Swoon Worthy Spotlights - February

Welcome to Swoony Worthy Spotlights, hosted by Bookworm Nation, Katie's Clean Book Collection and KJ's Book Nook! Swoon Worthy Spotlights features 1-3 of our favorite books that we have read during the month. We will share the cover(s), our review(s) and a link to each other's post so you can check out which books we have all chosen!

I wasn't able to read as much as I wanted in February, but the books I did read were all good. I'm hoping in March I can really buckle down and read a lot, especially from the 2018 Swoony list, there are a lot of great books on there just begging me to read them. So, my picks for February are...

Lightning Struck by Nichole Van

Brothers Maledetti, Book Three

Urban Fantasy

Wroth the Risk by Heather B Moore

Pine Valley, Book One

Contemporary Romance

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Be sure to stop by 

KJ's Book Nook

and

Katie's Clean Book Collection!

Grab the graphic and join in the fun!

Don't have a blog? Post in the comments

which books made you swoon

Worth the Risk by Heather Moore

Worth the Risk by Heather B. Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I knew I wanted to read this one as soon as I saw the cover! So pretty! The synopsis also sounded good and I'm always a sucker for a second chance love story.

I really enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the series. Alicia is a likable heroine, really goes above and beyond to help her sick mom. Gives up her dreams and moves back home, despite how her mom treats her and the unhealthy environment. Jeff was also really likable, he made mistakes, but learned from them. I thought Alicia and Jeff had a sweet relationship, it wasn't smooth sailing and I thought it developed realistically.

Overall, this was a fun story with depth, sweet romance, well developed characters and fun small town charm.

Content
Romance: Clean
Language: None
Violence: None
Religious: None
Series: Pine Valley, Book One

Source: eBooks for Review


View all my reviews

First Line Friday

Welcome to First Line Friday! This fun meme is easy to do, simply pick up the book you're currently reading and share the very first line! There are some really good first lines out there, they grab you and suck you right into the story.

This week's pick is.....

Worth the Risk by Heather B Moore

Pine Valley, Book One

Contemporary Romance

Mirror Press, February 14, 2018

"Alicia Waters his a grimace as she looked up to greet the next patrons walking into the Alpine Lodge restaurant."

What are you reading? I'd love to hear the first line from whatever book you've got your nose in! Share below or leave a link to your blog!

Book Blitz: Misstress Grim by Jane Redd

On tour with Prism Book Tours

Mistress Grim

by Jane Redd

Upper YA Gothic Romance

Paperback & ebook, 180 pages

December 30th 2017 by Mirror Press
Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble

From USA Today bestselling author Jane Redd, comes MISTRESS GRIM:

The Grim Reaper has been collecting souls of the dead for hundreds of years, but even the Master of Death has to pass on his reign. Unfortunately, his progeny is not quite ready to replace him.

Cora Grim, daughter of the Grim Reaper, is suddenly thrust into her father’s role. Leaving the Underworld on her own to bring back the dead souls, she discovers that the Master of Death neglected to tell her one thing. She can still fall in love.

Excerpt

Chapter One

I have known from the day of my seventh birthday that I was in training as the harbinger of death. For you see, my father is the Grim Reaper.

“Cora,” he told me when I was but a child of seven. “One day, you will rule the Underworld. One day, you will replace me.”

I stared up at him, my giant of a father with his broad shoulders, powerful arms, and elegant fingers with their black nails. He wore his long, dark hair tied back from his angular face so that his black, black eyes seemed like hollow things against his pale face.

How could I replace my father? In any task? He ruled the Underworld as king. He held the lives of all mortals in his grasp. He could take away the breath of the living with a single touch.

He was called Lord of Death, God of the Underworld, Hades, the Grim Reaper . . .

But to me, he was Father.

About the Author

Writing under Jane Redd, Heather B. Moore is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than a dozen historical novels set in ancient Arabia and Mesoamerica. She attended the Cairo American College in Egypt and the Anglican International School in Jerusalem and received her Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University. She writes historical thrillers under the pen name H.B. Moore, and romance and women’s fiction under the name Heather B. Moore. It can be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom.

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Amazon│Newsletter

Book Blitz Giveaway

1 winner will receive a copy of SOLSTICE by Jane Redd (ebook or print - print to US only)

Open internationally

Ends February 2nd

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Days of Clean Romance - Heather Moore

 

The Falling Series

Contemporary Romance Novellas from USA Today bestselling author Heather B. Moore

  Falling for Sydney Sydney has been the perfect friend, the perfect daughter, and Rian checks off on her perfect fiancé list. But when Sydney notices a strange truck parked in her fiancé’s parking spot, she’s in for the surprise of her life. Not only is Rian not who she thought he was, but his brother Jake is about to turn her life upside down.      

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    Falling for Maria At twenty-six, Maria is holding out for the perfect man to share the rest of her life with. Josh seems to be that man, but after months of dating, their relationship is at a stand-still. Maria plans to nudge Josh forward, but when the company she works for is bought out, her new boss Walker seems determined to change Maria’s idea of the perfect man.    

