#BookReview ~ Playing for Keeps in Starr's Fall (Starr's Fall, Book 2) by Kate Hewitt ~ #AgeGap #Romance @author_kate @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks

Playing for Keeps in Starr's Fall

About the Book:

Spring is in the air in Starr’s Fall, and for two people, love may be just a roll of the dice away…

As the frozen earth gives way to the first spring crocuses, pushing their way into the warmer air, Maggie arrives in Starr’s Fall. She’s looking for a new start, with her lovable but painfully shy teenaged son in tow.

It feels like the odds are against her, but she’s determined to come out winning this time, and to fulfil her dream of opening up a board game café. But not everything’s a game, and when she finds herself attracted to a man who’s known as a different sort of player, she worries she’s setting herself up to lose.

Zach is funny, surprisingly geeky, and, most importantly, bonds with her son. But Zach is also drop-dead gorgeous, has a reputation around town, and is also ten years younger than her.

When he asks her out on a date, Maggie is totally thrown. She can’t deny she’s attracted to him. But is she ready to risk her heart with another roll of the dice?

A totally gorgeous, unmissable, small town romance, perfect for fans of the Gilmore Girls and Virgin River, from million-copy bestselling author, Kate Hewitt.

My Review:

Playing For Keeps in Starr's Fall is an amazing second book in the Starr's Fall series. Full of sly looks, sexy smirks, and thawing hearts, the story is also full of pain, guilt, low self-esteem, and uncertainty. I was drawn in by the synopsis but the book unravels so much more than what is described. Filled with complexities on many levels, we get more than just a small-town romance. 

Maggie and her son, Ben, are newcomers to Starr's Fall after the need for a complete change in their lives. Running from tragedies in their past, Maggie and Ben give up their well-to-do life to purchase a building with second-story living quarters. Their goal is to open the area's only board game café. As a gamer girl myself, I love this concept. As they roll into town, Maggie bumps into Zach, who turns her world upside-down.

Zach is a thirty-something bachelor with an unwanted label. He runs the family store with his sister who is less about their 50/50 partnership and more about control. When he runs into Maggie the sparks fly between them. I was rooting for them from the very beginning.

The author unravels both Maggie and Zach methodically but in a way that isn't cruel or clinical. Each character, including Ben, has demons in their past that they are running from, trying to work through, or have buried but should be dealing with sooner rather than later. Relationships, whether romantic or friendly, are hard and you can't grow into one if you're haunted by previous life events. 

I enjoyed Playing For Keeps in Starr's Fall. The author created a wonderful world, 3-dimentional characters, and a story that is realistic and shows that everyone has imperfections. I loved the author's writing style, and the pacing of the book. I was completely engaged in the book from the first sentence.

I was provided with a copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

My Rating:

 

Purchase Link:

Amazon

Meet the Author:

Kate Hewitt is the author of many novels of both historical and contemporary fiction. Her novels have been called 'unputdownable' and 'the most emotional book I have ever read' by readers.

An American ex-pat for many years, she now lives in New Jersey with her husband, two of her five children (the others are scattered across the globe!), and their two Golden Retrievers. Join her newsletter to receive updates and giveaways, or be part of her Facebook groups Kate's Reads, to discuss all manner of books. (Links can be found on her website.

Her latest releases are The Girl Who Risked it All, a WW2 novel based on the true story of the doomed refugee ship the St Louis, The Midnight Hour, the second in her dystopian series Lost Lake, and Playing for Keeps in Starr's Fall, the second standalone in her new heartwarming series inspired by the Gilmore Girls. There's something for everyone so do check them all out, and be in touch as Kate loves to hear from readers. You can discuss Kate's books as well as others on her private Facebook group, Kate's Reads or read her thoughts on Substack.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: KateHewittAuthor

Twitter: @author_kate

Instagram: @katehewitt1

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/KateHewittNews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-hewitt

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Book Blast ~ Boo's Blue Poo and Goo by Toni Nelson ~ Children's Chapter Book @GoddessFish

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Toni Nelson will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Genre:

Children's Chapter Book

About the Book:

'Give a helping hand to someone in trouble today and you will be richly rewarded!'

Diamonte De Dazzle (owner of the world's most famous department store) read her daily horoscope and was puzzled. Who was in trouble?

Who, what, why, when and where? How on earth could she help?

She then encountered Boo, a homeless blue cat, trying to escape from TCC, the horribly horrible Cat Catcher. Boo was the only truly blue cat on the planet, so TCC intended on cat-napping and exhibiting her to become rich and famous.

(Evil laugh from TCC . . .)

