SHAMROCKS ARE A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND by Author Lucinda Race **Book Birthday** **Review**

It's my pleasure to welcome friend and fellow author Lucinda Race to Notes From a Romantic's Heart. Today, we're celebrating the release of her new book, Shamrocks Are a Girl's Best Friend, from the Last Chance Beach Romance series.

Battered, broken and looking for solitude smoke jumper Tric heads to Last Chance Beach and without warning walks into Kelly's cottage. She knows from experience this is the best place for him to recover and she'll share her safe haven with him. Will a bit of Irish luck and a matchmaking uncle give them a chance to find love?

Tric Ryan has spent the majority of his adult life jumping out of airplanes and into infernos. That is until a fateful jump nearly ends his career as a smoke jumper. Badly in need of a change, he drives to Last Chance Beach to recover. A short respite at Shamrock Cottage promises him the solitude he needs to recoup, or to figure out how he’ll face a future without the dangerous job he loves.

Kelly O’Malley moved to Last Chance Beach after a broken heart. She’s living in her uncle’s rental, Shamrock Cottage, after a fire destroys her home. Brandishing a skillet, she’s ready to defend her safe haven from the battered and bruised man in her living room. A quick call to her uncle confirms the mix-up, and that he’s accidentally rented the cottage to both Tric and her for an open-ended stay. When they both agree they can share the spacious vacation home, sparks are sure to fly.

Kelly helps Tric recover with easy walks on the beach and friendship. Will the magic of Last Chance Beach, with a dash of luck from the Irish, heal the heartaches Kelly and Tric carry and help them find the love and a future they both deserve? After all Shamrocks are a girl’s best friend.

Get Shamrocks Are a Girl's Best Friend On Your Favorite eBook Site

Kelly O’Malley crept down the hallway of Shamrock Cottage, her heart pounding in her chest. The early morning sun streamed through the skylights and the hardwood floor was cool against her bare feet on this late-January morning. The weight of her cell phone was comforting in her sweatpants pocket.

Who the heck was in her house?

She slid along the wall like she had seen in those movies on television where the girl sleuth was stalking the unknown. Dramatic much? When she reached the end of the hall, she peeked around the corner, her gaze sweeping the open space of the living and dining rooms and kitchen. Standing in front of the sliding glass doors, looking out over the ocean, was a very tall man, even by her standards, as Kelly was tapping six feet herself. With a backpack over one shoulder and an enormous canvas duffel bag at his feet, he leaned heavily on a cane.

She tiptoed to the counter and grabbed the cast iron skillet, being careful not to make a sound. If he’d heard her, he hadn’t moved.

She raised the skillet to shoulder height, clutching it with two hands for good swinging leverage. “What are you doing in my house?”

The man slowly turned, grimaced, clutched his leg, and held up his other hand with the cane dangling from it. “What are you doing in my rental?” Confusion and pain clouded his eyes. “I promise I can’t hurt you.” He gestured to his leg. “Recovering from surgery and exhausted from a long drive.”

She didn’t lower her makeshift weapon but instead looked him over from head to toe. He was ruggedly handsome but did look road weary. “Rental?”

“Yes, well, actually this place belongs to a friend of my uncle, who’s a fire chief in Chicago. I signed the agreement on Rental Direct.” He shifted his backpack on his shoulder. “I can show you the agreement on my laptop.”

5 Beachy Stars!

Shamrocks Are a Girl’s Best Friend arrived on my computer shortly after midnight yesterday morning. As with all of author Lucinda Race’s books, I pushed aside my busy schedule and made time to have a read. And, as always, I was pleased with my decision.

The main characters, Kelly O’Malley and Tric Ryan are a mis-match made in paradise. Or, in this case, on the island paradise of Last Chance Beach. While the concept of forced togetherness isn’t a new one, Lucinda Race gives the trope a wonderful twist with both the magic of the wonderful setting and the luck of the Irish.

If you’re a fan of contemporary romance and happily-ever-after, you’ll definitely want to grab a copy of Shamrocks Are a Girl’s Best Friend.

Award-winning and best-selling author Lucinda Race is a lifelong fan of romantic fiction. As a young girl, she spent hours reading romance novels and getting lost in the hope they represent. While her friends dreamed of becoming doctors and engineers, her dreams were to become a writer—a romance novelist.

As life twisted and turned, she found herself writing nonfiction but longed to turn to her true passion. After developing the storyline for The Loudon Series, it was time to start living her dream. Her fingers practically fly over computer keys as she weaves stories about strong women and the men who love them.

Lucinda lives with her husband and their two little dogs, a miniature long hair dachshund and a shitzu mix rescue, in the rolling hills of western Massachusetts. When she's not at her day job, she’s immersed in her fictional worlds. And if she’s not writing romance novels, she’s reading everything she can get her hands on. It’s too bad her husband doesn’t cook, but a very good thing he loves takeout.

Lucinda's Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads ~ Newsletter SignUp

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It has been my pleasure hosting Lucinda today on the blog. Please come back again soon for more wonderful authors and great books!

