Author's Corner: Karen Tuft

Welcome to Author's Corner hosted by Bookworm Nation, Katie's Clean Book Collection and KJ's Book Nook! Once a month we will feature either a favorite author or new to us author. We will share the author's bio, one of our favorite books of theirs and a review. Each of us will be featuring a different author each month so there will also be links to each of our posts.

For this month's Author's Corner I am going to choose... 

 Karen Tuft

Karen Tuft was born with a healthy dose of curiosity about pretty much everything, so as a child she taught herself to read and play the piano. She studied composition at BYU and graduated from the University of Utah in music theory, where she was a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda honor societies. In addition to being an author, Karen is a wife, mother, pianist, composer, and arranger. She has spent countless hours backstage and in orchestra pits for theater productions along the Wasatch Front. Among her varied interests, she likes to figure out what makes people tick, wander through museums, and travel whether it's by car, plane, or paperback. 

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While I enjoyed Karen's contemporary books, I really feel in love with her regencies. She has written two so far and I devoured both of them. I really think she has found her home in the Regency world. Both books were well written, had great characters and she really brings the reader into the regency world with ease. I highly recommend her books. 

About the Book

Wounded both mentally and physically from the Peninsular War in 1812, Anthony returns home to find that his older brother has died, placing Anthony next in line to inherit the estate. But he’s not ready for such responsibilities. And when Anthony’s dying father pleads with him to marry and produce an heir to preserve the family title, it nearly sends Anthony over the edge; nevertheless he dutifully faces a long line of hopeful young ladies who await him. No one grabs his attention, though, like Amelia Clarke, his mother’s stunning companion, who is off-limits for the earl. But when Anthony unwittingly puts Amelia in a compromising situation, he dedicates himself to protecting her reputation.

But the horrors Anthony faced while away from home have left him feeling broken and tormented. And Anthony finds himself drawn to Miss Clarke, the only one who can chase away his demons, but he must overcome the hostility of a society driven by class, a jealous duke bent on revenge, and himself—for could Amelia ever really love a haunted man?

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Which authors do you love? Who are some of your favorites?

Be sure to check out 

KJ's Book Nook

and

Katie's Clean Book Collection

to see their author picks for September!

Author's Corner - Rebecca Connolly

Welcome to Author's Corner hosted by Bookworm Nation, Katie's Clean Book Collection and KJ's Book Nook! Once a month we will feature either a favorite author or new to us author. We will share the author's bio, one of our favorite books of theirs and a review. Each of us will be featuring a different author each month so there will also be links to each of our posts.

For this month's Author's Corner I am going to choose...

Rebecca Connolly

I was born in California, but grew up in the Midwest, specifically in Ohio and Indiana. I consider myself a Midwest girl, with all of the wholesome sweetness and “girl next door” attributes that come along with that.

According to home videos, I have always loved to make up stories. There was nothing simple about a game of House, and every game involving imagination had some sort of plot, whether it was fighting off dragons or being a school teacher. My elementary school had a little book press for stories by students, and I had so many little books printed [but very poorly illustrated!] that I could fill a box at home.

I’ve always been a bookworm, and my grandma would send me more books almost every month so I would never run out. Book Fairs were like a carnival to me, and libraries my happy place. My creative writing professor in college once said, “In order to be a great writer, you must be a great reader.” That gave me hope, since I had been reading my entire life!

I got my bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, which is where I completed my first novel, and started collecting the ideas for several others! I worked for a few years after that, dabbling in writing and reading and other activities, and then I went to get my master’s degree from West Virginia University.

I came back to the Midwest after all of that, and I have no desire to leave it again!

Fun facts:

• I really am obsessed with hot chocolate. All year round, multiple times a day, different flavors, I love it all. For you in the States, Stephen’s is the absolute best. Anyone in the UK, go for Bewley’s or Galaxy! I’m always looking for more, so please share with me!
• I am a crazy Disney fan. I can quote Beauty and the Beast from beginning to end, and know all of the words to most of the classic Disney songs. No shame, none at all.
• In 2014, I lost my sense of smell due to a head injury. You can read about my adventures with that here.
• My degrees are in athletic training and I work in the field of sports medicine for my day job. Swimming is my favorite sport to work.
• Netflix is my friend. =)
• I’m REALLY hoping I’ll get adopted by Scotland, England, or Ireland one of these days. Maybe if I fangirl hard enough, they’ll give in. One can hope.

