Our Fresh Fiction Reviewer Spotlights continue, now through January! Read on to learn more about Helen Williams.  Your Name Helen Williams How long have you been a Fresh Fiction reviewer? * 5 years What are your favorite genres to read and review?  Romance What are your TOP 3-5 Books of 2020 (that were reviewed on FF)? The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter Defending Raven by Susan Stoker The Best Man Plan by Jaci Burton The Seaside Cafe by Rochelle Alers Tough Talking Cowboy by Jennifer Ryan What do you like to do outside of reading? Listen to Jazz, Soduko and try new recipes What are some of your holiday traditions? Spending time with family What are your reading resolutions/intentions/goals for 2021?  Read as much as possible What do you love about being a Fresh Fiction Book Reviewer? Reading favorite authors and learning about new ones

I had just finished a walking tour through Oxford, a city rife with memories of people like Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, Tokien, William Tyndale and countless others. Ornate college buildings rose up on every side. People of all nationalities clogged the sidewalks as they scurried from store to store, their sacks bulging with brand name apparel and souvenirs. I had just passed “The Eagle and Child” pub and was admiring the spiraling cathedrals when a steady rain began to fall. I pulled out my umbrella when I saw him. A homeless man sat huddled under a blanket in the pouring rain. His shoulders were hunched. An open duffel bag rested near his knees. Its contents boasted a folded tarp, a few paltry coins and an empty soda can. Nothing else. As I passed his slight form, I heard his soft plea. “Could you spare a coin, me love?” I dug through my wallet and handed him a few pounds. His dirt-crusted fingers reached for the coins. “God bless ye.” “God bless you too.” I walked away but my heart twisted. The sights I wanted to see paled in comparison to the emaciated form sitting in the deluge. Whirling back, I walked up…

Chapter Two Dominic Dinah’s Diner was the first place you saw coming into Edgewood, and the last place you passed leaving it. It was the unofficial hangout of the force, with good food that was fairly cheap, as long as you didn’t mind Dinah listening over your shoulder as calls came in over the radio. I was halfway through a plate of meatloaf and mashed potatoes when I got the call from dispatch with word of a car accident on Route Ten. No injuries, but the car was undriveable, from the sound of things, and the guy needed someone to come and pick him up. I sighed and put my fork down. I was the only person in the diner tonight other than Dinah and her husband Troy, who doubled as the line cook. It was just seven-thirty, but with this weather, nobody else was dumb enough to be out and about. As Edgewood’s officer on call until tomorrow morning, it meant that this and whatever any other unlucky soul or drunk dumbass decided to do in the next twelve hours was all on me. Dinah, a plump redhead in her sixties wearing a handmade gingham apron over her Metallica…

Our reviewers have spent all of 2020 reading and reviewing wonderful books–so we decided to feature them throughout the holiday season this year. Today, one of our reviewers chats about her faves from the past year and more! Your Name Debbie Devita How long have you been a Fresh Fiction reviewer? Few months What are your favorite genres to read and review? Romance What are your TOP 3-5 Books of 2020 (that were reviewed on FF)? Tweet Cute by Emma Lord Royal by Danielle Steel Once Upon a Twelfth Night Anthology What do you like to do outside of reading? Writing and hiking What are some of your holiday traditions? Making potato latkes for Chanukah. Getting a Christmas tree with my husband’s family. What are your reading resolutions/intentions/goals for 2021?  Get through some backlist books. What do you love about being a Fresh Fiction Book Reviewer? Early access to releases, helping authors showcase their books If you’re comfortable, please share a photo so our readers can see your faces! Where else can readers find you online? Http://www.instagram.com/bookswritingandmore

What a year 2020 has been!  Most of us can’t wait to see the last of it, along with fervent prayers that 2021 will be a much better 365 days.  While we’re waiting to move on, what better to distract us than novels about famous, larger-than-life heroines? Elise Hooper’s FAST GIRLS: A NOVEL OF THE 1936 WOMEN’S OLYMPIC TEAM deals with women who aren’t as famous as the others we will feature—but ought to be.  Veteran of the first women’s delegation to compete in the 1928 Olympics, Betty Robinson overcomes a horrific accident to join two newcomers as part of the 1936 Women’s Olympic Track Team. Farm girl Helen Stephens wants to escape the hardships of rural life, while Louise Stokes sees excelling in competition as a way to overcome the restrictions placed on Black Americans. All three must fight against the prevailing view that women are too “delicate” for competitive sports and should confine their activities to the home.  Hooper sets the struggle for an increased role for women against the vivid backdrop of political intrigue that was the Olympics held in Hitler’s Germany. From talented but lesser-known to the center of international scandal, we have THE WOMAN BEFORE…

