Spring Break Bookapalooza ~ RETURN OF THE RAVEN
07 Thursday Apr 2022
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in07 Thursday Apr 2022
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in03 Sunday Apr 2022
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Flight of the Raven, free books, Judith Sterling, literary giveaway, medieval romance series, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, Spring into Freebies Giveaway, The Novels of Ravenwood
Having a hard time choosing what to read in 2022? Since there are so many fantastic authors and books available, it’s essential to have a reputable resource to help you decide. It’s even better when you get a chance to win free books, audiobook codes, bookish prizes, and gift cards!
Every book in the Spring Into Freebies Giveaway has been screened and approved by N. N. Light, a top reviewer. Flight of the Raven, the first book in my medieval romance/time travel series, is one of the prizes.
Check out all of the prizes here. If there’s a particular book or prize you’d like, be sure to mention it when entering here. The giveaway runs through April 30, after which the winners’ names will be drawn. Good luck, everyone!
01 Friday Apr 2022
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Amazon gift card, giveaway, Judith Sterling, medieval romance series, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, Return of the Raven, spring break, Spring Break Bookapalooza, springtime romance, The Novels of Ravenwood, time travel romance, travel
Calling all readers! Spring has sprung, and you’re all invited to N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Spring Break Bookapalooza. Thirty-two books will be featured this month, and you’ll have a chance to win a $75 Amazon gift card.
I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. Return of the Raven, one of my time travel romances, will be spotlighted on April 7.
Besides an excerpt from the book, I’ll be sharing where I’d go on spring break if money were no object. Even though money is tight–as it is for so many of us–my family and I are actually traveling to our dream location this summer. I can’t wait!
Bookmark this festival and tell your friends: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/spring-break-bookapalooza
Enter the giveaway here!
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon CA account to win.
Runs April 1 – 30.
Drawing will be held on May 2.
Good luck, and have a beautiful month! 🙂
28 Monday Mar 2022
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InD'Tale Magazine, Judith Sterling, medieval romance series, Return of the Raven, RONE Award, The Novels of Ravenwood, time travel romance
Good morning! I woke up to some wonderful news: Return of the Raven (the final book in The Novels of Ravenwood series) has been nominated for InD’tale Magazine’s prestigious RONE Award! The reader voting phase of the award process begins on April 25, and if I receive enough votes, I’ll reach the actual judging phase. The category is Science Fiction/Time Travel.
If you’ve read and enjoyed the book, please consider voting for it. If you haven’t read it but would like to, send me a message on Facebook, and I’ll give you a free digital copy.  Just to be clear: you don’t have to vote for me to receive a copy. But this way, anyone who does vote will have had the chance to read it.
Thanks in advance for your support. Have a beautiful week! 🙂
14 Monday Mar 2022
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five-star review, Guardians of Erin, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, paranormal fantasy series, The Spear Alight, young adult series
Good morning! I just read N. N. Light’s review of The Spear Alight, and it received 5++ stars!!! I’m honored and thrilled that the story touched someone so much. Here’s a bit of the review:
“The Spear Alight is an exceptional young adult paranormal fantasy from start to finish. I’ve read every book in this series and this book is the best of them all. Yes, this is the last book in the series but I’m telling you, it’s a masterpiece. The characters, the conflicts, the emotional tension, the world-building, the expressive narration all blend together to make this story one of the very best I’ve ever read.”
If you’re interested, you can read the full review here. If interest becomes a desire to buy, the first three books in the series are still on sale for 99 cents apiece, and you can purchase the whole series here.
Wishing you a beautiful day and week ahead! 🙂
08 Tuesday Mar 2022
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billionaire boss, Cinderella, computer genius, contemporary romance, damaged hero, hearing impaired, Jennifer Wilck, new release, Scarred Hearts, Unlock My Heart
I’m excited to have Jennifer Wilck here today! Her latest contemporary romance, Unlock My Heart, sounds like a great read, and the characters are sure to work their way into readers’ hearts. Here’s a bit about the story:
Abby Marlow, computer security expert, lands a job at the best IT security firm in the country. Her sole focus is financial independence so she never has to rely on others again, especially a man. But why does her boss make her wires short circuit?
Ted Endicott, CEO and founder of the IT security firm, is hard of hearing. Although an expert in his field, he’s still uncomfortable admitting his difficulty hearing to his clients or employees. So why is he willing to accept Abby’s help?
