Giveaway: Love A Little Sideways by Shannon Stacey

Photo Credit: Harlequin

Hello readers of Traveling With T! Ya’ll know how much I adore a giveaway- and I’m always so giddy when I can offer another giveaway to the readers. Seriously, over-the-moon!

Harlequin Books (whoooo to them!) has given me another giveaway opportunity- and one that I think will be super-great!

I have 1 copy of Shannon Stacey’s first print book, Love a Little Sideways) to be given away to a lucky commenter (US/Canada only)! Simply comment on this post for your chance to win! Giveaway ends December 3 at 11:59pmEST. Winner will be announced December 4th.

Synopsis of Love A Little Sideways (from Harlequin)

Liz Kowalski is heading home to Whitford, Maine—this time for good. Eager for her family, a fresh start and some fun, she doesn’t count on being rescued by the chief of police her very first night back in town. Drew is everything she’s not looking for…so why is she still so attracted to him?

After a brief, forbidden rendezvous at her brother’s wedding, Drew Miller expects Liz to return to New Mexico and stay there. He’s searching for someone to settle down with, not a casual fling with his best friend’s sister. But when they’re stuck together on the annual Kowalski camping trip, things start going a little sideways. Keeping their hands off each other proves just as impossible as keeping their secret from becoming public knowledge.

Amid family, mud and melted marshmallow, Liz and Drew try to fight what’s growing between them. But a little time alone, a lot of chemistry and too many opinions might be just what it takes to bring together two people so determined not to fall in love.

Sleigh Belles by Beth Albright

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.

Giveaway: Wyoming Bold by Diana Palmer

Photo Credit: Harlequin

Thanks to Harlequin Books, another giveaway! One lucky commenter on Traveling With T will win a copy of Wyoming Bold!

Summary from Goodreads:

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author DIANA PALMER is back with a thrilling new story featuring the Kirk brothers of Wyoming Former border agent Dalton Kirk thought his life was over-literally-when a gang of smugglers left him for dead. Defying all odds, he survives his ordeal and returns to his Wyoming ranch ready to dedicate his future to a more peaceful home on the range. Until lovely Merissa Baker knocks on his door.

Merissa is well aware of her reputation as the local eccentric-she knows things before they happen-and she’s had a vision that Dalton is in danger. Even though her beliefs clash with Dalton’s cowboy logic, she’s determined to save the handsome rancher she’s secretly loved forever.

Visions? It’s all ridiculous to Dalton…until things start happening that prove Merissa right. And now Dalton is not the only target-so is Merissa. Can Dalton be bold enough to trust the unknown? Is this Wyoming man ready to love?

Want to win? Comment on this post November 12th-November 19th for a chance to win! Winner will be notified November 20th! Please leave your email (you may use the AT and DOT). Giveaway is only open to US/Canada!

Giveaway: The Perfect Match (Blue Heron #2) by Kristan Higgins

Photo Credit: Harlequin

Thanks to the nice folks at Harlequin Books, I have another giveaway for November!

Summary from Goodreads:

What if the perfect match is a perfect surprise? Honor Holland has just been unceremoniously rejected by her lifelong crush. And now—a mere three weeks later—Mr. Perfect is engaged to her best friend. But resilient, reliable Honor is going to pick herself up, dust herself off and get back out thereor she would if dating in Manningsport, New York, population 715, wasn’t easier said than done.

Charming, handsome British professor Tom Barlow just wants to do right by his unofficial stepson, Charlie, but his visa is about to expire. Now Tom must either get a green card or leave the States—and leave Charlie behind.

In a moment of impulsiveness, Honor agrees to help Tom with a marriage of convenience—and make her ex jealous in the process. But juggling a fiancé, hiding out from her former best friend and managing her job at the family vineyard isn’t easy. And as sparks start to fly between Honor and Tom, they might discover that their pretend relationship is far too perfect to be anything but true love.

