There are a few things that make an author a favorite. And what makes Naima Simone a favorite of mine - is she always understands the assignment. This is a writer who gets romance. She knows how to pay off the tropes, how to create fully alive characters and most importantly, keep the pages turning. I've read a lot of Naima's books but nothing prepared me for Church Girl. It's hot. Like...real hot. It has an important conversation within itself about what is holy and what is profane. It's imbedded in rich deep culture. AND she had a few surprises up her sleeve. If you love romance with serious spice that doesn't back down from big issues this is ABSOLUTELY the book for you.

She’s a preacher’s daughter, a runaway bride and now the (not quite) qualified nanny for a sexy tattoo artist with a beautiful daughter—and a dirty mouth.

What’s a bad boy to do with a woman like her?

Everything…

Aaliyah Montgomery isn’t just ditching her wedding. She’s also fleeing her suffocating small town and her family’s expectations. She’s got plans—for college, for finding herself. But landing a job in Chicago that fits her schedule isn’t easy. Good thing Von Howard is desperate to find a live-in nanny. Bad thing that he’s a gritty, grumpy, gorgeous tattoo artist carrying as much baggage as he has ink.

Von’s new hire is inexperienced and a fire hazard in the kitchen. She’s also all thick curls, thicker curves, and a distracting mix of innocence and sensuality. After the upheaval of a divorce, he just needs a nanny, not a sneaky link. Meanwhile, Aaliyah is bonding with his seven-year-old and showing an unexpected flair for tattoo art. Who could resist?

Yet deep down, Aaliyah’s still running—from her feelings and her fear of losing herself to someone else’s expectations again. Even as their pasts return to haunt them, their undeniable heat says maybe it’s time to stand and fight for a love they didn’t see coming.

Buy the book here: https://naimasimone.com/

Find Naima here: https://www.instagram.com/naimasimoneauthor/

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I had no idea Queen Elizabeth II had a favorite cocktail. Did you? A Dubbonet and Gin and let me tell you, that first sip is a doozy, but after that it's delicious drinking. Much in the same way Heather Webb and Hazel Gaynor's latest release: Christmas With The Queen is just delightful reading. Rich with historical details and cozy Christmas details and a lovely star-crossed love story. This is a perfect read for the holiday season. We talk about the amazing partnership between them, the division of labor, the joy of travel research and the intimidating nature of writing about The Queen. All while getting a little tipsy on her favorite tipple!

’Tis the season! The Crown meets When Harry Met Sally in the latest heartwarming historical novel from Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, bestselling authors of Last Christmas in Paris, Meet Me in Monaco, and Three Words for Goodbye.

December 1952. While the young Queen Elizabeth II finds her feet as the new monarch, she must also find the right words to continue the tradition of her late father’s Christmas Day radio broadcast. But even traditions must evolve with the times, and the queen faces a postwar Britain hungry for change.

As preparations begin for the royal Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk, old friends—Jack Devereux and Olive Carter—are unexpectedly reunited by the occasion. Olive, a single mother and aspiring reporter at the BBC, leaps at the opportunity to cover the holiday celebration, but even a chance encounter with the queen doesn’t go as planned and Olive wonders if she will ever be taken seriously.

Jack, a recently widowed chef, reluctantly takes up a new role in the royal kitchens at Sandringham. Lacking in purpose and direction, Jack has abandoned his dream to have his own restaurant, but his talents are soon noticed and while he might not believe in himself, others do, and a chance encounter with an old friend helps to reignite the spark of his passion and ambition.

As Jack and Olive’s paths continue to cross over the following five Christmases, they grow ever closer. Yet Olive carries the burden of a heavy secret that threatens to destroy everything.

Find Heather and Hazel here:
Hazel's Instagram
Heather's Instagram

Heather's Website
Hazel's Website

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Monica stops by to talk about her fascinating and fast-paced Historical Fiction - The Jewel of the Blues while sipping the most sophisticated cocktail there is - The French 75. Deliciousness all the way around. The Jewel of the Blues rich with impeccable and fascinating research about the 1920's Vaudeville Circuit. We discuss her fantastic touch with dialogue and the interesting choices she made on where and how she started the story. Mom - you would like this one! Fix yourself a French 75 and settle in!

Set in the sparkling 1920s jazz era, The Jewel of the Blues pulls back the curtain on all the romance, danger and drama in the bustling backstage life of a young performer.

Billed as the Little Girl with the Big Voice, blues singer Lucille Arnetta Love always dreamed of life under the lights. From traveling family gospel band to lead singer in a riotous vaudeville troupe, Lucille is on the rise. But a devastating family secret, one that’s poised to shatter every dream she’s ever had, casts an inescapable shadow over Lucille’s career.