As Ted and Abby work together, barriers fall away, and soon the lines blur between colleagues and lovers. But a security glitch in a client’s system indicates one of his employees is the hacker, and all signs point to Abby. Can they get past the suspicion and find a future together?
A peek between the pages:
“You always run alone?”
She pointed to a nearby jogger. “I’m not alone.”
“But you’re not with anyone.”
Standing this close to him, she wished for things she shouldn’t. “No, I’m not.”
“How far are you going?”
“The end of the trail and back.” Or however long it
took to get him out of her mind.
He put his helmet on. “Come on, I’ll keep you company.”
“It’s not necessary.” Clearing her mind would be impossible with him next to her.
“It’s safer this way.” He looked down the trail.
His desire to protect her sent warmth curling up and down her spine. It had been a long time since anyone was concerned about her. All of a sudden, the idea of company appealed to her. Touching his arm— and trying not to squeeze his bicep like you would if you tested the ripeness of a peach—she waited for him to turn. “You’re welcome to join me if you want. If you can keep up.” She winked and raced away, his bark of laughter a brief punch in the silence behind her.
She no longer kept an easy pace, easing into the morning. This time, she sprinted hard. The slight whir of his bike wheels warned her as he reached her a few moments later.
“You’re pretty fast, but I’d suggest you slow down.”
She turned toward him. “Out of pity for you?”
His lips twitched, and his nostrils flared, but he kept his humor reined tight. Instead, he cycled next to her, his head turned slightly toward her. “The only pity I ask for is please don’t make me carry you home when you’re too tired to continue.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, sir.” She made sure he could read her lips.
He grinned, and the last of her tension disappeared. He accepted her teasing.
“Oh, you’ll pay,” he said.
He rode ahead, and she thought for sure he would leave her in the dust. But he turned around, a gleam in his eye, and returned to her side. When they reached a part of the trail farther on, he pulled ahead a little and skidded in a puddle, splashing her legs.
She gasped and looked at her mud-spattered shins and ignored the twinkle in his eye. “You play dirty—literally.”
Ted stopped while she paused to clean her legs off. Given the opportunity—two could play this game—she took her mud-streaked hands and wiped them on his chest. She drew in a breath and realized her mistake. Sure, she’d repaid him for splattering her with mud, but a sudden awareness of his body overrode her satisfaction. His muscles were hard, and she wondered what the rest of him felt like. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and her gaze shifted to his lips. What would it be like to kiss them?
She jerked and pulled her hand away. No. She jumped at the strangled sound from the mouth she’d considered kissing and raised her glance to his eyes. His surprise mirrored her own.
Mistake, mistake, mistake! An internal voice blared a warning. She’d intended for it to be like when she and Max, her best friend from childhood, challenged each other as kids. In fact, when he teased her, Ted reminded her of Max—something about the glint in his eye and the “need to win” coupled with concern. But she hadn’t counted on the sexual component.
She closed her eyes. She was not like her mother. She wasn’t.
“Abby?”
She stilled. Maybe he couldn’t see her. Right, and maybe unicorns are real.
“Yes?”
“Open your eyes.” She opened them. “Let’s get breakfast.”
Intrigued? Buy the book here or at the following online stores:
More about Jennifer:
Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.
In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.
Jennifer Wilck is an award-winning contemporary romance author for readers who are passionate about love, laughter, and happily ever after. Known for writing both Jewish and non-Jewish romances, her books feature damaged heroes, sassy and independent heroines, witty banter and hot chemistry. Jennifer’s ability to transport the reader into the scene, create characters the reader will fall in love with, and evoke a roller coaster of emotions, will hook you from the first page. You can find her books at all major online retailers in a variety of formats.
Where to find her:
Website | Facebook | Newsletter | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub
Thanks for clueing us in about your new release, Jennifer. Wishing you all the best with it!
07 Monday Mar 2022
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books on sale, Guardians of Erin, Ireland, Judith Sterling, supernatural, The Cauldron Stirred, The Spear Alight, The Stone Awakened, The Sword Unsheathed, worldwide release, YA paranormal fantasy, young adult series
Today’s the day: the worldwide release of The Spear Alight! I’m excited yet a little sad too, just as I was with the last of The Novels of Ravenwood. As for this series, I planned the entire thing in great detail before starting Book One, so even though my characters sometimes surprised me, the ending (Book Four) was exactly as I envisioned. I hope it gives you joy.
