Review: The Long Way Home by Mariah Stewart

As the only child of a wealthy investment manager, Ellie Chapman has never known anything besides a life of perfect privilege. But her years of good fortune come to an abrupt end when her father is exposed for swindling billions of dollars from innocent investors in a massive Ponzi scheme. And just like that, Ellie loses everything: money, job, home—even her fiancé, who’s jailed as her father’s partner in crime. With no job prospects on the horizon, no cash, and her family name in tatters, Ellie has only one place to go.

Sleepy St. Dennis, Maryland, is hardly where Ellie intends to stay, however. Keeping her identity a secret, she plans to sell the house her late mother left her in the small town and use the proceeds to move on with her life. Unfortunately, her ticket to a new beginning is in dire need of a laundry list of pricey improvements, many of which she’ll have to do herself. And until the house on Bay View Road is fit to be sold, the sole place Ellie will be traveling is the hardware store. But as the many charms of St. Dennis—not to mention Cameron O’Connor, the handsome local contractor who has secrets of his own—begin to work their magic, what begins as a lesson in do-it-yourself renovations might just end up as Ellie’s very own rejuvenation.

REVIEW

Mariah Stewart is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read all of her books in The Chesapeake Diaries series. I can tell you that if you’ve never read her before, you’re missing out. You don’t have to read the first book or any of the other books in the series to understand the characters in this book. In addition to being a contemporary romance author, Ms. Stewart is also a romantic suspense novelist. She manages to add a little unexpected shock to the backgrounds of her characters. This statement is no less true for the main characters in The Long Way Home.

The Long Way Home focuses on Cameron O’Connor, a local boy turned construction company owner and Ellis (Ellie) Ryder Chapman, a woman who has lost everything and has a heritage she doesn't know about.

Cameron has lived in St. Dennis pretty much his entire life. His life’s dream is to one day purchase and own the house at 1 Bay View Road. For Cameron, this house holds precious memories of good times he had as a child, when everything else around him was dark and chaotic.

Ellis has come to St. Dennis, the last place she ever thought she’d go, because she has no choice. Ellis’s one and only job has been heading the public relations department for her father’s company. The same company which no longer exists, since her father, Clifford Chapman, and ex-fiance, Henry stole money from the people who invested with the company and were sent to prison. Since everything Ellis owned was obtained with money from the investment company, the Feds have taken EVERYTHING. Ellis has lost her father, fiance, home, car, jewelry and money.

Because of her father's scheme, Ellis has also lost the people she thought were her friends, all except for one, Carly Summit. When Ellis arrives in St. Dennis, she decides to say her name is Ellie Ryder and that she purchased the house from the Lynley Sebastian estate. Lynley Sebastian was actually her mother, who grew up in St. Dennis and left Ellis the house and it's contents in her will. The catch being that Ellis has to live in the house and can not sell the house or its contents for six months.

Cameron is sent to make sure Ellie is okay and help her see what repairs she needs to do to the old and long vacant house. As part of their repair agreement, Ellie offers to let Cameron have first dibs on the house when she's ready to sell it. As time goes by, Cameron becomes torn as to what is more important to him. The house with it's cherished memories or the woman he realizes he's falling for.

The Long Way Home is full of surprises. When Ellie first arrived in St. Dennis, she had no desire to meet and get to know the people there. However, with St. Dennis being the small, friendly town it is, she didn't really have a choice. It seems some of the elders in town knew exactly who Ellie really was, the minute they laid eyes on her. Cameron himself figured out who she was. It isn't until a new arrival comes to town that Ellie has the strength and courage to own up to who she really is.

I like to call Mariah's books sweet romances, because the language is clean and intimate moments are mentioned but the details are left out. As always with the books in this series, you get a happy ending, with a little drama and discovery thrown it. The Long Way Home is about discovering your past and the legacy you come from. It's about forgiving yourself and knowing that you aren't responsible for the actions of others. It's about discovering that if you just give people a chance, you will allow yourself to finally find your true home.

