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Showing posts with label #Women’s Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Women’s Fiction. Show all posts

Monday, November 2, 2026

Book Slitz of The Amalfi Wish by Rosie Donlin. (#contests- Win A $25 Amazon gift card.)

The Amalfi Wish
Rosie Donlin
(The Lucky Year, #1)
Publication date: October 31st 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Women’s Fiction

Laurel McBride knows how to make other people’s dreams come true. She just has no idea what to do with her own.

As an event planner at a Florida resort, Laurel can rescue beachfront weddings, soothe impossible clients, and solve disasters before anyone notices. But six weeks after she and five other women split an $84 million lottery jackpot, she is still answering emails, fixing everyone else’s problems, and postponing her own life.

So Laurel does something wildly out of character: she walks away from work, crosses the Atlantic, and spends July on the Amalfi Coast with the other winners.

The plan is simple—sunshine, spectacular food, beautiful views, and one glorious month in which nobody needs anything from her.

Then she meets Tore.

With him, Laurel cannot hide behind schedules, competence, or the carefully controlled version of herself who always knows what to do. And as the women settle into their lucky year, Laurel begins to wonder whether the dependable life she built was ever truly hers—or whether being needed has simply kept her from risking what she really wants.

For the first time, Laurel has enough money to choose almost anything.

Now she must decide what would actually make her happy.

Sun-drenched, romantic, and full of friendship, food, and second chances, The Amalfi Wish is the first interconnected standalone novel in The Lucky Year series.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

The condo was quiet at seven, and the orange was still on the cutting board.

Laurel McBride had paid four ninety-nine for it at Whole Foods, then left it there for days, sticker still on the peel. She hadn’t eaten it or put it away.

Outside the sliding door, the courtyard sprinkler was drowning the same azalea again. Laurel caught herself planning what to tell the superintendent, then remembered she wasn’t at Mariner’s Crown. The superintendent could handle the azalea on his own.

Over Memorial Day, a storm at Mariner’s Crown had stranded six women at the Compass Bar long enough for them to buy a Powerball ticket and make a promise. The ticket had left each of them with fourteen million dollars. The promise had given them a year of places to go together, beginning with Laurel’s month on the Amalfi Coast.

Six weeks after the money reached her account, Laurel still hadn’t bought herself a thing. She had paid bills, shifted money among accounts, and stared down every question about what came next. Then she’d spent four ninety-nine on an orange and left it on the cutting board like incriminating evidence. Fourteen million dollars, and produce made her nervous.

She’d been excellent at spending other people’s money. Give Laurel a wedding budget and she could tell you where to save, where to splurge, and which upgrade a bride would remember after the flowers were gone. This money belonged to her rather than a client, free of deadlines and finalized floor plans. It was hers whenever she chose to want something.


Author Bio:

Rosie Donlin writes destination women's fiction about complicated friendships, second chances, and women figuring out what they truly want. Her books blend escapist settings, grown-up romance, humor, memorable meals, and plenty of reasons to pour another glass of wine.

Rosie lives in San Francisco.

Website / Instagram / TikTok




The Amalfi Wish Blitz

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Sunday, October 25, 2026

Book Blitz of Sweet Harmony by Ellie Noor. (#contests- Win A $25 Amazon gift card.)

Sweet Harmony
Ellie Noor
(A Blue Spruce Hills Novella)
Publication date: October 22nd 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance, Women’s Fiction

Who knew placing second in national baking competition would flood your inbox with opportunities?

Not Clara Whitman.

A third-generation baker, Clara knows that businesses like hers are entrusted, not merely handed over. But with options beyond Blue Spruce Hills suddenly in the mix alongside a looming rent increase, she’s at a crossroads. She can afford to keep the bakery going, but not while pursuing something new.

In a small town where beloved establishments are slowly disappearing, however, even the idea of leaving feels traitorous.

When an up-and-coming violinist comes to town to settle the estate of his estranged grandfather and sell the music shop, he is both a distraction and a reminder that sometimes the real challenge in life is deciding how much of it you’re willing to change.

Sweet Harmony is a spirited celebration of a woman who believes every problem has a solution—set against a backdrop of small-town loyalties, beloved holiday traditions, and the romance that sneaks up on her.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Thanks for coming, Rye. I know this is early for you.”

“This is important.” Riley bites into the gingerbread and lets out a blissful sigh. “Mmm… just the right amount of spice.”

She cradles the mug in both hands, inhaling deeply.