The story in a nutshell:
Ashling Donoghue has almost lost hope of finding her missing parents. As her faith wanes, her love for two men waxes, rending her heart and causing friction in the Breasal household. The time has come to make a choice, to create a future untarnished by doubt. But how can she embrace the light when lured by the soft seduction of shadow?
At last, her brother Conall channels the Spear of Illumination. He’s a natural shapeshifter, and he sees through illusions in both the material world and the Otherworld…not a moment too soon. An ancient evil has surfaced, and it threatens all worlds.
Only the Donoghues can save Ireland. They must face their greatest fears and act as one to fulfill their destinies as guardians of Erin.
A peek inside:
Freeing my hand, Kian grinned. “Welcome to the fourteenth century.”
I lifted my gaze to the top half of the stone keep. A shuttered window caught my attention. Aengus is there.
Hugh had given us a good idea of where to go, but how I determined his son’s precise location, I can’t say. Maybe I knew because I needed to know. Or maybe our souls were bonded in a way that defied all logic.
I pointed to the window. “Up there, right in the middle. Let’s jump up and go through the wall.”
We leapt into the air and paused at the third-floor level. Like ghosts, we floated through stone and entered the medieval bedroom. Then we lowered ourselves until our feet touched the plank floor. Tapestries, oak furniture, and a crackling fire on the hearth made the chamber feel homey and inviting.
“Awesome,” Kian breathed.
Aengus’s sleeping form drew my gaze. He lay on his back, with his bare and beautifully sculpted arms and chest visible above the fur coverlet. His golden hair was longer, touching his shoulders. I couldn’t look away.
Fortunately, my brother could. “I think the manuscript is over there.” He went to investigate.
I crept toward the bed. Aengus. I’m so sorry. I love you. Compelled beyond rhyme or reason, I leaned over and pressed my lips to his.
I’d intended a quick kiss, but my mouth lingered, savoring an experience it might never have again. His lips were softened by sleep; his breath was warm with a trace of spices. Mulled wine? Maybe.
“Ash, I got it. We have to go.” Kian waited close by.
Regretfully, I ended the kiss and straightened. I’ll always love you.
Aengus stirred beneath the covers. “Caer,” he murmured. His eyes opened.
Crap! Any second, he might shift into the Otherworld and see me. I seized my brother’s hand as Aengus sat up in bed. “Hurry, Kian!”
The next instant, the room was quiet. The Otherworld twilight remained, as did the medieval furnishings, but the fire and the man were absent.
A sense of loss swept through me. “Funny how empty a room can seem.”
“I’m sorry, Ash.” Kian squeezed my hand, then released it. “It’ll be okay.”
I turned to him. “Will it?”
Buy the book:
Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books
Remember, the first three Guardians of Erin books are on sale at all Amazon stores, so there’s never been a better time to dive into the series. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! 🙂
01 Tuesday Mar 2022
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Guardians of Erin, Ireland, Judith Sterling, literary giveaway, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, The Spear Alight
Happy March! If you’re a booklover, the fabled pot of gold might represent something literary, and here’s your chance to find it. I’ve teamed up with forty authors for N. N. Light’s Book Heaven’s latest giveaway, and my prize is a copy of my upcoming release, The Spear Alight.
As you may know, the book takes place in Ireland, which seems perfectly aligned with this giveaway. Check out all the prizes, and if you’re feeling lucky, enter here! Good luck!
25 Friday Feb 2022
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books on sale, Guardians of Erin, Ireland, Judith Sterling, new release, supernatural, The Cauldron Stirred, The Spear Alight, The Stone Awakened, The Sword Unsheathed, YA paranormal fantasy, young adult series
Good news! With the release of The Spear Alight fast approaching, the first three books in the Guardians of Erin series are on sale for 99 cents for a limited time. Buy them at Amazon here, and you’ll be ready for the final installment, hitting stores on March 7, 2022. Here are the basics for all three:
Ashling Donoghue never dreamed moving to Ireland would rock her perception of reality and plunge her into a mystery that brings legend to life.
At seventeen, she’s never had a boyfriend, but she feels an immediate connection to Aengus Breasal, the son of the wealthy Irishman who’s invited her family to stay at his Killarney estate. For the first time in her life, a guy she likes seems attracted to her.
But Aengus is secretive, with good reason. He and his family are the Tuatha DĂ© Danann, ageless, mythical guardians adept at shifting between this reality and the magical dimension known as the Otherworld. Evil forces from that world threaten the Breasals, the Donoghues, and all of Ireland. Ashling must open her heart, face her fears, and embrace a destiny greater than she could ever have imagined.
