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Whiskey With My Book

~ And a cozy spot to enjoy them both.

Whiskey With My Book

Monthly Archives: November 2018

Twelfth Night with the Earl (The Sutherland Sisters, #3) by Anna Bradley – Review

29 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by WWMB in Book Review

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Tags

4 stars, Anna Bradley, Book Review, Christmas, historical romance

About Twelfth Night with the Earl by Anna Bradley

When a headstrong beauty clashes with the man she once loved, she’s determined that the spirit of Christmas will open his mind, heal his heart, and perhaps give them a reason to celebrate—for many seasons to come . . .

As far as Ethan Fortescue is concerned, his family’s seat in Cornwall is only a source of torment, one that he’s managed to avoid for two years. Now that he’s the Earl of Devon however, he can close the door on his haunted past by locking up the cursed place for good. But upon arriving at Cleves Court, he is shocked to find the house aglow with Christmas celebrations, filled with music and laughter. And right at the center of the holiday madness is the infuriating—and eternally tempting—Theodosia Sheridan . . .

Thea has always loved the town of Cleves, especially at the holidays. As a girl, she also loved Ethan with all her heart. It’s painful to see how his brother’s tragic death has embittered him. Still, she will do anything to make sure the town thrives—even if it means going to battle with Ethan to save Cleves Court. Now she has only until Twelfth Night to make a Christmas miracle happen—by proving that his childhood home can be a source of love and wonder. But before long, she finds herself wondering if she’s trying to save the house—or its handsome master…

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Review of Twelfth Night with the Earl

I got this book through a giveaway from the author last year. And then ran out of time to read and review it before Christmas. So I was determined to read it this year!

Twelfth Night with the Earl is a delightful novella length story for the Christmas season. Thea is a strong heroine who will do what is necessary to convince curmudgeon Ethan to keep Cleves Court. The home where both grew up has so many memories, good and bad, for both Thea and Ethan. But it is Ethan that has had so many unhappy experiences there. Thea connives to get Ethan to remember the good things about Cleves Court. I know, a conniving heroine does not sound good. But trust Thea. I did.

There are also three adorable, if a little bratty, children. OK, a lot bratty.  There was one little imp that needed to be sent to her room without any supper. Early in the book. It did not bode well. And I almost took an instant dislike to the child. Brattiness works only if the adults are strong disciplinarians, and ultimately, Thea and Ethan keep them in line so it is okay to fall in love with the little devils.

If you enjoy historical romances, read Twelfth Night with the Earl for a few hours of pure reading pleasure. You will be glad you did.

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Links

Add Twelfth Night with the Earl to your Goodreads shelf:

Purchase Twelfth Night with the Earl:

 

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Giveaway

Don’t forget the ongoing Holiday Treat Giveaway for the audiobook of The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick, or the print books of Tiffany Roberts’ Dustwalker and Bec McMaster’s Nobody’s Hero.  If you haven’t entered yet, you might be interested to know that commenting on today’s post helps qualify you for an entry – see the giveaway post for all the details.  Or go straight to the giveaway….

Click Here:  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Worry Beads (The Big Uneasy, #4) by Pauline Baird Jones – Review

28 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by WWMB in Book Review

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, bread pudding, Contemporary Romance, Mardi Gras, mystery, New Orleans, Pauline Baird Jones, suspense

About Worry Beads by Pauline Baird Jones

Laura Baker has seen a lot during her job as a New Orleans EMT. She has responded to just about every type of emergency known to man. An unexpected act of kindness during one call puts her on the news—and her life and heart at risk.

Archie Gunn receives an unexpected tip sends him to the beautiful and mysterious city of New Orleans. His trip opens up more than he expects –and a bayou full of danger. There is a lot going on in New Orleans and it isn’t all good times and Mardi Gras.

Download the latest installment of The Big Uneasy series and discover what happens in New Orleans can be downright deadly!

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Review of Worry Beads

My favorite thing about this book is the fact that the hero, Archie, is such a big unknown for most of the book. Oh, we know he is a good guy. But we don’t even know his profession, so his background is not crystal clear. So, should we like him for Laura. Or not? Hmm.

Having said that, we also have a Baker protagonist. That is always a good thing. Mainly because it comes with not one Baker, but a baker’s dozen of Bakers. This family has a big chunk of the market on crime solving in New Orleans. Readers of The Big Uneasy series know what I am talking about. In this family, the cop line of ‘need to know’ is a hard one to follow. It’s a family thing.

In Worry Beads, Zach (Baker dad) and his girlfriend (Becca) are responsible for setting Laura and Archie up on a blind double date. While Archie may have taken a shine to Laura at hello, he is also interested in her because he saw her on the news wearing some Mardi Gras beads that look very interesting. Trouble is, a lot of people saw the news and also think the bead are interesting. So the adventure begins.

Despite the blind date being only a diversion for Archie who is only in town for a short time, the couple end up spending quite a bit of time together. Chasing clues or being chased. And how do they end up together? I blame the nobody-is-good-enough-for-my-daughter Zach. Really, you have to read the book, but I think you can see it. A little bit ironic, I think. 🙂

That feelings develop between Archie and Laura is inevitable.  Isn’t that why I wanted to read this story in the first place? Plus, the Mardi Gras Beads Mystery. It is a great combination. Humor, romance and pure charm mix with mystery and suspense in New Orleans. Sound good? Yep!

