 Ominous words from the stone-faced physician at the temporary hospital greet her: "Welcome to hell, Miss James." No description could be more accurate. Earthquake, tsunami, and fire have razed Messina, Sicily. In a single night in 1909, one hundred thousand people never wake up. Physician Lucille James is determined to help despite horrendous conditions, almost non-existent medical supplies, and the opposition of the medical community she worked so hard to join. Giovanni Castello, the man facing her now, stands as her biggest opponent. Surrounded by blood and death and pushed to the edge of exhaustion, Lucille relies on God as her only option. When God gives a gift, after all, a person must use it. Will she have the strength, courage, and faith to do so? Messina - Book 1 in the Casa Bella Chronicles Liz Galvano has been writing since she was a little girl. Her stories combine old style adventure and romance with a dash of humor. She loves family, food, animals, and all things Italian. Liz lives with her husband Jeff, two rambunctious dogs, two entitled cats, and a horse who thinks she's a princess. Buy Links: https://www.amazon.com/Messina-Book-Casa-Bella-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B017DVVUEI/ https://www.amazon.com/Messina-Liz-Galvano/dp/1498453074/ ~My Review~Truly this is one of those "do not judge the book by its cover." The cover, for me at least, looks plain, a little lacking and something I would have passed over in a bookstore. But within these pages contains rich Italian languages and words that flowed so easily they were able to transport me to Italy in just a few short paragraphs. What a wonderful story of redemption, hope and faith amidst the destruction. Perhaps because of the recent devastation of Puerto Rico and seeing it in person after Hurricane Harvey, I could see the images so vividly. As a believer, all I could do during the storm was pray and my faith in God and His people continued to give me hope as I saw neighbors helping neighbors. God is there in the rubble. I was pulling for Giovanni and hoped that I would read his testimony.....and Liz didn't disappoint. It was beautiful and heartbreaking. I can't wait to read both Giovanni and Lucille's continuing story! This was more than just a slow budding romance, more than a look at societal norms in the early 20th century, more than just a tragedy......this was what hope and faith reads like in the devastation of Messina. ***I received this book in exchange for an honest review. However, these thoughts and opinions are my own. I'm not required to write a positive review.*** About the Author Liz Galvano has been writing since she was a little girl. Her stories combine old style adventure and romance with a dash of humor. She loves family, food, animals, and all things Italian. Liz lives with her husband Jeff, two rambunctious dogs, two entitled cats, and a horse who thinks she’s a princess.
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 Megan Malone is the ultimate homebody. When her sister talks her into going on The Leftover, a local version of the TV show Survivor, she isn’t sure she’ll make it past the first vote. Cane Trevino is nursing a broken heart by joining the show as a medic. With time away from his regular job and a dozen contestants to distract him, he hopes he can finally get over the woman he thought was “the one.”   ~My Review~This reminded me of an earlier book I had read but both women in the stories were considerably different. I related more to Megan than the other protagonist. We both have this social awkwardness and aloofness about us. I probably would have gone kicking and screaming into the room or just called timeout and exited the show, however. Anyway, this was such a cute and fast read. If you love any type of reality tv, this one is for you. It's always fun to lump strangers together and see what type of characters emerge in stressed out situations. Much like all reality shows, we have a villain, some backstabbers, one side versus the other. It never lulled in any parts for me and I wonder if it's because I don't enjoy this type of voyeurism on television but reading the thoughts and motivations certainly captured my attention. This is my first book of Brooke's and I can tell you, it won't be the last! ***I received this book in exchange for an honest review. However, these thoughts and opinions are my own. I'm not required to write a positive review.*** About the AuthorBrooke Williams is a former radio announcer/producer and script writer turned freelance writer and author. When Brooke's first daughter was born in 2009 she left her full time radio career to stay home. Eventually, she realized she could fulfill her lifelong desire to write while her daughter napped and she then entered into the freelance writing world. As her business grew, she took on clients from all over the world and began to dabble in fiction writing once again. Brooke has several books on the market including her first novel, "Someone Always Loved You" and the thriller "Beyond the Bars." Her romantic comedies include "Wrong place, Right time" (December 9th 2014 from the Writer's Coffee Shop), "Accept this Dandelion" (feb 2015, Prism Book Group) "Mamarazzi (August 2015, Prism Book Group,) "Dandelions on the Road" (Nov 2015), "After the Final Dandelion (March 2016) and the short story "Backwards Christmas" (Nov 2015, Prism Book Group.) She also has two children's books on the market, "Shower in the Rain" and "Baby Sheep Gets a Haircut." Brooke loves all things writing and currently specializes in clean romantic comedy, though she's written a bit of everything. She looks forward to her next publishing venture with BQB Publishing. Together, they will put out "The Leftover" in June 2017. Brooke has two young daughters, ages 7 and 3, and has been married since 2002.
