybe the president’s in on it—he’s on Doug’s side—and Doug will come bursting in at the last minute, waving some new study in his hands. But after a few moments, it’s clear to everyone that’s not going to happen.
Sam tables the vote for the time being and moves on to other issues. The board gets to work. There are a handful of mundane items on the agenda aside from the one that matters to me. What to do about the shoreline. I wait patiently as the board members work through other business, waiting for Doug’s arrival. He’s a board member and I’m not, and I’m surprised that they didn’t ask me to sit outside.
I wonder what will happen if he doesn’t show. Will they postpone the vote, or will it go my way by default, with my proposal the only option? Item after item is addressed, and I can feel my pulse starting to race as they tick them off.
Parcel tax proposal.
New library budget.
Changes to the vacation rental rules.
My stomach is in knots. Because if the vote goes my way, it will be a Pyrrhic victory, inflicting massive economic consequences on my lake front neighbors. Doug’s plan to simply shore up the bluff at the toe, the spot where the waves hit and wear it down, is the simple one. The less expensive one. But it’s got the environmental groups up in arms. They’ve grown increasingly vocal over the last few years.
The environmentalists want to force the removal of all existing seawalls, like the one Doug Mitchell installed in front of his home, and ban all such structures. Let nature take its course. Force lakefront owners to move back their homes or demolish them if they are in danger of falling off the bluff. But none of them are on the shoreline committee, and none are on the board. And they’ll be upset whichever way it goes tonight.
My plan is a compromise of sorts. But if I win, there will be consequences. Expensive ones that will dramatically reduce some people’s property values and limit beach access for everyone. And lots of visceral anger, much of it directed at me, especially from my wealthy lakefront neighbors who will absorb most of the cost. Several million dollars, split between ten of us. Sweat beads form at my temples as the minutes tick along to the rhythm of the cheap wall clock mounted above my seat.
Why do they keep it so hot in here?
The council meets at the town center, a small, institutional structure that used to serve as a middle school. The chairs are small and uncomfortable. I sit up and twist from side to side, trying to stop my lower back from cramping up. After an hour or so, there’s nothing left on the agenda but the bluff, and I’m wondering if they’ll postpone my presentation and the vote.
A knock at the door startles us.
Police, a voice calls out.
The door opens, and a young officer enters tentatively, crouching his way into the room. It’s a tight community, and he’s likely a bit intimidated. We’re a powerful bunch. If he ran into one of us around town, I imagine he’d be deferential. But this isn’t a coffee shop or a grocery store, and this isn’t a social call.
After a moment, he straightens up, and his face registers the requisite look of authority. “Doug Michell’s been reported missing,” he says. “He went out on his boat earlier today and never returned. The Coast Guard is conducting a search.”
My stomach sinks, and gasps echo around the room. We all sit with the shocking news for a few moments as the officer bites his lower lip.
He continues. “We’re going to need to interview all of you. Detective Whittaker is on his way. Please stay seated and be patient.”
And with that, the vote is delayed.
***
Travis Whittaker leans back in his chair, eyeing me. I can see tension lines in the detective’s forehead. He seems to have aged since I last saw him, although his thick, dark head of hair reveals few strands of gray. It’s his eyes. They look heavy and full, like the weight of the world sits behind them.
He’s been working his way through the group, and I’m second-to-last. It would have been better to get it over with. Waiting around only increased the tension. Nobody really knew what to say to each other, so there was nothing but awkward silence filling the space between us as we stood in the hallway waiting for our turns to go in and be interviewed.
“So, Ms. Breslow. You arrived five minutes late,” he says.
“I just said that,” I reply, immediately regretting my sharp tone.
The detective’s nostrils flare, ever so slightly. He’s an attractive man for his age—early fifties or so—with a neatly trimmed beard and dark, haunting eyes. Right now, though, he looks menacing.
“Yes. I was about five minutes late,” I say, in a softer tone. My throat feels as if it’s about to close.
He narrows his eyes on me and I look away. I catch myself absent-mindedly stroking my neck and stop myself, placing my hands on the table top.
This feels all too familiar.
“And why were you late?”
“The rain,” I offer. “It got heavy when I was driving down Lakeside.” I tap my fingers on the table top as I search for something to add. “I had to drive more slowly.”
He nods and jots something down on his notepad. Almost everyone at the meeting had to drive down that road in the rain. It’s not a very good excuse, but it’s all I can give him.
