BOOK BIRTHDAY SPOTLIGHT: Back Home at Firefly Lake by Jen Gilroy - EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're joining a Barclay Publicity promotion already in progress starring none other than author Jen Gilroy's latest, Back Home at Firefly Lake.  It's the third installment in her much loved Firefly Lake series, and from the sound of things is looking to bring readers back to this lovely little town for the holidays; something I've VERY keen to do myself!  Ladies and gents, the spotlight is ready and it's shining on...

Back Home at Firefly Lake

Firefly Lake series, Book 3

by

Jen Gilroy

9781455569618

Forever

Add to your Goodreads shelf!

About the book...

She has a million reasons to leave. Can he give her the one she needs to stay?

Cat McGuire’s return to Firefly Lake is turning into much more than she bargained for. Sure, she missed the crisp pine-scented air and the comfort of having her family around her. But being home makes her feel less like the successful single mom she is–and more like the awkward teen who never fit in. It doesn’t help that hockey-pro Luc Simard is back in town, too. Luc was her childhood crush, the hometown hero who never noticed her, and yet somehow he still makes her heart skip a beat.

Luc’s homecoming has been bittersweet. He’s lost his wife and his career, but there’s no better place to start over than Firefly Lake. Coaching the local kids’ hockey team makes him feel alive again, and he thinks his life is complete–until Cat arrives. The shy girl he always wanted to protect is now the gorgeous woman who’s stealing his heart and making him believe in second chances. But how can he convince Cat that Firefly Lake is where she truly belongs?

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~~~ EXCERPT ~~~

Luc’s heart squeezed. [Cat] was embarrassed to ask her family for help, like he’d have been embarrassed asking his. Except, that would never be an issue because he had more money than he could spend in one lifetime. Money to finance the creamery expansion his dad had talked about for years, and to send his folks on that cruise they’d hankered after but could never afford because of the cost of raising four kids and putting most of them through college. Money for everything except what mattered most—taking care of his wife and their child like he’d planned.

“Pay for the hockey registration when your grant comes through.” He tried to smile. “I know you’re good for it.”

“Thanks.” Cat’s voice cracked and she took one hand away from her bag to rub it across her face. “Hockey means everything to Amy. I want her to be able to play, but she’s growing so fast right now.”

“Hockey’s an expensive sport.” He slid an arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. The same kind of friendly squeeze he’d given her all those times back in high school when she’d saved his butt in chemistry. Before today, however, his fingers had never tingled when he’d touched Cat. His body had never heated, either.

Cat started and pulled away at the same instant he did. “Hockey can be a dangerous sport too, and now Amy will be playing with boys. She hasn’t played with boys since she was seven. She could get hurt.

Like he had, hurt so bad it had ended his career. “Amy’s playing minor hockey. At her age, there is a rule about no body checking.” He tried to make his tone reassuring. “I promise I’ll keep a close eye on her.” It was his job as her coach, and he’d do the same for any kid. It had nothing to do with the strange and unexpected attraction he all of a sudden had for this woman he’d known his whole life, who he’d never really looked at until today.

A woman who wasn’t Maggie. Luc’s stomach clenched in a tangled lump of guilt and grief, tied tight with a slippery ribbon of disloyalty. Maggie was never coming back, but that didn’t mean Luc could forget her. Or that he wanted to.

Copyright © Back Home at Firefly Lake 2017 by Jen Gilroy



About the author...

Jen Gilroy lives in a small town in eastern Ontario, Canada where her Irish ancestors settled in the nineteenth century. She's worked in higher education and international marketing but, after spending too much time in airports and away from her family, traded the 9-5 to write romantic women’s fiction to bring readers' hearts home.

Jen likes ice cream, diners, vintage style and all things country. Her husband is her real-life romance hero, and her teen daughter teaches her to cherish the blessings in the everyday.

The Cottage at Firefly Lake, the first book in her Firefly Lake series, was a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® award in 2015. It was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Joan Hessayon Award 2017.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon

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Don't miss the other books in the series!!

   

Amazon                 Amazon                 Amazon
Barnes and Noble   Barnes and Noble    Barnes and Noble
Kobo                    Kobo                      Kobo 
iTunes                   iTunes                    iTunes

After all, the more the merrier when it comes to reading!

