This month's Book of the Month is Falling on Southport by M.J. Slater.
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Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Review: IT HAPPENED IN VEGAS by Zee Irwin
It was supposed to be fake. Just one impulsive Vegas wedding to save a reality show finale and boost a brewery’s brand.
But now I’m back in Holly Creek, playing house on borrowed time with a grumpy, gorgeous brewmaster reality TV star who kisses like sin and makes my heart do dangerous things.
Ninety days. One big payday. No falling in love. Can we do this?
Too bad we’re breaking every rule—and my past just showed up with a secret that could ruin everything.
What happens in Vegas? Turns out, it follows you home.
My Review: A former reality TV star trying to get his brand of brews launched. A savvy marketing expert that would help him do just that. There has never been anything more than flirting between Sophie and Keaton. It’s probably because Sophie had a crush on the “nice guy” of that reality show. Turns out that he really was a nice guy, which made her like him even more. But this was strictly a working relationship.
“What might’ve been a great start between us was now mired in business.”
Suddenly, Keaton must return to the show for a reunion wedding in Las Vegas. This show could very well promote his brand. But he wasn’t doing it alone. Sophie would be his fake date.
Story does take a while to get to Vegas as it goes around this small town of various characters. Of course, Sophie and Keaton undoubtedly display astounding chemistry and a scorching kiss. How much better would it get in Vegas?
On the air, there was drama, tension, and viciousness. Off the air, there was tenderness, honesty, and affection.
The read was fun and exciting. You just never knew what was going to happen, especially with reality TV. Was it possible that what started off as fake could be real? And what will happen when the show finally ended? A good read!
Rating: 4 stars
Spotlight: KALEVA DOWN by Kalervo Mikkonen
A plane was shot down in 1940. Forty-four years later, in Cold War Europe, trying to find the truth is still perilous.
Finnish Veli-Matti ‘Vellu’ Jokinen has spent years trying to uncover the mystery for why Soviet war planes shot down the civilian airliner Kaleva. He has an intriguing new lead to pursue. Unfortunately, Mossad, MI6, and the KGB are all equally interested.
In 1984 during a trip to Hong Kong, a chance encounter with a British RAF fighter pilot ‘Rog’ and a seductive Mossad agent ‘Hannah’ traps the men into a hazardous race between the competing intelligence agencies.
The two men travel to Soviet Estonia to follow Vellu’s lead, but their high stakes adventure turns into a nightmare. The men are arrested and thrown into the notorious Patarei prison in Tallinn.
What happens to the ill-fated men? Will the mystery of the Kaleva shootdown ever be solved?
What secret was worth sending a planeload of passengers and crew to their deaths in 1940? What is the secret worth now?
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
Blog Tour: THE DOOR, THE KEY, AND THE KINGDOM by Emily-Jane Hills Orford
THE DOOR, THE KEY, AND THE KINGDOM
by Emily-Jane Hills Orford
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Arthurian Fantasy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Life
is complicated enough when living in one era, but when Anne finds herself
gravitating back in time to the sixth century, she’s not sure what to expect,
or what to believe. Pulling the legendary Excalibur from its stoney sheath,
she’s amazed at the power she possesses and the chance to make some things
right for the post-Arthurian era.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
Three:
They could see figures moving about, where presumably the
castle had once stood. A hand raised to beckon them, a banner was swung back
and forth. Sir Roderick answered with a wave. “It is your banner, my Queen, the
one that led the men to this castle and the battle they must have endured.”
“I hope it is our men waving the banner,” Merlin muttered as
he nudged his horse forward, following Sir Roderick’s lead as he made his way
carefully down the steep embankment. The others followed, taking equal care on
the steep descent. At the bottom, they splashed through the rushing waters,
blackened by the soot of the now demolished castle. Though angry in its rush to
cascade the rocks, the water wasn’t deep. The others followed and, all soaked
to the skin, made their ascent on the opposite side. Sir Roderick displayed
caution, placing his hand on the sword’s hilt ready for action. The others
copied. Merlin’s staff, perched as before on his foot, glowed with reserved
energy, ready to strike at the wizard’s command.
There was a collective gasp amongst Anne’s group when they
reined in at the riverbank. What lay before them was a blackened depression in
the ground covering an area slightly larger than the layout of Gloucester
Castle. There was nothing left of Tamworth, only charred, smoldering remains
and this eerie looking hole in the ground.
“Oh my!” Anne sidled up to Merlin. “What do you suppose
happened?”
“Probably the same thing that happened at Grenadier Falls,”
Merlin responded blandly.
“A failsafe trip wire that affected both places and both
eras?” Anne asked no one in particular. “What kind of magic did this wizard
possess?”
“Very unholy, foul magic, my Queen,” Merlin growled under
his breath. “Very evil.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Emily-Jane
Hills Orford is a country writer, living just outside the tiny community of
North Gower, Ontario, near Canada’s capital city of Ottawa. With degrees in art
history, music and Canadian studies, the retired music teacher enjoys the quiet
nature of her country home and the inspiration of working at her antique Jane
Austen-style spinet desk, feeling quite complete as she writes and stares out
the large picture window at the birds and the forest. She writes in several
genres, including creative nonfiction, memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Emily-Jane Hills Orford will be awarding a $10
Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
Spotlight: SPACE PIRATE TROY: CORGISAURUS by Daniel Clemons
Troy is on a mission across the galaxy to find his missing parents. When his journey brings him to Earth, a side conversation introduces him to dinosaurs. But he is 65 million years too late to meet one. Fortunately, time is not a barrier when you have a rudimentary knowledge of temporal physics, a rice cooker, and some spare uranium.
However, time travel often comes with consequences.
Troy and his canine crew, Chau and Luna, embark on an adventure full of dinosaurs, hilarity, and escalating consequences. Corgisaurus blends heartfelt moments with absurd humor and is the second installment in the Space Pirate Troy series—perfect for readers 6-9, or younger kids to enjoy with an adult.
Purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Space-Pirate-Troy-Book-Corgisaurus-ebook/dp/B0FHC1K8K6/
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