Nancy

SAND, SALT, AND SPIRITS by Author Kathryn Hills **BOOK BIRTHDAY**

 

Today we’re celebrating the Book Birthday of Author Kathryn Hills new book, Sand, Salt, and Spirits, the fourth book in the Last Chance Beach Romance series.

About the Book

Can a weekend visit to Last Chance Beach undo decades of brokenhearted memories? Conjuring up some island magic might just be their trick. Or treat!

Kyle Worthington hasn’t returned to Last Chance Beach in years. He’s worked hard to prove himself to his overbearing father and the rest of the world. Now it’s October, and the vacation island paradise is celebrating the season with an island-wide Fall Festival. Family obligation demands he participate. Everyone will be there, including the ghost that haunts his grandparents’ B&B.

The running joke that Kyle never sticks with anything—not a career or a woman—will continue to plague him. Unless he brings a knockout of a date to the weekend-long event. Cassandra Corwin fits the bill perfectly. Kyle’s had his eye on his brilliant, beautiful coworker since day one. But Cassie is an enigma, a loner. There’s no room in her life for anyone except Odin, her goofball of a Great Dane.

Will this woman of mystery agree to Kyle’s scheme to impress his family? Can two near strangers from opposite worlds survive family gatherings and back-to-back Halloween events while pretending to be a couple? Kyle’s father seems hell-bent on derailing everything before they even shout “Boo!”

Or will the island’s magic prove too powerful for them to resist?

Get your copy of Sand, Salt, and Spirits at Your Favorite eBook Retailer

Enjoy an Excerpt

Kyle held his breath, as he pushed through the back door and went around to meet her by her car. Game on, buddy. Pull yourself together.

Yet a shockwave rippled through him at the sight of her. Black hair piled on her head in a messy, windblown bun. Short, sexy, red sundress. Her legs were bare. Pale yet gorgeous and toned. On her feet? High-top red sneakers with white laces.

Cassie dropped big, round sunglasses into place on her nose, and she grinned at him. “I made it.”

The huge dog—about the size of a pony—glanced his way but didn’t move. As if to say, “I am unimpressed by your appearance, human.”

“Yes, you made it.” He forced a pleasant smile though inside he was in full, freak out mode.

“This is Odin,” Cassie explained, still smiling. “Odin…say hello to Kyle.”

The Great Dane bared big white teeth on command in a ridiculous smile-esque maneuver. Yet still he didn’t budge from his seat.

“That’s his only trick,” Cassie offered with a chuckle. “We don’t ask much of each other.”

Kyle’s brain screamed, okay…time to fess up. “Cassie…before we go any further, there’s something I must confess. Please don’t get mad.”

Her smile evaporated. “Oh, that’s never good.”

“Hang on…it’s not good, but it’s not terrible, either.”

“Yet to be determined.” She crossed her arms and leveled a hard stare on him. “Spill it.”

“I may have…Okay, I definitely said…you’re my girlfriend.” Kyle cringed in anticipation of her reaction.

“You said what?” Her voice spiked.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“A death wish?” she accused with a scowl. “Who did you say this to?”

“Not many. Just my sister, Kat.” He swallowed hard and took a step back. “She told my grandmother.”

“No?” Her tone went dangerously low.

“…who then told my mother when she called to say she wasn’t sure if she was coming. Who, in turn, told Kendall, my younger sister. Who really isn’t coming, by the way. So, that part’s good.”

“Is it now, Kyle? Really?” Cassie demanded with an infuriated huff.

“Yeah…except Kat told her boyfriend, Ben. Now I’m done. I think. Maybe not. News travels fast on Last Chance Beach.”

Her dark eyes pinned him in place. “So…basically…you’re telling me everyone in your family and on this island thinks we’re a couple?”

Kyle gave her a small, shrugging wince. “Yeah…pretty much.”

Cassie glared at him. Lips pinched together. The tiny muscle alongside one eye quivering. “I cannot believe this.” She started pacing alongside her car. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a vacation? A little time off? A day, even, just for me? This was a gift to me. A chance to unwind after all the work I’ve been drowning in.”

“I’m sorry. Again. I didn’t mean to screw up your vacation. I don’t know what came over me. It just happened. Kat was bragging about all the great things in her life. She literally walked in with an engagement ring the size of a bus on her finger. Gran was gushing. Ben had just proposed. She got a promotion. Ben is expanding his business, yada, yada…My brain blew a gasket.”

“So? Who cares, Kyle? It’s family. Not like you’re competing with anyone.”

Kyle dropped his head in shame. “You don’t know my family,” he admitted.

Meet the Author

The rich history and many mysteries of New England are the perfect backdrop for many of KATHRYN’s books. Winding roads lined by old stone walls, forgotten cemeteries, grand homes with shadowy pasts...all sparks for her imagination. Whether it’s a quaint seaside town or the vibrant city of Boston, it’s easy for this “hauntingly romantic” author to envision the past mingling with the present. No surprise, some of Kathryn’s favorite stories include ghosts! Sprinkle in some magic, and you’re off on a great adventure.

When not writing, this best-selling author is reading, researching, gardening, or cooking up something special in her chaotic kitchen. She shares her colonial home in the north woods with those she loves most – her wonderful husband, daughter, and three crazy dogs.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon Author Page * BookBub

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As always, it's been my pleasure welcome Kathryn to Notes From a Romantic's Heart. Please come back again soon.

