A Hopeful Escape: Simplicity by the Sea by Jennifer Vido

MUSE MONDAY

Please welcome Jennifer Vido to Muse Monday on Discover... She's got me hooked on wine and romance, city girl and small-town guy. See what you think!

I love that this book takes the familiar idea of a city girl meeting a small-town guy and gives it a new twist. By bringing together the Virginia wine scene with the coastal charm of Gull Island, I’ve created a backdrop that feels both romantic and fresh. For me, Delaney’s story is about those big life questions we all ask at some point—what does success really look like, and is the life I’ve built truly the one I want? I think that makes her journey very relatable, especially for women who’ve worked so hard but still feel like something’s missing. I had so much fun weaving in wine and seaside details. This story isn’t just about romance—it’s also about experiencing a sense of place, which I think makes it appealing to readers who love travel, food, and lifestyle angles.

Luke’s story brings another layer of heart to the book. He’s a single dad who’s built a steady life for himself and his daughter, and I think readers will connect with his devotion to family while also rooting for him to take a chance on love. Since this book is part of my Gull Island series, it carries forward the world I’ve already created while also welcoming new readers. It shows that Gull Island is a place worth returning to, filled with stories about love, second chances, and community. At the end of the day, I want this book to feel like a hopeful escape. With everything going on in the world, I think readers are craving uplifting stories that remind us love and new beginnings are always possible.

Book Blurb:

What if the perfect pairing isn't found in a bottle, but in each other?

High-powered marketing executive Delaney Huger thrives in Virginia's wine scene until a quick trip home to Gull Island for a wedding forces her to slow down. Suddenly, she's questioning the life she's built and what comes next. Can she uncork a new beginning or keep pouring into a dream that no longer fits?

Charter captain Luke Sullivan has built a quiet, predictable life on Gull Island, perfect for raising his daughter and growing his business. But when a captivating wedding guest stirs something he thought he'd buried, he wonders if it's time to change. Will he chart a new course toward love or stay safely ashore?

Excerpt:

A distant murmur of cheerful voices and melodic peals of laughter pierced the night air, drawing Delaney Huger closer to the illuminated lighthouse nestled on the South Carolina coastline. She sank onto a rock, twisting her dress in frustration. She’d let them down. Her partners-in-crime, notably her sister and best friend, were tucked inside the adjoining wedding tent, glasses clinking in joyful toasts celebrating the nuptials of childhood friends. The imaginary scene played out in her mind—her friends in summer cocktail dresses, heels clicking on the parquet dance floor, while she stumbled through apologies. “The traffic was terrible, and you’ll never believe what happened.” She could almost hear her voice faltering as she grasped for excuses for failing to arrive on Gull Island as scheduled.

The charming, small-town affair wasn’t just an ordinary island celebration with some random tourist couple exchanging vows in the lush Lowcountry amid crickets chirping and frogs trilling in the late May heat. The social event of the season—the wedding of the beloved Cate Ainsworth and Knox Price—witnessed by her childhood friends, extended family, and island neighbors, had unfolded nearly an hour ago at a picturesque sunset ceremony on the beach, painted in a vibrant palette of pastel hues. The town buzzed with excitement over their second-chance romance. 

Preorder Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

ITunes

 

Jennifer Vido is the author of The Gull Island Series, sweet Lowcountry romances inspired by her love of coastal living and small-town charm. Serendipity by the Sea won Best First Book from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest, and Baltimore Magazine readers named her Best Local Author in 2024 and 2025. A Vanderbilt graduate, Jennifer traded in teaching French to follow her dream of becoming an author. She loves discovering and sharing literary gems through her Jen's Jewels column, celebrating the books that make her heart happy. Jennifer lives in Maryland with her husband and is mom to two grown sons. Her rescue dog, Fripp, is her constant companion, though he's better at napping than editing. When she's not writing, you'll find her at the beach with her toes in the sand, dreaming about her next romance.

Author Links

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Goodreads

BookBub 

Wicked X 2 by Joanne Guidoccio

WICKED WEDNESDAY

Please welcome back Joanne Guidoccio to Wicked Wednesday on Discover... This mermaid tale sounds intriguing and a fun read!

Two wicked mermaids, a mother-and-daughter duo, are determined to make a lesser mermaid’s life even more difficult. And they’re well positioned to do so: La Bella is the tribe’s elder, and Annabella is the elder-in-waiting.