Want to win? Simply comment on this post from November 5th-12th! Winner will be notified November 13th! Please leave an email address (you may use the AT and DOT). Giveaway is open to US/Canada only (sorry!)

Giveaway: So Tough to Tame by Victoria Dahl

Thanks to Harlequin Books, I have a copy of So Tough to Tame by Victoria Dahl to give away to a lucky commenter!

Here’s the synopsis from Goodreads:

Tough to tame, but not too tough to love… Charlie Allington is supposed to be on the fast track to the top-a small-town girl who was making it big in her career. Instead, she’s reeling from a scandal that’s pretty much burned all her bridges. Now, out of options, she needs a place to lick her wounds and figure out her future. True, working at a ski resort in rugged Jackson Hole, Wyoming, isn’t her dream job. But if there’s one perk to coming back, it’s a certain sexy hometown boy who knows how to make a girl feel welcome.

Cowboy Walker Pearce never expected a grown-up Charlie to be temptation in tight jeans. She’s smart and successful-way out of league for a man like him. But he’s not about to let that, or his secrets, get in the way of their blazing-hot attraction. Yet when passion turns to something more, will the truth-about both of them-send her out of his life for good…or into his arms forever?

Want to win So Tough to Tame? Comment below for a chance to win! Please leave your email in the comments (you may use the AT and DOT). Giveaway runs from October 14th-October 21st at 11:59pmEST. Winner will be announced October 22nd. Giveaway is open to US/Canada residents.

While following Traveling With T or “liking” Traveling With T will not gain you an extra entry- if you have been enjoying the content- consider following or “liking”!

Wedding Belles by Beth Albright

Photo Credit: Goodreads

The Sassy Belles are Back! Wedding bells are ringing for Vivi- unless the psychic’s prediction is true! Blake O’Hara Heart knows this- in the Deep South, in August, you do not upset a pregnant bride- it’s just too darn hot for that mess!

Blake is knee deep into planning her best girlfriend ever an over the top wedding and baby shower! Vivi asks Blake to have Myra Jean, trailer park psychic to the ladies in Tuscaloosa, read their futures at her combo wedding/baby shower. Blake agrees because she is the most loyal matron of honor. As part of booking Myra Jean for the shower, Vivi gets a sample reading. Oh if only Blake had herself a magic ball- then she could have known the trouble heading Vivi’s way! Myra Jean lets Vivi know there is another woman in the picture- which prompts Vivi into a full-on hissy fit. Blake mollifies Vivi by saying that it could be the baby girl (Vivi just has a feeling it’s a girl). However, it’s not long before Vivi, Lewis and Blake find out that Myra Jean is right. A woman from Lewis’s past is going to make this wedding a bit more difficult!

Blake’s law practice has problems as well. The body that was discovered while looking for Lewis is a man who recently inherited his family’s money, amongst a disagreement with his other family members. Blake is trying to find out what happened to him and who earns his inheritance since he was recently married. The barge company says he must have fallen off the boat, the insurance won’t pay till they can rule out suicide, and Blake needs to find this wife! Cal, Lewis’s computer whiz best friend, finds the wife and also finds Lewis’s first wife- when Blake realizes they have the same last name, her pretty head wonders “What if they are the same person?”

On the political front, Harry is working hard to win the November Senate election- and Blake, being the consummate Southern Belle, is going to stick by him in public and help him win this election. In private, though, Blake’s a bad girl- she’s found her true love, Sonny, and wants to make things work with him. Harry has his own private fun- and that nosy reporter, Dallas, is doing her best to crack the case on the Hearts. Dallas is worried about her job, so having the inside track on a story about a falling out between the Hearts could lead to some juicy air time.