The combination of an eccentric department store owner, as well as TCC, two snobby socialites, plus a fashion event which is unexpectedly and thoroughly thrown into chaos, is life- changing.

Read an Excerpt:

Meet Boo: A sweet-natured, gentle, cuddly, affectionate cat—as well as being a gorgeously gorgeous cat! Few adults realized how lovely Boo was, because few adults would approach her. This was because Boo was blue. Blue! She was born blue, and the colour hadn’t faded … in fact, if anything, she seemed to grow ever bluer. Children liked her very much. They wanted to cuddle her, stroke her, and play with her. They knew she was simply a cat, no matter what colour she was.

Boo was homeless. She had to live on the streets of the city in all kinds of weather; sometimes she was freezing cold, and sometimes she was so hot she wished she could unzip her blue coat, take it off, and cool down. She was very wary of all the tall people who were constantly walking past her, but most people were so busy looking at their phones, or hurrying somewhere, that they rarely noticed her as she hunted for food.

As if that wasn’t enough, Boo also had to keep a look out for The Cat Catcher— known as TCC—an extremely grumpy man. Not only was TCC grumpy, but he was also a bully! He was employed by the City Council to remove stray animals from the city streets. Unfortunately, TCC had spotted Boo some time ago … and was now obsessed with catching her.

About the Author:

Toni is Australian-born, considering herself extremely fortunate to have had parents who encouraged her love of books. Seventy years on, she is still an ardent reader.

(Thanks Mum and Dad.)

She enjoys writing, previously assisting in the production of a monthly community newspaper: The Bayswater Buzz.

This story is derived from a brief news report she watched some years ago, which has somehow morphed into this book.

She truly hopes you enjoy the story of Boo, the blue cat.

Website: https://toninelsonwriter.com/

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4bUHPWa
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=9780228825005
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/9780228825005
Abebooks: https://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9780228825005
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/search?q=9780228825005

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Gunnar by Marteeka Karland ~ @RABTBookTours #RABTBookTours #GunnarKissofDeathMC #MarteekaKarland #MCRomance

(Kiss of Death MC)

Gunnar by Marteeka Karland

Motorcycle Club Romance, Suspense, Age Gap

Date Published: March 28, 2025

 

Pippa is the unexpected twist in my life, a complication I never saw coming.

About the Book:

Pippa -- My life has been shaped by some kind of underworld scheming I don’t really understand. Or maybe I don’t want to know. But now I’m living in darkness and violence, unable to break free but unwilling to succumb to the drug induced stupor my captives force on me. Then Gunnar, a fierce man with a dark relentlessness, charges to my rescue like a black knight, taking vengeance on those who have hurt me. Our first meeting isn’t a rescue out of a fairy tale -- it’s pure chaos. Gunnar may be an ex-con, but he protects me with a ferocity I never knew existed.

Gunnar – Pippa’s quiet resilience clashes with the violent life I know. With just a look, the woman claims my heart and life takes on a brand new meaning. I’ve done time -- fifteen long years behind bars, to protect my sister. Now I’ll protect Pippa with a ruthlessness she can’t even imagine.

My past is dark, my future uncertain, and every moment with Pippa makes me realize the lengths I’ll go to keep her. Fate has brought me to the one woman I know I can’t live without.

 

WARNING: Gunnar includes scenes of graphic violence and adult situations including potential triggers for some readers. There’s also a protective hero, an intelligent, insightful heroine, and eventual happy ending. No cheating, as always.

 

 

Read an Excerpt:

“This the day?”

I glanced at my cellmate and now a close friend. I was packing up my personals in our cell, getting ready to leave prison after serving fifteen years of a twenty-year sentence. “Yep.”

“Thought you had a few more years left.”

I shrugged. “I did.”

“Interesting.” Knuckles leaned against the end of the bunk. I paused in my packing to find him watching me intently.

“Yeah,” I drawled slowly. “Thought so myself.”

“You think it was your old man?” Knuckles knew about Cain and ExFil and Bones. He knew my dad had some pull and was likely thinking I’d held out on him.

“If you’re implyin’ I’ve been down-playin’ people I know, I haven’t been. This is as much a surprise for me as it is you.”

“I know.”

OK, now I stopped what I was doing altogether and took a step toward Knuckles. “What’s goin’ on?” Clearly, I’d missed something important.

“You’re a solid guy, Gunnar. I had an… opportunity.”

“What kind of opportunity?” I was preparing myself for a fight, but I had no idea who’d I’d be fighting. Knuckles didn’t usually play politics inside, but one thing I’d learned while in USP Terre Haute was that there wasn’t much men wouldn’t do for a few amenities.

