Today, Beth Albright is here to talk about her latest, Stardust In Dixie! I’ve been a fan of Beth’s for quite some time- so let her sweet Southern drawl wash over you and if you like what you read- well, Stardust In Dixie is available for purchase! Continue reading
Hey lovelies! Today Beth Albright, my most favorite Southern Belle, is here to talk to us about Southern women. So buckle up and let’s get you all up to speed on the ways of a Southern girl!
Beth’s latest book, DAYDREAMS IN DIXIE, is in stores so be sure and check it out! And because Southern ladies know hospitality- Beth has a prize to give away today- a signed copy of DAYDREAMS IN DIXIE and other goodies! Be sure and check it out (AFTER you read the guest post!) Continue reading
Today, I have Beth Albright stopping by to talk about her favorite Christmas memories. You might remember Beth from her books The Sassy Belles, Wedding Belles, Sleigh Belles and Saved by The Belles.
So sit down and let Beth’s tale of Christmas memories out you in the holiday spirit!
Christmas Memories by Beth Albright
I have always felt particularly blessed when it comes to Christmas memories. I have so many wonderful memories from childhood. They are sprinkled with stardust, filled with magic and laughter. I can honestly remember every year during the school Christmas party, I would look around my classroom filled with snaggle-toothed third graders and the smell of construction paper and paste and think how sorry I felt for all those poor children—they weren’t going to get to be at my Nanny’s house for Christmas. How in the world did I get so lucky? I always felt like I had won a prize—I got my family and no one else did. Continue reading
Photo Credit: Provided by Author
Traveling With T was sent a copy for review consideration.
Christmas In Dixie
“Christmas gifts aren’t always just a fun surprise. Sometimes they totally take your breath away.”
~ Blake O’Hara Bartholomew
From National Bestselling and award winning Author Beth Albright, comes a new, funny, heartwarming southern Christmas tale —told as only Beth Albright can tell.
Inheriting this old southern mansion might have been the best thing to ever happen to Hollywood chef Rhonda Cartwright. It brought her back home to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, her long lost hometown. Restoring the old place to all its former glory, she is ready for the house to make its debut as Tuscaloosa’s new finest B&B. The Tuscaloosa Christmas Gala will be the stage for it all and it’s only a few days away. With her new lover and old best friends surrounding her, she is poised to finally get the life she has always dreamed of: safe and secure and predictable.
But just when Rhonda Cartwright thinks she has finally uncovered the last of the family secrets, a woman from the past shows up on her doorstep with secrets of her own. And just wait till Rhonda’s unpredictable, unapologetic mother appears at the Christmas Gala with a surprise date.
Christmas chaos ensues and Rhonda and her group of Belles will be on the case, trying to pull it all together before the big night of the Gala. Christmastime in the Deep South is almost always full of surprises. Just not this kind of surprise.
Rhonda needs a miracle to pull off the Gala, or a real life Santa—well maybe she’ll find both, right here in Dixie.
Beth Albright is at her southern best with this new series of sexy romance, laugh out loud comedy, and edge of your seat mystery—exactly what we have come to love in the Beth Albright brand! So grab your girlfriends and put on your seatbelts for this series, IN DIXIE, an exciting joyride through the Deep South that will keep you guessing laughing and crying until the final shocking pages.
Last summer, when Beth Albright’s debut, THE SASSY BELLES, made Deep South Magazine’s Summer Reading List- I had a good feeling about Beth. As bookish fate would happen, I was not the only one who felt this way- I found 2 other bloggers who adore Beth and her Sassy Belles just as much! Over the past few months, as we each have read the trilogy and the follow up novella- tweets and emails have been flying back and forth over the interwebs about how much we like this character, or how this character has changed so much, or how sweet some of the scenes in the books are! Continue reading
Photo Credit: Goodreads
This book was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for a fair review.
Saved by the Belles
Blake O’Hara Heart is walking on cloud 9! Life is good- life is good like the best ice cream sundae with the most decadent sprinkles on top!
