Getting Wicked With Trevor by Amber Daulton #romance

WICKED WEDNESDAY

It's so much fun when a character jumps from the page to visit us here on Discover... This hero is a criminal so he's got a little wicked to fill us in on this Wicked Wednesday. Thanks, Amber Daulton, for bringing Trevor to us.

Hi, guys! What’s up? I’m Trevor Madero, the protagonist from Amber Daulton’s new romance, Trevor’s Redemption. Catch how I didn’t use the word hero? I don’t feel much like one, but my girl, Shea, would probably disagree. Anyway, I’m visiting with the lovely Brenda Whiteside to talk about the wicked stuff in my book.

First things first—I’m not telling you everything. I can’t. I won’t. You won’t pull it out me. All my mistakes and choices have made me into the man I am today, but some of them are just too personal to share.

I’m no hero. I’m a criminal, but let me back up. Have you heard of Onyx? It’s a US-based criminal organization that manufactures and distributes drugs through several smaller sets. Capularia is the set I run with. I’m an enforcer, and when dealers don’t pay up or try to steal, my buddies and I have a talk with them. After that, they always pay up. Believe me. My mentor is a ruthless, brilliant lieutenant who wants me to rise through the ranks and take on a pivotal role in the organization at his side, but I’m doing my best to stay on the down low and only deal with street scum. I hate office politics, and that’s what the Onyx higher-ups are all about. Yeah, no thanks.

Everything was running smoothly until I met Shea. She’s my light in the darkness, and the things I’ve always wanted but never thought I could have, I kept associating with her. Wife, kids, house, dog—I want that stuff, despite the things I do after hours. My life is messed up, but Shea showed me how different things could be. It’s never easy to break away from a life of crime, but for Shea, I’d bloody my knuckles for her. And I did. More than once.

That’s enough for now. Thanks for reading. If you want to know more, my book is now available for download. Make sure you let Amber, my author, know what you think. She loves checking out reviews and hearing from readers.

Later, dudes. It’s been great! 

Blurb 

The danger and lies are more than she can handle.

Shea O’Bannon feels like a fifth wheel around her romantically paired-off friends, but there’s too much slime in the dating pool for her to bother with it. Then she sees her two-timing ex, Trevor Madero, serenading the mostly female crowd at a live-music bar. God knows trouble follows him around, but her desire for him rushes back in anyway. After he rescues her from a handsy drunk, temptation takes over.

Determined to prove he never stepped out on Shea, Trevor slides back into her life—and her heart—with forever in mind. Even with the wall he keeps up to protect her, his secret criminal life weighs heavy on his soul and drives a wedge between them.

When the truth comes out and his enemies target them both, they’ll have to fight for their love, or kiss it goodbye. 

– Book 3.5 in the sexy romantic suspense series, Arresting Onyx. 

Tagline: Will the truth send her running, or will she fight for the man she loves? 

Add to Goodreads – https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionGoodreads

Check it out on BookBub – https://bit.ly/TrevorsRedemptionBookBub 

Download Trevor’s Redemption Today 

Universal - https://books.amberdaulton.com/trevorsredemption 

About the Author 

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats. 

Social Media Link 

Universal link – https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton

It's All About Setting by Gayle M. Irwin #SweetRomance

MUSE MONDAY

Creating the perfect setting for my stories is one of my favorite things to do. My guest today, Gayle M. Irwin, has a great post to share about setting. Enjoy!

Setting plays a vital role in my sweet, contemporary romance stories. Montana is one of those places.  I resided there for nearly 14 years, and it’s there where my love for writing, nature, and outdoor photography took deeper root. Observing bison lounging in my yard, trumpeter swans flying overhead, sandhill cranes dancing in courtship, and colorful wildflowers blooming – including yellow balsam root, purple lupine, and crimson fireweed – graced my life. 

Known as The Treasure State and the Big Sky State, Montana’s gems
remain endless, including Yellowstone and Glacier national parks and numerous national forests and wildlife refuges and its vast skyline. Colorful sunrises and sunsets in shades of peach, rose, lavender, citrus, and cherry envelope horizons, and daylight brings azure and turquoise with wispy clouds that float on the breeze. Even nightscapes sparkle as millions of twinkling stars dance on the inky floor. 

My newest book, released last week in e-book format, is titled “Love Takes Flight.” The setting is western Montana in an area known as the Mission Mountain Valley, which I’ve fictionalized as Merritt Mountain Valley. I patterned the area after the real one, with craggy mountains on both sides, a meandering river, and lush pastures and wetlands, which draws numerous species of wildlife, including sandhill cranes. These birds bring my characters together. Their connection to Ellie’s deceased grandfather also plays a strong role. 