Get details on all of Brooke's releases on her website: AuthorBrookeWilliams.com  Peoples' expectations can make you or break you. Aurora Stone knows what it's like to be raised under heavy expectations. From an early age, her parents' laid the law down and she'd never strayed off the path that they had laid before her. She kept every rule they ever gave her and for every rule she broke, she felt immense guilt whilst her little sister made it her life's mission to break the rules. "Everyone calls me perfect; the perfect daughter, the perfect student, the perfect friend, practically perfect in every way, I might as well be fricking Mary Poppins. I was brought up on a list of rules and I don't remember the last time I broke one..." Don't drink to excess and never get drunk. Don't do drugs, not even just to try it, just don't do it. Don't lie, never cheat on a test. Always be the best, get the best results, be competitive but be generous and gracious. Don't do anything that might put you in danger. Work hard, be selfless. Don't dress inappropriately; only wear skirts that fall below the knee. No piercings and definitely no tattoos. Don't gamble. Do charity work. Go to church, sing in the choir, find yourself a nice Christian boy and settle down, get married, have children, and above all else never ever have sex outside of wedlock. The list of rules seems endless. Aurora decides on a night out with her friends that she wants to break the rules, so when she sees Landon sat at the bar watching her, she makes a split second decision that might just change her life, one broken rule at a time. When Landon offers to help her break the rules, he doesn't expect her to break his rules too. Aurora Stone knows what it means to keep the rules. She’s lived with the expectations of the people around her. The only person whose expectations aren’t met? Hers. On the spur of the moment, Aurora decides to break the rules. Only the list seems endless and Aurora is a little overwhelmed by it. When she sees Landon sat at the bar watching her, she makes a split second decision that might just change her life, one broken rule at a time. The list of broken rules quickly exceeds the number of rules they keep as they embark on this whirl wind adventure of control and chaos. ~My Review ~This was a steamy romance about the good girl and bad boy that's been overdone, quite frankly. But Hanleigh wrote it with both protagonist's point of view and we were privy to read both thoughts and motivation. Both characters were developed and there was still enough mystery and allure that kept my interest. ***I received this book in exchange for an honest review. However, these thoughts and opinions are my own. I'm not required to write a positive review.*** About the AuthorHanleigh loves books more than nearly anything in the world; whether its reading them or writing them, Hanleigh just can't get enough. She relishes in the way authors can create worlds with the words they put in their books. She loves the way your imagination introduces you to a new world when you read a book. It may well be a world completely foreign to the one you live in. That world is brought to life; inspires you to dream, captivates your imagination, entices your senses.