“The kind where I had to make a choice.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are we gettin’ ready to try to kill each other, Knuckles?”

“Depends on your answer.”

I held my arms out from my side slightly so he could see I wasn’t armed. “Gotta know the question first, man.”

“I was told there was a one-time opportunity for me to get myself or one person of my choosing out early. Call it a favor from someone in the position to make this happen.”

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“If you agree to do something for me, you get to go back to your life a couple years early.”

“I suppose it depends on what it is you want. There are things I won’t do. Even for my freedom. I take it me getting this early parole wasn’t my father’s doing.”

“Even for the man who kept you alive when you first got to the real prison outta Camp Hilton?”

There was nothing easy about the camp and the bastard knew it. He also knew I’d agree with him I was alive now because of him. “Yeah, Knuckles. Even for you. But I hope you know I’d never deny you something without a fuckin’ good reason.”

Knuckles studied me for several seconds before nodding his head slowly. “Yeah. I do know. It’s why I went ahead and pushed the order through. You’re a good man, Gunnar. Of all the people here, I believe you are the one man who has never been a danger to society. Anyone who fucks with your family isn’t considered society and is asking for whatever you dish out.” He snorted out a laugh. “You’re leaving whether you agree to help me or not.”

“What’s the ask, Knuckles?”

“My daughter,” he said. “She’s been taken. One of my enemies found out who she was and used her to get revenge on me.” Knuckles handed me a few photos of a young woman bound and gagged with an expression of abject terror on her face. The thing striking me most about her were her bright green eyes. They shimmered with tears, but there was something about them. A quiet acceptance of what was about to happen, maybe? Not in a sense she’d given up, but like she’d accepted the experience wasn’t going to be pleasant, but was determined to make it through so the task was complete.

“Pippa?” Knuckles had told me of her often enough. He was so proud of his baby girl. He’d managed a fling with one of the nurses in the prison before I got here and the woman had kept in touch over the years, even going so far as to let the girl meet Knuckles. The visit had gone well, but Knuckles had come back to the cell angry and agitated, afraid his enemies might use her to get revenge. That had been about five years ago. I knew there was nothing in the Goddamned world Knuckles wouldn’t do for Pippa, whether it be killing or dying for her.

“Yeah. I’ve had some stuff sent to the Bones MC clubhouse for you. I can’t rescue Pippa on my own and I have no idea if my own club would back me after what happened. The fallout of killin’ those bastards put Kiss of Death in a pretty bad position.”

OK, the name of his club got my attention. “Kiss of Death? Motorcycle Club in Nashville?”

Knuckles nodded. “You know of us, then?”

“Yeah. You could say that.” I had to be careful here. I had no idea how I had managed to form a strong friendship with this man over the course of fifteen years and not realized he’d had ties to Kiss of Death.

“I was vice president before I got put in here. After I went away, things went to shit. Ain’t even sure at this point if they’ll still accept my patch. Damned sure ain’t vice president anymore. So my chances of gettin’ her back on my own are pretty Goddamned slim.”

“You think I have a better shot?”

“Know you do. The new prez of Kiss of Death came from Bones. Vice president too. I can tell by the look on your face you know this.”

“Yeah. What I don’t know is why you kept your ties to them a secret from me.”

“There’s a reason I hadn’t called in that favor before now, Gunnar. I set this in motion the day I found out Torpedo had taken over Kiss of Death. It took a few months for my guy to pull it off so I used that time to gather as much information on the fuckers who took her.”

“I assume the information is in the package you sent back to Bones?”

“Yeah. Let whoever you need see it. Do whatever you have to. But get Pippa away from those bastards.”

I didn’t hesitate but stuck out my hand to Knuckles and he took it. “On my life, brother. I’ll bring Pippa home.”

“No,” he snapped. “You take her back to Bones or Kiss of Death if Torpedo and Bohannon are men you trust. But get her behind locked doors and do not let her out of your sight. If that means you take her as your old lady, then you do it. That’s the ask, Gunnar.”

It took a moment to comprehend what I’d just heard. “Me? You want me to make your daughter my old lady?”

About the Author:

Marteeka Karland is an international bestselling author who leads a double life as an erotic romance author by evening and a semi-domesticated housewife by day. Known for her down and dirty MC romances, Marteeka takes pleasure in spinning tales of tenacious, protective heroes and spirited, vulnerable heroines. She staunchly advocates that every character deserves a blissful ending, even, sometimes, the villains in her narratives. Her writings are speckled with intense, raw elements resulting in page-turning delight entwined with seductive escapades leading up to gratifying conclusions that elicit a sigh from her readers.

