Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Roni Loren | Exclusive Interview: THE ONE FOR YOU + Giveaway!
Author Guest / December 31, 2019

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Roni! Please introduce yourself and tell us about the fourth book in The Ones that Got Away series, THE ONE FOR YOU. Hi there! Thanks for having me back. J I’m Roni Loren, and I write contemporary romance and erotic romance. My latest book The One For You is the final book in a four-book series about survivors of a school shooting. (You don’t have to have read the previous ones. You can jump in wherever.) The series follows these characters a decade later as they come to terms with what happened, heal, and find love. This new book focuses on one of my favorite characters of the whole series, Kincaid Breslin. She has been the feisty, upbeat, tell-it-like-it-is friend to the other three women featured in the previous books, and now it’s finally her turn to find love. She think she lost the love of her life and her only chance at a happy relationship in the tragedy, but when her wry, bookish (and estranged) best friend from high school, Ashton Isaacs, comes back to town, she’s in for a big surprise. All of the books in this series deal with the aftermath of a tragic…

Svetlana Libenson | Fresh Fiction Reviewer Top Reads of 2019
Author Guest / December 30, 2019

Our final reviewer top reads list comes from Svetlana Libenson! You can check back and read our other favorite reads of 2019: Debbie Wiley Danielle Dresser Jessica Grogan Miranda Owen Teresa Cross Now, here’s Svetlana’s list: It’s that time of year again: time to reflect on the last twelve months, to make resolutions, and to welcome in a new decade, 2020. I can hardly believe its 2020. It seems like only yesterday that 2019 had begun, and now in a couple of days we will walk into the 2020s. When it comes to literature, my taste runs towards historical fiction, domestic suspense, multicultural fiction and contemporary fiction, and 2019 had its good moments in those categories.  In no particular order, I will share eight of my favorite 2019 reads as well along with some honorable mentions. MIRACLE CREEK by Angie Kim was a recent read for me, but it’s one that I’ll think of whenever I remember 2019. My favorite parts were the quotes Angie Kim wrote, and I also loved how she touched the interracial marriage between the characters as well as the struggles of identity and immigration in her character of Mary. Because I’m also a huge fan…

Katie Ruggle | Exclusive Interview: RISK IT ALL + Giveaway!
Author Guest / December 30, 2019

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Katie! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your latest novel, RISK IT ALL? It’s great to be back–thank you for having me! I write romantic suspense with funny bits (at least I hope they’re funny) set in the Colorado Rockies. In my latest book, RISK IT ALL (Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters #2), we’re back with the bounty hunting Pax sisters and their felonious mom. All Cara Pax wants is to be a kindergarten teacher, but she somehow finds herself chasing after bail jumper and accused killer Henry Kavenski. As she gets swept up in the danger that surrounds Henry, she realizes that things are even more complicated than first appears, and she begins to wonder–is he innocent, or is she just a sucker for a gorgeous, protective skip?       RISK IT ALL is the second book in your Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters series. What keeps you coming back to writing romantic suspense, and specifically set in this party of the country? The rugged, remote, and oftentimes dangerous mountains are the perfect setting for romantic suspense! While I lived there, I fell in love with the Colorado Rockies, as well as the interesting…

Tracey Livesay | Exclusive Interview: SWEET TALKIN’ LOVER
Author Guest / December 27, 2019

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Tracey! Please tell us about yourself and your latest book, SWEET TALKIN’ LOVER. Thank you for having me! I write contemporary romance novels with interracial couples. I live in Virginia with my husband and three kids and I’m a designer purse and planner addict! Sweet Talkin’ Lover is the first book in my new Girls Trip series which revolves around a group of four women who met during their first year of college and go on vacation together every year. Grief over her beloved grandfather’s death leads marketing director Caila Harris to make several catastrophic work decisions. Devastated, she’s given one final chance to prove herself: shut down an unprofitable factory in a small Southern town. But as soon as she arrives in Bradleton, she meets one outsized problem: the town’s gorgeous mayor, Wyatt Bradley, aka “Mayor McHottie,” who insists on acting as Caila’s personal escort during her stay. Hijinks, sexy times and falling in love ensues. Caila Harris is due for a promotion at work and wants nothing more than to prove to her boss that she has what it takes. She faces a devastating loss at the beginning of this novel, and it affects her…

Sharon Sala | Exclusive Excerpt: THE WAY BACK TO YOU
Author Guest / December 27, 2019

Melissa was just getting out of the shower when her phone rang. She wrapped herself up in a bath towel and ran to answer. “Hello.” “Hey, it’s me. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed spending time with you today and to wish you a good night.” Melissa was grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you. I loved spending time with you, too. Did you find any new leads?” “No.” “I’m sorry,” Melissa said. “Just remember I’ll help you tomorrow if you want.” “Rest well, and I’ll check on you in the morning, if it’s okay with you.” Melissa laughed, and the sound rolled through him like silk against his skin. “Of course it’s okay,” she said. “Call anytime.” And then the connection ended, and Sully put his phone on the charger, got in bed, and turned out the lights. He pulled up the covers, and within minutes he was asleep. — The sound of a siren woke Sully up the next morning, and he was out of bed, his heart pounding with adrenaline, before he remembered he wasn’t at the station anymore. But hearing a siren before daylight had him wondering what was going on in…