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The first book (and my favorite) I read of Ms. Connolly's was Secrets of a Spinster, the third book in her Arrangment series. I was hooked from the start and really enjoyed this gem of a book! I quickly went back and read the first two books and she quickly became an autobuy author for me. She writes mostly historical (regency) but also some contemporary as well. Definitely an author to keep your eye on!

About the Book

Behind every little secret… Mary Hamilton has had enough of being passed over by all of the eligible men in London, though she’s had years and years of practice, and she’s ready to give it up. But before she hangs up her dancing shoes for good, she wants one season of everything she’s never had - invitations, flirtation, and suitors. But will all of that actually give her what she’s always secretly wanted?

…there’s another secret waiting…
Geoffrey Harris is more than happy to spend his time being permanent escort to Mary during her final season in London. After all, she’s been his best friend for years, and what better way to send her off than in grand style? But when her plan actually starts to work, he isn’t so sure he wants any part of it, leaving him to wonder what it is he does want. Or who.

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Which authors do you love? Who are some of your favorites?

Be sure to check out 

KJ's Book Nook

and

Katie's Clean Book Collection

to see their author picks for June!

Author's Corner - Kimberly Krey

Welcome to Author's Corner hosted by Bookworm Nation, Katie's Clean Book Collection and KJ's Book Nook! Once a month we will feature either a favorite author or new to us author. We will share the author's bio, one of our favorite books of theirs and a review. Each of us will be featuring a different author each month so there will also be links to each of our posts.

For this month's Author's Corner I am going to choose...

Kimberly Krey

Kimberly Krey specializes in writing "romance that’s clean without losing the steam!"
She’s a reader of good, clean romance, a lover of family time and Diet Coke, and the ultimate hater of laundry. She discovered her love for writing in college when given a creative writing assignment. She still remembers sitting in the lamplight’s glow, crafting words to depict the vision in her head. That assignment sparked a passion within her. It took years to return to that passion, but now that she has, she counts it among her greatest blessings.

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I love Ms. Krey's books! She writes fun contemporary romance and romantic suspense books. I eagerly await each new release. I still remember the first book I read of hers, Cassie's Cowboy Crave. It stood out to me because the books can stand pretty well on their own, but the three books in the Sweet Montana Bride series were released in reverse order! Haha, I always thought that was a unique approach to publishing. I still really love that whole series, each book has swoony romance and a nice touch of suspense. 

I don't know if I could pick a favorite, I really enjoy all of her books. Since I'm a sucker for second-chance love stories, I decided to spotlight Rough Edges and the Second Chances series. 

About the Book 

Candice is through with married life and all it entailed:
infertility, an adoption gone wrong, and the death of
her husband’s twin brother. Now that they’ve been
separated for nearly a year, Candice is finally ready
to set Logan free. But when he steps back into her life,
Candice begins to have second thoughts. Even
though she hasn’t fully healed from the heartache
she endured over their married years, she can't
fathom the thought of losing him a second time.
Can Candice let go of past hurts and give Logan a
second chance, or will her fears keep them apart?

Logan has spent the months of separation giving
Candice the space she needed. But when he
discovers that Candice is about to file for a divorce,
he decides he better take action quick. He didn’t spend
the best years of his life with this woman, only to let her
slip away. Yet just when the opportunity comes
again – his chance to finally make things right –
an entirely new force threatens to tear them apart.
Will opposition keep the heart-broken couple from
getting back together or will they have the strength
to break through the barriers, no matter
what their future might bring?

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Which authors do you love? Who are some of your favorites?

Be sure to check out 

KJ's Book Nook

and

Katie's Clean Book Collection

to see their author picks for April!