We’ve loved sharing more about our reviewers with all of you over the last couple of months! We hope you enjoyed learning about them, the books they love to read, and some of their favorite reads from next year. Thanks for following along! More great reviews are in the works by these awesome book lovers–we hope you will read along with us throughout 2021!  Your Name Angie Elle   How long have you been a Fresh Fiction reviewer?  About 4 months What are your favorite genres to read and review?  Mystery/Thriller and Romance What are your TOP 3-5 Books of 2020? A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik What do you like to do outside of reading? Crochet, Quilt, and spend time with the little that I babysit What are some of your holiday traditions? Holiday Bingo with the kids, Christmas Eve at my Grammie’s, and holiday dinner with the entire family What are your reading resolutions/intentions/goals for 2021? Knock out some of my older Netgalley reads and curate my reading tastes. What do you love about being a Fresh Fiction Book Reviewer? The community of…

University of Munich Munich, Germany March 28, 1938 After the professor departed, Peter Lang checked his watch. The reporter would arrive in three minutes if she were the punctual sort. He closed his logbook and filed it away. His friend George Norwood, bureau chief for the American News Service in Berlin, had called to say he’d given Peter’s number to a firebrand female reporter who didn’t know her place. George was heaping on assignments to keep her out of trouble. “Good luck.” Peter closed his file drawer. By definition, troublemakers made trouble. “Entschuldigung?” A slender brunette knocked on his open door. Not a pretty woman, but . . . arresting. “Professor Peter Lang?” “Just Mr. Lang until I receive my doctorate,” Peter said in English, and he strode over. She had a firm handshake born of working in a man’s profession, no doubt. “You must be Miss Firebrand.” Medium-brown eyes looked up at him, lit by intelligence and humor. “My reputation precedes me.” What had he said? “Pardon?” “My name is Evelyn Brand, not Firebrand, despite what Mr. Norwood says.” For heaven’s sake. “My apologies, Miss Brand. I assure you, the mistake was mine, not George’s.” “No need to apologize.” The pleasure…

We’re joined by one of our long time reviewers, Teresa Cross, for today’s Reviewer Spotlight!  Your Name Teresa Cross How long have you been a Fresh Fiction reviewer? 6 years What are your favorite genres to read and review? Mystery/thrillers What are your TOP 3-5 Books of 2020? He Started It by Samantha Downing Devolution by Max Brooks The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James It Will Just Be Us by Jo Kaplan Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger What do you like to do outside of reading? Actually, if I’m not reading a thriller, I do love to watch them. I like to write some too though I’m still finding it hard to do at times because I have so many great books I still want to read! What are some of your holiday traditions? When my parents were alive, we would meet over at their house for Christmas. My children would always open one gift the night before from each other. Then Christmas morning the rest! What are your reading resolutions/intentions/goals for 2021? Well, I set for 50 this year and really exceeded it, (I wonder why) so I say 60 books next year! What do…

You know one thing I like about writing cozy mysteries?  They’re series, centering around the life of the protagonist.  Which means they need a large cast of friends, family, and business associates, all with the potential to get developed as the series progresses.  Of course, some of these people will be developed into murder suspects – and victims.  But the people closest to your protagonist are generally safe bets for readers to get attached to. Cozies also allow for elements of romance, as new people come into the character’s life as a result of the murder investigation.  Which gives a whole other layer of tension to the plot. I’ve taken advantage of all of that in GRAND OPENINGS CAN BE MURDER, the first book in my Bean to Bar Mysteries.  My protagonist, Felicity Koerber, moved home to Texas after her husband died.  She’s made some new friends, and her old friends – especially her best friend Autumn and her Aunt Naomi – have rallied around her, to help her through this time of grief.  And Naomi is a bit of a matchmaker, determined to get Felicity dating again, so there’s bound to be some cute guys dropping into her world,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? HER BANISHED KNIGHT’S REDEMPTION 2–What is it about? HER BANISHED KNIGHT’S REDEMPTION is the 2nd book of the Notorious Knights series, set in 1218. It features Sir William (Will) Geraint – the good friend of Hugh de Villiers (the hero from book 1 – THE REBEL HEIRESS AND THE KNIGHT). Will is quite embittered and different from the affable, easy-going knight we first meet in book 1 and is now living in exile in France as a sword-for-hire. He goes on quite a journey in this book as he escorts the lost heiress, Lady Isabel de Clancey back to England where they’re forced to work together to uncover secrets from their past. With every rushed mile, their intense attraction becomes dangerously thrilling. There’s a medieval treasure hunt to discover on their quest and even features a scene with the legendary Knights Templar. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  My book is set in the villages and countryside around Aquitaine, the port of La Rochelle – which was part of the English Crown in 1218 – and also the English port of Southampton. What I loved most about all the…

