Books Read In June

Most of the books were suspenseful.

Paris Ever After and The Taste of Air were lovely women's fiction reads.

Have you read any of them?

The Taste of Air by Gail Cleare

Getting a phone call that your mother is in the hospital is frightening enough, but learning that the hospital is in Vermont and only a few miles from your mother's home when she lives in Massachusetts is quite puzzling for Nell.

Nell quickly made her way to Vermont, and Nell's sister, Bridget, would be arriving the next day from Washington, D. C.

After she saw her mother and needed a place to stay, Nell asked the receptionist for some local places to stay.  The receptionist suggested that she stay at her mother’s home. Another surprise...no one knew Mary had a home here.

As Nell looked around the cottage her mother was living in, she realized her mother had been here for longer than she had admitted and not in the assisted living facility.  There were a lot of secrets being kept by Mary both now and in the past.

A TASTE OF AIR has us following the lives of the three main characters.  We follow Mary from the time she was in the service as a nurse and met her husband to present day.  We follow Bridget and Nell as well.  Bridget had an interesting life with many marriages.  Nell seemed to be a normal, follow-the-rules, do-not-change-anything housewife.  All of the characters were heartwarming.

A TASTE OF AIR was a lovely read that any women’s fiction fan will enjoy.  I enjoyed going back and forth in the women’s lives and especially in Mary’s. Mary seemed to have the most interesting life and the one with the most secrets, and she had one BIG secret.  Bridget came in second with secrets.  Nell didn’t seem to have any secrets but got some ideas as time went on.

I truly enjoyed this book.  Ms. Cleare’s writing is smooth, beautiful, detailed, and alluring.  When you don’t want a book to end, you know the author’s talent is the reason.

A TASTE OF AIR is a perfect summer read or an any time read for when you need warmth oozing from the pages to help your mood be lightened or to be taken away.

There are also some tissues needed for happy things as all came together at the end, but for the most part A TASTE OF AIR is an uplifting, enjoyable read that is like receiving a big hug.  

I hope you get to read this book.  5/5

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Spotlight of The Man On The Roof by Michael Stephenson

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All information including the blog tour photo and book cover in this post is courtesy of the author, Michael Stephenson.

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Celebrating The June 27th Release Of

 THE MAN ON THE ROOF
BY
MICHAEL STEPHENSON

On Sale JUNE 27, 2018
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A  domestic mystery-suspense thriller, The Man On The Roof propels the reader through a tangled, volatile and suspenseful thicket of deception, murder and friends. 

Similar in tone to novelist Gillian Flynn, The Girl on the Train, Big Little Lies and The Woman In The Window, The Man On The Roof invites the reader to discover the murderer and who hides which lie. 

I must warn that it does deal with very dark subject matter. 

It currently is available for review in digital formats only, and will be an Amazon Kindle release June 22, 2018. You can currently find it as a pre-order on Amazon and it is listed on Goodreads 

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About The Book:

Someone has been creeping in the dark while the others sleep, and they've done terrible, terrible things.

“There was a man on your roof,” claims curmudgeonly lane-hermit Herbert McKinney. Then, he initiates an unprovoked fight with a local punk. Drama escalates when that punk's dead body is found hanging at mid-street one August morning—a boastful killer messaging their next prey. 

All fingers point to Herbert as the culprit. Soon, the five couples he calls neighbors come under suspicion, too. When detectives divine blackmail as the motive, eyes cross to find who hides the most shameful secret. 

Husband versus wife, friend versus friend, the shiny suburban veneer of innocence has been forever tarnished. As hidden deviousness boils from their pores, there lurks a thief, a pill addict and two adulterers—secrets worth killing for. 

We all believe that most people are good. Our neighbors, our friends... ourselves. We dismiss insane plot twists or unlikeable characters as unrealistic and slightly ridiculous. 

But just how sure are we that the people closest to us aren't all teetering on the edge of insanity? And is it more frightening to think that we live in a mad world, or that we can wholly understand the madness? 

Step into a mind-twisting thriller that seeks to understand our darkest nature. Come meet The Man On The Roof.

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About the Author:

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Michael cultivated his love for storytelling on a steady diet of film and TV, embracing the art across all genres and mediums. 

He believes that to tell a story is the greatest gift that humanity has ever received and hopes to connect through words both written and filmed. A thoughtful suburbanite, he enjoys writing in every genre and platform. 

Covering a wide range of subjects, ethnicities, socioeconomic classes, and ideals, his writing runs the gamut from silly and lighthearted to thought-provoking and sensual to horrifying and captivating. 