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Special thanks to Cameron at Barclay Publicity for the chance to bring this tour to you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the series, the author, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click though the links provided above.  This title is celebrating its BOOK BIRTHDAY today via Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.  Don't miss the other stops on the tour going on now throughout the blogosphere for more awesome bookish fun.

BEFORE YOU GO...

DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN IN THE TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY!

   

Jen is offering one (1) lucky Grand Prize winner a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a paperback copy of Back Home at Firefly Lake. Five (5) runner-up winners will receive a paperback copy of their choice from the Firefly Lake series! This giveaway is open internationally.

To enter, simply CLICK HERE and fill out the Rafflecopter!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!



TLC BOOK TOURS presents...Winter Holiday Traditions (+ reads!) with Harlequin!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're joining TLC Book Tours and Harlequin to kick off a very special and timely treat!  It's time for the Winter Holiday Traditions (+ reads!) tour and stars several of their fabulous authors sharing their holiday memories and traditions from the heart, spotlights of their latest releases fresh off the presses and ready for YOUR reading pleasure, AND a chance to WIN A $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD.  Sound good?  I thought it might.  So, if you're ready, don your gay apparel, grab a cup of something piping hot, and settle down as we welcome today's featured author, Linda Lael Miller!

My Christmas Traditions

GUEST POST with  Author Linda Lael Miller

One of my earliest memories is of a Christmas in the early 1950's; I lived with my mom and dad on a hardscrabble ranch outside of Northport, Washington, though of course I don't remember it that way.  Still an only child, I was warm, well-fed and much loved.  I was around three years old, perhaps even a little younger, and we lived in a one room "cabin"--that's being generous, since I've been told the place was initially either a line shack or a chicken coop.  I know my dad, a veteran of World War 2, insulated the walls with huge cardboard boxes given to him by the good folks at the funeral home in nearby Collville.  As he told the story, he nailed these big pieces of heavy cardboard in place as winter approached, being extra careful to keep the printed part to the wall.

That night, lying in bed, he looked up and saw the words "Sunshine Coffin Company" directly overhead.

We had a wood stove, and I remember my mother telling me all about Santa Claus, explaining that he would come down the chimney around midnight, since it was Christmas Eve.  I recall eyeing that narrow stove pipe and feeling just the slightest bit skeptical; I figured this Santa dude must be a little slow, if he'd try to squeeze his bulking self down that narrow black pipe, and risk burning his feet on the embers in the bargain.  Why didn't he just come in through the door, like everybody else?

Mom and I hung up one of Dad's old work socks--the gray woolen kind with the red stripes around the top.  This strange visitor would fill it with goodies, Mom said, and put a few toys under our no-doubt spindly Christmas tree--I don't remember the tree, and since we didn't have electricity at that point, it's a given that there were no bright lights.

I didn't care, one way or the other.  This whole Christmas thing was brand new to me, but if it was half as good as Mom claimed, I was up for it. The thing was, I had to be asleep when Santa arrived, or he might not stop.  I tried to imagine a sleigh and flying reindeer, but it was beyond the scope of my experience, for sure.

There must have been presents and a bulge in that old wool stocking the next morning; I don't remember.  The bottom had fallen out of the beef market, so there wasn't much money, but I'm sure there must have been a nice round orange in the toe of the sock, along with a peppermint stick, a handful of mixed nuts, and small toys carefully chosen at Fonk's Five and Dime in Collville.  How do I know this?  Because every Christmas Eve, until I was too old to hang a stocking, there was always a candy cane, an orange, and some almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, etc, along with magical things gathered throughout the previous year and tucked away for the purpose.  There still wasn't a lot of money, and I believe most of these gifts were pretty modest, but they never, ever disappointed--Mom had a real knack for finding things to delight a child's heart.  I still recall the little silver cross I found in my stocking one year--how it glowed in the dim light reflecting off the snow outside my bedroom window.  She probably paid under a dollar for that necklace, and here I am, more than fifty years later, with a clear image of it shining in my mind.  Of all the many gifts I've received over the years, I remember that cross vividly.