I enjoy bringing readers to Montana’s magnificent landscapes with the hope their journey through the pages will captivate them through the larger, overall story. 

Blurb

Events from the past could destroy their present and future.

 

Ellie Davis inherited her grandparents' farm in western Montana. Her vision, to continue the fruit and vegetable growing and selling legacy and to add a rescued animal program, is threatened by her dad, who wants to sell the property. The rift between them widens after Ellie discovers her money-driven dad attempted to obtain the land in secret. When she connects with a local wildlife biologist over a mutual love for the land, Ellie discovers an ally in her quest to keep the farm ... and maybe something more. However, an event from her past adds to Ellie's concerns about the future.

 

Nathan Ford's job as a federal biologist involves behavioral studies of the wildlife found at two different refuges in the region. He discovers more sandhill cranes than previously documented in the area during the past 20 years, and that work brings Ellie into his life. Nathan falls fast for the granddaughter of a friend whose funeral Nathan could not attend because of something he prefers to leave in the past. When he learns of Ellie's desires for the farm and the opposition she faces from her father, Nathan determines to help her fulfill her dream – but revealing a part of his life he would rather forget is a task he's hesitant to tackle.

 

When their challenging pasts are finally revealed, will Ellie and Nathan's new-found love shrivel like a prairie flower during a drought or grow, strengthen, and take flight like a young bird?

 

A sweet, contemporary romance about forgiveness and healing that weaves pet rescue and family saga into the love story. 

Excerpt:

“Cal really loved these horses,” Nathan commented.

“Yes, he did. Grace in particular.”

Nathan looked at her.

“Are they adjusting? To his absence, I mean?”

Ellie shrugged.

“I think so, little by little. They stayed at the Flannagan place over the winter. Abby is going to foal in a few months, so I’ll be giving Mr. Flanagan the youngster when it’s old enough to leave its mother. He’s giving me two bum lambs to start my little petting zoo. I’m getting chickens for eggs, so I hope a few of them will be kind enough to tolerate kids.”

Nathan studied her.

“Petting zoo? Kids? I sense a story there.”

Ellie chuckled.

“Yeah. Variety is the spice of life, they say, so, in addition to the normal fruit, veggies, and herb offerings at the Davis Family Farm, we’re going to have naturalist-style programs for families, including a petting zoo.”

“Wow! Sounds incredible. And it sounds like you have a lot in the works already.”

Ellie nodded.

“I started working on the plan in November. I had hoped at Thanksgiving to help my dad see the opportunity to make this place fun and profitable with the various ways of bringing in money.”

“No go, uh?”

Ellie shook her head.

“He said my business plan was a pipe dream and doomed for failure.”

“I’m sorry, Ellie.”

Nathan couldn’t imagine a father not encouraging his child in her dreams, especially someone like Ellie who was not only passionate about her goals, but realistic and intelligent enough to draw up a business plan.

“I’ve come to expect such things from him. Still, I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed.”

Their eyes met and held for a moment. 

Buy Link:

Available on several e-book platforms, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo through this link: https://books2read.com/u/4AADBe 

Print version to release on Saturday, August 26, 2023 – National Dog Day! 

Author Bio:

Gayle M. Irwin is an award-winning Wyoming author and freelance writer who has been recognized by Wyoming Writers, Inc. and the Wyoming Press Association. She is a contributing writer in eight Chicken Soup for the Soul books and the author of many inspirational pet books for children and adults. She writes sweet contemporary, small-town romance set in the Rocky Mountain West, where she has lived for more than 40 years. An animal advocate, she weaves pet rescue and adoption into her stories and donates a percentage of book sales to animal rescue organizations. Gayle enjoys traveling, nature photography, and spending time at her mountain cabin with her husband and their rescued dogs. Learn more about her at her website: gaylemirwin.com. 

Social Media Links:

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/GayleMIrwin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wycabinlady/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wyoauthor1

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/gaylemirwin

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/gayleirwin

Wicked Cream Puffery by Mickey Flagg #WickedWednesday #Recipe

WICKED WEDNESDAY

Don't we always love a wickedly good recipe? And read to the end about a wickedly good book too. Please welcome my guest, Mickey Flagg. 