Away from the pen, Marteeka finds joy in baking and supporting her husband with their gardening activities. The late summer season is set aside for preserving the delightful harvest that springs from their combined efforts (which is mostly his efforts, but you can count it). To stay updated with Marteeka's latest adventures and forthcoming books, make sure to visit her website. Don't forget to register for her newsletter which will pepper you with a potpourri of Teeka's beloved recipes, book suggestions, autograph events, and a plethora of interesting tidbits.

Author Contact Links:

Author on Instagram & TikTok: @marteekakarland

Author on Facebook

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

Pre-Order Today

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Vengeful CONspiracies by Nicole Leiren ~ @harborlanebooks @RABTBookTours #RABTBookTours #VengefulCONspiracies #NicoleLeiren #CozyMystery

 

The Sadie Sabatini Mystery Series

Vengeful CONspiracies by Nicole Leiren

Cozy Mystery

Date Published: March 25, 2025

Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC.

 

About the Book:

Sadie Sabatini is settling into her new life in Wilson, Texas. She's making friends and her business, Tesoro, is starting to thrive. But the past is never far behind. When two of her former team members come for a visit, they bring trouble in the form of a mutual enemy set on revenge threatening to disrupt Sadie's fresh start.

She can't turn her back on her team, though. They've been through too much together. The more Sadie tries to help, the more she suspects she might be the target of the con this time. With forces conspiring against her, the outcome of her decisions, both past and present, weigh heavily and make her question the choices she made leading to this point.

When their mutual enemy is found dead, alliances are tested, and wits are matched as the race to the truth reveals who can be trusted and who is running their final con.

 

VENGEFUL CONSPIRACIES is book 2 in the Sadie Sabatini Mystery series by USA Today Bestselling author, Nicole Leiren!

About the Author:

Described by those who know her best as perky, quirky and effervescent, USA Today Best-Selling author Nicole Leiren likes to have fun -- in life, with her characters and, of course, her readers. She admits to being sassy (just ask her mother!) and inspiration for her characters are drawn from the real-world heroes and heroines she meets while traversing the country.

Nicole enjoys sharing the love, laughter, mystery, and occasionally a touch of the mayhem she forces her characters to endure—all for the reader’s pleasure! Her real-world heroes and heroines will keep you turning the pages until you reach the whodunit or happily ever after (usually both!)

 

Contact Links:

Facebook

Instagram

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Purchase Link:

Amazon

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The Woke and the Dead by Mark Bacon ~@baconauthor @RABTBookTours #RABTBookTours #TheWokeandtheDead #MarkSBacon #Mystery

 

Nostalgia City Mystery #5

The Woke and the Dead by Mark Bacon

Mystery

Date Published: 03-13-2025

Publisher: Archer & Clark

 

About the Book:

A public war between a governor and a theme park lights the fuse on a story of hate groups, murder, corruption, racism, and political espionage.

Ex-cop turned theme-park cab driver Lyle Deming finds the body of a park visitor during an LGBTQ event. The dead man catered gay weddings. Was it a hate crime?

Arizona governor Rod Gudgel, running for reelection, calls it a random shooting. He mocks Nostalgia City theme park for its inclusiveness, uses homophobic and racist slurs, and later challenges the safety of its rides.

Park CEO, “Max” Maxwell lambasts the governor’s prejudice and insensitivity, and the fight is on—in public and undercover.  Maxwell drafts Lyle to investigate the murder while Kate Sorensen, his 6’-2½” public affairs VP, goes on the offensive in the media.

When an assault rifle attack kills and injures park employees demonstrating for gay rights at a Gudgel campaign office, Nostalgia City mourns, and Kate slams the governor’s unsympathetic response to the slaughter. While the FBI and sheriff’s deputies investigate the crime, the governor redoubles his efforts to regulate the park out of business.

Looking for a shooting suspect, Lyle gets a little too close to an armed hate group—with a possible connection to the governor. His lady friend Kate flies to Montana where she digs into the governor’s unseemly past uncovering a trail of malfeasance dating back two decades and arousing Gudgel allies who want to stop her at all cost.

With Lyle’s wry humor and Kate’s stick-to-itiveness the story moves quickly as mysteries and subplots multiply and loop together threatening the park, their relationship, and their lives.

 

About the Author:

My first three mysteries were published by Black Opal Books with my debut novel earning recommendation from the American Library Association.

I started writing mysteries after a writing career in journalism and marketing. Prior to my novels, Ether Books of the UK published a collection of my flash fiction mysteries and many of my shorts have been published in online literary magazines. During my business career I wrote two books for John Wiley and Sons, one of which was a Library Journal Best Business Book of the Year. I have an MA in journalism and a golden retriever.