Offering everything from sci-fi to romance, he wishes to supply the reader with an indelible experience.

Privately, he seeks to accomplish great things with his writing in both popular culture and more niche genres. 

He hopes to soon write for film again, as he had briefly before, and aspires to write the screenplay for the film adaptation of Captain Planet as he loves the environment.

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This book sounds good...thanks for the opportunity to spread the word, Mr. Stephenson.
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Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky

These things can't be happening to me can they?

Maggie is a good person but still hasn’t healed from the emotional scars from the death of her daughter or the divorce from her husband.

Maggie moved away to make herself anonymous after the accident and hadn't seen her husband for four years.  He now shows up in the new town she has moved to, but why?

Another problem besides her ex-husband then surfaces. Maggie is still on probation because of the automobile accident and is not to associate with other felons, but a criminal incident occurs that makes Maggie think about being there for her friend instead of thinking of herself.  Her probation officer thinks differently.

We follow Maggie as she deals with her struggles and as she goes about her days as a makeup artist and an artist that works with clay.  I definitely would want to go to the spa where Maggie works and be pampered. 

All of the issues that were addressed and dealt with by Maggie were frightening, but handled well by her.  The personal issues were more difficult, and the criminal issue addresses current problems that could occur with the digital world we live in.

Most of the characters are ones you would want to connect with. 

Maggie was someone who had a heart and was a hard worker.

Kevin was a terrific friend and confidante.

Grace was a bit flighty.

Maggie’s husband Edward was someone who turned out to be great.

Maggie's mother was a strong woman.

Maggie’s brother Liam was a brother. 

Ms. Delinsky's beautiful, pull-you-in writing style kept me reading as always.

I haven’t read a book by Ms. Delinsky for a few years, and it was a pleasure to re-connect with her marvelous style and terrific story lines.

BEFORE AND AGAIN always had some warmth coming from somewhere whether it was a character or situation.  

This book deals with friendships, healing, emotional pain, and choices.   

BEFORE AND AGAIN had some difficult situations, but the ending is heartwarming, very satisfying, and marvelous.  5/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.   All opinions are my own.

Three Days Missing by Kimberly Belle

Two women, two different life styles, two children the same age, and then one disappears.

Ethan went missing from a school event held overnight at a camp in a wooded part of Georgia.

Ethan was a bullied child and Sammy was a coddled, spoiled child who was the bully.  Funny thing is that they resembled each other.  The question was if Sammy was the target instead of Ethan.

The search reached far and wide, and the only clue was a trail of clues left by Ethan and a phone call from the kidnapper.

THREE DAYS MISSING moved at as frantic a pace as the search.  Ms. Belle left us hanging at the end of each chapter with a clue that wasn't revealed until another chapter.

As the search reached the forty-one hour mark, a school meeting was organized, and parents started telling what their children remembered.

Could the children's revelations be the big break through?

Did one of the children know more than they were telling?
 
Could Kat and Stef become friends after this even though their children were not friends?

Could they really share the grief of a missing child?

But...most importantly can Stef help with finding Ethan or will she have problems of her own that need to be taken care of?

If you like mysteries that have  unexpected twists and turns, THREE DAYS MISSING will need to go in your stack of  to-be-read books.

THREE DAYS MISSING pulls you in and keeps you guessing along with the characters.

You won’t want to stop reading because of the subject matter and because of the way the book is set up.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Which One Are You?

I am a paperback reader....I wish I were a paperback writer.  :)

Books and Sister Visit

My sisters are staying with us for a family event, and I am sending them home with some great books to read.  :)

We had a really lovely visit.

Sister visits are the best.

Have you read any of these books?

The Winner of THE MERMAID

CONGRATS TO WENDY!!

WENDY IS THE WINNER!!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED THE GIVEAWAY!!

 

Thrillers For The Summer

Have you seen this?  

I found it on Facebook, and the link goes straight to your Goodreads page.  :)

How many have you read?

From this THRILLER LIST, I have read THE WIFE BETWEEN US, THEN SHE WAS GONE, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, AFTER ANNA, LYING IN WAIT, LET ME LIE, AND THREE DAYS MISSING. 

I have these waiting for me: 

THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY, THE OTHER WOMAN, and OUR HOUSE.

I am having a very THRILLING Summer.  