Between getting Vivi ready for her wedding, balancing her professional and personal life with Sonny, helping Harry get elected, and finding out what happened on that barge- Blake is busier than a bee in a bonnet. Watching Vivi, her Sassy Belle best friend, on the verge of everything she’s ever longed for- makes Blake happy- and a tad bit wistful. Life is changing for the Sassy Belles- but Blake’s about to find out exactly how much life is changing!

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

The Sassy Belles are back! If you thought Blake and Vivi were going to let a wedding be a calm and serene event- you were wrong! The sassy girls are ready for whatever curveball life throws them- and life’s got quite a few!

Funny, charming, and sweet- Wedding Belles is a read that should be enjoyed with a glass of sweet tea. After reading Wedding Belles, you might feel like talking in Southern accent and watching some college football- don’t fight the feeling!

Perfect for fans of light reading, romance, and Southern Belles.

*This book was provided to Traveling With T in exchange for a fair and honest review. All above thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

A Seaside Christmas by Sherryl Woods

Photo Credit: Amazon

Are you in the mood for sweet holiday story? One that soothes the soul, makes you feel all warm and fuzzy? A Seaside Christmas is what you are looking for!

Jenny Collins dreamed her whole life of having a big family, a family to love and support her. Her and her mother were close- but when she would look at the O’Brien family- she knew that was what she wanted. Until, her mother married an O’Brien and then became pregnant. Jenny begins to feel left out and replaced. For the last few years, Jenny has been living in Nashville working as a songwriter and becoming famous. The relationship with her mother has changed and Jenny feels some guilt- but not enough to make a change, Until this Christmas. After a cheating scandal with her ex-boyfriend, Caleb Green, Jenny is looking forward to being away from Nashville in the holiday season.

When her aunt Bree calls Jenny to ask her to write some songs for a Christmas play- Jenny agrees, but is still hesitant about seeing her mother, stepfather and brother. But Bree insists and Jenny needs a break from Nashville. So she decides to head to Chesapeake Shores and leave life behind for a few days.

Caleb Green has other plans for Jenny, though. Caleb knows he screwed up with Jenny- he was drinking too much, and the public scandal of his cheating hurt Jenny in so many ways. Caleb has had time to think about things- and he knows he needs to at least make amends with Jenny- so he heads to Chesapeake Shores to do that. The more he sees Jenny, though, the more he realizes that he doesn’t want to be just friends- he wants her back in his life. And he sets out to prove to Jenny that he’s a changed man.

Jenny is on a emotional roller-coaster- the O’Briens are ready for her to mend the rift with her mother, Caleb is back in her life, and Jenny is not sure what she should think of all this. Slowly, Jenny begins to see how much she’s missed Caleb- but can she trust him? Jenny also starts to see that the only reason she felt left out at the O”Briens is because of herself, not them. Can Jenny finally see that there is a place for her in the family?

Set in a beautiful town, with characters that are loving and memorable- A Seaside Christmas is full of love and happiness- and second chances.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

This is my first Sherryl Woods book- but I’ve been looking for sweet and romantic book to read for some time. I’m a sucker for stories like this- and A Seaside Christmas did not disappoint. Slightly predictable- but warm and fuzzy. Fans of Sherryl will not be disappointed (I’m sure!) and if you are looking for a sweet read for the upcoming holidays, you’ve found it!

*This book was requested through Netgalley, All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

The Stranger You Know (Forensic Instincts) by Andrea Kane

Someone is murdering red headed women in New York City. Someone who has an axe to grind against a particular red-headed woman. Can the Forensic Instincts team find the murderer? Before he attacks the target of his obsession, their leader, Casey?

Casey has assembled a team of the best of the best. Some might call it a dream team of investigators. Casey calls it Forensic Instincts. With each person on the team having a specific set of skills, collectively- they solve cases others can’t. But there is one case, Casey has never been able to solve. A case that haunts her to this day. The case of her missing friend, Holly.