I know that look, and instinctively brace for whatever she’s going to say.

“You won’t forget me when you make it big, will you? If I have to keep sharing you, I’m afraid there won’t be anything left just for me.”

Her fear comes out the way it always does—half joke, half confession—and I respond the way I always do.

With humor.

Not because I want to minimize her feelings. She has good reason to feel the way she does. But if I take her words too seriously, we’ll spill over into territory that neither one of us can handle at six o’clock in the morning. Not when we have something important planned five minutes from now.

So I stick my tongue out instead.

“Judging by the way my Instagram numbers jumped overnight, that might just be a possibility.” I wait a beat, then tone it down a notch just to be on the safe side. “Joking aside, it’s wild, considering I came in second.”

“I think America is affronted on your behalf.”

I almost snort. “Maybe they’re sympathy likes. Anyway, the winner deserved it.”

“Only you would be genuinely glad for someone else winning when we both know you needed that first place prize money for a refurb and the rent increase. What a wagon that Mrs. Wallace is, serving a rent increase to the bakery and the bookstore and who knows how many other businesses.”

Wagon. This time I snort for real. “You are so Irish, you know that?”

Riley gives me a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry you came in second. You deserved to win.”

“It’s okay. Someone on the show told me that contestants who come in second are often more popular than the winners and, you know what, they might be right because… ” I pull my cell phone out of my apron. “My inbox has been blowing up.”

“Oh..?”

“Listen to this. A cruise line wants me for a holiday residency next year. Live baking demonstrations while influencers sip champagne. Can you imagine?”

Riley starts picking at her sweater. “On a ship like… on the open seas?”

“No, ‘fraidy cat. They operate on the Hudson, the Mississippi, and other rivers. But that’s not all.” I scroll through more emails. “There’s a seasonal TV show, an invitation to teach at a new culinary institute and, wait for it, an offer to consult on a script for a Hallmark show about a baker. I haven’t even looked at the rest, and there are a dozen more since I last che—”

“Clara.” Riley’s mug lands on the table with a soft thud. “These are big-time offers.”

I don’t even try to stop myself from pulling a face.

“I know right?”

“It’s not surprising, though. You were definitely the fan favorite, and that smile of yours at the end…”

“Crying on national TV wouldn’t have fit my brand.” I laugh softly as I bite into my own gingerbread slice. A personal victory, considering half the town showed up at the community center to watch the finale last night. “Besides, I was genuinely happy for the winner.”


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Sweet Harmony Blitz

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Sunday, October 18, 2026

Book Blitz of Thirty Grains of Love by Anette Rosen. (#contests- Win a $50 Amazon Gift card.)

Thirty Grains of Love
Anette Rosen
Publication date: August 26th 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Thriller, Women’s Fiction

What if the life you fight to save is the life that keeps you from becoming free?

It is 2001, and renowned artist Isabella unveils a triumphant solo exhibition at Boston’s prestigious modern art gallery. While critics have hailed her talent for creating spectacular color-saturated canvases, her career, marriage, and finances are crumbling.

Determined to save her family’s historical house by the sea as well as her psychiatrist husband’s reputation during his court trial in Europe, Isabella must somehow care for her daughter without a steady income. After she demands that her former lover, Angel, support her passion project, Isabella promises him one night in return. Restoring the house and obtaining financing are both part of the project. This depends on tracking down her missing best friend, Nina, whom she had put forward to a wealthy sponsor for adapting his memoir into a novel.

Now trapped in a love triangle and a deepening financial crisis, Isabella must find a way forward as the conflict between love, legacy, and survival compels her to question her deepest beliefs while her reputation hangs in the balance.

Thirty Grains of Love is the tale of long-time friends who must piece together their broken personal lives while pursuing their dreams, defining their identities, and experiencing authentic love for the very first time. Set against the backdrop of history and generational echoes of secrecy and social limitations, it explores the route to happiness and its price across four marriage models—trad wife, double career, open relationship, and unequal income.

An uplifting story with a dual timeline showing that the hardest yet most rewarding decision in midlife is to embrace one’s true self.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

ISABELLA

The Exhibition

Boston 2001

Here I am on another continent, living my dream—a dream I had forgotten and now need to save. Beau Isabella conquered the art world—only to lose everything she ever had. What a deal. And what a mess. Me, as usual, but this time it’s for real.