I have a delicious dessert to share along with a bit of a story about those wickedly important holiday bakes that become tradition. Every Christmas, my mother baked a particular Italian cookie. One or two of my aunts always came to help. She had a large Sicilian family, and this recipe called for 14 eggs, 5 lbs. of flour, a pound of butter, and so on. I’m sure you get the picture. With no bowl big enough, the flour formed a well on the kitchen table, the eggs and everything else went in the middle, and strong arms kneaded the cookie dough until they were ready to be rolled and shaped into mounds. The result? Cookies on every single flat surface available. Then the icing and sprinkles… another multi-hour task filled with love. 

I never mastered those traditional cookies, although I bake them every Christmas. But one of my mother’s cookbooks ended up in my hands some 25 years ago. Woman’s Day Collector’s Cookbook of 1960, priced at 95 cents. The book, its pages brown with age, had never been opened. One recipe called to me. Hmmm…. mom never made cream puffs. Neither did my 17 aunts (7 on my father’s side and 10 on my mother’s). So, I began a new tradition.   

For the past 25 years, I can’t show up to Christmas dinner at my sister’s home without a large tray of petite cream puffs. It’s a game with my nephews… how many can they pile on their plates and consume after a scrumptious meal. We all laugh. I beam with pride. This year, our newest family member, only months old, had a taste of the cream filling. Her eyes brightened and everyone witnessed the next generation of traditional cream puff fans.

 Making Petite Cream Puffs can be a bit complicated, but a wickedly delightful dessert. 

Ingredients

1 cup water                 ¼ cup of butter           ¼ teaspoon salt           1 cup sifted flour

4 large eggs beaten     Cream filling              Confectioners sugar 

In a saucepan heat water, butter, and salt to a full rolling boil. Reduce heat, and quickly stir in flour, mixing vigorously with wooden spoon until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat, transfer the ball into a large mixing bowl, and add beaten eggs in 6 additions, beating after each addition (electric mixer at low speed makes this easier). Make sure your oven is very hot, so pre-heat and bake at 400º F. Drop dough from a metal spoon onto greased baking sheets, forming mounds 1” apart. For petite cream puffs, measure a little less than a heaping teaspoon of dough for each. This will make about 24 puffs. Bake until they are golden brown so the shell will be hard and hollow. Remove to racks. The puffs are cooled completely before you fill them. I often wait a day to let them dry out.  

 Whipped Cream Puff filling: In a cold mixing bowl, add a pint of heavy or whipping cream and mix on high. Add confectioners sugar to taste (I prefer the whipped cream moderately sweet). It must be very stiff so that the beaters stand on their own. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for a few hours to get the whipped cream very cold before filling the puffs. 

When you’re ready to fill the puffs, cut them open and pull out any soft center. Fill a large Ziploc bag and cut a small tip out of the bottom if you don’t have pastry filling bags available. Generously fill cream puffs so the cut-off lids look like little hats on each one. Generously sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Refrigerate until serving.  

Just like the main character in my novel, Petite Cream Puffs are wickedly complicated as well as wickedly good! Here’s a little info about The Vampire’s Retribution:

Dreams are often hidden desires… even if they are terrifying. Michael Malone, a mystically enhanced vampire, destroys three immortal sorcerers and begins an unprecedented battle. Poisoned and captured, he’s left to rot in a cell beneath the city. Guided by the heavenly entity known as Helena, he spins a complex fantasy of survival. Michael’s fading mind creates emotional twists and unexpected turns, passionate highs and very realistic lows. Is there deliverance or the end to his immortal existence at its conclusion? Each revelation offers hope. Yet Michael’s last words doggedly remain “Let me die.” His original reasons for the singular battle are noble. One is retribution. The other is love.

Buy links: Amazon.com: The Vampire's Retribution (The Champion Chronicles Book 1) eBook : Flagg, M.: Books

Barnes & Noble: The Vampire's Retribution by M. Flagg, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

 

About Mickey:

Always an avid reader, the realm of paranormal fiction is the perfect landing point for Mickey Flagg. After a successful career as a music teacher and an urban school administrator, she continues to spin stories of passion, love and redemption. She’s been a contributor in a book on urban music education and has also authored an article for Still Standing, a web-magazine about loss and healing. Named a Distinguished Music Educator at the 2010 Yale Music Symposium, Mickey is a life-long New Jersey resident, a member of Liberty States Fiction Writers, and a Professor in Residence with a local university.

Good Enough to be Fearless by Tammy D. Walker

 FEARLESS FRIDAY

Tammy has a great fearless post for us. She looked those naysayers in the face and fearlessly pursued her dreams. 

I'd heard it again and again from teachers and fellow students: "You're just not good enough."  I'd heard it often enough from other people that I even began telling myself "You're just not good enough."  So I'd always taken the safe route. 