Since moving to Ireland, Ashling Donoghue has tackled one challenge after another. Now the mystery of her parents’ disappearance seems unsolvable. Are they dead or only missing? No one—not even the godlike Breasals—has a clue. Hope and fear war inside her, but she’s determined to find answers and stay strong for her siblings. Even as she hones newfound powers, her banshee-in-training sister Deirdre needs her support.
Ashling could use a little help herself. She’s struggling to navigate her first romance, and while Aengus Breasal stirs her body, mind, and soul, his nemesis Lorcan does too. Both men harbor secrets about her past life as Caer. One has ties to Aoife, the scheming wind demon whose influence is on the rise.
As the Stone of Destiny awakens, so does the conflict within.
Ashling Donoghue is no closer to finding her parents than she was the night they disappeared. But hope returns as her brother Kian channels the Sword of Light, revealing past-life secrets and truths long suppressed.
The more she learns, the greater she fears the darkness that drowns the Netherworld also drives her. Is Aengus her true love, or is it Lorcan? Does her future wait in shadow or the light?
One point is clear: the threads of her past-self are woven inextricably into the tapestry of her soul. An impossible choice looms before her, and all the while, evil is poised to strike.
Have a great weekend, and happy reading! 🙂
21 Monday Feb 2022
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A Match Made in Heaven, Baked With Love, contemporary romance, divorce, family issues, first in series, friends to lovers, Heaven's Matchmaker, later in life romance, Mix and Match, Peggy Jaeger, small town romance, sweet romance
I’m delighted to welcome back Peggy Jaeger, who’s here to promote her upcoming release, Mix and Match. It’s the first book in her Heaven’s Matchmaker series, and she’s going to tell us all about it. Take it away, Peggy!
Judith, thank you so much for welcoming me back to your site today. I love being here to talk to you, your readers, and your fans!
My new series, HEAVEN’S MATCHMAKER, has some familiar secondary characters as stars from my previous small town romance series A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN.
The overall series deals with the attempts of Heaven, NH’s local matchmaker Olivia Joyner to help her clients find their forever loves. Olivia was first introduced in TODAY, TOMORROW, ALWAYS, book 2 in the Match Made in Heaven series and from the moment she first appeared on the page I knew I wanted to give her her own storyline. Olivia is a third generation matchmaker with a sad past. She’ll be getting her own HEA in an upcoming book, but for now she helps people navigate through the dating quagmire 2022 has become. And she’s very good at her job.
Architect Donovan Boyd first appeared in BAKED WITH LOVE, book 3 in A Match Made in Heaven. Flirtatious, witty, and uber-charming, I simply knew I needed to find him the perfect woman. The man wants to be married and enjoy all the wonderful things his parents have in their lives – a long lasting love, a house filled with kids, and a mate they can devote all their love and attention to. Since the idea of dating apps and picking a woman up in bar give him hives, Donovan enlists Olivia’s aid in helping him find his true love. When she pairs him with Jasmine Green, a recently divorced nurse, he thinks his prayers have been answered. But they have very different ideas about what marriage looks like and soon realize they have more in common as friends than as would-be mates.
Getting these two to see that their differences make them stronger as a couple was so much fun for me. I love a good friends-to-lovers storyline, especially when the couple really are best friends. That makes the love relationship so much stonger, I think.
The book is exclusive to Amazon and KU here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09P48WPZC
Judith, again, thank you so much for hosting me today and for allowing me to introduce my new series to your readers and fans.
Be well and keep reading, kids!
Thanks for joining us, Peggy. I’m excited about your new series! Here’s a bit more about the first installment:
Divorced and lonely, nurse Jasmine Green retains the services of Heaven, NH’s very own successful matchmaker, Olivia Joyner. The bar scene and dating apps give Jasmine hives and Liv’s reputation is stellar. If anyone can help guide her through the quagmire that dating has become, Olivia can.
Architect Donovan Boyd is ready to settle down. He wants the kind of marriage his parents have; long lasting, filled with love, children, and joy. But even after a year of living and working in Heaven he’s still considered an outsider by many. Meeting the type of woman he’s looking for is hard in the tightknit community. Retaining Olivia Joyner to help him find his forever love is one of the smartest things he’s done, especially after she sets him up with Jasmine Green.
But the red-haired, green-eyed beauty wants a different kind of marriage from the one Donovan considers ideal.