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1290-the-unputdownable-domestic-suspense-thrillers-of-2018

Giveaway and Spotlight of Death and Taxes by Mark Zaslove

Photo Source

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All information in this post is courtesy of Andrea Stein of Jane Wesman Public Relations

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Celebrating The Release Of

DEATH AND TAXES

By Mark Zaslove

Emmy Award-Winning Writer Mark Zaslove Turns Up The Heat in His Debut Novel, DEATH AND TAXES, A Crime Thriller Featuring Badass IRS Agent, Mark Douglas, and His Indiosyncratic Band of Revenuers

The First In A Series, DEATH AND TAXES Takes Readers On a Roller Coaster Ride of Gripping Suspense Combined With Hilarious Moments of Camaraderie and Deep Caring

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Praise for DEATH AND TAXES:

BookTrib.com:  “With slapstick humor, libidinous innuendo and groan-worthy puns served up with much tequila, DEATH AND TAXES will entertain readers” 

Midwest Book Review:  “A deftly crafted and thoroughly riveting read from first page to last, author Mark Zaslove demonstrates a genuine flair for narrative driven storytelling and the creation of distinctively memorable characters.”

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About The Book:

Mix one badass IRS agent with a gang of murderous Mongolian drug traffickers.  Add an assortment of quirky but lovable characters, and you’ve got the makings of a gripping thriller, aptly titled DEATH AND TAXES (Aperient Press; June 2018) by Emmy Award-winning writer Mark Zaslove. This riveting debut novel features Mark Douglas, an ex-Marine turned IRS agent, who, along with auditing the weird and the profane, also spearheads weekend raids with his gang of government-sanctioned revenuers, merrily gathering back taxes in the form of cash, money order, or more often than not, the debtor’s most prized possessions.

Things turn ugly when Mark’s much-loved boss and dear friend Lila is tortured and killed over what she finds in a routine set of 1040 forms. Mark follows a trail dotted with plutonium-enriched cows, a Saudi sheik with jewel-encrusted body parts, a doddering, drug sniffing, gun-swallowing dog named The Cabbage, a billionaire Texan with a fetish for spicy barbecue sauce and even spicier women, and an FBI field agent whose nickname is “Tightass.” All of which leads to more and bloodier murders – and greater danger for Mark.

With the help of his IRS pals – Harry Salt, a 30-year vet with a quantum physical ability to drink more than humanly possible; Wooly Bob, who’s egg-bald on top with shaved eyebrows to match; Miguel, an inexperienced newbie with a company-issued bullhorn and a penchant for getting kicked in the crotch – Mark hunts down the eunuch hit man Juju Klondike and the cunning Mongolian mob smuggling weapons-grade plutonium into the United States.  Under the watchful eye of the FBI, Mark and his scruffy gang enlist the power of the IRS data bank to track the criminals and lure them to a perilous rendezvous where everyone’s life is on the line.  In the world of DEATH AND TAXES, only the honest and brave can survive.

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About the Author:

Mark Zaslove, author of DEATH AND TAXES, is a writer/director/producer of both live-action and animated movies and television. He creates content for all major studios, including Disney, Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. 

A two-time Emmy Award winner for writing/producing, and a recipient of the Humanities Prize (for writing about uplifting human values in television and movies), he also writes short fiction and has served as a senior editor on various magazines. 

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he lives with his teenage son in Los Angeles.

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GIVEAWAY:

The contest has ended:

Our winner is Sarah From Rhode Island.

Congrats, Sarah.

I am partnering with Andrea Stein and Jane Wesman Public Relations for this giveaway.

USA ONLY

June 21 - June 28

Enter here

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The Lost For Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland

Loveday Cardew works in a bookshop owned by Archie. Working in a bookshop is perfect for Loveday because she is a shy almost introverted person through no fault of her own. THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP is a lovely read and will make you jealous of Loveday’s job, but not of the heartaches she keeps hidden. Besides the books and the bookshop, the characters in THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP are the best, especially Archie....loved him.  He is a bit on the unorganized and fly-by-night type of person, but he loves his job, loves Loveday, and loves how Loveday helps him keep the shop going. Loveday is lovable, sweet, and a bit on the odd side. Nathan is someone I would like to know and someone very sweet to Loveday. Rob was annoying and unlikeable. The secondary characters worked well with the main characters and added mystery and tension. As THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP goes back and forth in time, a few mysteries and secrets about Loveday’s childhood are revealed. Her family history definitely explained her closed-mouthed-about-her-feelings, lost-for-words personality. If you like books, bookshops, wonderful characters, a bit of mystery, and secrets kept, THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP is for you. I’m sure most readers fall into most of those categories, so you won’t want to miss reading this charming, alluring read. The cover itself draws you in. There are some heartaches in it, but for the most part it is a lovely, bookish read.   ENJOY when you read this book.  5/5 This book was given to me free of charge by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Boardwalk Summer by Meredith Jaeger

Mari, Violet, and Ricardo have a connection.