Decades ago, a botched robbery ended in a suspicious death—and all signs point to Lucille’s own father as the culprit. It’s a secret that Lucille’s family is determined to keep buried—even from Lucille herself. For a time, a fresh start feels possible, especially when Marcus Williams, Lucille’s manager—and sometimes paramour—sets her up with a band to tour the country: Miss Lucille’s Black Troubadours. Lucille’s dream of seeing her name in the bright lights of Broadway may happen yet, if she and the Troubadours can endure the highly competitive, rocky road to fame.

Beneath the dazzling glamour of the vaudeville scene lies a wicked underbelly, as drinking, gambling, salacious love affairs and racial tensions compete to dim Lucille’s shining star. And when shady figures from her father’s past emerge, their thirst for revenge threatens to silence Lucille’s career—and the sultry singer herself—for good.

Find Monica here:
https://www.instagram.com/monicackilgore/
Find her book here:
https://monicachenaultkilgore.com/

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Oh!!! Such a treat this week. Mimi Matthews bestselling author of The Siren of Sussex sits down to talk about the last book in her Belles of London series - The Muse of Maiden Lane. We talk about the joys and challenges of finishing a beloved series and we have a very forthright conversation about the inspiration for Teddy, her artist hero who uses a wheelchair. And while neither of us drink a Grey Ghost (she was on deadline and I struggle with St. Germaine... here is Mimi's recipie for this striking cocktail.

Grey Ghost Cocktail (in honor of my heroine's gray hair).
It's made of ½ oz Crème de Violette,
1 oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur,
and 5 oz Brut Champagne

serve cold in in a champagne flute!

A 2024 BookBub Best Historical Romance!
One of Parade's Best New Books of November 2024!
One of Amazon's and Apple's Best Romance Books of November 2024!

A silver-haired equestrienne and a charismatic artist turn a scandalous bargain into a vibrant portrait of love.

Stella Hobhouse is a brilliant rider, stalwart friend, skilled sketch artist—and completely overlooked. Her outmodish gray hair makes her invisible to London society. Combined with her brother’s pious restrictions and her dwindling inheritance, Stella is on the verge of a lifetime marooned in Derbyshire as a spinster. Unless she does something drastic…like posing for a daring new style of portrait by the only man who’s ever really seen her.

Aspiring painter Edward “Teddy” Hayes knows true beauty when he sees it. He would never ask Stella to risk her reputation as an artist’s model but in the five years since a virulent bout of scarlet fever left him partially paralyzed, Teddy has learned to heed good fortune when he finds it. He’ll do anything to persuade his muse to pose for him, even if he must offer her a marriage of convenience.

After all, though Teddy has yearned to trace Stella’s luminous beauty on canvas since their chance meeting, her heart is what he truly aches to capture….

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This is the last witch, I promise! Charlotte Stein is top-tier romance. Years ago I asked her how she kept the romantic and sexual tension in her books at such an excruciating point. She gives her insightful answer in the podcast... if you love romance and haven't read Charlotte - do yourself a favor and pick up How To Help A Hungry Werewolf. It has her delightfully absurd world-building and delicious, delicious tension.

Find Charlotte:
https://www.instagram.com/charlotte.stein
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCharlotteStein
https://x.com/charlotte_stein
https://www.tiktok.com/@chazstein

Buy How To Help A Hungry Werewolf HERE

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Hey hey!!! Who wants more witches? Me! And with a Groundhog Day time twist? Yes Please! Celestine Martin sits down with the last of her stash of pumpkin cold brew to discuss all things witchy. Deja Brew is the third book in her Elemental Love series and features a dreamboat of a hero who is trying to change his bad boy ways.

In this spellbinding rom-com about a wish gone wrong, two opposites might just get a second chance at love, perfect for fans of New York Times bestsellers Payback's a Witch and The Ex Hex.

Get your copy of the book HERE

Find Celestine Martin on social media HERE

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When will I be tired of witches? Never. And especially when they come in a quirky and fascinating debut like The Stone Witch of Florence. Anna Rasche is pretty fascinating herself - pour yourself a glass of whatever you're thirsty for and listen to this great conversation about history, folklore, The Plague, religious idols and subversive nuns.

Find out more about The Stone Witch of Florence here!

Find Anna here:
Insta/Tiktok: @by_annarasche
Facebook

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Oh! What a treat this one is. First of all, SOMONE FINALLY PICKED WHITE RUSSIANS!!! I have been dreaming of this for years. And second, The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a magic trick of a book. A beautiful dual timeline with a historical timeline that I found fascinating.

Find more information on this beautiful book


Find Lynda here:
https://www.instagram.com/lloigman/
https://x.com/lyndacloigman
https://www.facebook.com/people/Lynda-Cohen-Loigman-Author/100057989951456/

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