When Forensic Instincts is hired by a man searching for his missing daughter, Casey knows it’s a long shot to find the daughter. The case is 15 years old, and cold cases are tough to solve. However the man is dying and Casey wants to try to give him peace of mind. Casey also has an ulterior motive- the details from the missing girl Jan’s case are eerily similar to Holly’s case. Casey wonders if the two could be linked.

While the team is searching for clues about Jan’s disappearance, a man is setting other plans in motion. From his jail cell, he is keeping tabs on the case and making plans. And he has plans for Casey- plans that involve pain and torture.

At Columbia, a young petite red-head is raped and killed. Right after, Casey gets a call taunting her about the murder and the plans for her. Casey knows of 1 man who wants to torture and kill her- but he’s in jail serving a 30 year sentence- so it can’t be him. Can it? And if it’s not- does he have something to do with the phone call? As more red-heads are being killed, Casey gets calls from the killer- taunting her, letting her know he’s getting closer.

With each call, Casey knows he’s getting closer to his ultimate goal- and she’s ready. Casey refuses to change her life, refuses to be a victim. Instead she puts herself in the hot seat and goes to the prison to visit the man in jail. There, Casey finds a tie between the killings happening and the man in prison. She wonders how things are tied together- but does not have to wonder long- as the master plan becomes apparent quickly.

Will Casey and the Forensic Instincts team be able to solve the case? Will Casey ever get peace about Holly? And will the plan, the plan of evil, torture, and pain beyond all measure happen to Casey? And if so- who’s the person inflicting the pain- the man that Casey thinks or a stranger she knows?

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

This is a series (although this is the first I’ve read). Casey and her team set out to solve crimes that the police cannot solve- due to limited resources. The team is a merry band of folks- with each person having a skill that comes in handy. Twists and turns throughout the novel, but the ending is not quite as good as earlier in the book. Some red-herrings, some misdirection to throw the reader off the scent of who is the mastermind- but, some readers will be able to guess. Still enjoyable and worth a read.

*This book was requested through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

Interview with Beth Albright author of The Sassy Belles

Beth Albright, author of The Sassy Belles, found time in her busy schedule to stop by and answer some questions. Interviewing Beth was a fun experience- and if her book, The Sassy Belles, is half as fun as finding our her answers- then we are in for a delight! The Sassy Belles is part of Deep South Magazine’s Summer Reading List– a list that has quite a few good books- whether you are from the South or just long to read about Southern life and Southern belles.

Interview with Beth Albright:

What was the inspiration for The Sassy Belles?

Literally, I was homesick. I had had many careers from being an actress on Days of Our Lives, to being a long-time radio talk show host all over the country. After my son was born, I opened an acting school for kids and after nearly 7 years, the Enron scandal happened in Houston, TX, and my school was collateral damage. I sat in a rainy parking lot waiting for my husband to run into a grocery store, when I pulled my directors notebook from my purse and scribbled out the very first words of what would become The Sassy Belles. “My name is Blake O’Hara Heart and boy do I have a story to tell. It wouldn’t be such a story if Vivi hadn’t done what she did.” I was homesick and needed my mom and sassy girlfriends around me—with some salty margaritas!

From the beginning to end, how long did The Sassy Belles take to write?

It took many years because I wasn’t serious about it. I wrote most of it after my acting school closed and we were living in Nashville. Then we moved to LA for the third time, and my son became a competitive pairs figure skater and I put it away for three years. But my mom kept pushing me to finish, telling me I really had something, so I finished, went to the San Francisco Writers Conference, met my agent and she sold a three-book deal to Harlequin/MIRA!

Do you have a writing space? A writing routine?

I have a favorite chair, with my cat nicely sprawled behind my head on the back of the chair. Also, I love my desk and my writing space on the fourth floor of my SF townhome, but the chair in the bedroom seems to be where I land. My routine is hard…I had only about 5 weeks each to write the last 2 books in the trilogy. We wanted to keep a tight production schedule and I wanted to get the books out, so I wrote from about 9am till about 2-3am, taking breaks of course. With the next trilogy, I will be taking more time, but I am pretty diligent and focused when I write. I get inside the story and sometimes it’s hard to get me out!