I write the kind of mysteries I like to read.  I appreciate stories with twists, turns, and puzzles which appeal to the head. But I also like a mystery that appeals to the heart with a fast pace and challenges and threats that put the protagonists in peril.

 

Contact Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter: @baconauthor

Blog

Goodreads

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon

B&N 

Kobo

Apple Books

Smashwords

 

 

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The Bipolar Code by Bob Stavnitski ~ @RABTBookTours #RABTBookTours #TheBipolarCode #BobStavnitski #Nonfiction

 

A Memoir of Unraveling, Navigating, and Empowering the Bipolar Mind

The Bipolar Code by Bob Stavnitski 

Personal Memoirs, Mental Health, Non Fiction

Date Published: March 25, 2025

Publisher: Elite Online Publishing

 

 

About the Book:

The Bipolar Code is a captivating memoir that invites readers to journey through the highs and lows of living with bipolar disorder. With unflinching authenticity, author Bob Stavnitski shares his triumphs and challenges, offering a powerful exploration of resilience, family bonds, and personal growth. Through his story, readers will find inspiration to embrace their own vulnerabilities, navigate relationships, and discover the transformative beauty within adversity. Join this expedition and uncover the strength of the human spirit in the face of life's complexities.

This book is dedicated to all of Bob’s family, loved ones, friends, and caregivers, all the people whose lives time and again have been interrupted by the calamities resulting from our bipolar disorder. Witnesses to events they find hard to fathom happening right before their eyes in their own homes. Those who find themselves repeatedly heartbroken, losing sleep, and lost in a quandary over what to do and how to help their very sick child, partner, sister, brother, or friend find their way through the self-destructive and complicated web woven in their bipolar brains.

Buy the book today, experience the journey, and learn all about Bipolar Bob.

About the Author:

Bob Stavnitski experienced a seemingly idyllic childhood and enjoyed a successful, frequently stand-out high school experience, anticipating a career in government or diplomacy. Then suddenly, his string of successes ended abruptly, and for a very long time. Unbeknownst to Bob, he would experience major unchecked deepening bipolar depression for fifteen years. He expressed his immediate reaction, “I’m not going to allow mental illness to take the rest of my life away from me.”

Bob spares a little, candidly sharing the story. He is convinced there is beauty, even brilliance, in the bipolar brain and soul that can enhance our understanding of the world around us and allows bipolar individuals to experience truth and beauty in the human condition that others with “normal” brains miss out on. Bob believes that it is possible to accomplish a sustainable comeback and make left-behind dreams become new realities.

Contact Links:

Website

Instagram

Youtube

 

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Love Before Covid by Greg Scorzo ~ @GregScorzo @RABTBookTours #RABTBookTours #LoveBeforeCovid #GregScorzo #Drama #Thriller

 

Love Before Covid by Greg Scorzo

Dark / Drama / Thriller

Date Published: July 28, 2023

Publisher: Troubadour Books

 

“Love before Covid - A raw, philosophical dive into love’s messy reality—unflinching, dark, and unapologetically human. Unlike typical romance novels, LOVE BEFORE COVID is a dialogue-driven exploration of human flaws and ideologies, blending fiction with metaphysical inquiry. It’s not about comfort; it’s about confrontation and insight.”

 

About the Book:

Laced with dark humour, it is best described as traumatic (sur)realism. Love Before Covid takes the reader on a journey through the mind of Joe Pastorius - jazz fan, poet, and victim of horrendous sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of his mother.

The real-time dialogues between the characters that emerge from Joe’s unconscious come via arguably corrupted memories and dystopian dreams. They tell us more about Joe than he could ever know, and perhaps more about our world than you could ever imagine.

Dialogues entail an exploration of clashing perspectives and opinions, that cause reflection. Today though, our world has been infiltrated by online dialogues that tend to feel like wild unfiltered streams of human thought, raw, chaotic and often polarising and devoid of much reflection. Arguably that attitude, and lack of reflection is mirrored by the characters you will encounter. The reflection comes from the reader as the situations unfold. Your moral boundaries will without doubt be pushed to the limit.

You will meet an altruist who can’t stand up for himself, a charming but violent public intellectual, a beautiful dancer who hates fat people, a flirty and gregarious bartender who will do anything to get pregnant, a traumatised art historian who never wants to be a mother, a successful intellectual Mexican writer who is secretly disapproving of her childhood friend’s career as a pornstar, the teenage genius son of that pornstar who has sexual fantasises about his mother, a woman who is pressured into cutting off her penis and a successful therapist who has a habit of ruining people’s lives.