Here is a “wicked” excerpt from my novelette, Hippie Mermaid:

Terrified. It was the only word I could use to describe the expression on Mama’s face. I couldn’t read Annabella’s face, and I permitted myself only a quick glance at La Bella. Almost a carbon copy of Annabella, her features appeared sterner and more unapproachable. I was in some kind of trouble; that I knew for sure.

La Bella approached and poked me on the shoulder. Hard. I winced but said nothing. Whenever I had displeased Mama or Aunt Lina, I had received a gentle reprimand. Physical violence was taboo in the kingdom, though I heard of altercations among the Onas and mermen.

“You are a disgrace to your tribe and the Kingdom. How dare you pressure my daughter into accompanying you on your trysts? By all means, tag along with the Ettas, but do not presume to go any higher.” La Bella turned to Mama. “Did you and your sister not learn your lessons?”

“I didn’t pressure Annabella,” I said. “She asked me to accompany her.”

Mama gasped and put her hand to her mouth. I had been taught to tell the truth and hold nothing back. Why was Mama so upset?

Annabella laughed. A cruel laugh. One I had not heard before. She spoke directly to La Bella, “I felt sorry for her situation and decided to befriend her. I went along with her foolish desire to find a man and escape from the clutches of her mother and aunt.”

Mama’s eyes clouded. For a split second, there was uncertainty. Annabella’s lies had found an easy target. I longed to comfort Mama, but I needed to confront Annabella right now. Or at least, that’s what I thought I had to do. “Why are you lying?”

“How dare you accuse my daughter?” La Bella grabbed my arm and squeezed even harder. “Mermaids have been banished to Crete for less.” She withdrew her hand and closed her eyes.

Mama whispered. “Say nothing.” She turned to La Bella. “Please let me deal with this.”

La Bella shook a finger at Mama. “Right now, I have too much on my plate. But we will not let this go.”

Annabella’s eyes glittered with excitement. She would be chief elder in one week’s time and have a say in my punishment. A shocking realization washed over me. Had she planned this all along? Trifle with a lesser mermaid and then test her new powers?

From sea to shore, betrayal follows her wherever she goes. 

On Christmas Eve, psychic Kendra Adams reveals the secret she’s hidden for decades—she was once Rosina, a mermaid torn between sea and shore. Betrayed in her ocean kingdom and desperate to escape banishment, she persuades a politician to smuggle her into the human world. But freedom on land comes at a cost, as she soon finds herself ensnared in another web, this one spun by the politician’s power-hungry sister. 

Buy Links

Amazon US  https://www.amazon.com/Hippie-Mermaid-Joanne-Guidoccio-ebook/dp/B0FVHQ2T3N

Amazon CA  https://www.amazon.ca/Hippie-Mermaid-Joanne-Guidoccio-ebook/dp/B0FVHQ2T3N

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FVHQ2T3N

Amazon AU https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0FVHQ2T3N

Author Bio

Joanne Guidoccio enjoyed a rewarding career teaching mathematics, business, and co-operative education courses before retiring to pursue writing. A member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, she writes paranormal romances, cozy mysteries, and inspirational stories from her home base of Guelph, Ontario. Find her at https://www.joanneguidoccio.com. 

Social Media Links 

Twitter:                       https://twitter.com/joanneguidoccio

Bluesky:                      https://bsky.app/profile/joanneguidoccio.bsky.social

Pinterest:                     https://www.pinterest.ca/jguidoccio

Facebook:                   https://www.facebook.com/authorjoanneguidoccio

Goodreads:                  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7277706.Joanne_Guidoccio

LinkedIn:                    https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanneguidoccio

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Joanne-Guidoccio/e/B00FAWJGCG 

Reading and Reviews (Sandford and Parrish)

I'm an author, but I'm also a reader. From time to time, I'll share my reviews of present and past reads. My available time to read is limited because I write, but I love to curl up with a paperback or an eBook at night for the last hour of my day. 

Here are some of the books I've read recently. Maybe you'll discover a new book or author. 

Holy Ghost (A Virgil Flowers Novel) by John Sandford 

Wheatfield, Minnesota: a metropolis of six hundred souls and change, for which the word "moribund" might have been invented. Nothing ever happened there and nothing ever would—until the mayor of sorts (campaign slogan: "I'll Do What I Can") and his precocious teenage buddy come up with a scheme to put Wheatfield on the map. Should something dramatic occur—say, that the apparition of the Virgin Mary miraculously appeared at the local Catholic Church—the whole town would be turned into a shrine, attracting thousands of pilgrims. And all those pilgrims needed food, shelter, all kinds of crazy things. The town would get rich! What could go wrong?