Are any of the characters based on people in real life? Or just figments of your imagination?

All of the characters are good amalgamations of many of the people I know. I like to take traits of different people and put together new people. The character of Meridee is very much like my late maternal grandmother. She is closest to her actual character.

Will you be going on a book signing tour? If so, what are you looking forward to the most about the tour?

We just did a huge launch and book party at the Barnes and Noble in Tuscaloosa Alabama, where the books are based. We sold 200 books in four hours!! It was crazy. I definitely want to go on a huge book tour and I am hoping to put one together this fall when all 3 books are out! What I look most forward to is meeting my readers! I love people and love shaking hands, and talking with them!

Do you want The Sassy Belles to be made into a movie one day? If so, who are the actors that would comprise your dream cast?

Actually, the book is currently being packaged for a pitch for an hour long TV series!!! Vivi was written for Jessica Chastain!! I love Allison Brie as she appeared in Five Year Engagement as Blake! Betty White as Meridee for sure, Delta Burke for Kitty, Jessica Simpson (not pregnant) as Dallas. The men, oooh I love so many of them! Maybe Jon Hamm as Harry, Blake Shelton as Sonny, and Vince Vaughn as Lewis. Bonita would be played by Octavia Spencer and Arthur would be played by Denzel Washington! His character becomes huge in later books! I think that would be awesome!

The Sassy Belles is the first in the series. Can you tell us anything about the next two books, Wedding Belles and Sleigh Belles?

Wedding Belles, out July 30^th, to me, is the funniest of the three books. Here is the quote from the back of the book:

Seven months pregnant and head over heels in love, Vivi Ann McFadden is busy pulling together the final details for her wedding to Lewis Heart, famous play-by-play announcer for the Crimson Tide. But with two wedding-planners-gone-wild and a psychic giving her advice, a missing wedding ring and the ceremony happening on the same day as the wildly popular Crimson Tide kickoff game, chaos reigns supreme. Luckily, maid of honor Blake O’Hara Heart is on the job. She’ll tackle this wedding if it’s the last thing she does!

Sleigh Belles is much more poignant. While there are funny scenes, the story is a tale of tying to put pieces of a fragmented family back together for Christmas. You’ll need your hankies for sure. It is the most deep and emotional of the three books. Here is the back cover:

With her hair perfectly coiffed, nails freshly manicured and a heavy trail of perfume wafting behind her, local news reporter Dallas Dubois is sure she’s about to kick her career—and maybe her love life—into high gear. The director of the Tuscaloosa children’s Christmas play has fallen ill, and Dallas is ordered by her station manager to take the reins. Everyone is shocked—especially Cal Hollingsworth, who still remembers her as the Ice Queen from high school.

If nothing else, Dallas has never met a challenge that a little lip gloss and a Chanel knockoff couldn’t fix. But she has no idea how to relate to these kids, and their brutal honesty is giving her pause. Things are made even more complicated by the butterflies she gets whenever Cal is near….

But when long-lost family members reenter her life, Dallas’s icy veneer begins to melt. And with Cal by her side, she soon realizes that it’s what’s under all the hair spray that counts.

Now that you’ve read the interview- is your inner “sassy belle” just having a fit to read The Sassy Belles? If so, you are in luck! Come back on Friday- Beth will be revealing her #literarycrush, some Southern writers that she just LOVES, and more. There will also be a #giveaway of The Sassy Belles!

Beth Albright, author of The Sassy Belles, loves her sassy girlfriends and some salty margaritas ( Beth sounds like a very good person to be friends with!) For more information about Beth, please visit her website, The Sassy Belles Facebook page, or Twitter.

*Special shout-out goes to Beth for agreeing to this interview. Long live The Sassy Belles!