Rating: 4

Release Date: Available Now
Book Length: 432 pages
Source:  Edelweiss
Reading Format: Available in eBook, Paperback and Audiobook

Stay connected with Mariah Stewart:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

Buy Link: Kindle | Paperback | Audiobook

Review: Crazy Thing Called Love by Molly O'Keefe

Dallas TV morning show host Madelyn Cornish is poised, perfect, and unflappable, from her glossy smile to her sleek professionalism.  No one knows that her iron will guards a shattered heart and memories of a man she’s determined to lock out.  Until that man shows up at a morning meeting like a bad dream: Billy Wilkins, sexy hockey superstar in a tailspin—still skating, still fighting, and still her ex-husband.

Now the producers want this poster child for bad behavior to undergo an on-air makeover, and Billy, who has nothing to lose, agrees to the project.  It’s his only chance to get near Maddy again, and to fight for the right things this time around.  He believes in the fire in Maddy’s whiskey eyes and the passion that ignites the air between them.  This bad-boy heartbreaker wants a last shot to be redeemed by the only thing that matters: Maddy’s love.

Linda O. Johnston's Oodles of Poodles Book Tour

Shelter manager and pet rescuer Lauren Vancouver once again takes on the role of amateur sleuth when there’s a murder on a film set . . .

Has Hollywood gone to the dogs?  Pet rescuer Lauren Vancouver is observing production on a new movie called Sheba’s Story.  The title character—a white Miniature poodle—is played by many similar-looking poodles, and to make sure no animals are harmed, Lauren’s friend, veterinarian Carlie Stellan, and Grant, a handsome representative from the American Humane Association, are on location.  But when the film’s director is killed in a suspicious hit-and-run after arguing with Carlie about animal safety, it’s up to Lauren to clear her friend’s name and catch a killer before someone else ends up in oodles of deadly trouble.

Oodles of Poodles can be purchased at Amazon.

 

I am really excited to have Linda O. Johnston, author of the Pet Rescue Mystery series, joining me today. I have to say, I am so looking forward to reading this book. Thank you Linda for stopping by and agreeing to answer some questions for me.

 

Thanks so much for inviting me, Kim! And I really hope you enjoy OODLES OF POODLES, my latest Pet Rescue Mystery which is a February 2013 release.

 

You’re a part of the Read Humane Program. Can you please tell us more about this worthy cause?

 

Read Humane is a program started by the Penguin Group, publisher of my Pet Rescue Mysteries. (Berkley Prime Crime is one of their imprints.) Penguin made a $25,000 contribution to the Humane Society of the United States, and also designated several books with animal themes that it published to be part of the program. That included my first Pet Rescue Mystery BEAGLEMANIA. It also included THE SEARCH by Nora Roberts--and she was additionally the spokesperson for the Read Humane program!

 

I’m just starting to get into Cozy Mysteries. Are your books standalones or do they need to be read in a certain order?

 

I always make it a point to include enough information in each of my mysteries to allow readers to know who the recurring characters and background are so that the stories can be read out of order. Reading them in order works too, of course.

 

I love the titles in this series. How do you come up with the titles?

 

I have to admit that I haven’t been as good at coming up with the titles in the Pet Rescue Mysteries as I was with the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries. (The Pet Rescue Mysteries are a spinoff from the Kendra series.) Fortunately, my publisher comes through in this, too!

 

I’ve read Lauren Vancouver’s letter on your website. Even though I haven’t read any of the stories, I find myself liking her and wishing I could talk to her. (Yes, I’m one of those readers who looks at characters in books as sometimes being real. J Please tell me that’s okay.) How did you come up with Lauren’s character?

 

Oh yes, it’s great to consider characters as real. They certainly stem from real people and real situations--even if the author, like me, hasn’t ever experienced them directly herself!