Nancy

SECONDHAND HEARTS by Author Kathryn Hills *BOOK BIRTHDAY* *Last Chance Beach Romance*

Today it is my great pleasure to welcome good friend and comma queen, Author Kathryn Hills, to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart. We’re celebrating her Book Birthday for her new release, Secondhand Hearts, a Last Chance Beach Novella. If we’re lucky, we may even get a sneak peek at her next Last Chance Beach full-length romance, Sand, Salt and Spirits. Just as the title indicates, Kathryn will be bringing the spooky!

About the Book

 

Life takes you down many winding paths. Will theirs lead to love on Last Chance Beach?

Tasked with convincing her beloved grandmother to move back to the mainland, Kat Worthington returns to Last Chance Beach. This vacation island paradise is filled with cherished memories, and the thought of relocating her loved one weighs heavy on Kat’s heart. Is the alternative to uproot her life, stay on the island, and help run Gran’s charming B&B and antique shop?

Handsome neighbor, Ben Hadley, sure hopes it is. He and his playful pup are doing their best to upend Kat’s plans. Will their efforts convince her to stay?

Or will it require some of Gran’s special island magic?

Get Secondhand Hearts everywhere!

Enjoy an Excerpt

“Look at that… Didn’t even break the pot.” Gran gave her a sassy little wink. “You’ve always been one for divine timing, Kitty.”

“Pot?”

“Yup, I knew I had a matching teapot to the set that came in yesterday.” Gran stood a little straighter and squared her chin. “Besides, I’m not alone. Ben is here.”

“Who the heck is Ben?”

“That’d be me.” A deep, male voice came from behind, startling Kat. Spinning with a gasp, her eyes widened when connecting with six feet plus of drop-dead gorgeous, dark-haired man. He met her stare full-on without so much as a hint of humility, and he nodded a curt greeting.

“Haddie Marshall, are you up to your old tricks again?” Ben brushed past Kat. “I told you to wait and I’d look with you.”

“Well, I didn’t want you fussing. I know you’re busy.”

“Excuse me,” Kat interrupted, not bothering to disguise the irritation in her voice. “Who are you, and why would you allow my seventy-seven-year-old grandmother to climb to the scorching top of a barn and up a ladder for a teapot?”

The man stared at her in silence. One dark brow cocked in obvious annoyance.

“Ben Hadley…meet my first grandbaby, Kitty Worthington,” Gran announced with a proud smile.

“It’s Kat, Gran. Or Katrina,” she grumbled. “No one has called me Kitty since the fifth grade.”

“Oh, shush, child. You’ll always be Kitty to me and Grandpa Mike.” The elderly woman’s smile fell away. She took a wobbly step forward to hand Ben the box. “Be a love and take this down for me. I think I’d better hang on extra tight to the railing after all this excitement.”

“I’ll take the box,” Kat snapped. “You help my grandmother back to the house, where we can turn on some air conditioning.”

Meet the Author

The rich history and many mysteries of New England are the perfect backdrop for many of KATHRYN’s books. Winding roads lined by old stone walls, forgotten cemeteries, grand homes with shadowy pasts...all sparks for her imagination. Whether it’s a quaint seaside town or the vibrant city of Boston, it’s easy for this “hauntingly romantic” author to envision the past mingling with the present. No surprise, some of Kathryn’s favorite stories involve time travel. And ghosts! Sprinkle in some magic, and you’re off on a great adventure.

When not writing, this best-selling author is researching, gardening, or cooking up something special in her chaotic kitchen. She shares her colonial home in the north woods with those she loves most – her wonderful husband and daughter, and three crazy dogs.

Website ~  Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub

 

A Sneak Peek - Coming September 2021

Kyle Worthington hasn’t returned to Last Chance Beach in years. He’s worked hard to prove himself to his overbearing father and the rest of the world. Now it’s October, and the vacation island paradise is celebrating the season with an island-wide Fall Festival. Family obligation demands he participate. Everyone will be there, including the ghost that haunts his grandparents’ B&B.

The running joke that Kyle never sticks with anything—not a career or a woman—will continue to plague him. Unless he brings a knockout of a date to the weekend-long event. Cassandra Corwin fits the bill perfectly. Kyle’s had his eye on his brilliant, beautiful coworker since day one. But Cassie is an enigma, a loner. There’s no room in her life for anyone except Odin, her goofball of a Great Dane.

Will this woman of mystery agree to Kyle’s scheme to impress his family? Can two near strangers from opposite worlds survive family gatherings and back-to-back Halloween events while pretending to be a couple? Kyle’s father seems hell-bent on derailing everything before they even shout “Boo!”

Or will the island’s magic prove too powerful for them to resist?

Pre-Order Sand, Salt and Spirits everywhere!

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As always, I love having company. However, it’s especially nice when it's such a good friend. Please come back on Wednesday and Thursday when I’ll feature more authors, books, and even a couple of giveaways. Then, at the end of the week, watch for Flashback Friday for a great summer sale!

Nancy