Lauren Dane | Exclusive Excerpt: BLOOD AND BLADE
Author Guest / December 26, 2019

Genevieve showed up looking effortlessly pretty. Like flowers in a vase. Rowan braced herself for the hug and the dual cheek kiss, awash in the heady scent of roses and a bit of jasmine. “Hello, Rowan.” “Hey, Genevieve. Come through to the kitchen. Dinner is nearly ready.” “Give me a tour first.” That’d give Clive a little longer with his tea to calm and accept reality and it would give Rowan some extra time to gentle Genevieve toward him. David had come up to the main house for the meal and Rowan heard him speaking to Betchamp in the kitchen as she and Genevieve headed away. Some part of her relaxed, knowing everyone was in the house and safe. “I didn’t want to say this on the phone or over text,” Rowan said after the tour of everything but the kitchen and dining room. She and Genevieve remained in Rowan’s office. “I had a visit with Carl today. He told me a bunch of stuff and gave me a dog. Or maybe it’s more like she decided to come live with me and be my keeper. She’s magic. Something like that.” Genevieve’s gaze sharpened. “Carl? The sage who likes stuffed…

Kym Roberts | Cozy Corner: The Best of 2019
Author Guest / December 23, 2019

It’s that time of year when I must pick the best mysteries I’ve had the pleasure of featuring on the Cozy Corner throughout the year. I’m not going to lie, it’s my favorite, and least favorite part of this blog. I obviously can’t choose them all, yet every one was featured because it spoke to me in a special way. This year brought us some wonderful who-dun-it to enjoy; favorite series of the past, along with a bunch of new mysteries full of diversity that kept our days and nights busy with memorable characters. There were also so many novels I couldn’t feature due to scheduling and space constraints—so how did I choose from such a large pool of incredible mysteries which released this year?  With high spirits, and a glass of wine to toast each and every author;) *** Singapore Sapphire was featured on Cozy Corner blog titled New and Tried and True in September, 2019. A.M. Stuart has a winning start to this series! SINGAPORE SAPPHIRE by A.M. Stuart Early twentieth-century Singapore is a place where a person can disappear, and Harriet Gordon hopes to make a new life for herself there, leaving her tragic memories behind her–but murder gets in the…

Teresa Cross | Fresh Fiction Reviewer Top Reads of 2019
Author Guest / December 23, 2019

Today, senior reviewer Teresa Cross is sharing her top reads of 2019!  As a first-grade teacher in North Carolina Public Schools, my favorite past time is to read. After reading children books all day I love to snug up under a blanket with a great author and I have exceeded my goal of 50 novels this year. I love reading mysteries and thrillers with a lot of suspense. Even cozy mysteries are fun to read. This year started out with a lot of great novels and is ending with some that are just as amazing! After reviewing for Fresh Fiction since 2014, I have to say this year had the best novels. I will run down some of my favorite that I have reviewed.  I will start with my favorites first. BREWED AWAKENING written by Cleo Coyle is the top of all my novels that I read this year! Coyle has the greatest series, The Coffeehouse Mysteries and this is the 18th one. I started reading this author years ago when I picked up her fourth one in the series not realizing it was not the beginning of the story. Before I could read anymore, I had to get the…

Nancy Naigle | 20 Questions: CHRISTMAS ANGELS
Author Guest / December 20, 2019

1) What’s the name of your latest release? Christmas Angels. 2) What is it about? Growing up, Liz Westmoreland dreamed of taking over her grandparents inn located in the small mountain town of Angels Creek only for it to be sold before she ever got the chance. While browsing the internet, she stumbles upon a listing for what looks to be the picturesque inn and it’s set to go to auction. Liz places a bid, and by a miracle, wins the auction. But when she gets there, she finds the property in significant disrepair. When Matt Hardy narrowly lost the inn and property that butted his land, he just hoped it wasn’t another city slicker coming to make matters worse after the previous owners gutted the place for an art gallery. But the minute he recognized the sweet, freckle-faced girl from his childhood and heard her plans to reopen the inn, he jumps at the chance to help his childhood crush restore a place where he made so many fond memories. While working on repairs, Liz and Matt discover her grandmother’s collection of angels in one of the cabins. When the angels start mysteriously showing up all over the inn,…

Melody Carlson | Title Challenge: CHRISTMAS IN WINTER HILL
Author Guest / December 20, 2019

In a Title Challenge, authors are tasked with coming up with words starting with each letter of their title that relater to their book. Today is Melody Carlson’s turn for her festive holiday romance!  C is for Christmas, and plays a big part. H is for heroine and a hurting heart. R is for risk, Krista leaves in late fall. I is for ideals, a better life for all. S is for surprise, nothing feels right. T is for tomorrow, and hoping it’s bright. M is for mom, Krista hopes to do good. A is for angst, doesn’t go as it should. S is for sweetness, her dear little girl. A is for amazed, Emily loves their new world. T is for thanks to friends who help out. W is for woes that make Krista shout. I is for interest from a wonderful guy. N is for night and lights in the sky. T is for troubles, should she run away? E is for Emily, begs Mom to stay. R is for reasons, Krista has many. H is for hope, is there reason for any? I is for impossible, can this be real! L is for laughter, the best way…