No one knew about the connection until Mari decided to do some research.

BOARDWALK SUMMER smoothly goes back and forth from 1940 to 2010. 

Violet is married, enters a beauty pageant in 1940, wins the pageant, but then relinquishes the win because only unmarried women are allowed to enter.  She also gives up the crown because her abusive, controlling husband was furious.  Violet then does a few unlikely and out-of-character things.

Mari is an unmarried mother in 2010 who works as a waitress even though she has a history degree.  Her history degree has her uncovering information about Violet and the history of a gazebo where her grandparents met while dancing.  The gazebo is currently slated to be torn down, but Mari just can't let that happen.  Her research leads to unpleasant secrets about the connection between Violet and Ricardo as well as many other family secrets.

Ricardo is Mari's grandfather who used to perform on the Boardwalk.  He and Violet were friends.
 
BOARDWALK SUMMER was a beautiful read for me.  The story line and the characters are heartwarming and unique.

Mari was precious along with her entire family.  Violet was sweet, but naive.  You can't help but feel pangs of pity as well as love for both of them.

Historical fiction fans, those that enjoy family sagas, and anyone who loves an endearing story about families and their family history will enjoy BOARDWALK SUMMER.

Don’t miss reading Ms. Jaeger’s newest gem.  Loved it.  

Tissues needed not for sadness, but for the happiness I felt for the characters.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Winner of LITTLE BIG LOVE

THE WINNER IS

Robyn from New Jersey!!

CONGRATS, ROBYN.

Thank you to everyone who entered.

NetGalley Badges

 

I am up to 50 reviews on NetGalley.  :)

I can’t figure out how to get rid of both “50’s.”  Does anyone know?  Or are they to be there.

In the HTML section of my blog, it is only listed once.

Thanks.

Most Read Authors In The Past Two Year

These three lovely ladies have been the most read by me in the past two years.

I always enjoy their books.

I have met Pam Jenoff and Beatriz Willams.  I hope I get to meet Karen White some day.

Thanks for your FAB books, ladies.

Want to Play?

 SPELL JUNE IN BOOK TITLES

 

 

If you care to play, find books with the letters in June.

Here are the ones I chose.

J - Jamaica Inn

U - Under the Same Blue Sky

N - Next Year in Havana

E - Every Last Lie

https://silversolara.blogspot.com/2015/11/jamaica-inn-by-daphne-du-maurier.html

https://silversolara.blogspot.com/2015/05/under-same-blue-sky-by-pamela.html

https://silversolara.blogspot.com/2018/02/giveaway-and-review-of-next-year-in.html

https://silversolara.blogspot.com/2017/07/every-last-lie-by-mary-kubica.html

Giveaway and Spotlight of The Mermaid by Christina Henry

Photo Source

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All information in this post is courtesy of Roxanne Jones of Penguin Random House

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Celebrating The Release Of

 THE MERMAID
BY
CHRISTINA HENRY

On Sale JUNE 19, 2018

THE MERMAID is a magnetic re-imagining of classic mermaid lore, spliced with an embellished historical retelling of the legendary showman P.T. Barnum and his prized Fiji mermaid.

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About The Book:

Christina Henry, national bestselling author of Lost Boy and Alice, will once again mesmerize readers with her dark and enchanting storytelling in THE MERMAID (Berkley Trade Paperback Original; $16.00; On-sale June 19, 2018)—a magnetic reimagining of classic mermaid lore, spliced with an embellished historical retelling of the legendary showman P.T. Barnum and his prized Fiji mermaid.

Mermaid myths have long appeared in cultures across the world but Henry blends fantasy with history by introducing magic to the seedy underbelly of 1800s circus culture. While the real P.T. Barnum remains an infamous circus king whose Fiji mermaid proved to be yet another elaborate hoax, Henry conjures a world in which ruse is reality and the boundaries of what it means to be human are murky. More than just a fairytale, this brilliant use of storytelling to explore feminism through its heroine’s confrontation with societal restrictions is perceptive and profound.

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About the Author:

Christina Henry is the author of Lost Boy, Alice, Red Queen, and the national bestselling Black Wings series featuring Agent of Death Madeline Black and her popcorn-loving gargoyle, Beezle.

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Giveaway:

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.

OUR WINNER IS:  WENDY

CONGRATS!!

I am partnering with Penguin Random House for this giveaway.

USA ONLY

JUNE 14 - JUNE 21

ENTER HERE

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Want To Play!!

I thought this would be something fun to post on my blog and other sites I post on such as Instagram and Facebook.

If you want to play along, please comment with your answers.