By then, obviously, we'd moved into town, and I had a brother and a baby sister.  I guess we must have been pretty poor, all things considered, but I don't remember feeling poor, even once.  We always had a turkey dinner, and a lovely, fragrant tree, cut down in the woods and brought to stand outside the front door until the branches were dry enough.  How anxious my brother and I were for that tree to dry, so we could drape it with bubble lights, bright baubles and lots and lots of tinsel.  There were always presents on Christmas morning, and to us, it looked like real bounty.  The rule was, no presents until after breakfast--always a hearty one of either bacon or sausage, eggs, fried potatoes and all the rest.  We had to be content with the contents of our stockings until after the meal, and we were half out of our skins with excitement by the time Mom and Dad finally turned us loose.  I don't think my brother and I believed in Santa by then, but we pretended, for the sake of our little sister, and let's face it, believing kept the magic alive.  Since the jolly old man always left at least one unwrapped gift for each of us, we didn't bounce off the walls waiting to rip into that year's loot.

There were always pageants at church and school, leading up to the big day, and the Friday after Thanksgiving, the members of the Lion's Club erected a beautiful tree in the center of town.  People visited each other's houses back then, to admire the Christmas decorations and swap small gifts, usually things like embroidered dishtowels or Mason jars filled with last summer's vegetables and berries.  We gave and received canned pears, glowing like jewels in a syrup dyed with either red or green food coloring, and flavored with cinnamon or mint.

Now, all these years later, I still love Christmas--the festive snap in the air, the special movies, such as "It's a Wonderful Life," "The Bishop's Wife', and "A Charlie Brown Christmas."  Since this was long before the days of streaming video, a person had to comb through the newspaper listings or "TV Guide" if they didn't want to miss them.  Often, there were special episodes on our favorite TV series', too, and believe me, they were an event all by themselves.

Just about everyone had a Nativity scene, and it was a big deal to set out the Holy Family, the Wise Men and the shepherds and, especially, the little sheep, the donkey and the cow.  Mom wasn't shy about reminding us of the real meaning of Christmas, stockings and pumpkin pie and roast turkey aside--and she staunchly maintained that at midnight on Christmas Eve, animals in barns all over the world would talk to each other, in human voices.

Possibly the best thing about those old-fashioned Christmases was the sense of magic and mystery.  Back then, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas were distinct from each other, and each was celebrated as a special occasion in its own right.  Each had its own traditions.  

These days, they sort of all run together--the stores put out ornaments, greeting cards and all kinds of other merchandise in June or July, for heaven's sake.  Where's the magic in that?  Where's the mystery?

It's still there, I'm glad to say, hiding in the hearts of kindly souls everywhere--it's in the warm smiles, the hugs, the generosity.  We just have to look a little harder to find it, that's all.

In closing, I wish you and yours the happiest of holiday seasons, whatever your faith, and whatever you celebrate.  May 2018 be a year of health and joy and abundant blessings of all sorts, for you and all those you love.



A Snow Country Christmas

by

Linda Lael Miller

HQN Books

About the book...
It’s a Christmas affair to remember as a Hollywood mogul discovers his inner cowboy—and the woman of his dreams—amid the rugged beauty of Wyoming.

Raine McCall would take snow-covered mountains over a star-studded premiere any day. But when hotshot movie executive Mick Branson arranges dinner on Christmas Eve to discuss a work opportunity, she’s intrigued—by the offer and the man. She’s a no-makeup, no-frills single mom, who’s happy with her quiet life. Sharing chili cheeseburgers and sizzling kisses with Mick is sure heating up her holiday, but country girl and power player don’t mix…

It’s not just work that’s brought Mick back to Mustang Creek. Since he first visited to oversee a documentary, free-spirited graphic designer Raine has been in his head. Her approach to life is as unconventional as her quirky holiday ornaments. Their attraction is undeniable—and so are their differences. Putting down roots in the Wild West wasn’t in the script. But there are some Christmas gifts you can’t walk away from, even when they turn your whole world upside down…



Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Let's make your holiday merry and bright...

 ...with a chance to win a...

$50 AMAZON GIFT CARD!

Just CLICK HERE to access to Rafflecopter form

and you're in it to win it!

Special thanks to TLC Book Tours, Harlequin Books, and author Linda Lael Miller for the chance to bring this tour to you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, THIS TOUR, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title was released September 2017 via HQN Books, so grab a copy this holiday season at your local bookstore or online retailer for a merry and bright holiday.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

TLC BOOK TOURS: Christmastime Cowboy by Maisey Yates - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.



It's beginning to looks a lot like Christmas...

...with every BOOK you read.