The safe route, for me, did not involve anything to do with math or science, even though I'd loved those subjects when I was younger.  When I reached high school, though, something about my connection to math and science changed.  I don't know if it was just the usual adolescent social and emotional upheaval, that teaching styles changed, or if my inability to memorize seemingly unrelated numbers and facts and formulas caught up with me.  It didn't help to hear my math teacher--I had the same one the last three years of high school--constantly remind us that if we couldn't do math as well as an engineer, well, we were all failures in life.  

And when my high school computer science teacher told me that I'd asked a "stupid question," well, that pretty much ended my interest.  Which was devastating on some level.  I'd spent a lot of time programming the family Commodore 64 when I was younger, and I'd enjoyed bringing together my love of computers and my love of music. 

 So, when I went to college, I studied "easy subjects," psychology and sociology.  (My favorite psychology class was, you guessed it, statistics.)  And then, during my last semester, I took a class on Shakespeare.  My professor told me I was more than good enough at writing analyses of plays, so why not be an English major?  So after a year of not finding a suitable job with my psychology BA, I enrolled in a master's program in English.  Because I was good enough at that. 

Studying English boosted my confidence--here was something I was more than just "good enough" at!  And I discovered that maybe I was also good enough at creative writing, too.  So after I finished up my master's degree, I enrolled in a PhD program, studying poetry, both as a critic and a writer.  

All the while, though, I kept my connections to technology.  I created websites for student groups.  I studied more about the databases I used to organize submissions to the literary magazine I worked for.  And, after I graduated, I took a job at another university that involved administrative tasks for their distance education.  Which meant more databases and, even better, course management systems. 

My manager at that job asked me where I saw myself going in a few years.  The only way up was to pursue management positions, and I knew that wasn't for me.  I also enjoyed teaching, but I didn't want to do that full time.  I was involved in technology upgrades in that position, and those upgrade projects fascinated me far more than any of my other tasks. 

So, I did some research and discovered that I could take online computer science classes through a community college.  I could learn more about databases and software development. 

Of course, I was nervous at first.  After all, I wasn't good enough at math, science, and especially computer programming.  Except I did really quite well at my online college classes.  And I remembered how much I loved writing code.  Plus, I was able to get a good programming job not long after graduation. 

If I hadn't taken that risk, I don't think I would have taken other risks later on.  Proving to myself that I could successfully study computer programming and then work as a software developer gave me the confidence to take chances in other areas of my life. 

After finishing up my PhD in English, I stopped writing for years.  I never felt "good enough" at that either, in spite of publications and positive feedback from professors and peers.  After changing careers, though, I went back to writing.  Four published books in, I'm grateful that I felt confident enough to try writing (and submitting my work to publishers) again. 

This taking-a-chance theme stayed with me as I wrote my debut cozy mystery, Venus Rising.  In the book, Amy Morrison leaves her small Texas town to work as a librarian aboard a luxury British ocean liner.  And her risk pays off: she gets to experience the glitter and adventure of life aboard ship as well as friendship with people she might not have met had she stayed home.  She loves both her small town roots and her new life, and I feel the same: I love that I studied English, because I adore reading and writing, but I'm also grateful that I transitioned to a career as a software developer, because the work was interesting and it gave me such a confidence boost.  (It also helped me to create the IT staff and their work aboard the ship, too!) 

Like Amy, I'm still working on figuring out what "good enough" means for me.  Also, like Amy, I'm glad I've taken the risks I have.  

When the manager at my last software developer job told me that I was one of the best programmers he'd ever worked with, well, I think I can say I've officially reached "good enough." 

Almost as soon as recent divorcee Amy Morrison begins her dream job as librarian aboard the world’s most expensive luxury cruise liner, she nearly sinks it. She’s tasked with hosting the debut of a painting celebrated but hidden for nearly sixty years. But the artist claims the painting isn’t hers. And then, the artist goes missing. With the help of a retired academic couple lecturing aboard the ship, a dashing IT manager, and a housekeeping staff with a love of literature, Amy tries to solve the art fraud and kidnapping while rediscovering the adventurous side of herself. 