Hanleigh first took to reading as a small child reading Dr Zeus. She then fell in love with romance literature when she first read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; when she first swooned over Mr Darcy. She's read more books than she can count and owns more books than some libraries. Although born in Scotland, she sometimes wishes she could live inside the world that she can create inside her mind, but since that isn't possible she puts pen to paper and shares that world with this world instead. There is something addictive about being able to mould your words into something that causes the reader to fall into your mind. When you put pen to paper and create a world, it's exhilarating. Every word has meaning. You know every character intimately. You know every secret, every whisper, every smell, every look,; as the author you know the world you created and more so than even the most avid of readers you can get lost in your own creation. Social Media Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorhanleigh/ Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14468232.Hanleigh_Bradley Twitter - https://twitter.com/HanleighBradley Website - www.hanleighbradley.co.uk  A poetry collection divided into three parts. Debut, The Plot Thickens and Ever After. Each part represents the struggles of life on themes of adversity, love, inspiration, faith, identity and healing. You will be lead through the plot and by the end you will have vanquished your villain. Everyone can be a hero. You just need to be yours first.  Buy Links: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sahira-Javaid/e/B003F6MQHQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1503703094&sr=8-1 Website: essentuatelife.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bittersweetbook Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SahiraJavaidPoet/ About the authorSahira Javaid is a writer who is currently working on a YA fantasy. She is a poetess from Ottawa who shares her poems on her Facebook page and her website. Fond of animals, nature and learning, she passes time with reading about the world around her, nature’s healing ways, chatting with friends and making others smile and laugh every time she gets. You can find her on Twitter as Bittersweetbook. Her other two poetry books Bittersweet and Hot Ice are available on Amazon and other online retailers. Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bittersweetbook Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SahiraJavaid/ Website: http://essentuatelife.com/   What if you fall in love and your family thinks you are crazy? Sonia too gets in a similar situation. Sonia, a submissive and people-pleasing girl falls in love with the chirpy girl Esha. Their common passion for painting brings them closer. Sonia realizes that no one in her family will accept her relationship with Esha. But her heart and emotional state are beyond the control of her own mind. At first, they keep their relationship on the hush. Unfortunately, their secret comes out in an ugly way and havoc breaks loose. Will Sonia stand up for herself and withstand the pressure of not following the cultural norms? Are they destined to meet? Can Sonia and Esha live happily ever after? Breaking Norms is a captivating and engrossing tale of love, agony and tolerance. ~ My Review ~I must admit that when I was first approached to read this book, I was apprehensive. I've never read any LGBT love story before and I wasn't sure what to expect.....and whatever it was that I thought I was expecting flew out the window as soon as I read Sonia's words. Given her Indian culture and background, I'm sure Sonia would be just as confused about her feelings towards the same sex but she knew what was love and for who....and from the beginning, she was sure this was the person she was meant to be with. Love is love is love. If you took out the LGBT aspect of this story, you are presented with a touching romance between two people who had to overcome familial pressures and cultural ideals. When you add in the LGBT aspect of it, you get a beautifully painted love affair between two women Breaking Norms. Well done and congrats, Mita Balani on your debut! Your words crafted a touching love story. About the AuthorPeople around Mita Balani say she is a cheerful and genuinely happy person. She believes that she is a hopeless romantic at heart. Her kids say she is the best mom ever while her husband calls out that she scares the heck out of him when she is angry.
Mita writes contemporary fiction on relationships, love, and social issues. She enjoys crafting stories about family, friendship, hurt, and characters who face challenges and find the way out. She loves to bring out the strong side and sad emotions of those characters during their struggle. No matter how much agony the characters go through, she loves to see them happy at the end. Mita was born in a small town of India and has been living in the United States for several years. Growing up, she cherished writing stories and reciting poems. In engineering college, where most of her classmates published technical papers, she enjoyed taking part in storytelling contests, debates, and poetry competitions. Today she has a successful career in Information Technology, but she still loves writing stories and poems. Breaking Norms is her first foray in writing a novel. To find out more about Mita and her writing, find her at: www.mitabalani.com https://www.facebook.com/MitaBalaniAuthor/ https://www.instagram.com/mitabalani/ https://twitter.com/MitaBalani https://www.pinterest.com/mitabalani/ http://www.goodreads.com/mitabalani  ‘Remember Me in Sleepless Nights’ promises to be that friend who will console you in solitude and lead your way into a compelling journey of life along its pages filled with passion, rhythm and verse. This collection of poetry endeavours to bring the Korean poetry form Sijo to the avenue of English poetry, which has been seldom attempted before. With a comprehensive mix of standard English poetry, English Sijo and a bout of Hindi poetry, the author wishes to indulge you in an assortment of poetic styles. Each poem, interestingly, also embraces a Korean title as the final touch of its cultural amalgamation ~ My Review ~For me, this collection oscillated between anger and distress. There were a few poems here that I could hear in my head with an angry tone and I'm curious, seeing as Shefali Banerji is a spoken word artist, what these are supposed to sound like. Spoken poems aren't meant to be read and in the random bout of quietness I had at home, I read them outloud. I felt the anger. I heard the rage in these words. I also heard distress. Like, the poet felt trapped and needed a way out. Or maybe it was the switching between different styles that reflected my own distress. I like for things to flow and the choppiness and back and forth felt unfamiliar. Mind you, Shefali does an excellent job with different poetic styles. Perhaps, given my post-Hurricane Harvey situation, I was more prone to anger and distress and took it out on words that were meant to soothe rather than cause friction. We all react to things differently and for a poetry collection meant to act as friend, I had a lot of emotions throughout and some of them were friendly, some were stronger than others, but most of them definitely to Remember (me) in Sleepless Nights. ***I received this book in exchange for an honest review. However, these thoughts and opinions are my own. I'm not required to write a positive review.*** About the AuthorShefali Banerji is a poet, writer and spoken word artist from India. She graduated with an Honors degree in English from St. Xavier's College Calcutta (India), and is currently pursuing Master's in English from the University of Calcutta. She has two poetry books to her name, published independently, 'A Circus of Emotions' and 'Remember Me in Sleepless Nights'.