And yes, before you ask, some of the characters in this book eventually catch Covid 19. However, there is always hope. For Joe Pastorious, that comes in the form of the psychopath named Janet Waverley.

 

 

Read an Excerpt:

INTRODUCTION

 

Dear Reader,

This book is both a novel and a collection of dialogues.

The dialogues in this book are moving thought experiments. They portray elaborate, unfolding situations which, at every turn, force the reader to examine his or her philosophical intuitions about a range of topics, situations and people.

These dialogues are not merely fiction told in dialogue form. Fiction is drama that may (incidentally) comment upon or examine philosophical issues. Drama normally involves scenes in which dialogue is used to set up and advance a plot. In this book, plots are used to set up and advance the dialogues of the characters.

The dialogues in this book are something like philosophy, because the dramatic elements are merely a pretext to examine the philosophical issues raised by the situations in which the characters talk to each other. The dialogues happen in real time and are often deeply frustrating, as dialogues are in real life. Reading this book, you may feel as though you are listening in on a series of intensely private conversations.

If you heard any of these conversations in real life, you might feel as though you were being privy to a rather juicy bit of gossip. Or you might call the police. You might shed a tear. You might even masturbate (and then read some more traditional philosophy).

Like any piece of philosophy, the writing in this book is sometimes laborious. However, unlike traditional philosophy, the aim of this book is to explore, rather than resolve, a set of philosophical concerns. There are even issues raised in this book that many well-regarded philosophers find quite silly – too silly to take seriously as philosophy.

Love Before Covid is thus an attempt to invoke the gadfly spirit of Socrates in the 21st century, largely by abandoning the academic tradition he inspired. This book is expected to irritate both lovers of philosophy, as well as lovers of fiction. It may even irritate people from both sides of the 21st century’s culture wars.

The plot concerns the love life of a man called Joe Pastorious. However, this book does not tell you what to think of Joe, nor does it sing his praises by showing how much he conforms to the most cherished values of our time. Like many non-fictional people, Joe Pastorious is a complex human being. You may love him or hate him. To call him imperfect would be an understatement, but the degree to which he is likeable or loathsome is thoroughly up to you.

There are other fictional people in this book who also dialogue, but they only make appearances because of our protagonist. In some ways, they explain Joe, much more than Joe explains himself.

Joe Pastorious met his wife Janet Waverley in the autumn of 1999. Joe and Janet fell in love in a place called Leicester, which is a small city in the middle of England. Many things have been said of Leicester, but one thing that is not said enough is it is a fantastic place to fall in love. It was the perfect place for Joe and Janet to fall in love. This is true, despite the fact that Joe and Janet’s love is anything but perfect.

To truly understand the imperfect nature of this love, we must go back, not to the beginning, but to an imaginary autumn of 2002. It’s not enough to merely remember this autumn, from the vantage point of an imaginary present. We instead must adopt this moment’s perspective, seeing its events as though they were happening now.

When in the present, one can’t predict the future. Hence, the present is the best place to understand imperfect people. When people are dead and we know absolutely everything they have ever done, this creates an illusion of certainty the present thankfully wipes away. You can’t trust a corpse, because there is nothing about a corpse’s decisions that may hurt or disappoint you.

A living, breathing person is not like this. They are only capable of being truly understood, when they can be trusted. They can only be fully trusted when their future is uncertain.

Love’s power resides in the romance of this uncertainty.

About the Author

During the pandemic Dr. Greg Scorzo completed his first novel ‘LOVE BEFORE COVID’ as well as producing an innovative radio play based on 6 chapters from that book, also called – LOVE BEFORE COVID. available on our YouTube Channel.  and via Audioboom with links to all major podcast platforms.

Greg says, “I was interested in the challenge of writing a novel that was formally experimental, while still being easy for a mass audience to read and understand. I love the idea of a piece of philosophy that is simultaneously a work of fiction, and a philosophical thought experiment which can function like a great, twisty roller coaster of a story that asks the reader many questions. Unlike traditional philosophy and many fashionable works of literature, this book purposefully asks questions without giving answers, encouraging readers to think (and emote) for themselves.”

Since gaining his PhD in Philosophy in 2011, Greg Scorzo has aimed to find creative and original ways to take philosophical thinking outside of academia. By using modern accessible philosophical dialogue inpublic talks, podcasts and his novel Love Before Covid, Greg explores clashing perspectives and opinions that cause reflection. Based in Leicester, he was a founding member of Culture on the Offensive and runs the podcast The ‘Art of Thinking’.

Dialogues entail an exploration of clashing perspectives and opinions that cause reflection. Statements and declarations can close minds.