Thank you so much for allowing me the pleasure of being on your blog, it’s such an honor. I do hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday season! Enjoy this excerpt. *** “Well hell, look who’s decided to grace me with his presence again. Parker Jax. How the hell are you, man?” After hugging the man at the bar, Parker grinned when he stepped back. “Better, Marc. How about you? Place is looking good.” Marc Chariz shrugged and looked Skylar over and flashed one of his signature and patented sexy smiles. Known all over the world to get women to drop their panties. Parker wanted to punch him. “Marc, this is Skylar. Skylar Radford, the second-best damn Marine I’ve known, Marc Chariz.” Marc offered his hand and took hers with a smile. “You’re a delightful pleasure for this place. Nice to meet you.” The next second, he’d pulled her into a hug and whispered something into her ear. “You didn’t do her justice when you told us about this stunning woman, my friend. I used to serve with this old codger. If I need a stand-in fiancée, can I hire you?” Skylar laughed. “Don’t let her go, and we’re no…

Here we are at the end of 2020 and I, for one, am ready to ring in 2021! That being said, 2020 was a F A B U L O U S year for books. I’m a few books away from my reading goal of 130 books and I am so excited to say that I read some amazing books by some of my favorite authors as well as a bunch of great debuts that make me so excited for what they have next. Part of my job as Editorial Manager for Fresh Fiction means I get to find out about—and read—books months before they are out in the world. There are so many intriguing and innovative titles for us to enjoy… here are a few that I am particularly excited about! — JANUARY 2021   SCANDAL IN THE VIP SUITE by Nadine Gonzalez When a decadent suite at an exclusive Miami hotel is double-booked, a movie star and author decide to share the suite for the next few days until another room opens. While they spend time together, they discover there’s more to the other person than they initially thought. Then, they decide to work on a passion project…

Have you ever wondered who writes all of the reviews posted on Fresh Fiction? You’re in luck! Throughout December and January, we’re introducing you to some of our favorite people: OUR REVIEWERS! We may be biased, but we think they’re the best.  Your Name Courtney Blanton How long have you been a Fresh Fiction reviewer?  A few months What are your favorite genres to read and review? Memoirs, thrillers, true-crime What are your TOP 3-5 Books of 2020? The Night Swim by Megan Megan Goldin The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell Bright Side by Kim Holden This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf What do you like to do outside of reading? Listen to music, stream television shows/movies, and play my Switch Lite What are some of your holiday traditions?  Decorating the Christmas tree, opening a present a few days before Christmas, opening all the presents late Christmas Eve night, having big dinners with the family (this year, my birthday falls on Thanksgiving!). What are your reading resolutions/intentions/goals for 2021?  Read books from different genres more What do you love about being a Fresh Fiction Book Reviewer? I love being able to share my opinions on books on a…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Jerri Chisholm! ESCAPING ELEVEN: Eve Hamilton has learned to survive the cruelty of Compound Eleven life by becoming a fighter. But her latest match is different. Her opponent is a mysterious boy from an elite section of the compound. And there’s something about him that says he could be her salvation…or her undoing. Because she’s no longer content to just survive in Eleven. She’s ready to fight for her freedom, and this boy may just be the edge she’s been waiting on. About: Fitness-loving badass with a keen sense of justice looking for readers with a similar passion for upending the status quo, pursuing freedom, and—yeah—punching things. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Must have an innate sense of right and wrong Must be willing to break rules Must believe in equality Adrenalin-junkies preferred What to expect if we’re compatible: High stakes and a fast-moving plot Forbidden romance that gives you all the feelings An emotional rollercoaster – buckle-up! An author that loves to interact…

Jen: What inspired you to write SECOND CHANCE ON CYPRESS LANE? Reese: The idea for a series about a small town in the Outer Banks was prompted by my first visit to the Outer Banks and the town of Duck, North Carolina, which my husband and I fell in love with instantly. And while I can’t recall exactly how I came up with Dex and Dakota’s love story, I had initially intended to pitch it to a company that was going to publish choose your own adventure style romances. So, for instance, one of the first choices the reader would’ve made was whether Dakota returned to her small hometown or tried to stick things out in New York. Why does rising-star reporter Dakota Jones return to her hometown?  Dakota unwittingly gets caught up in a scandal that gets lots of press in New York City and in Italy and tanks her career as a reporter just as she was about to be named the weekend news anchor at her station. No other station in wants to get tangled up in the scandal, which leaves Dakota just one option: she must return home to regroup and figure out her next move…