 

I started to research the Pet Rescue Mysteries before I began volunteering at a pet shelter (which I do now). When I began my research, I realized how rewarding it was to save animals that way. I also realized that people involved in animal rescue had to develop a bit of a thick skin, since even at no-kill shelters (and that term is defined in many different ways), there are never guarantees about how long it may take to rehome a particular pet--or whether there will be health or behavior issues to overcome. I decided that my protagonist Lauren had to find a way to handle the difficulties. She also needed to have had some adversity in her own life, so I made her a widow with kids. She’d remarried to give those kids a new father--only the new guy turned out to be a louse and she divorced him. But Lauren loves her kids, who are now in college. She also loves animals and will do nearly anything to rescue them. In addition, despite considering herself hard and uncompromising in many ways, she’s very caring and loyal to her human friends and will do nearly anything to help them, too--including solving murder mysteries where those friends are considered suspects. Of course in BEAGLEMANIA, the first in the series, Lauren herself was the suspect she had to clear.

 

How hard is it to writes a series? And how many will there be in this series?

 

I love writing a series, or two, or more. Oodles of Poodles is the fourth in the Pet Rescue Mysteries, and right now one more story is planned--and probably a novella, too. Will there be more? I don’t know. It wouldn’t hurt for you, and others, to let the publisher know you’d like to read more of them. (smile)

 

Can you please tell us a little of what we can expect from Oodles of Poodles?

 

The background of Oodles of Poodles is the film industry, and it involves a movie about rescued poodles that stars... yes, you’ve got it--rescued poodles! Lauren gets involved because of those cherished and adorable poodles. She’s also involved because one of the film’s co-producers is Dante DeFrancisco, the generous benefactor of HotRescues. Lauren finds herself visiting the film sets often on his behalf--and also to observe how the dogs are being treated. Also present is a Certified Animal Safety Representative™ of the American Humane Association, which is the only group that can provide the coveted “No Animals Were Harmed”® designation--their registered trademark.

 

One night the director, who had been endangering the poodles during the filming, is run over by a car. Murdered. The chief suspect is Lauren’s good friend, veterinarian and TV personality Dr. Carlie Stellan. Of course Lauren has to find the real murderer and solve the crime to help Carlie... and the dogs.

 

As I stated before, I’m really looking forward to reading this book. Thank you again for stopping by and answering some of my questions.

 

Thank you, Kim!

Linda O. Johnston's first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the Year.  Since then, Linda has had more short stories published, plus ten mysteries and eighteen romance novels.

Linda’s new Pet Rescue Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime is a spinoff from her successful Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series.  The Pet Rescue Mysteries debuted in March 2011 with BEAGLEMANIA, followed in October 2011 by THE MORE THE TERRIER and in April 2012 by HOUNDS ABOUND.  OODLES OF POODLES will be published in February 2013.  Protagonist Lauren Vancouver runs a no-kill pet shelter in LA’s San Fernando Valley and will do anything to save animals. In the Pet Rescue Mysteries, “no-kill” means pets, not people!

Linda also writes paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne including the Alpha Force miniseries about a covert military unit of shapeshifters.  So far, they include ALPHA WOLF, ALASKAN WOLF, and GUARDIAN WOLF, and the Nocturne Bites "Claws of the Lynx," which is contained in the print anthology AWAKENING THE BEAST.  “Hawk’s Challenge” and “Cougar’s Conquest,” also Nocturne Bites, were published in October and November 2011, respectively. UNDERCOVER WOLF will be published early in 2013.

Linda's first Harlequin Romantic Suspense novel UNDERCOVER SOLDIER was published in July 2012.

Linda has also been a transactional lawyer and loves writing contracts as well as fiction.  She has taught courses on romance writing at the California State University, Northridge College of Extended Learning and The Learning Annex in Los Angeles.  She has spoken on romance writing and mystery writing at various chapters and conferences of the Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime chapters, the Independent Writers of Southern California, and the Surrey Writers’ Conference.  She has additionally presented a variety of programs at libraries and bookstores.

Linda is a member of the Los Angeles chapters of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.  She is also a member of Romance Writers of America, including the Los Angeles and Orange County chapters, and International Thriller Writers.

Linda O. Johnston’s Website

Three winners.  Three prizes.  Click HERE to enter to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card; a Kindle case; or a Cozy Mystery mug.   