Chapter 4 We know bad things happen in the world, that they always have, that they’ll continue to do so. We also know that we can’t stop them, and this knowledge is almost worse than the bad things themselves. That’s what we’ve learned from Alice Lange. Sometimes the darkness wins. It creeps in like a thick, gray fog, covering everything as we stumble around, and when it finally lifts, we see what it has done, what it has taken from us and what it has left behind. Before Alice, there was another girl. Rachel Granger. This was whom Millie was thinking of that night, when she said it wasn’t safe to be out wandering alone in the dark. Her mother had only talked about Rachel to her husband, changing the subject when Millie walked into the room, but she’d picked up on the story, had known there was something, someone out there, to be afraid of, and the idea of it lodged itself in her brain. Rachel wasn’t from our neighborhood, but she lived only a few miles away. Like Alice, she was here and then gone. As far as anyone knows, this is what happened: on a Friday, she…

This is the last week of our reviewer spotlights! We hope you have gotten to know a little bit more about our fabulous reviewers. We’re looking forward to more great reviews from these avid readers throughout 2021 and beyond!  Your Name Svetlana Libenson How long have you been a Fresh Fiction reviewer?  Since 2017 What are your favorite genres to read and review? Historical fiction, literary fiction, thrillers/ suspense, women’s fiction, multicultural literature What are your TOP 3-5 Books of 2020? A Good Man by Ani Katz Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon Lost Autumn by Mary Rose MacColl What do you like to do outside of reading? Play different games, walk with my son, and encourage his interest in science What are some of your holiday traditions?  We celebrate Chanukkah as well as New Year’s. New Year’s is celebrated the same way as Christmas with yummy food and presents. What are your reading resolutions/intentions/goals for 2021? Finish books I got from previous years and begin some of my long-planned projects. What do you love about being a Fresh Fiction Book Reviewer? I love the community we have here, getting free books, and the fact that I strongly believe that…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE EX TALK 2–What is it about? THE EX TALK is a romantic comedy set in the world of public radio, about coworkers who pose as exes to host a show about dating and relationship—only to fall for each other as the show gains popularity. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I’m a born-and-raised Seattleite, and it’s a setting I really love exploring through fiction. I’ve always felt there’s a hopeful romanticism associated with the Pacific Northwest. One of my favorite scenes in The Ex Talk takes place outside of Seattle on Orcas Island, and without giving too much away, I will just say that there is only one bed. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  At the beginning of the book, Shay comes across as a fairly put-together person: she has her almost-dream job, she owns a house, she has a support system. But as her layers are gradually peeled away, I was able to see that she’s not entirely fulfilled at work, she’s still grieving the loss of her father, and she’s scared to enter a relationship, as badly as she wants one, because she’s always…

While I was writing SONG FOR A COWBOY (the whole Kings of Country series actually), I listened to a lot of country music. It helped get me in the mindset and set the ‘tone’ for each book. Of course, picking out certain songs turned into liking certain artists who then, sort of, ended up becoming character inspiration for the Kings family. How about we just dive right in, shall we? 1-Tim McGraw – “Don’t Take the Girl” and “Highway Don’t Care. I think he has a super sexy voice. Smooth and confident. He knows what he’s doing and he’s in his element. I sort of imagine Hank King, the patriarch of the family, as a mash-up between he and George Strait. Plus – the way he looks at his wife, Faith Hill, gives me the tingles. 2-Blake Shelton – “God Gave Me You” and “Mine Would Be You” Who doesn’t like Blake Shelton? He’s funny and handsome and down to earth and, of yeah, he can sing. I admit, I’m a fan of his ballads and I’ve listed to quite a few of them while writing Song for a Cowboy and the rest of the Kings of Country series. 3-Keith…

Hi, LaQuette! We are thrilled to have you on Fresh Fiction today. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.  Hello, thank you so much for having me.  I’m a Brooklynite, and I love writing emotionally gripping, sexy stories featuring multicultural characters living their best lives.     JACKSON is the first book in your new Restoration Ranch series. Will you set up the basic premise for this series and a little bit about JACKSON?  A woman, who is sponsoring two parolees as they work to rebuild her family’s ranch, is being threatened by an unknown person.  To find out who’s trying to bring her harm, the Texas Rangers show up to investigate.  Restoration Ranch is a place where everyone can find redemption, family, and love.  I loved the idea of people having a place to lay down their burdens to find help, support, and a safe space to rebuild so they could have a second chance at life. I love the opposites attract vibes between Jackson and Aja. How much fun did you have creating these two characters and their love story? What surprised you while writing this book?    Aja and Jackson were a hoot to write.  Although I…