“Did Doug Mitchell give you any indication that he was planning to miss the meeting tonight?” he asks.
“No, not at all,” I say. “We were all shocked when he didn’t show up tonight.”
“Have you heard from him today?” he asks.
I shake my head no.
“When’s the last time you had any contact with him?” he asks.
I look off to the side, struggling to keep myself focused and calm. I turn back to him. “In person?” I ask.
“In general,” Whittaker replies.
“We’ve been on the same email and text chain over the last week or so. Exchanging information, in anticipation of the vote.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
I swallow. He’s already seen our text stream, I assume. “Yesterday. Around seven in the evening.”
“Was that an email or a text?”
“It was a text.”
“And what did it say?”
I pull up my phone, hold it in my palm, and let him read the exchange. His eyes rest on my last line to Doug Mitchell.
It would have been less stressful for me if Whittaker’s face had registered some kind of surprise. Instead, he closes his notepad and puts his pen down. I struggle to keep a neutral look on my face. Then he informs me that I can leave and asks me to send in the next board member.
I start for the door but then turn back to him. “In paperwork,” I offer. “I meant I’d bury him in paperwork.” Then I turn away again and continue to the door.
“Don’t leave town,” he calls out. “We’re sure to have more questions as the investigation develops.”
I nod and keep walking.
***
As my car winds up the dark, curvy road to my lakefront home, I struggle to steady my shaking hands. This night already had me on edge, and I can feel my pulse racing as I reach the bend in the road, near the top. The part where the drop-off is the steepest. They replaced the guardrail with another one that looks exactly the same.
What was the point of that?
Sometimes I can ignore it and drive right past. On sunny days, when the sky is bright and the birds chirp and all is well in the universe. It looks so different in the daylight. But tonight is foggy and foreboding, and I drive slowly. So slowly, I’d probably get a ticket if an officer was behind me. I don’t look to my right though, because then I have to picture it, and imagine the look of terror on his face as he plunged through the rail and over the side.
What was he thinking?
Or was he not thinking at all?
Did he scream?
Or was there no time?
A chill runs up my spine as I turn carefully around the bend and breathe a sigh of relief. Sometimes, I get a sensation that he’s in the car with me, and I can almost feel his breath on my neck. And now Doug’s missing, and I have no idea what to do next or what this means for me and my shoreline plan. All I know is I have to sell my house get out of this town, before I lose my mind.
Or worse.
***
Excerpt from The Bluff by Bonnie Traymore. Copyright 2024 by Bonnie Traymore. Reproduced with permission from Bonnie Traymore. All rights reserved.
Bonnie Traymore is the Amazon International Bestselling author of six domestic/psychological thrillers. Her "popcorn thrillers" feature strong but relatable female protagonists who peel back the layers of suburban American life and give readers a peek inside. The plots explore difficult topics such as jealousy, infidelity, murder, and the impact of psychological disorders, but she also includes bits of romance and humor to lighten the mood from time to time. She's an active status member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.
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This morning, I have a mystery in our book spotlight! Check out To Find a Killer, learn about author Leah Brewer and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post!
A Natural State Murder Mystery, Book 1
Murder Mystery
Date to be Published: 10-04-2024
When Atlanta Detective, Tammy Sharp's past collides with her present, it's a wild ride of bullets, broken hearts, and chilling mysteries.
In her hometown of Pocahontas, Arkansas, she faces not just her ex, Jace Eubanks, but also a dangerous killer on the prowl.
With murders old and new intertwining, Tammy faces a choice: team up with her ex or let justice slip away.
As the clock ticks down to a sinister ultimatum, will Tammy outsmart the sociopath or fall prey to a deadly game of cat and mouse?
About the Author
Leah Brewer writes all kinds of things.
Sometimes, she writes Christian Fiction (Seeds of Faith Series). Other times it’s Historical Fiction (Petunia 1949). Right now, it’s all about murder. The first novel in her Natural State Murder Mystery series, To Find a Killer, is set to release this October.
In 2019, after an Ovarian Cancer diagnosis, Leah decided to pursue her passion for writing. Being cancer-free, she now revels in her life as an author.
With an extensive 28-year career that encompasses diverse leadership roles in a Fortune 500 company, Leah brings an authentic perspective to her storytelling.
Connect with the Author
Facebook: @writingleahbrewer
Twitter: @leahlbrewerr
Instagram: @writingleahbrewer
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