The tour schedule is as follows:

January 28 - Read Your Writes Book Reviews
January 29 - Mochas, Mysteries & More
January 30 - According to Squeen
January 31 - Melina the Reader
February 1 - Ann’s Reading Corner
February 2 - Cozy Mystery Book Review
February 3 - Saph’s Book Blog

All I Want for Christmas is You by Molly O'Keefe

Maddy Baumgarten and Billy Wilkins are spontaneous, in love, and prepared to elope the day after Christmas--that is if Maddy's family doesn't throw a wrench in their plans.  After all, Maddy's barely out of high school and Billy's a notorious bad boy.  Maddy doesn't care about Billy's rough past--all she cares about is living in the here and now.  But after Maddy's mother stops speaking to her in protest, and a Christmas Eve heart-to-heart with her father leaves her with butterflies, Maddy starts to get cold feet.  She loves Billy, but is she taking this big step too soon?

An Interview with Marisa Adams

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Marisa Adams, who has self-published her first book, Is Love Enough. I wish I could say I discovered Marisa, but sadly I can’t. She discovered me. (Yes, I’m doing a happy dance because someone noticed me. Sorry, I digress.)

Is Love Enough is a book I REALLY want to read. Unfortunately, my reading list is a little long at the moment, but I didn’t want any of you to miss out on this new author. Her overall review scores are amazing, with almost everyone giving her 5 stars. So go grab your credit card, sit back and learn a little bit more about Marisa Adams.

Marisa Adams is an avid reader with an immense passion for great love stories. She is an educator, wife, and mother but always finds the time to squeeze in a little time to get lost in the worlds of her characters. She hates doing laundry, loves to cook meals for her family, and would rather be curled up with a great book (or typing away on her laptop) than almost anything else. She has been writing for years and has finally decided to branch into the world of novels.

Marisa believes in love at first sight and happy endings. Each of her books will remind you that romance and true love still exist even in today's fast paced world.

Wanna know where to find Marisa? Here you go!:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Hi, Marisa. Thank you for joining me today. You’re new to the publishing world. Please introduce yourself and tell us a little about you.

Hi, Kim! Thanks so much for having me. I’m excited to be here! Aside from what you can read about me in my bio, I can tell you one tiny secret about me…I’m addicted to Dr. Pepper. Seriously, I think it is the best drink ever invented and I drink entirely too much!

In all honesty though, I’ve lived a fairly ordinary life. I have lived in a sum total of three different places. I grew up in Katy, TX a suburban small town West of Houston with a fabulous school district that I returned to work in after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas A&M University. My four years in College Station, TX left me with a great respect for tradition and the love of my best friend. We married while still in college and moved to Katy after graduation. In 2011, my husband’s company transferred him to the Fort Worth, Texas area, so we moved which has been an extremely interesting transition for me. Not only did I leave my family and hometown behind, but my career as well; my husband and I made the decision to live off one income so I could be a full time Mom to our daughter.

I started freelance article writing as a way to keep my mind going and earn a little extra income. Overtime, I realized I should break out my manuscript from a few years ago, rework some of it, and publish the story.

What made you decide to become an author?

I have always enjoyed writing and was blessed to have some fantastic teachers who encouraged it along the way. In fact, I wrote my first short story as part of an alternative assignment in my 8th grade US History class. My teacher had some very forward-thinking teaching philosophies and allowed us to choose from a variety of project options; I chose to write a historical romance to cover portions of the Civil War. One day, I’d love to revisit those characters and investigate turning it into a more expanded story. From that moment on though, I was lost to the art of writing. I love being caught up in the worlds my characters help me create.

As it should be though, life happened between the 8th grade and now! I graduated from college and became a teacher (ironically, I also taught 8th grade US History). Several years later, I moved into the world of public school administration. My writing got lost in the midst of students, extracurricular activities, graduate school, being a wife, and being a mom. But, I made the commitment to continue writing and slowly, but surely, I was able to finish Is Love Enough.