The ‘Art of Thinking’ with Greg Scorzo podcast is available on YouTube where he does friendly philosophical interrogation of ideas  with many interesting thinkers. Also available via Audioboom linking to all major podcast platforms.

His extended essays on Arts and Culture as well as Cultural Issues are available on this platform www.gregscorzo.com

He has a passion and extensive knowledge of film and music.

From 2017 – 2020 Greg Scorzo was active in running over 60 engaging voluntary community sessions, centred around ‘The Art of Thinking’  The focussed on  universal philosophical themes, arts and culture and cultural issues. The ethos behind these events was to encourage the use of EMPATHY, CLARITY and COURAGE in ensuing dialogues with the audience. These were organised by COTO.

He also took up invitations to partner and run sessions at other events, including the Battle of Ideas Festival at the Barbican London, the Philosophy Now conference, Leicester Comedy Festival and  DeMontfort University’s Cultural Exchanges festival. He is always interested to partner up with other like minded people.

 

Contact Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Blog

Goodreads

Instagram

 

Purchase Links:

https://mybook.to/LoveBeforeCovid

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Publisher

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#BookReview ~ Antiques and Adversity in the Azores (A Treasured Journey Mystery) by Victoria Tait ~ #CozyMystery #Portugal

 

Antiques and Adversity in the Azores (A Treasured Journey Mystery) by Victoria Tait

About Antiques and Adversity in the Azores:

 

Antiques and Adversity in the Azores (A Treasured Journey Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

1st in Series

Setting - Azores, Portugal

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kanga Press (March 14, 2025)

Number of Pages c. 240

Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DRY16XMQ

Beneath a tranquil island's charm, a deadly mystery emerges from the lake. Can an amateur sleuth uncover the truths hidden within decades of tradition before the past claims another victim?

Troubled antiques expert, Georgina Carey, is reeling from the loss of her husband, her job, and her self-assurance. When she’s offered a commission to value the estate of a deceased Portuguese collector in the Azores—wherever that is—she reluctantly accepts.

A lakeside house nestled in the lush greenery of São Miguel Island seems like the perfect retreat to confront her past and prepare for her future. But her tranquillity is shattered when a body is found floating in the lake, echoing a mysterious death from over 30 years ago.

Despite her best intentions to focus solely on the commission, Georgina finds herself drawn into the secrets of the local town as residents unexpectedly confide in her. As she pieces together their stories, she starts to wonder if the deaths were as accidental as they seemed or if something more unsettling is at play.

Can Georgina stay on task, find an heir to the estate, and uncover the truth behind two mysterious deaths on this beguiling island in the Atlantic?

If you enjoy enchanting locations, small-town mysteries, and an intelligent sleuth grappling with self-doubt as she finds the strength to reshape her future, then you’ll love Victoria Tait’s Antiques and Adversity in the Azores, the captivating first book in The Treasured Journey Mystery series."

Traditions, secrets, and a deadly mystery. Buy Antiques and Adversity in the Azores today!

My Review:

Antiques and Adversity in the Azores is the first book in the Treasured Journey Mystery series. Georgina Carey is still recovering from the loss of her husband and job. When offered, Georgina takes an offer to settle the estate of a deceased collector in Portugal. A change of pace is exactly what she needs. A dead body floating in a lake on the estate, however, was not part of the plan.

I love the setting of Antiques and Adversity in the Azores. I've not read a book set in Portugal yet and love the uniqueness. The characters are well-written and Georgina is a wonderful protagonist. There are several suspects to consider in the recent death and the death is mimics from 30 year ago. I love the twists and turns that kept me guessing.

I was provided with a copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

My Rating:

About Victoria Tait:

Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where she developed a lifelong love of tea and British traditions. Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder, She Wrote, she writes cozy mysteries infused with her signature British charm.

Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. With intrigue, surprises, and gentle humour, Victoria’s page-turning stories are the perfect blend of mystery and charm—best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

Read the FREE prequel to her Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series at her website.

Or click Follow for updates.

Author Links Website BookBub Instagram Pinterest Goodreads

Purchase Link Amazon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

March 15 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

March 15 – Cassidy's Bookshelves – REVIEW

March 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

March 16 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author - SPOTLIGHT

March 17 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

March 17 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 18 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 18 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

March 19 – Storybook Lady – REVIEW

March 19 – Ruff Drafts – RECIPE

March 20 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 20 – Frugal Freelancer – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 21 – Wine Cellar Library – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 22 – Boys' Mom Reads! – REVIEW

March 23 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – REVIEW 

March 24 – Reading Is My SuperPower - REVIEW

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This post contains affiliate links.
If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you.
Thank you for supporting Sapphyria’s Books.

#BookReview ~ Essence of Foul Play (An Aroma Wellness Mystery, Book 1) by Daryl Wood Gerber #CozyMystery #GreatEscapesBookTours #BookLover

Essence of Foul Play (An Aroma Wellness Mystery) by Daryl Wood Gerber

About Essence of Foul Play:

 

Essence of Foul Play (An Aroma Wellness Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

1st in Series

Setting - California

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington Cozies (March 25, 2025)

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496751507

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496751508

Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DB3SGV1Q

Emma Brennan may have her head in a cloud of eucalyptus, but her feet are firmly planted on the ground in breathtaking Carmel, California, as she prepares to open her new spa business, Aroma Wellness. But all the reiki, shiatsu, and massage in the world can’t help her relax when she’s accused of murder . . . Everything is going smoothly as Emma prepares for the grand opening of the spa. The therapy rooms are painted. The sales shop and café are stocked with meditative and delicious goodies, from essential oils to avocado masks and prickly pear massages. The fountain in the Courtyard of Peace is burbling with good vibrations. In fact, there isn’t a whiff of trouble until that morning when Emma is shocked to learn that a rival spa owner has been bludgeoned . . . with an item from the goodwill basket Emma gave her. Worse, a witness is pointing the finger at Emma . . . With the police treating Emma like she’s the only suspect, and the town’s anti New Age anything posse badmouthing her every step of the way, she’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Incensed by the accusations but empowered by her cousin, her nana, and her trusted Birman cat, Vivi, Emma reviews the potpourri of possible suspects, determined to uncover the essence of foul play—before she’s cold-pressed for murder . . .

My Review:

Essence of Foul Play is the first book in the new Aroma Wellness Mystery series. Set in Carmel, California, Emma's dream of opening her own wellness spa is finally a reality. Prior to her opening, however, several townsfolk give Emma anything book good wishes. When her dear friend and bitter rival is found dead, Emma finds herself the only suspect. She knows she didn't do it, so that means a killer is still on the loose, and the only way to exonerate herself, it seems, is to do a little investigating herself.

There are several surprises in store for the reader. I enjoyed the location, setting, and occupation of this book. Essence of Foul Play delivers a complex mystery filled with a large assortment of suspects. Of course, we have a police officer that, while we know he's working on this case, isn't working on it fast enough for Emma. She's pulling out all the stops to figure out the motive and murderer. There is a cross-series meet-up in Essence of Foul Play and I enjoyed it very much. I love when authors bring in characters from other series' for cameos. 

This is another unique story with a unique setting by this author. The characters are fun and exciting. I love meeting them. Emma is wonderful protagonist and love that she's got a grandma around that supports her. Her mother is something else. The author delivers several suspects with means and motive, and figuring out who committed the crime was difficult. There are twists and turns and red herrings, and while I may have suspected who committed the crime, I never was really sure until the end.

I was provided with a copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

My Rating:

 

About Daryl Wood Gerber:

Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of the Literary Dining Mysteries, the Fairy Garden Mysteries and the Cookbook Nook Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she penned the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries. In addition, Daryl writes suspense including the well-received The Son’s Secret, Girl on the Run, and the popular Aspen Adams suspense novels. Recently Daryl, who loves a challenge, published a Christmas romance, Hope for the Holidays. Fun Tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, garden, read, and walk her frisky Goldendoodle. Also she has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. You can learn more on her website: httsp://darylwoodgerber.com

Author Links:

WEBSITE: https://darylwoodgerber.com

FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/darylwoodgerber

BOOKBUB: https://bookbub.com/authors/daryl-wood-gerber

YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/woodgerb1

INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/darylwoodgerber

GOODREADS: https://goodreads.com/darylwoodgerber

TIKTOK: www.tiktok.com/@daryl_wood_gerber

AMAZON: https://bit.ly/Daryl_Wood_Gerber_page

NEWSLETTER: https://darylwoodgerber.com/contact-media/

Purchase Links:

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

BOOKSHOP.ORG

KOBO

MYSTERIOUS GALAXY 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

March 18 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – VIVI INTRODUCTION

March 18 – Boys' Mom Reads! – REVIEW

March 18 – Frugal Freelancer – SPOTLIGHT

March 19 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

March 19 – Moonlight Rendezvous – RECIPE

March 19 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

March 20 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

March 20 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 20 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

March 20 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

March 21 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW

March 21 – Christy's Cozy Corners – RECIPE

March 21 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT

March 21- Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 22 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 22 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 22 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

March 23 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW

March 23 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – REVIEW

March 23 – Cassidy's Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT a Rafflecopter giveaway

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This post contains affiliate links.
If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you.
Thank you for supporting Sapphyria’s Books.