Then the shootings begin. And as they—and Virgil Flowers—are about to discover, that's only the beginning of their troubles… 

My Review

As usual, John Sandford is skilled in creating an entertaining read. I’ve loved his character, Virgil Flowers, from the first book in which he appeared. He’s cool, calm, and layback, approaching law and order with his own methods. The characters populating Wheatfield are delightful. The story is unique. All around a good read. 

https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Ghost-Virgil-Flowers-Novel/dp/0735217343/

 

 

 

Southern Woman by Kathleen Parrish 

Kathy Whitaker works tirelessly to build a future for herself and her family in 1953 Cottondale, Mississippi. She’s turned Weaver Variety Store, inherited from Minnie Weaver, into a successful business, and despite her long hours, their family is thriving. Now, she eagerly waits for her husband, Towanna, to complete his last semester of medical school in New Orleans and return home to intern with a local doctor. However, two strangers arrive in town who threaten to upend her life: Richard Coswell, who claims to represent a large variety chain wanting to buy her store, and Ellen Matheson, a single mother seeking a fresh start for herself and her daughter.

Kathy rejects Coswell’s offer but soon finds herself entangled in a legal battle when Coswell discovers the probate on her inheritance was never properly closed and fabricates a claim that could force her to sell. Worse, her new salesclerk, Ellen Matheson, claims to be Minnie Weaver’s long-lost, illegitimate daughter and only surviving blood relative, entitling her to a share of the Weaver estate. 

My Review

Ms. Parrish weaves a complicated tale with enthralling characters. I love a book whose characters are vivid and well defined. She is also very adept at putting us in the time period and in the setting of the southern United States. Racism was accepted and part of life in the 1950s and even more so in the South. But not by everyone. Behind the fight for Kathy to keep her inheritance is a racial tale of love and deception. Early on, I was slightly confused at times with so many characters, but it was worth sorting it out to enjoy the read.  

https://www.amazon.com/Southern-Woman-Kathleen-Parrish-ebook/dp/B0FGBN92JM

Saving the Earth: Let's Hope for Time Travel by JL Peridot

MUSE MONDAY

Please welcome JL to Muse Monday on Discover... What a premise for a book! You'll love how her Muse led her down the path for this sure to be good read.

What happens in the past stays in the future

My latest book, Until We Met Again, is a time travel story set against the backdrop of a post-collapse society. I wrote it in the midst of learning about climate change and how the prevailing “growth at all costs” mentality is costing us the earth.

This wasn’t the most uplifting topic of study, but while exploring what such a futuristic society might use time travel technology for, I also wondered how they might try to survive and thrive until the people tasked with changing the past succeed.

After traversing through time, my heroine returns to the camp she calls home: a controlled village-population settlement at the edge of an arid landscape, with radioactive regions to the north, a desert to the east, and a toxic wasteland in the south. It’s is just one of many human camps dotting what remains of a once-lush world.

Without trees to spare, they lash together dried mushroom bark for doors. They weave rugs from strands of grass species that still grow in harsh climates. Some folks travel between camps to share resources, contribute manpower, and deliver messages to loved ones because communication networks aren’t what they used to be.

All the while, brave volunteers travel back in time to change the past, believing if they alter just enough of it, they’ll secure the beautiful future their ancestors dreamed of.

In real life, however, the only way you and I can affect the future is with what we do today. At some point, our descendants will look at the world we gave them and wonder what we were thinking. I wonder what we’ll tell them if they manage to come back and ask?

Until We Met Again: A Time Travel Novelette by JL Peridot

A time traveller absconds to the past in search of her lost love.

One word: my name. A call from Origin through the neural lace grafted to my brain and nerves, connecting me to another place in another time. A reminder of what I’m here to do.

I clutch a bottle cap; its sharp metal edges ground me in the present. It’s funny, don’t you think, to consider this moment the present, as if the past and future I came from aren’t supposed to exist? If you were here, I’d ask. You’d smile and kiss my forehead and say you love my nonsense questions.

But you’re not here. They want me to forget you ever were.

Available now at most e-book retailers.

About JL Peridot

JL Peridot writes love letters to the future on devices from the past. She's a qualified computer scientist, former website maker, amateur horticulturist, and sometimes illustrator. But most of the time, she's an author of romantic science fiction. She lives with her partner and fur-family in Boorloo (Perth, Australia) on Whadjuk Noongar country.

Visit her website at jlperidot.com for the full catalogue of her work.