No, seriously.  Can you BELIEVE that November is gone, December is here, and we've only 24 days and counting until Christmas Day?  I know, me neither, but if the calendar pages don't have you convinced, the severe influx of holiday themed titles will finish the job.  But you know what?  That's okay.  No, it's not okay that the year has flown by (well, not exactly anyway).  No, it's not okay to be "finding yourself another year older and not a day richer" with so few days left to change your circumstances.  But it IS okay to know that whilst all that may be true, we're not at the end of our days.  There are still moments to celebrate, merriment to be had, and books to be read...and by jove, that last one, we've got in the bag!

Today, we're joining TLC Book Tours for a holiday themed title set in the magnificent views we've come to love of Copper Ridge.  Sound familiar?  Oh, but it should!  I featured I featured another of this series not so long ago, from the same subset of Donnelly titles.  Who are the Donnelly's?  Oh brother...if you have to ask, you haven't had the extreme pleasure of making their acquaintance, and I am determined to change that unpleasantness, stat!  Ready or not, here comes today's book of choice...

Christmastime Cowboy

Copper Ridge series, Book 10

by

Maisey Yates

9781335013316

HQN Books

About the book...

It's Christmas in Copper Ridge, and love is waiting to be unwrapped… 

Falling for a bad boy once is forgivable. Twice would just be foolish. When Sabrina Leighton first offered her teenage innocence to gorgeous, tattooed Liam Donnelly, he humiliated her, then left town. The hurt still lingers. But so does that crazy spark. And if they have to work together to set up her family winery's new tasting room by Christmas, why not work him out of her system with a sizzling affair? 

Thirteen years ago, Liam's boss at the winery offered him a bribe—leave his teenage daughter alone and get a full ride at college. Convinced he wasn't good enough for Sabrina, Liam took it. Now he's back, as wealthy as sin and with a heart as cold as the Oregon snow. Or so he keeps telling himself. Because the girl he vowed to stay away from has become the only woman he needs, and this Christmas could be just the beginning of a lifetime together…

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

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A story that's at once a romance but oh so much more.

Smart, heartfelt, steamy, down-to-earth, and, if you believe it, it had me in tears at the end. NO really, it did!  Something about Liam's story just touched me so...all that he endured in silence (that "insert-awful-word-here" of a woman!  Undeserving of the title mother!), all that he continues to carry in his heart (and on his skin) despite the ability to put an end to the pain.  Then again, that is how he's always had to deal with things, on his own and in silence, so realizing that he was capable and deserving of so much more was a hard lesson to learn.  

Sabrina's inner strength despite her own past fallout was totally endearing.  I mean the anger she held on to was absolutely warranted...considering she only had part of the story.  I loved how once everything was laid out, she didn't continue to cling to the hurt of the past, but allowed them both a chance at a present, if not potential future (if the hardheaded Donnelly man can get it through his thick skull!).  The moments they made, the unknowing steps they took towards each other even when running away, and let's not forget the chemistry (Is it hot in here?  Yeah, totally is...), all serve to make create a wonderful story perfect for this time of year.

In the end, I'm still not a fan of the cowboy hat and oversize buckles, but the Donnelly fellas are a bunch I wouldn't want to miss...and the same goes for this author's writing. Anyone know some single guys like that in real life?  Because seriously, I would like my own Liam, thank you very much! All I can say is, Maisey Yates...what have you done to my reading list?!  Recommended for adult Contemporary Romance fans; there are some sexy times, but they don't overwhelm the story, the connections, or the realizations, making it a journey of the heart as much as a conquest to resolve "unfinished business".

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About the author...

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit.

In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard. She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Special thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours for the chance to bring this tour to you and to Harlequin Books for the copy for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the series, the author, the publisher, THIS TOUR, or those forthcoming, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

BEFORE YOU GO...

DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY JOLLY AND BRIGHT BY WINNING A COPY OF THIS VERY BOOK!

That's right.

ONE OF YOU will win a copy of this very title to call your own...and that's the next best thing to winning one of the Donnelly's to call your own.  ^-^  To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below!

Entries accepted TODAY through December 8th, 2017.

Open to US/Canada residents; no P.O. Boxes please.

Winner will be contacted via email and have 48 hours to respond with their mailing information.  If no response is received, another name will be drawn.  SFIR is not responsible for lost prizes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!