Can these two strong willed people learn to compromise so they can both find their happily ever after? Or will their relationship forever be relegated to the friend zone?
A peek between the pages:
Jasmine scanned the bar where Olivia told her her date would be waiting. There were three men scattered down along the rail. Two she recognized from high school and one guy whose face she couldn’t see because his back was to her. When he turned she realized immediately this was not the man she was due to have drinks with.
First, there was no way this guy was 36 years old. Her mother would have called him Gramps.
Clue number two was the wedding band on the hand holding his beer. It was so tight, the skin surrounding it swollen, his knuckle hair squeezed around it, indicating it had been there for decades.
Nope. This wasn’t her guy. A cursory glance around the place showed most of the tables were taken with couples.
Her date had yet to arrive.
“Hey, Jazz,” the bartender and owner, Kick Loomis said from his perch drying beer glasses behind the bar.
“Kick.”
“You squattin’ or sittin’, sweetheart?”
She’d been in the place enough times in her life to know he meant was she going to sit at the bar or take a table.
Jasmine was self-conscious enough she didn’t want to be seated on a bar stool, sitting alone while waiting for her date, especially when one of the guys she’d gone to school with tossed her an inquiring eye and a raised eyebrow. She didn’t want to get into a how-you-doing-what-you-been-up-to-since-high school chat. If her memory served, and it always did, the guy had been one of the football heroes of Heaven High back in the day. Those glory days were long gone and she had no desire to listen to him dredge them up.
She spotted an empty table in the corner and nodded toward it.
“I’ll send Raylynn over with a menu.”
She nodded and as she was about to head for it felt a tap on her arm.
“Excuse me. Jasmine?”
She turned at the sound of her name, spoken in a deep, soft voice blessed with a charming accent and found herself face to face with the gorgeous guy she’d spotted in her mom’s office. The one Sharmaine had been sucked on to like a tick.
Good Lord, he was even better looking up close and personal than he’d been, seated, and ten feet away from her. Stunning blue eyes, the color of freshly laid Robin’s eggs topped a face with high cut cheeks and a jaw forged from granite. Midnight hair curled around his ears and caressed the nape of his neck. Layered waves fell across his head in a chaos of perfection.
She’d been right about his height. Most men she could stare straight in the eyes due to her own long legs. But she had to tilt her head back a bit to look into this man’s striking ones.
“You are Jasmine, aye?”
Even his voice was gorgeous, the song of Ireland singing through it.
She nodded, her own voice deciding now would be a good time to leave on vacation. And when his smile took a slow stroll from one corner of his full, thick lips to the other, showing perfect, straight white teeth, the tips of her fingertips began to tingle like she’d fallen asleep on them and spent the night with them cuddled beneath the weight of her body.
He-of-the-handsome-face stuck out his hand and declared, “Good. Olivia said to meet you here. Donovan Boyd, but everyone calls me Van. Lovely to meet you.”
Jasmine knew she should shake his hand. It was the polite thing to do, wasn’t it? For some reason, her brain wasn’t sending any signals down her arm to lift it up to his outstretched one.
Donovan, or Van, kept his hand out, his smile in place, and ticked his head to the left a hair. A clap of booming laughter rang out from somewhere behind her and finally propelled the gears in her brain to start turning again.
After a headshake where she actually heard her brains rattle, she extended her hand and slipped it into his.
Warmth, like she’d just stepped into a bubbling hot tub, spread along her fingers, shot across her palm, then jumped all the way up to her neck. A feeling of familiarity bolted through her. With a shock, she recognized it for what it was – desire. Pure and simple. Something she hadn’t felt in almost forever.
She swallowed, said, “It’s nice to meet you,” then shook her head again as she slid her hand back.
“Would you like to sit at the bar or would ya prefer a table?” he asked.
At the bar she’d have to sit next to him, shoulder to shoulder. That seemed a bit too intimate right now, especially when the nerves she’d thought to quell had started bounding through her again. Better to be across from him, keep them at a bit of a physical distance.
Van thrust his chin toward the empty table she’d been aiming for, extended his hand and said, “Shall we?”
He got points for good manners, that was for sure.
A little more about Peggy:
Peggy Jaeger writes contemporary romances and rom coms about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.
Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, Peggy brings all aspects of life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness, and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she has created the families she wanted as that lonely child.
As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go “What??!”
Where to find her:
Website/Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | BookBub | YouTube | Instagram | Pinterest | LinkedIn | Amazon | Triberr