Beth Albright, author of The Sassy Belles trilogy, has stopped by Traveling With T today to discuss: Belles, love and Valentine’s Day. Beth’s recently released novella, Saved By The Belles, is creating quite a buzz in the romance world. Beth has been steadily promoting the latest novella while also getting ready for the next trilogy- yes, the Belles will be back in summer 2014!
When Beth and I started talking about this post, I suggested a couple of different options- Belles and love, Belles and friendship- because both those topics really go hand in hand with Beth Albright’s trilogy. The friendships and the romance are something to remember- and after reading Beth’s books, you may find yourself craving sweet tea and a Southern accent. Continue reading
Photo Credit: Harlequin
In the previous two books, Sassy Belles and Wedding Belles, the lovely Dallas Dubois has shown the readers just how far she will go to get the story (or a man!) Dallas, while beautiful, has not shown the readers (or the people of Tuscaloosa) that she is the kind of woman to be friends with or to trust. But, if you know women like Dallas, most often- there is a reason for their behavior. Sleigh Belles tells Dallas’s story- and makes readers who may have wanted to strangle Dallas in previous books- love and understand Dallas. Similar to how Emily Giffin showed the other side of Darcy in Something Blue– Beth Albright shows that there is more to Dallas than the self-centered, beautiful package that Dallas appears.
Dallas is not happy. She’s weeks away from finding out if she will be the new anchor or will be looking for a new job- and would rather have her beautiful hair cut by Edward Scissorhands than become the director of children’s Christmas play. But, the director is sick and Dallas’s boss insists that she take the reigns. So, she does- and hopes it’ll not be as bad as she thinks. Turns out, it’s worse. The children aren’t listening and Cal Hollingsworth- a friend of Lewis, Blake and Vivi- being around is causing Dallas frustration. Cal is the boy that Dallas had a secret crush on in high school- and Dallas is trying to keep her cool around him because they are different as night and day.
Cal is not exactly pleased to see Dallas, either. Oh his eyes enjoy the curvy goodness of Dallas- but he remembers her as the Ice Queen and it seems that she has not changed as he watches her interactions with the children. One day, though, Dallas encounters a girl that pulls at her heart strings- and reminds her of life from long ago. Seeing Dallas soften makes Cal wonder if he misjudged Dallas- and the two decide to get better acquainted.
As Cal and Dallas begin to spend more time together, they find themselves falling in love. Until Dallas gets some blasts from the past that cause her to begin putting the walls back up that she had just let down. Will Cal and Dallas find happy ever after? Or will Dallas always be unlucky in love?
Dallas’s personal life is a mess- and her professional life is almost as messy. She’s worried about the anchor job and wonders what will happen if she does not get the job. When someone steals Baby Jesus from the Nativity scene of a Tuscaloosa resident- Dallas is on the case, even though she’d much rather have the harder news stories. Could the missing Baby Jesus help lead Dallas to happiness?
Traveling With T’s Thoughts
Sleigh Belles, by far, is the most heartwarming of the Sassy Belles series. While the other 2 books have more humor, fun and sass- Sleigh Belles tugs at the reader’s heartstrings. The reader learns more about Dallas’s past and why Dallas is the way she is. Beth Albright had to dig deep and work hard to show that there is way more to Dallas than the hair and the body that won’t quit- but, by golly, she did.
And not to worry- there is plenty of mention of those 2 Sassy Belles- Blake and Vivi- but this book is mostly Dallas’s time to shine and to learn that love and friendship have been closer than she ever imagined.
Recommended for readers who want something sweet and heartwarming to read during the holidays- with a heavy dash of romance. Grab a copy of Sleigh Belles and a cup of hot chocolate- and enjoy a story that is sure to get you in the holiday spirit.
Photo Credit: Provided by Author
Meet Blake O’Hara Heart. Southern Belle from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Lover of pearls, Alabama football, sweet tea and family (not necessarily in that order!) And fiercely protective of her best friend forever, Vivi. And boy, does Vivi need some protecting after the latest mess she’s found herself in!