Social media links: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16207810.Shefali_Banerji https://www.instagram.com/weaving_poetry https://www.facebook.com/weavingpoetryinsta https://twitter.com/ShefaliBanerji 
This is my stop during the book blitz for Sunsets at Seaside by Addison Cole. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 23 august till 5 September. See the tour schedule here: http://www.lolasblogtours.net/book-blitz-sunsets-at-seaside-by-addison-cole
Sunsets at Seaside (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers #4) By Addison Cole Genre: Sweet Contemporary Romance Age category: New Adult, Adult Release Date: 23 August, 2017
Blurb:
Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers features a group of fun, flirty, and emotional friends who gather each summer at their Cape Cod cottages. They’re sassy, flawed, and so easy to relate to, you’ll be begging to enter their circle of friends! Sunsets at Seaside by Addison Cole is the sweet edition of New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster's steamy romance novel Seaside Sunsets. The stories and characters remain the same, and convey all of the passion you expect between two people in love, without any explicit scenes or harsh language. In SUNSETS at SEASIDE… Jessica Ayers has lived a sheltered life with little more than cello lessons and practices taking up her day. Now a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she escapes the prim and proper symphony to vacation in the Seaside community in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, to determine if she is living life to the fullest or missing it altogether. For the first time since developing the second largest search engine in the world, billionaire Jamie Reed is taking the summer off. He plans to work from the Cape and spend time with his elderly grandmother—and falling in love is not in his plans. From the moment Jamie and Jessica meet, the attraction is white-hot. Once-overly-focused Jamie can think of little else than sweet, smart, and alluring Jessica, and Jessica discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. But when Jamie’s business encounters trouble and his attorney and best friend intervenes, he proves that the brown-haired beauty is too distracting for Jamie. To make matters worse, it appears that Jessica might not be who she says she is, turning Jamie’s life—and his heart—upside down. In a world where personal information is always one click away, Jamie must decide if he should trust his heart or watch the woman he loves walk away. You can find Sunsets at Seaside on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34993164-sunsets-at-seasid
You can buy Sunsets at Seaside here:
- Amazon: http://smarturl.it/SAS_Lola - Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2qCip8z - Kobo: http://smarturl.it/SweetSAS_Kobo - iBook: http://apple.co/2p0tzXJ - Google Play: http://bit.ly/2pKwumx - Paperback: http://smarturl.it/SweetSAS_Pb 
Excerpt
“Come on. Come on. Come on.” Fifteen seconds. She clenched her eyes shut and squeezed the phone, as if she could will the win. It was only seven thirty in the morning, and already the sun had blazed a path through the trees. She was hot and frustrated, and after fighting with her orchestra manager for two weeks about taking a hiatus, and her mother for even longer about everything under the sun, she was ready to blow. She’d come to the Cape for a respite from playing in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, hoping to figure out if she was living her life to the fullest, or missing out on it altogether. Finding her father’s baseball autographed by Mickey Mantle was her self-imposed distraction to keep her mind off picking up the cello. She’d never imagined she’d find it a week into her vacation.