People are gathering outside the exhibit at NAGA, Boston’s prestigious modern art gallery, welcoming the snowflakes on their faces and eager to get in. Above the entrance hangs a banner adorned with vibrant, shimmering purple letters: ISABELLA. I picture the stars skating far above, poised to illuminate the city in pristine white once the clouds clear.

I wish I fit in here. I wish I were free.

My first exhibition in North America. Pressure, a heavy weight, mingles with pride. TV reporters speaking at the entrance about explosions of color, enchanted faces, and innovative art. Behind them, a poster depicts my auburn hair and pale shoulders as I turn around in a sweeping movement. The New York Times featured an extensive review last week, and I keep rereading my favorite part:

It is hard to believe that Boston discovered this incredible talent first. Visitors say they haven’t experienced colors like this since the Impressionist era. Isabella’s compositions spark countless interpretations; the public and the critics have fallen in love with her.

I hope I can keep the palette bright if Nina is still missing. I need her for my project, and I need her as a friend. She always finds the right words. And then Lucy’s school bills arrive, as punctual as a Japanese train. How could Chris be so sure we can afford it all?

Yesterday was different. I stood near the gallery entrance in my burgundy evening dress, trying to appear both graceful and casual amid the camera flashes—I’m not ready for celebrity just yet. My gallery partner, Alicia, took me aside to meet another journalist.

Meanwhile, I handled the press questions with ease. They’ve become routine, even on television. I only make them put on more rouge to hide how pale my skin is from no sleep and daily exhaustion. Some journalists worship me and submit to my presence just to serve the public—even if they haven’t seen my work. Others are looking for a juicy detail that might make me more intriguing, trying to chip away at my “art goddess” halo.

Still, this time, a humble man from a local magazine, at first distracted and absorbed in his notes, brought me out of my shell with his last question:

“How has your talent remained, even after you ignored it for decades? Is there someone in the family from whom you inherited this gift?”

I took a deep breath. The walls started moving, like each time I tried to approach the tripod hiding in a corner at home. We had long sacrificed the atelier. Feeling miserable for not having painted in years, I didn’t need a gray-suited journalist to remind me of that. I’m thirty-eight, not retired. And it’s a question I never answer in public. So, despite the subtle provocation, I responded with a smile.

“It’s not as if I completely ignored it—books with my illustrations flew off the shelves like hotcakes. I enjoy children’s books the most because they encourage kids to give wings to their imagination before they can read longer texts. The most important thing in life is to touch someone with what you do. If you give somebody a lesson, valuable advice, a beautiful song, or a new life, then you’ve been present in this world.” I shook my head, letting my earrings swing, to give him a sign that the interview was over.

After that, I enjoyed the peacefulness of my natural surroundings—an exhibition hall filled with paintings and new ideas. I knew I had one last chance to preserve it all, but it felt good not to think about reality for a while. After all, Nina must still be alive—she left of her own free will—and for the time being, I somehow serve my debt and Chris’ lawyers’ bills. If only he could silence the media… What was his psychiatrist’s training for? He employed the wrong assistant, and now she is destroying his reputation.

However, you need a free heart to create, so instead of diving into accounting, I keep dreaming of restoring the seaside villa. An art object, it would be my perfect retreat.

It was a pleasant surprise when the next visitor entered the room. Maybe he could contribute to achieving my dream. Angel’s height and wavy dark hair seized everyone’s attention. He surveyed the space like a panther, searching for a suitable place to start. I bounded over to him.

Author Bio:


Anette has been writing stories since she could hold a pencil, short after she turned four. What started as an intrinsic love for storytelling has turned into a lifelong passion, only to be subdued for a while by a professional career and the care she took of her two wonderful daughters. There's nothing Anette likes better than writing (and reading) stories that are both inspiring and humorous, with a touch of romance and a heartwarming streak of truth running through them. 

Anette is a passionate traveler and a big dreamer who never gives up on anything. When she's not writing or inventing new stories, you can find her among her friends or in her maisonette in Frankfurt, Germany, watching masterpiece movies or a tennis match with a glass of wine and her fluffy cat, Lia, beside her.

Anette has a master's degree in English and American literature and a PhD in Linguistics. Having worked as a freelance translator and a project manager, her favourite job has been that of a Tour Director, leading North American groups on educational tours throughout Europe. 

Anette’s stories have found their home in online and printed magazines. Her novella "The Sea Moves On" was published in October 2022 in Sofia to receive a hearty welcome from its readers. Currently, the novel “Thirty Grains of Love” is short before publication.


Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok


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Thirty Grains of Love Blitz

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Saturday, March 21, 2026

Book Blitz Of Secrets of the Midwife by Ann Ormsby.(#Contests- Enter To Win An Ebook Copy.)

Secrets of the Midwife
Ann Ormsby
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: March 18th 2026
Genres: Women’s Fiction

Anabel Leigh has spent years pouring herself into her career, polishing her image, and protecting her fragile heart after too many losses. But everything changes when a stranger presses a baby into her arms in a crowded New York park and vanishes. The child’s golden hair and trusting eyes stir a deeply personal longing Anabel thought she’d buried forever.

What begins as a surreal moment unravels into a storm of headlines and police questions.

Savannah Maas knows the truth. She’s hiding on a farm in Georgia, living by a different code—one forged from secrets, desperation, and choices that blur the line between compassion and crime.

As the world closes in, each woman struggles to keep her dreams from crumbling. For one, receiving the baby is a miracle. For the other, the handoff is a devastating mistake.

Heart-stirring and suspenseful, Secrets of the Midwife is a story of hope, resilience, and the unexpected ways love finds us.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

I am sitting in the little park situated between the town clerk’s office where happy couples come rushing down the steps, laughing and kissing after tying the knot, and the family court where some of them will end up, when things go badly. As I eat my lunch, I chuckle to myself at the irony of these two tall, brick buildings facing each other like powerful gods who already know our fate, providing what we need when we need it.

The thick scent of the candied hazelnuts cooking in a nearby vendor cart wafts over me in the cool April breeze. I pull the collar of my trench coat up around my neck and tighten the knot in my silk scarf. Collecting the wrapper from my sandwich, I put it back in the brown paper bag as my eyes catch a stooped old woman pushing a double stroller with two girls in it.

The one closest to me is a baby with golden blonde hair. Maybe a little more than a year old. I can’t take my eyes off her. The other girl has thick brown hair and looks to be about four years old. They make their way down the path to me, and then, without warning, the older girl unbuckles herself, jumps out of the stroller, and runs into the crowd.

The woman yells at her to stop, but the girl keeps running, weaving between the people walking through the park. After unbuckling the smaller child, the woman picks her up and thrusts her into my lap.

“Hold her,” is all she says before she runs after the other girl, leaving the stroller behind.

I look down at the small face staring up at me. The child does not seem afraid, relaxed even. She explores my face as a growing tension rises in my chest. Groaning in frustration, I stand up, holding the baby in my arms, shifting her weight to my hip, and desperately search the crowd for the woman or the other little girl. They’re gone. My first inclination is to go after them, but after a few steps I stop. What am I doing? I’m holding a child who isn’t mine in the middle of a public New York City park. My armpits grow wet with sweat, and I loosen the scarf around my neck.

Wondering what to do, I go back to the bench and sit down. Without thinking, I smooth the girl’s wavy blonde hair, tucking a piece behind her tiny ear. Time passes and the woman does not return. Panicking, I’m afraid to leave the bench because I want the woman to know where to find me. Assuming she’s coming back. The baby rests her head on my shoulder, and her beautiful blue eyes study me. Without disturbing her, I raise my arm, pull up the sleeve of my coat, and look at my watch. It’s getting late. I have to go back to work.

Twenty minutes pass. Without hope, I stand up again and look for the woman. The lunchtime crowd is starting to grow thin, and I am beginning to feel desperate. After pulling my cell phone out of my bag, I call 911 and the operator says she will send a patrol car.

The minutes tick by slowly. The wait is agonizing. Finally, a squad car pulls up, and I watch as two officers get out, walk to the gate, and scour the park. A man and a woman. They look so young, fresh-faced with heavy equipment hanging off their belts. They see me, and I stand up with the girl who is starting to feel heavy in my arms.

When they reach me, the male officer asks, “Did you call 911?”

“Yes. I was just sitting here, and a woman wearing a scarf and a long skirt gave me this baby.” I stammer knowing how incredulous it sounds.

The officers stare at me, then at the baby.

Finally, the female officer takes a pad out of a box on her belt. “What’s your name?”

“Anabel Leigh.”

“Where do you work?”

I tip my chin in the direction of my building. “Right there.”

“No. What’s the name of your employer?” she asks with annoyance.

“Oh, sorry. C&W Communications.”

“Okay. So, what did the woman look like? Where did she go?” She continues to question me.

“Yes, I need to go back to work. Will you take her?” I try to peel the baby away from my shoulder.