I think we will have a lot of wonderful replies.

Thanks for playing.

My answers are:  

1.  Yes...I am a cover lover.

2.  Yes...I am a summer porch reader.  I love reading on my back porch.

3.  I am a chapter finisher.  :)  I can't just stop anywhere.  :)

4. No...I am not a proper bookmark user.  I use envelopes, kleenex, envelopes, coupons, etc.

5. Yes...I am playing along.

HAVE FUN!!

Giveaway and Spotlight of Little Big Love by Katy Regan

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All information in this post is courtesy of R. Ryanne Probst, Associate Publicist|Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin  Random House and Amazon.

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Celebrating The Release Of Katy Regan's debut novel:

LITTLE BIG LOVE

On Sale JUNE 12, 2018

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FACT: Families are messy.

The Hutchinsons are messier.

A smart, big-hearted story about a family torn apart and the young boy on a mission to unite them all.

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Praise for Little Big Love:

“Fans of Jane Green and Susan Wiggs will enjoy British journalist Regan’s modern family drama that explores the age-old question of ‘what if’ and the aftermath of one poor decision.”
—Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

“A beautiful, wrenching, joyful story about family, loss, love…and one intrepid little boy. This book will steal your heart.”—New York Times bestselling author KRISTAN HIGGINS

“Regan writes with tremendous acuity and tenderness, with a story that you will not be able to stop reading.”—New York Times bestselling author JANE GREEN

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About The Book: 

Fact: What I wrote in my letter is still true: okay, my dad did abandon us, but how can he know he doesn’t want to be my dad if he’s never met me? And how could he and my mum stay in love if they never saw each other

Fact: It is up to me to reunite them—because who else is going to do it? 

Beloved U.K. author Katy Regan’s U.S. debut LITTLE BIG LOVE (Berkley Hardcover; June 12, 2018) is a make-you- laugh, make-you-cry story that’s perfect for fans of the TV show Parenthood and Nick Hornby’s About a Boy. Set in a small fishing town in northern England, Regan’s novel is told through the alternating perspectives of ten-year-old Zac, his mother Juliet, and grandfather Mick as it captures the story of one sweet and wise-beyond-his-years little boy and his pursuit of the perfect family.

Zac Hutchinson knows a lot about a lot. Who’s the fastest man on earth? Usain Bolt. How much of the Earth’s surface is covered in water? Seventy percent. What he doesn’t know is who his father is and why he left ten years ago. Enter Juliet Hutchinson, Zac’s mother and spiller of all family secrets, who, after a bad date and too much wine, lets the name of Zac’s father slip. Armed with nothing but a name and vision of happily ever after, Zac embarks on a mission to find his father and figure out what happened to make him leave.

LITTLE BIG LOVE explores the lengths people will go to protect their families and love in its many forms, including the deep bond between a single mother and her son. When Juliet’s husband left ten years ago, Zac became her entire world. And although the two of them don’t have much money, they’ve always had each other to get them through tough times—Juliet and Zac against the world. Always desperate for the other to find happiness, it’s this desperation that pushes them to try and “fix” each other—Juliet’s loneliness and Zac’s unhealthy relationship with food—and serves as a catalyst for Zac’s journey to find his father. 

Regan, a former journalist and editor at Marie Claire magazine, makes the family drama feel real and the characters on the page come alive. Informed by her own experiences as a single mother raising a young son, Regan convincingly portrays the highs and the lows of parenthood and brilliantly captures the voice of each character: from self-deprecating modern mom Juliet; to working class man’s man Mick; to fact collecting, cooking-obsessed, tender-hearted Zac. As their chapters unfold so too does a deep-buried family secret that Mick has held onto, the reason Zac’s father disappeared, and a tragedy at the center of the family’s decade long disconnect.

Like Be Frank with Me and Where’d You Go, Bernadette, LITTLE BIG LOVE has at its center a warm, witty and endearing child protagonist. Part family drama, part coming of age tale, and filled with heart and humor— we dare you not to fall head over heels for LITTLE BIG LOVE and the Hutchinson family.

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About the Author:

Katy Regan was brought up in a seaside town in Northern England.

She studied at the University of Leeds before moving to London, where she worked as a journalist and as a commissioning editor at Marie Claire magazine.

Katy has written four books published in the UK, and Little Big Love is her US debut.

Visit her online at:

Facebook.com/KatyReganAuthor

@KatyReganWrites

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Giveaway:

Contest has ended.

The winner is Robyn from New Jersey.

CONGRATS!!

I am partnering with Penguin Random House for this giveaway.

USA ONLY

June 10 - June 17

Enter here.
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