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  Falling for June Once a year, June Dawson goes on vacation with her best friends from high school. When she arrives in Maui, she realizes she's the odd-woman out. With Sydney engaged, and Maria nearly so, June wonders if anyone will ever fall for her. Then June meets Lance, their gorgeous next door bungalow neighbor at the Maui resort, and she's definitely charmed. But after her recent breakup, June refuses to fall for gorgeous, or charming, again.    

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  Author Heather B. Moore Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women's fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah. Heather is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret.  

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Also by Heather B. Moore

 

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Giveaway Details

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 12/27/17

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. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

First Line Friday

Welcome to First Line Friday! This fun meme is easy to do, simply pick up the book you're currently reading and share the very first line! There are some really good first lines out there, they grab you and suck you right into the story. Make you want to keep reading. So, my selection for this week is:

 

Falling for Maria by Heather B Moore

Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 7, 2017

 

 

"Maria smoothed the striped skirt over her hips, wondering if the pattern was too bold for the employee meeting that morning."

 

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So, what's your pick for this week? If you want to participate grab the logo and post your own First Line Friday entry on your blog and then leave your link in the comments below. If you don't have a blog, just leave the title, author and first line in the comment section below. Happy Reading!



A Timeless Romance Anthology: Valentine's Day Collection

Valentine's Day Collection by Janette Rallison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These Timeless Romance anthologies are always fun. I like how each anthology picks a certain theme and all the stories come up with fun ways to weave that theme into their stories. They always turn out to be so unique. I was especially excited when I saw this would be a Valentine Theme, I love Valentines Day and was excited to have some fun stories with this worked in. Each was unique and I liked that the Valentine theme wasn't over done. Overall, I thought the stories were cute. I liked them all, but my favorites were probably Janette Rallison and Heather B. Moore.

If you're a fan of contemporary romance this is an anthology you don't want to miss.

Content: Clean

View all my reviews

The Boardwalk Antique Shop by Julie Wright, Melanie Jacobson & Heather Moore

Tangerine Street is a must-see tourist stop with a colorful mix of one-of-a-kind boutiques, unique restaurants, eclectic museums, quaint bookstores, and renowned bed-and-breakfasts. The Boardwalk Antiques Shop is an exclusive shop where every antique has a story, and each story possesses the gift to match true love. The customer who buys an antique also buys its story and soon discovers that its story unites the past with the present, creating an unexpected romantic future… “Where Every Antique has a Story”

I love this new Tangerine Street series. The first book, The Fortune Café was really cute and I was looking forward to reading this book and I can’t wait to read more about some of the other shops along Tangerine Street. I wish it was a real place to visit.

Message in a Bottle This was a fun story. I know next to nothing about antiques, but I do love walking through antique shops and watching TV shows about them on occasion. I had an easy time picturing the Boardwalk Antique shop and would love to visit a shop where each item had a story. Jennifer inherited the shop from her aunt, an aunt she had grown estranged from over the years. It was sad that they had grown apart; if they had accepted each other they could have had a beautiful relationship. Anyway, I liked that Jennifer was really able to open her mind and take the time to figure out what she wanted out of life. The romance was sweet, a tiny love-triangle and I’m glad Jennifer made the right choice! I’m anti-pining away on unrequited love. Cute story and a great start to the anthology.

Solving for X For the most part I really liked this one. It was a cute story about two opposites finding each other. While I liked Abbie, she also drove me a little batty. For someone that is all about people being themselves she was really judgmental and immediately set about trying to change Holden. She acted like her way of living was the only real way to live. The thing is, her way of living would drive me nuts, but I have no problem with people that view life that way and live that way. She was endearing, fun, kind and a great person. However, for someone that was so guarded against people trying to change her she was pretty judgmental about everyone else. Part of being open-minded is truly accepting that people can be happy living life differently than you. She may not be happy in a corporate environment, but some people are. In this case Holden had maybe gotten in some bad habits and Abbie was able to help him loosen up, but that’s because he wanted to. That kind of change has to be natural for it to stick. I think if Abbie accepts Holden for who he is and doesn’t try and change him and vice versa, then they could have a great HEA. Maybe they’d be a good balance for each other. Overall, a cute story.

A Stitch in Time This was my favorite of the three. I love the relationship and tension between Henry and Cate. I think this would make a fun full-length novel, but it was a fun short story as well. Cate hurries home when she learns her favorite grandmother has passed away. The only thing she wants is an old sewing machine that her grandmother had promised her. Henry got there first though and bought it up as a gift for his mother. I thought they had a fun relationship and it was fun reading their story.

Overall, this was a fun anthology. Each story was fun and unique and I like how they are all brought together through the love of antiques. Cute!

Content: Clean

Source: Amazon Kindle

This has been nominated for a 2015 Swoony Award, you can vote for it here.