Author Bio:

"Ormsby has a wonderful eye for character and detail, as she fleshes out a keenly observed portrayal of small-town life." ~ Kirkus Review

"The Recovery Room" was a winner at the 2014 Paris Book Festival.

Ann Ormsby is a freelance writer with a master's degree in journalism from New York University. Her writings on reproductive freedom and other public policy issues have appeared in The Newark Star-Ledger, The Huffington Post, njspotlight.com The Westfield Leader and The Alternative Press. Her short stories have appeared in The Greenwich Village Literary Review, Every Day Fiction and hackwriters.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Newsletter / X

GIVEAWAY!


Secrets of the Midwife Blitz

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Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Book Blitz of The Improbable Road Of Return by Nath Jones (#contests)

The Improbable Road of Return
Nath Jones
Publication date: December 17th 2025
Genres: Adult, Romance, Women’s Fiction

What is coming home now? THE IMPROBABLE ROAD OF RETURN is a reentry story about six weeks in the life of a woman named Jenks. In 2012 she accidentally kills a man on a run and does two years in prison for it. After she gets out in 2015 everything is different and her relationships with the two men in her life must change. Does one even know the full truth? How can Jenks be honest? Her mother has to accept her as a murderer, but how can they both acclimate? What will ever be the same? She shoved the man off the bike with the same force she shoves a grocery cart into a parking lot corral. And that makes her among the worst on earth? Well it did kill the man and she did do time. So she must make a way back to who she is. Isandro is her twenty-eight year old lover and Sauveterre is her seventy-four year old neighbor. She isn’t in love with either of them, is she? Or are the relationships of the twenty-first century just that impossible to understand?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo


Author Bio:

Best New American Voices nominee Nath Jones received an MFA in creative writing from Northwestern University. A title in the On Impulse series went to number one on Kindle. Her publishing credits include PANK Magazine, There Are No Rules, and Sailing World, and she has won multiple awards. She lives and writes in Chicago.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram


 

 

 

GIVEAWAY!

The Improbable Road of Return Blitz

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Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Cover reveal of Alice Adrift by Susan Bacon

Alice Adrift
Susan Bacon

Publication date: November 4th 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction

Alice Adrift is an intimate human drama about loss and recovery, coupling and uncoupling, and a child caught in the turmoil.

It’s the 1990s. The Fishers—Alice, David and their two sons, Tobias and Jeremiah—live in the upper Northwest quadrant of Washington DC, home to an urbane mix of journalists, academics and professionals. Alice is a composer and music professor. Her husband is an architect of some note. The economy is booming. Life is good. But their seemingly perfect existence is shattered when Jeremiah, their youngest, dies suddenly of an unidentifiable illness.

In the years that follow, Alice and David seem to lose their bearings. When Toby appears to be struggling, they move him to an alternative school with a baffling curriculum (“They don’t even teach reading, Mom”) and a peculiar set of rules (“Absolutely no television!”). Alice doesn’t seem to fit in, but David is drawn to everything about the place including, Alice eventually realizes, one of Toby’s teachers, the striking woman with the long, tangled red hair.

Not long after David moves out of the house, a group of young men move in next door, ingratiating themselves to Alice. She finds herself attracted to one of them, which sets her further off-kilter. How will she find her way back? How will Toby emerge from all this disruption? And what on earth will happen to David?

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order


Author Bio:

Susan is best-known for her award-winning mysteries — THE HISTORY TEACHER and its sequel THE ART COLLECTOR. Her latest novel, ALICE ADRIFT, is a bit of a departure. An intimate human drama about loss and recovery, coupling and uncoupling, and a child caught in the turmoil, it is slated for release on November 4, 2025.

A graduate of Barnard College with a degree in history, Susan is a former journalist, copywriter and ghostwriter whose credits include an international best seller. She grew up in Wilmington, Delaware and has lived in New York City, Washington, DC, and Memphis, Tennessee, all of which serve as settings for her novels.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram


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Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Book Blitz of Seven Hundred Beachfront by Ligia De Wit #Contests-Enter to win an Amazaon gift card and an ebook copy ogf the book.)

Seven Hundred Beachfront
Ligia de Wit
Publication date: July 22nd 2025
Genres: Adult, Magical Realism, Romance, Women’s Fiction

Some places hold memories. Others have opinions.

I didn’t mean to run again.
But when life gets tangled, I untangle it by leaving. And this time, my escape came with strings attached: a five-year-old brother I never signed up to care for, a seaside town I barely remember, and a tattered house on stilts that belongs in Renter’s Hell.