One more thing – Bread Pudding. Yum!

The author provided a copy of her book in exchange for my honest review.

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Links

Add Worry Beads to your Goodreads shelf:

Pre-order Worry Beads (releases 12/1/18):

 

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Giveaway

Don’t forget the ongoing giveaway for the audiobook of Phantom Evil by Heather Graham, or the print books of Catherine Cerveny’s The Rule of Luck and The Chaos of Luck.  If you haven’t entered yet, you might be interested to know that commenting on today’s post helps qualify you for an entry – see the giveaway post for all the details.  Or go straight to the giveaway….

Click Here:  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Going Back to New Orleans by Pauline Baird Jones – Guest Post

27 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by WWMB in Book Review

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

bread pudding, Contemporary Romance, guest post, Mardi Gras, mystery, New Orleans, Pauline Baird Jones, series, suspense

As a tourist, I have spent some time in New Orleans.  Not nearly enough time.  I hope to go back someday.  In the meantime, I’ve asked Pauline Baird Jones to tell us about her time in New Orleans.  If you follow this blog, you may know that she is one of my favorite authors, so I am very happy to welcome Pauline Baird Jones!

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Going Back to New Orleans
by Pauline Baird Jones

I’d like to thank Riley for inviting me here to talk about my love affair with New Orleans, a city we lived in for eighteen years.

The hubs and I arrived in New Orleans in what I would call a state of disarray. The hubs had just had a hip replaced, and I’d just had a baby. Our first “meal,” in the city famous for its food, was at the Taco Bell.

Yes, it is embarrassing.

As a gal raised in Wyoming, I don’t think I exaggerate when I say that where I came from and where I found myself were polar opposites (particularly in the winter lol). I was so struck by the opposite-ness, that for a while, I wrote a column for my hometown paper called Letters Home.

Things I struggled with in New Orleans:

1. Bugs and critters – there were a lot of both in a lot of varieties, but the two worst for me were the water bugs (basically, these were big, FLYING cockroaches) and the stinging caterpillars that infested the trees in the spring. I love trees so much, it was a shock the first time one of those things dropped on my head. Once they’ve made contact, they curl into a circle of stinging ouch.

2. Heat, humidity, and oh yes, hurricanes. Need I say more? And yet, there is more. Once Christmas, when we were supposed to fly home, they shut down the WHOLE city because it might snow. I wish I was kidding about this. lol

3. Navigating a city that has parallel streets that cross each other. Oh yes, you read that right. Having the Mississippi River bend around the city the way it does causes some…peculiarities in the traffic flow. An example would be: driving due EAST over the bridge to get to the WEST bank. (I once had this entirely real, not exaggerated phone call with my hubs: Me: I found the Children’s Museum. Hubs: Really? How? Me: I got off at the wrong exit from the bridge, realized it and took a right, then went straight for two blocks and there it was. Hubs: It scares me that I understood that.)

Things I still miss about living in New Orleans:

1. Bread pudding and pastries. I used to navigate my way by where the best of these were. Lol

2. New Orleans. Yes, the whole Big Easy of amazing architecture, flowers, trees, music, food, street cars, Mardi Gras, and the people. It was the lovely, warm-hearted, joyous people of the city that care forgot that helped us adapt to life in what an almost foreign assignment for someone from Wyoming.

I loved being called “baby” by the gal selling me pralines. I loved sitting overlooking the river and watching the river traffic while behind me jazz or zydeco or rock or country music played in the background.

I can close my eyes and feel the silken stroke of cool, but humid air against my skin. I can smell the intense mix of spice scents from walking through the French Quarter. And I will never forget the taste of pastries and bread puddings that sometimes haunt my dreams. I might be a touch obsessive about my desserts. Lol

So many famous people passed through, or lived and worked and wrote in New Orleans. I will always believe it was the intense creative environment of this fantastic city that launched my writing career. I wrote my first book there, and when life took us away, and it was a joy to “go back” there with my Big Uneasy series.

The series is about the Baker family, patriarch Zach, and his Baker’s dozen, who have “protect and serve” imprinted on their genes. In the latest installment, EMT Laura Baker’s act of kindness to a hit and run victim puts her heart and her life at risk.

Available at Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and GooglePlay December 1, 2018!

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Links

Add Worry Beads to your Goodreads shelf:

Pre-order Worry Beads (releases 12/1/18):

Amazon          Apple          Nook

Kobo          GooglePlay

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About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Pauline Baird Jones never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance. Loves chocolate, bacon, flamingoes, and mid-century modern anything.

Find Pauline here:

Website: http://www.paulinebjones.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPaulineBairdJones/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulinebjones
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/247227.Pauline_Baird_Jones
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/perilouspauline/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulinebjones/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Pauline-Baird-Jones/e/B000APFS0M/

 

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Giveaway

Don’t forget the ongoing Holiday Treat Giveaway for the audiobook of The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick, or the print books of Tiffany Roberts’ Dustwalker and Bec McMaster’s Nobody’s Hero.  If you haven’t entered yet, you might be interested to know that commenting on today’s post helps qualify you for an entry – see the giveaway post for all the details.  Or go straight to the giveaway….

Click Here:  a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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