She opened her eyes and stared at the phone. Five seconds. Four. Three. A message flashed on the screen. You have been outbid by another bidder. “What? No. No, no, no.” She pressed the bid icon, and nothing happened. She pressed it again, and again, her muscles tightening with each attempt. Another message flashed on the screen. Bidding for this item has ended. No! She stared at the phone, unable to believe she’d been seconds away from winning what she was sure was her father’s baseball and had lost it. She hated phones. She hated eBay. She hated bidding against nonexistent people in tiny little stupid phones. She hated the whole thing so much she turned and hurled the phone over the deck. Wow. That felt really, really good. “Ouch! What the…” A deep male voice rose up to her. Jessica crouched and peered between the balusters. Standing on the gravel road just a few feet from her building, in a pair of black running shorts and no shirt, was the nicest butt she’d ever seen, attached to a tanned back that was glistening with sweat and rippled with muscles. Holy moly, they didn’t make orchestra musicians with bodies like that. Not that she’d know, considering that they were always properly covered in black suits and white shirts, but could a body like that even be hidden? He turned, one hand rubbing his unruly black hair as he looked up at the pitch pine trees. Yeah, you won’t find the culprit there. His eyes passed by her deck, and she cringed. At least he hadn’t seen her phone, which she spotted a few feet away, where it must have fallen after conking him on the head. His eyes dropped to the ground…and traveled directly to it. Jessica ducked lower, watching his brows knit together, giving him a brooding, sexy look. Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me. He looked at the cottages to his left, then to the pool off to his right, and just as Jessica sighed with relief, he crossed the road toward the steps to her apartment. His eyes locked on her. He shaded them with his hand and looked down at the phone, then back up at her, and lifted the phone in the air. “Is this yours?” She debated staying there, crouched and peering between the railings like a child playing hide-and-seek, hoping he really couldn’t see her. I’ve been seeked. Darn it! 
Earlier books in this series:
Read, Write, Love at Seaside (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers #1): https://www.amazon.com/Read-Write-Love-Seaside-Sweet-ebook/dp/B0711C22JY/ Dreaming at Seaside (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers #2): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0722PTFLZ/ Hearts at Seaside (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers #3): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0727XKSFR/ Get Read, Write Love at Seaside for free here: - Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Read-Write-Love-Seaside-Sweet-ebook/dp/B0711C22JY/ - B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/read-write-love-at-seaside-addison-cole/1126323563?ean=2940157541002 - Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/read-write-love-at-seaside - iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/read-write-love-at-seaside/id1232646968?mt=11 - Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Addison_Cole_Read_Write_Love_at_Seaside?id=gkPGDgAAQBAJ Upcoming books in this series: Secrets at Seaside (releasing October 25th) Nights at Seaside (releasing December 13th) Seized by Love at Seaside Embraced at Seaside Lovers at Seaside Whispers at Seaside 
About the Author
SIGN UP for ADDISON'S Sweet with Heat newsletter. Fun, flirty romance with a dash of heat. www.AddisonCole.com/Newsletter
Addison Cole is the sweet alter ego of New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster. She writes humorous and emotional sweet contemporary romance. Her books do not include explicit sex scenes or harsh language. Addison spends her summers on Cape Cod, where she dreams up wonderful love stories in her house overlooking Cape Cod Bay. Addison enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups and welcomes an invitation to your event. Addison’s books are available in paperback, digital, and audio formats.
You can find and contact Addison Cole here:
- Website: http://www.AddisonCole.Com - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AddisonColeAuthor - Twitter: https://twitter.com/Addison_Cole_ - Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16711767.Addison_Cole - Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Addison-Cole/e/B0722PVZTS/ - Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Addison_Cole - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/addison_cole_author - Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/111069679807608701878/111069679807608701878 - Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/addison-cole - Newsletter: http://www.AddisonCole.com/Newslette
Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Sunsets at Seaside. One winner will win a $10 Amazon.com giftcard or Paypal Cash (winners choice) – Open International. For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below: 
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Book Pick:I use Goodread's rating scale1 star – didn’t like it
2 stars – it was OK 3 stars – liked it 4 stars – really liked it 5 stars – it was so amazing, it's on my reread pile! Categories
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