I told myself it was just for the summer. A break. A pause. A way to escape the people I care about but can’t seem to fit with anymore, and the choices I don’t know how to fix.

But the sea doesn’t let you stay distant for long.

Then there’s him. Quiet. Grumpy. Mysterious. The kind of man who doesn’t ask questions, but somehow sees more than he should. I don’t even like talking to him, and yet… here we are. Sharing long silences. Unexpected moments. Maybe even something more.

And as for the house? Let’s just say it has opinions—and it’s not afraid to share them.

Seven Hundred Beachfront is a heartfelt, magical story about learning to stay, letting people in, and discovering that healing doesn’t always come the way you expect it. But when it does, you’ll feel it down to your bones.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Carole hadn’t sent a thing to keep him busy, damn woman, and I’d only used the TV for movies. Wait a sec—Jessie left a Star Wars movie at my place, the first one, so I should have it here.

“No Scooby, kiddo,” I said while looking in the boxes, “but you’re gonna like this one. It’s the real thing, not a single goofy character one mile near it.”

“ ’Kay.” He sat on the old, flowery couch and gazed at me, expectant.

“How do you want your fish?” I asked while putting the movie on, realizing I had no idea what Bobby liked.

“Dead.”

I gave a small smile. “But how do you like it prepared? Pan fried?”

“No. Like Mom does it.” He lifted his little arms and mimed putting something in a pan. “Like this.”

“You’re not much help, kiddo. I’ll cook it pan fried.”

“ ’Kay,” Bobby whispered, gaze down.

After leaving him with the movie, I got ready to cook. The stove burners were a little rusty but worked. I prepared pan-fried fish, along with steamed vegetables and wild rice. Maybe I didn’t have many accomplishments in my life, but, damn, I could cook. It had been either that or be resigned to eating frozen dinners.

When other kids watched cartoons, I watched cooking shows. At ten, I prepared chicken cordon-bleu. Even Aunt Marie was impressed. Carole just grimaced. It’s overcooked, she’d said.

The aroma of spices and well-cooked fish filled the space, and any knot in my body vanished.

My cell rang, and I picked it up, frowning at the caller ID. “Hey,” I answered flatly.

“Honey!” Carole’s voice came clear. “Darling, you have no idea what a marvelous flight we had.” She laughed, evidently delighted. “First class. The only way to fly. Don’t you ever dare fly coach again, Beverly.”

“Sure. Will do that next time I fly overseas in, I don’t know, my next life, I guess.”

“Oh, don’t be such a bore! Don’t you want me to spill the tea, girlfriend?”

She giggled. Giggled.

“Are you drunk, Mother?”

She sobered up. Nothing like reminding Carole of the maternity role she’d never wanted.

“Sweetheart, you are such a bore.”

I put her on speaker and placed one of my unopened boxes on the counter while Carole talked nonstop about her marvelous, fantastic flight and the wonderful five-star hotel in Madrid.

My Lladró figurine lay wrapped in newspaper. Carefully, I unwrapped it and placed it on the counter. Crap, one of the fruits had broken off.

“Bobby and I are okay,” I managed to say when she took a small pause. “The house’s too old, though. I don’t know if this is a good place for me.”

The wind moaned, and the noisy branch thumped above.

“You haven’t asked me a thing about Madrid,” Carole complained. “Make sure to check the pictures I posted because they are a-ma-zing. I already have more than one-hundred likes!”

“Thank heavens for the social media gods.”

“Don’t give me that snarky tone of yours. You need more good energy in your life, girlfriend. You need a man.”

“Ugh, please.”

“You do. And not that silly cowboy—”

“Gary’s a friend. One of my best friends, actually. Since you’re my girlfriend, then you certainly remember I’ve known him since the seventh grade.”

Author Bio:

Ligia de Wit writes fantasy romance adventures with heart, humor, and just the right dose of magic. A lifelong romantic with a soft spot for fairy tales and found family tropes, Ligia writes characters who are strong in more than just a physical sense. Her characters face fears, fight for themselves, and find love in the most unexpected places.

When she’s not writing (or rewriting) her imaginary worlds, she works for a global distribution company and dreams up stories during lunch breaks. You’ll often find her with her nose in a book, exploring a new city, hiking through forests, or acting like a total goof at theme parks. She’s a proud kid at heart—and owns it.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram


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