It’s Blake O’Hara Heart’s 10 year anniversary with her husband, Harry, and she’s planning on asking him a biq question. But when her best friend, Vivi, and fellow Sassy Belle calls to say she need her, Blake lets thoughts of anniversary and other topics fly out the window. When Blake and Harry arrive at Mother’s (Blake’s grandmothers house- plus the place where you go to escape your problems), Vivi is beside herself. Vivi thinks she has killed a man during a certain vigorous romp at the Fountain Mist hotel. Not just any man, though. Lewis Heart, voice of the Crimson Tide and Harry’s estranged brother.
Vivi, Blake and Harry go back to the hotel to check on Lewis; only, there is no body. Did Lewis walk away? Did someone else see fit to hurt Lewis? Is Lewis on another get rich quick scheme? When the police get called, Blake is happy to see her long ago sweetheart, Sonny (and he’s pretty happy to see her!) Sparks still fly between Blake and Sonny- but Blake is a good girl. Or is she?
As news gets out that Lewis is missing, people worry and wonder. After all, football season is fast approaching and the fans need the voice! Dallas, a shapely and beautiful reporter, makes finding Lewis her top priority- which just drives Blake crazy, because she knows that Dallas has an ulterior motive. Dallas does make time for 1 more thing besides finding Lewis, which prompts Blake to do some more long term thinking of her future.
The search continues for Lewis and Blake feels unsettled. Not herself. Her marriage is not what she wants it to be- and Harry doesn’t seem to be able to help fix it. Blake begins to wonder about the future and sparks flying with Sonny is only showing her how different she wishes her marriage was.
Blake’s got her hands full- worrying about her marriage, trying to find Lewis, and keeping a shady land developer from bulldozing a treasured landmark. However, if anyone can handle it, it’s Blake. After all, she is a Sassy Belle!
Traveling With T’s Thoughts:
Beth Albrights uses words like paint to create a picture of The Sassy Belles in action- fun, friendship, and sisterhood. With her descriptions of scenes in Alabama and the characters themselves- each word on the page is dripping with honey. To describe The Sassy Belles, think Steel Magnolias meets Divine Secrets of Ya Ya Sisterhood with a helping of high fashion. Fun, charming, cute- this book will you were a Sassy Belle!
It’s the first Friday of August. Kids are headed back to school and summer is winding down. PS: Have you already started to see the Halloween stuff in stores? Ugh, I wanted to stomp my foot the other day and scream “It’s July, for Pete’s Sake! JULY!” I held back, tho, because I’m nice 😉
1. Deep South Magazine– chock full with good news this week for #literaryfriday: DBF news (Decatur Book Festival), giveaway for Beth Albright’s The Sassy Belles, 2013’s most talked about books, and Hemingway look alike’s!
2. Interviews this week on Traveling With T include: Amy Shearn where she talks about who make a perfect rusalka if The Mermaid of Brooklyn is made into a movie and Randy Susan Meyers where she tells about “the butter in the cookies” and a special surprise for book clubs that have selected The Comfort of Lies to read!
3. Author Spotlights this week on Traveling With T include: Amy Shearn where she confesses something that may get her Author Card revoked, her Pinterest obsession and her #literarycrush. Randy Susan Meyers tells her #literaryconfession- her confession is likely to cause raised eyes in the literary world!
4. Have you been seeing the #ctbs posts and wondering what that’s all about? #ctbs = Conquering the Book Stacks. Here is the info and here is my goals (which may get revised as I update weekly!)
5. Book Lovers Unite Online Book Club is back at Traveling With T- August’s Book Club Selection is: The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers. Here is the reading schedule and here is the opening thoughts. Discussion questions will be posted Aug 9th- so plenty of time to get the book!
6. Two reviews were posted on Traveling With T this week: Finding Colin Firth by Mia March and The Recipe Box by Sandra Lee.
7. Missed out on my Bloggers Made of AWESOME post? Here it is!
8. I haven’t picked my #fridayreads yet- need to look at my #ctbs list!
9. Want to win a copy of The Mermaid Collector by Erika Marks? Visit Goodreads!
Happy Reading!
Traveling With T 