Buy links are the top of my website: https://www.tammydwalker.com/ and below 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Venus-Rising-Tammy-D-Walker-ebook/dp/B0BKYG5J6Q/

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/venus-rising-tammy-d-walker/1142600228

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/venus-rising-tammy-d-walker/19256882

BAM: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Venus-Rising/Tammy-D-Walker/9781509247080

Tammy D. Walker writes cozy mysteries, poetry, and science fiction.  Her debut cozy mystery, Venus Rising, was published in 2023 by The Wild Rose Press.  As T.D. Walker, she’s the author of the poetry collections Small Waiting Objects (CW Books 2019), Maps of a Hollowed World (Another New Calligraphy 2020), and Doubt & Circuitry (Southern Arizona Press 2023).  When she’s not writing, she’s probably reading, trying to find far-away stations on her shortwave radios, making poetry programs, or enjoying tea and scones with her family.  Find out more at her website: https://www.tammydwalker.com 

Inspiration by the Sea by Jennifer Vido

MUSE MONDAY

Please join me in welcoming Jennifer Vido to Discover... She has a great post for Muse Monday on the inspiration for her sweet romance.

Serendipity by the Sea

Will her wanderlust ex-boyfriend’s return allow a hopeless romantic a second chance at love? 

Cate Ainsworth is poised to land her dream job when an ex-boyfriend—the guy she once loved who left town without explanation—returns to their Lowcountry hometown. Their long-denied attraction tugs her in a new direction, but will she risk everything for a second chance at love? 

A freelance photographer, Knox Price seeks adventure, not commitment. Back in town to care for his uncle gets complicated when he crosses paths with Cate, igniting a spark he can’t ignore. But can he confess the truth about why he walked away?

The inspiration behind the Gull Island series came from a family vacation to Fripp Island, South Carolina. As a frequent visitor to coastal Carolina, I am fond of the Lowcountry, especially the people who call it home. Fripp Island is a small barrier island, rich with natural beauty and history—the perfect backdrop for my fictional town, Gull Island. My childhood experiences growing up on the Jersey Shore filled in any missing blanks about living near the sea. 

The importance of community is the common thread weaving the Gull Island stories together. The series consists of three novels: Serendipity by the Sea, Serenity by the Sea, and Simplicity by the Sea. These standalone books are interconnected with recurring characters, familiar faces searching for their happily-ever-afters. The series features three strong women, each at a crossroads in life, both at work and in love.  

I hope readers will gain an appreciation for small, coastal towns—tight-knit, Lowcountry resort areas
like Gull Island—where kindness is the heartbeat of the community. When I visited Fripp Island, I was struck by the island’s warm hospitality and how locals seamlessly interacted with visitors, sharing the island’s history and natural beauty. Gull Island has a story, including historical landmarks and meeting places where the locals like to gather. Each of the three books introduces the reader to a different part of the island, providing a glimpse into Lowcountry living at its best.

Excerpt:

Cate maneuvered into the parking lot adjacent to the main road, jumped out of her car, and headed for the employee golf carts used as a means to get around the grounds. Taking the first available, she hurled the little cart in the direction of Guest Services. Whizzing past beachgoers sporting island T-shirts, she spied customers coming out of Novel Ideas, the island’s long-standing, secondhand bookstore. 

Slowing at the curve in front of Island Scoop, Cate wished for a cool treat to reward her sweet tooth. The strong aroma of steaming coffee alerted her to a few visitors coming out of The Wise Owl, sipping cups of morning brew. Blocking her view, they strolled along the path toward the boardwalk. Their telltale bronzed skin and relaxed demeanor signaled the end of their stay. Cate couldn’t blame them for wanting to linger, but she was in a hurry. 

When they finally set out, she zipped her cart into the only open parking spot. Cate entered the building and scooted by the buzzing groups now congregating in front of the shiny Guest Services counter, careful not to make eye contact. She shifted her belongings to cover up her navy polo embroidered with the Gull Island insignia to ward off unwanted conversation until she could get settled and prepared to offer assistance.

Links: Serendipity by the Sea

Kindle

Paperback

Barnes & Noble

BN nook

Apple Books

Kobo

Target

Bio:

Jennifer Vido is the author of Serendipity by the Sea, the first book in the new Gull Island sweet romance series set in the Lowcountry. An avid booklover, she interviews bestselling authors in her Jen’s Jewels weekly column on FreshFiction.com. A longtime Arthritis Foundation advocate, she’s been featured by Lifetime Television, The New York Times, The Baltimore Sun, Redbook, and Arthritis Today. Recently, she was named a finalist in the Best Local Author category in Baltimore Magazine’s 2023 Best of Baltimore Readers’ Poll. Currently, she serves as the executive director for a legal non-profit in her community. A Maryland resident, she and her husband are the proud parents of two grown sons, two rescue dogs, and a finicky calico cat.

Author Links:

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