After a drastic life change (drastic for me anyway!), writing has become my full-time gig. For now, I’m choosing to focus on sweet romances because I love the fact that my eight year old daughter knows Mama is a writer, can talk about my books, and could potentially read over my shoulder for a moment without being exposed to content I’m not ready for her to see just yet.

I’ve done several moves because of my husband. Trust me, it is ALWAYS drastic and life changing. Is Love Enough is your first book. Please tell us a little about it?

I actually began the story years ago while I was at an education conference in San Francisco. While there, several other teachers and I were walking around and we saw Michael Keaton coming out of a store. I remember going back to the hotel room that evening and wondering what would happen if a single teacher happened to meet a single actor while she was in town for a conference. From there, the first official scene of Is Love Enough was born.

Oh my gosh, I LOVE that. Sorry....Please continue.

One of the things I most enjoy about this story is that Jason and Rebekah’s relationship evolves over time. Yes they meet and have an instant connection but they do not immediately fall in love with each other, nor do they immediately fall into bed together. I am a big believer in love (or at least a strong connection) at first sight but also feel it should be realistic and I tried to accomplish that here.

I also enjoyed exploring Rebekah’s hesitancy for love. She has been hurt and truly believes her life is better without a deep love. Of course, for someone who has a huge heart like her that just is not possible. But, she will not give her heart away to just anyone; he will have to be trustworthy, committed, and in the relationship for the long haul. Fortunately, she finds that in Jason.

You’re a self-published a new author. What’s the one thing you wish you would have known before you started your journey into writing and the publishing world?

Kim, I wish someone would have told me that writing the novel would be the easiest part (and that wasn’t necessarily easy!). In all seriousness, it is difficult working as an Indie author. You are simply one name in the midst of a sea of other, more well-known authors and you have to work to get your name out there. That is one thing I love about blogs like yours; you are willing to read and review the work of independent authors and help us spread the word about our novels.

Do you currently have anything you’re working on?

I have a novella coming out soon that will offer readers a glimpse into the future of Danny and Nikki Camarelli (two characters from Is Love Enough). These two have been married for ten years, and together for fifteen, when a misunderstanding threatens to drive a wedge between them. Throughout the novella, readers will also have the opportunity to see how Jason and Rebekah are doing as well.

In addition to the novella, I am working on my next full length novel which should be out this summer.

Are your books apart of a series? If so, are they standalone or are they connected?

The novella is definitely connected to Is Love Enough; however, it is designed to be completely standalone. Readers could read the novella first and not be lost at all. For the other works in progress, they are also standalone novels. But, both of the heroines in the next two full length novels are teachers just like Rebekah, so it is possible they may pop up in each others’ stories from time to time. I’m never opposed to a series; I just like each story to stand on its own so readers are not forced to read previous stories, or in a particular order, to understand what is going on in their current novel.

Thank you Marisa for stopping by and answering some questions for me. I love stories where the characters grow and find out things about themselves. I also LOVE happy endings. I looking forward to reading Is Love Enough. Thank you again for bring this book to my attention.

Thanks again for having me on your blog! And thanks to any readers out there as well!

Love is a powerful thing; but, sometimes, love isn't enough. At least, that's what Rebekah Thomas believes. In her younger, more naive days, Rebekah thought love could conquer all; that was before the death of her husband, and high school sweetheart. Now she believes life is easier without it.

Ever the romantic at heart, a failed marriage and cinema glitter is not enough to stop famous actor Jason Taylor from believing the right woman for him is out there somewhere. Tired of his undeserved playboy reputation, he unexpectedly finds the forever kind of love miles away, with a small town teacher.

Rebekah and Jason could bridge their different worlds together, but this sweet and compassionate teacher has trouble letting him in. Just as she is convinced they could have a chance, one moment threatens to destroy everything they have built. Can Rebekah finally see the truth - that sometimes, love is all you need?

Buy Link: Kindle | Paperback

 

 

Marisa would like to do a giveaway in order to get her books into the hands of as many people as possible!!!!  So she’s offering up a winner’s choice of either an autograph print copy or an eBook of Is Love Enough.  Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway