Category Archives: Standalone

New Release, Part of a Series, Standalone, Writers on the River Attending Author

#wotr #attendingauthor #seriesstarter #newrelease Season Starter (summer loving 1) by Amabel Daniels

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Jessie

The last time I saw the man—jerk—of my dreams, he fired me. Now, he’s back in town to renovate my bed and breakfast before the tourist season starts.

I might have gotten over my grudge, but I sure haven’t moved on since him. Harrison is the ideal hunk, or he was back when we were young and stupid. My contractor is still sexy, possibly sweet, and easily keeps up with my sarcasm…but he’s a package deal this time. He’s back with a daughter and a chip of his shoulder, neither of which should matter to me. But the more I see him on the job, each time we clash and fall into our thrilling push-and-pull, I have to wonder if there’s something fresh to start with him before the summer kicks off.

Harrison

Of all people, it just had to be Jessie Green buying this old dump. Imagine my shock that the feisty, gorgeous, stubborn girl I fell in love with in high school is the owner of our town’s former brothel.

Her plans for a B&B are a nearly impossible race against time—doable, but it’s quite the hustle. With the tables turned—her hiring me—it’d be easier done if I didn’t have to see her day in and day out, worrying if she can overlook our past, wondering if she tastes as good as she looks, wishing I could have a take two. Hell, even a take one



Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57742057-season-starter

Amazon https://amzn.to/3xQJtUj

Review by Twinsie Dee

I was given this book by the author for an honest review

Holy hawt damn you can feel the sexual tension rolling off the pages as the story gets deeper into the story. Jessie always dreamed about opening a bed and breakfast in the run down mansion in town,  and once she got a lot of money from a relative she wasn’t aware she had she could finally do it. Well once the couple finally decided to sell and the town worm (wormer being his last name perfectly fitting)  so they made a deal if she could get the house fixed up by the time the tourist season started she could buy the house. And she ended up hiring her old crush from high school and damn did he age well but he also now had a kid. Will they get this house done in time or will their sexual tension keep them from getting the job done in time and allowing all Jessie’s money go to waste and letting Wormer turn it into a parking lot. Wow this story was amazing hilarious and hawt I loved every second of it.

 

Amabel Daniels lives in Northwest Ohio with her patient husband, three adventurous daughters, and a collection of too many cats and dogs. Although she holds a Master’s degree in Ecology, her true love is finding a good book. When she isn’t spending time outdoors, she’s busy brewing up her next novel, usually as she lets her mind run off with the addictive words of “what if…”

 

Hockey Player, Part of a Series, Standalone, Writers on the River Attending Author

#wotr #attendingauthor #seriesstarter Just Say Yes (Indianapolis Eagles 1) by Samantha Lind

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What will it take for her to Just Say Yes?

Scott Taylor has the perfect life. He gets to fulfill his dream playing professional hockey, has a loving family, and a tight group of friends. But the one thing missing in his life is a partner to come home to. He knows exactly who he wants to fill that position– the only woman he has ever loved. The one who got away, who constantly consumes his every thought. What it would take to get her to Just Say Yes to a second chance?

Becca Phillips is an independent woman who has made her career as an ER nurse a priority in her life. She has a loving family and a best friend by her side, but she can’t seem to get over her first love, Scott. Insecurities led her to break up with him years ago when he started climbing the ranks in professional hockey and, for eight years, Becca has avoided Scott when he returns home each summer. Can she overcome her fears and allow love back into her life? All she has to do is Just Say Yes to the one and only man she has ever loved.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36276177-just-say-yes

Amazon https://amzn.to/324bGbC

Review by Twinsie Dee

I bought this book and this my honest opinion

After winning the Stanley Cup and bringing it home to Alaska for the day Scott Taylor was on top of the world. He was just missing one thing back home the love of his life his high school sweetheart that broke up with him 8 years priers and who he’s never gotten over she was definitely the one who got away and he compared every girl to her. Becca was the one who broke Scott’s heart all those years ago so every summer after hockey season is over she does everything she can to avoid him in the small town that they live in. So this summer she decided that she wasn’t going to avoid him and see what happens because well she regrets breaking things off with him all those years ago and she wants him back in her life. Will these two reconnect for the summer and continue to be in each other’s lives or will the distance and crazy schedules rip them apart again. Wow this is such a great book my first hockey romance book too and definitely not my last it was such a quick read I couldn’t put it down.

Samantha Lind is a contemporary romance author. Having spent the first 27 years of her life in Alaska, she now calls Iowa home where she lives with her husband and two sons. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, watching hockey (Go Knights Go!), and listening to country music.

Audio Book, Standalone, Teen & Young Adult Contemporary

#AudioReview – Ryan’s Bed by: Tijan Narrator: Therese Plummer

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Ryan's Bed

I crawled into Ryan Jensen’s bed that first night by accident.

I barely knew him. I thought it was his sister’s bed—her room. It took seconds to realize my error, and I should’ve left…

I didn’t.
I didn’t jump out.
I didn’t get embarrassed.
I relaxed.
And that night, in that moment, it was the only thing I craved.

I asked to stay. He let me, and I slept.

The truth? I never wanted to leave his bed. If I could’ve stayed forever, I would have.
He became my sanctuary.

Because—four hours earlier—my twin sister killed herself.

Goodreads


Review by Twinsie Melinda

I purchased this Audio.

I enjoy listening Theresa Plummer narrating this story. She does a great job with both male and female voices. I was able to tell which female and which male was talking. She really kept me engaged in the story. Tijan has an amazing way of writing a story that guts you and puts you back together along the way.

Mackenzie finds her twin on the bathroom floor in a pool of her own blood. Her other half is gone and Mackenzie finds herself in a new house, a new town and currently a stranger’s home trying to deal with the biggest loss of her life. She somehow manages to find her way into the wrong room and wrong bed, Ryan’s bed, but to her this bed feels so right.
Mackenzie is trying to deal with the loss of her twin but she hears her and sees her and the only comfort she has is when Ryan is near. She is trying to get through everything day by day and dealing with a new school. I love that she still has spunk and does not back down when mean girls are around.

Ryan is drawn to Mac from the beginning he truly gets what she is going through and helps her the best he can. The chemistry between these two is explosive. Love how understanding, compassionate and loving he is toward Mac.
I like that we were placed in Mac’s head and learned so much about both her and Willow. Mac is strong female although she may not always believe it or fee it she is. I loved her spirit and tenacity. Takes a lot to over come what she did and be able to still standup for herself.

Very well written book for such a hard subject of teen suicide to tackle .

Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and Ryan’s Bed among others. She is currently writing to her heart’s content in north Minnesota with an English Cocker Spaniel she adores.

To find what to read next of hers, go to www.tijansbooks.com
WALLSTREET JOURNAL, NEW YORK TIMES, AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Non-Fiction, Standalone

#REVIEW – Out of the Shadows: A Memoir by Timea Nagy & Shannon Moroney

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER

An unforgettable story of an ordinary woman in astonishing circumstances who defies the odds.

Timea Nagy was twenty years old when she answered a newspaper ad in Budapest, Hungary, calling for young women to work as babysitters and housekeepers in Canada. Hired by what seemed like a legitimate recruitment agency, Timea left her home believing she would earn good money to send back to her family. What she didn’t know was that she’d been lured by a ring of international human traffickers–and her life would never again be the same.

Upon her arrival in Toronto, she was forced into sex labour in some of the city’s seediest nightclubs, starved and controlled by her agents, and brainwashed to believe she was to blame for her situation. The only way she’d be free was when her debt was paid–but, no matter how hard she worked, that debt seemed only to go up, not down.

Out of the Shadows is a gripping, heartbreaking and eye-opening journey deep into the underworld of human trafficking and the sex trade, told in riveting detail by one brave survivor. At once tragic and powerfully redemptive, Timea Nagy’s story will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page.
I seriously have no words. Living in Ontario, I knew a lot of the streets mentioned, having been to Toronto more times than I count. I knew about the trafficking issues but I had no idea just how bad it was. Timea’s story was beyond brave. She’s fearless and strong even though I’m sure at times, she probably doesn’t feel that way. Even now. What she went through was heartbreaking but how she came out on top at the end, had me emotional. This story, Timea’s story, will forever be burned into my heart as one of the most powerful stories I’ve ever read. Timea, I know you’ll never read this but thank you for telling your story. I’m not a victim/survivor of any sort of trauma but I felt for these girls and boys. All different ages, it just shows that it doesn’t matter what sex you are. And really, age doesn’t matter either. Timea answered a babysitting ad to leave Hungary and come to Toronto, thinking she would be safe and she wasn’t. At all. Just a warning, there are triggers in this book, so please read with caution. While reading, every time something bad happened to Timea, I kept thinking that she couldn’t catch a break. I’m happy she was able to mend some past relationships and that she was able to find happiness of her ownself after years and years of living in darkness. If you’re working with human trafficking victims or going to school having to do with scary and very real issue, I highly recommend reading this book.
Non-Fiction, Standalone

#REVIEW – The Hospital by Barbara O’Hare

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A shocking expose of the appalling abuse and experimentation carried out on vulnerable children at Aston Hall Hospital, Derbyshire, in the 60s and 70s.
These books based on true events are way scarier than the horror movies I watch. Knowing the evil vile things that happened in these books, actually happened to someone in real life, is bothersome to say the least. So when 2020 happened, I went through a kick of reading non-fiction books. While they’re well written, I feel almost weird saying that they’re “good” because honestly, what part of the story is even remotely considered to be perceived as “good”? These stories hit me in a different spot somewhere deep inside me, than romance does. Knowing that some poor child/teen/adult went through these awful things, makes me want to befriend them and tuck them safely into my arms. The Hospital is no different. Barbara wasn’t wanted. You see that right away. Which is horrible by the way. She ends up being sent to “The Hospital” and spends months going through “treatment”. I tried understanding what exactly happened during these treatment sessions as it wasn’t exactly clear at first. But with all the books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen, my assumptions were unfortunately correct. Barbara eventually makes it out of The Hospital but every time I thought something good was about to happen and she finally had her freedom, something worse came about. If you like non-fiction books and need a change, definitely pick this one up.
Friends to Lovers, Part of a Series, Part of a Spin off series, Standalone, Writers on the River Attending Author

#wotr #attendingauthor #partofaseries Finally Us (Next Generation Series 5) by J.M. Walker

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-Vince-

She was perfect.

Her heart.

Her soul.

Everything.

I had been in love with Gigi Rodriguez for as long as I could remember. I had never been shy about my feelings toward her. Everyone knew how I felt. Except for the person who mattered most.

I needed her like I needed my next breath. Our souls called out to each other, entwining together to form a bond I had never felt with another person.

She was passionate.

Strong.

Mine.

Just when I thought I had her in my arms for good, an unknown force threatened to take away the only thing I had ever wanted…

-Gigi-

He was stubborn.

Obsessed.

Dominating.

Vincent Stone Junior was the very reason I danced. Every time I moved, I moved for him. He just didn’t know it yet.

It all started the night of his eighteenth birthday, but school got in the way and I didn’t see much of him for the next three years.

When he came home for good, I knew that he had one mission: To crack down the walls I had built.

I didn’t want to love him.

I didn’t want to need him.

But losing a piece of myself made me realize that I did in fact want those things. He taught me to love myself first and that he would be there, ready and waiting…

For me.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54102534-finally-us?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=L7eSllKw2H&rank=37

Amazon https://amzn.to/3vnwo3x

Review by Twinsie Dee

I was giving this book for a review and this is my honest opinion 

Holy hawt damn… this book wow ur gonna need a cold rag to help cool you down. So Gigi and Vince have known each other their whole life, had feeling for each other but there was a age difference and neither one wanted to  admit their feelings for the other. Well they both gave each other their virginity the night of Vince’s 18th birthday right before he went off to school. 3 years later feels are still there and they are still having fun, will these two finally get their heads outta of their asses and let the other one know how they feel and knock down all the walls that’s surrounding their hearts. Or will they let other people feelings dictate how they live, with constants obstacles trying to get between them will they get their happiness that they both have been wanting for their whole lives. This book was amazing like everything JM writes you will never been disappointed in her words and the sexiness is on point and on fire. 

J.M. Walker is an Amazon author who hit USA Today with Wanted: An Outlaw Anthology. She loves all things books, pigs and lip gloss. She is happily married to the man who inspires all of her Heroes and continues to make her weak in the knees every single day.

M/F/M, M/M, Standalone, Writers on the River Attending Author

#wotr #attendingauthor Dirty Crown by Mary Martal

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I always held hope that the day I left the compound would be the day I found freedom.

I was wrong.

My future had never really belonged to me. My father laid claim to it the day I was born, and I had been a stupid, naïve girl to wish for anything different.

As the heir to my father’s immense empire, my crown sits heavily on my head as I navigate my way through dealings with the criminal world while trying to stay alive.

Unfortunately for me, my crown and my hands are forced to get dirty along the way. Thankfully, I’m not expected to do it alone. Roarke, my deadly bodyguard who’s been by my side since I was six, is my shadow and always will be. I also now have Alessio, the cold, tattooed hottie, Roman, who conceals everything with fakeness that comes far too easily for him, and the alluring but sweet brothers, Tito and Enzo.

When bullets start flying, and people begin dying, my five guys not only stand behind me as the queen of their empire, but they also prove they have every right to be there by getting their hands just as dirty as my own.

Dirty Crown is a full-length, standalone reverse harem novel. This book is recommended for readers 18+. It contains sexual situations, swearing, violence, and some dark themes. It also contains MM as well as MFM.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56922286-dirty-crown?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=RQfOvdtrAA&rank=23

Amazon https://amzn.to/38DKSmc

Review by Twinsie Dee

I was giving this book for a review and this is my honest opinion

Valentina has been locked away along with all her other siblings in her fathers compound but now is the day she’s going to learn the family business. After watching her grandfather get shot in front of her by her bodyguard, and learning that she had a  grandparent that she just learned about and now he was gone of course story of her life first her mother had passed and now her grandfather. Now she was locked in a suite with 4 new guys she just met and her bodyguard. Valentina was going on her first appointment with the Russians to do a trade well when the deal goes south, her father gets killed and now she’s in charge. How far will Valentina go to get her crown dirty and with her men at her side this new queen could be unstoppable…. OMG I freaking loved this book well I love everything Mary writes but omg this one amazing. The hot steamy scene were just right  and the men were just the right amount of sexy and sweet. Plus Alessio is my man I love him and his #restingdickface so much

Mary Martel was born in West Michigan and spent the majority of her life there. She currently resides in North Dakota with her husband, and her two beautiful daughters. She’s an avid reader, and when not writing she can be found with her nose stuck in a book.

Dark, Dark Romance, Standalone

#WOTR21 #Dark #KU #ThrowbackReview – Convict Blood by Vivian Ward

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Convict Blood

I’m forced to choose between life and death in two hells that I can’t escape.

Facing a prison sentence on a mysterious, unknown island with my infant daughter, I try to lay low and fly under the radar during my term, but Officer Matthew Kent has his sights locked in on me from the moment we have our first encounter. I find myself trapped in his private lair where my worst nightmare begins.

Handsome, obsessed, and haunted by his past, he’ll never let me go. Confined with my captor, love is no longer a choice because without him, I might not live long enough to make it out of here alive. My only instinct is to survive. There’s just one problem with our forbidden relationship: people are watching––and talking about it. Someone will die. Someone must die. But who will it be first?

Read this dark prison romance novel to find out who will make it out alive.


Goodreads


I receive this book from the author for an honest review.

Ok fraaaannz!!  I am a dark reader but I am a scaredy cat dark reader…meaning…if its super dark I hide and cry.  If its super dark, I freak outta my mind.  Ok so now you know what kinda whimp reader I am.  Lemme say, THIS BOOK I was totally rooting for the couple and not at all sad about what was happening.  LOL

Vic and Henry are totally in a bad spot and get caught stealing.  Now this is way way way back when Australia would send entire families to the jail if the parents were caught.  So Vic and Henry along with baby Lizzy are facing this jail time. (You get the prequal for the story here https://www.authorvivianward.com/ )

The couple are bound and determined to last the 9 month journey and if they get separated, they will keep their heads down and noses clean.  Well that is a great plan IN THEORY, but Vic soon becomes the eye of Marine Officer Kent’s eye.

Matthew Kent is not a great guy….initially.  Yeah, he is forcing himself on Vic but soon they two do form a bond.  Now I know people will scream STOCKHOLM SYNDROM, but I don’t think so.  I think they really and truly grow to love each other.  Matthew has cared for Lizzy and Vic while also looking for her husband but coming up short.

They two must overcome a lot while on the journey to the prison’s new camp.  They wonder if they can make it ago and what will happen once they do arrive at the island.  Right when we think we know what will happen, Vivian throws a giant couple of twists and turns and I was like DAYUM GIRL!!  Why you gotta do me like this!!! LOL

Once they boat makes way to the mainland Vic has a lot of new things to navigate and new worries besides what she has been worrying about the entire journey.  I legit cannot even begin to discuss what happens on the island because HELLO SPOILERS are not my jam.  But if you like darker books and storied with crazy twists and turns with yummy anti-heros and sweet heros, then this is a book for you.

Vivian Ward is a romance author from St. Louis, Missouri. She pens dark and dirty stories about alpha heroes and strong heroines with emotional HEAs. Vivian is happily married to her real-life Prince Charming who is also her best friend. One of her guilty pleasures is reading and writing smut while indulging in chocolate caramel candies.

Contemp. Romance, Standalone

#REVIEW – Mister Manhattan by Alexandria Sure

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My Thursday afternoon meeting was a no show. Imagine my surprise when a drenched, flustered brunette slipped into the booth across from me, acting like she was supposed to be there.

When she slipped back out with a snappy goodbye, I never thought I’d see her again.

Until I walked into my Friday morning meeting.

At first, I didn’t recognize her—she was dry this time. But from the look on her face, she recognized me.

When she gave the worst pitch I’ve ever sat through, I thought my boss, and mentor, was going to show her the door—except he accepts the proposal and tells me we have to work together.

I didn’t anticipate I would like her, let alone be interested in her. Sure, she was hot and sassy.

But something about her rubbed me the wrong way.

And yet I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

So, when she leaves the room and her phone chimes with a new text, I knew I wasn’t supposed to look.

I also knew I wasn’t supposed to cancel her date for later that evening.

And I definitely knew I wasn’t supposed to delete the entire exchange, so she had no idea what I’d done.

But I did. And then I showed up at the restaurant, pretending like this was all a big coincidence.

When the date is over, I want more. I need more.

We start pretend-dating because she needs practice, and I tell myself, New York’s most eligible billionaire bachelor, that this is just a bit of fun.

What could possibly go wrong?

This book. Ugh, I loved it so much! It’s sweet, funny and definitely what I needed. With everything going on in the world, this book took me out of the craziness of life, even if it was just for a couple of hours.
Jurnee (I love this name by the way) was in way over her head when she decided to move from Michigan to New York to set up a café. I totally understood her fear. New York is a whole other world compared to most cities. I loved how she wasn’t into pop culture or didn’t google people first. She was down to earth and definitely someone I could be friends with. She was real.
Anderson is definitely a hero you could fall in love with. He was patient with Jurnee and fell for her fast.
While they had an unexpected encounter originally after Jurnee thought he was someone else, feelings surfaced neither of them expected to have.
Although I haven’t read the rest of the books in this world or even if the originals, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Alexandria wrote it in such a way, that it made me want to go back and read the others so I could see how Graham and Soraya met. I also like Anderson’s friends and would love to see them get their own stories as well.
This is by far Alexandria’s best work to date and I’m honoured she let me read an early copy!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2N36nVC
Audible: https://amzn.to/39TlIkk
M/M, Part of a Series, Reverse Harem, Standalone

#WOTR21 #NewRelease #ReleaseDay #Review #RH #MM – Love Bitters (AntiLove Bookclub Book #1) by Brandy Slaven

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Love Bitters (AntiLove Bookclub) by [Brandy Slaven]

If there’s one thing Imogene loves more than falling for five strangers on an accidental shared vacation, it’s definitely not having to let them go as reality slaps her in place.

With another life growing inside her body, it’s time for her to finally make the changes she’s desperately been avoiding since her sister’s death. Landing a job and an apartment is easy. Learning how to live alone and deal is the hard part. Thankfully with the help of some like-minded women and their appropriately named bookclub, Imma might just make it through the next nine months and maybe even more. Will she be able to stand on her own two feet when the past comes calling and decisions catch up to her? Find out in this first installment of the AntiLove Bookclub.

All eight AntiLove book club novels can be read as standalones. This installment is a WhyChoose, second chance romance with unplanned pregnancy and M/M.

Goodreads

Review by Twinsie Angie

I was given this book for an honest review by the author.

Oh Imma!! Oh hot boyfriends!!  LOL  If you haven’t read the novella “ Loves Little Surprises” then this is a great story for you!!!  For people like Me who met Imma and her 5 sexy as hell mens…this book was what happened IN BETWEEN the novella.

Ok long of the short of it, Imma (in the novella) went on vacation and shacked up with these guys when the house was double booked.  The guys and Imma formed an instant bond of love and belonging.  The story picks up when Imma realizes this might not work annnnd now she is knocked up.

But

  1. Will the guys be ok with it?
  2. Who is the baby daddy?
  3. Will there be an issue with one being the baby daddy and the others not being the baby daddy?

So many questions cause our lonely girl to breaks and ruuuuuuns.  She cuts the guys out of her life and tries to rebuild.  She gets a job and moves into her own place while the guys are starting to fracture and fall apart without their girl.

When one of the guys plots with another to bring her home, everything esems better buuuuut drama ensues.  Can they make it work?  Can they handle her pregnancy?  Can they figure out a family?

This book was a great bit of “More” for me since I loved the novella but begged for a longer story.

Now I gotta tell ya, Imma’s friends are HILARIOUS and I and I am dying for their books.  Those ladies are Bat Shit Crazy in the best kinda friend way.

But my favorite part was the cameo of Kendall and her guys….sigh….a reread might be in order!!!

Review by Twinsie Melinda

I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

I loved this anti-love book club concept really get a bunch of ladies together and talk about how unrealistic the books are compared to real life.  Let me tell you these ladies are not love experts by any means. They are a melting pot of personalities.

First up is Imma who lost her sister and is dealing with her Mom and Dad being over critical of her.  She still lives at home and doesn’t have a job. She finds out that she is pregnant but not sure who the dad is because of a fling with 5 guys she met when a vacation took a minor detour.  Imma decides she needs to figure things out on her own.  She is afraid of what the guys will say and not knowing who the dad is she decides to ghost them.

All the guys are miserable that Im has left them high and dry with no word on why. That is until Wes finds her and confronts her. This was such a great homecoming for the guys and Im.  I really would like to know more about all Imma’s men because I fell in love with everyone of them. I do believe Thatcher is my favorite. He was the one that took the longest to come around when Imma returned.

I loved these guys I do wish I could have seen where their relationship began at the cabin. Let’s not forget the anti-love book club ladies.  I want to be in their book club and I cannot wait to learn about all of them.  I’m telling you these ladies have so much they are hiding from one another.  I liked the start of this series and cannot wait for more.

Brandy Slaven lives in Tennessee with her husband and two wild children. If you can’t find her creating worlds with her words, you will find her with her nose in a book at the beach or hiking at a state park.

Find her online at
www.authorbrandyslaven.com