🔖 REVIEW 🔖 Van by Melanie Moreland

Van by Melanie Moreland

Release Date: March 25th 2019 by Moreland Books Inc

Series: Vested Interest #5

Pages: 289

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

Vince Morrison, known to most people as Van.

Good with his hands, be it crafting a piece of wood, playing his guitar, or pleasing a lover—he excels at them all.

Friendly, flirty, and talented, he’s cool under pressure, and hot everywhere else.

But he keeps his heart closed, even as his interest and emotions are tested.

Olivia Rourke works alongside him at BAM.

Talented, private, and intriguing, she touches something inside him he can’t deny.

He wants to know her. In every possible way.

He wants her to know him.

Her past tells her to stay clear. Van is everything that she wants, and exactly what she cannot have. She has someone else to think of who is more important.

Can either of them risk their hearts? 

Amazon

My Review:

Van is by far the best book in the entire Vested Interest series, Moreland has outdone herself with such heartwarming and emotional romance that won’t disappoint at all.

In the book we are introduced to Van Morrison who works for BAM, a highly successful development company founded by Bentley, Aiden and Maddox. They have truly created a company that is innovated, but also one that treats its employees well. Van oversees a lot of the projects for the company, but when he is not busy at work he loves working with wood. He is constantly working on the next project along with Olivia Rourke, the head of the design team at BAM. They’ve worked together for a year now, their teams work side-by-side and he has developed feelings for her when she is clearly off-limits to him. Not only is she seven years younger than him, but a single mom who wants a forever that he cannot give. He tried it once and failed. Van will not let his guard down and get hurt again. But when Olivia needs him the most, he vows to protect her without realizing just how much his life was about to change forever.

Olivia Rourke loves her job at BAM, it’s challenging at times but she enjoys what she does. That also means that she gets to work with Van all the time and she has secretly developed a crush on him that she can’t deny. Olivia loves how sweet he is with Sammy, but she knows better than to have a relationship that might not end up working out. Van never signed up to be in a relationship with a single mom and she can’t give him that responsibility. She has been hurt in the past, but when she finds out more about Van’s past, she realizes that he might just be it for her. It would take a turn of events to truly test their love for one another and see if they can actually have a future together.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Van, it was really sweet and romantic from beginning to end! Van will steal your heart and leave you swooning for the characters. It’s evident from the start that they both have pasts to overcome, but being together is what makes them stronger. Van’s relationship with Sammy was everything! He is a gentle giant to her which I loved. The cameos that other main characters from previous books make really tied well with the series. The ending is unforgettable, have your tissues ready because it’s going to get really emotional! I would highly recommend checking out this book as well as the entire series, it’s romantic, steamy and full of swoon worthy moments. You will not regret it.

**I received an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.**

My Rating:

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🌟 BOOK BLITZ 🌟 Remember Me at Christmas by Debra Curwen {GIVEAWAY!}

Remember Me at Christmas by Debra Curwen

Release Date: November 16th 2020 by Vinspire Publishing

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Andi has always loved Christmas. The magic, the surprises, and a precious music box she treasures inspired her to open her own Christmas workshop. Andi’s Antiques is now a thriving business, and she sees a long future ahead.

But she hadn’t counted on Mike who wields his charm like a weapon or his determination to buy out her business and replace her quaint, antique shop with its wonder of Christmas with a bar and gaming tables.

Andi isn’t selling no matter how convincing he may be. Sure, there’s something about the guy that’s magnetic, but it’ll take a lot more than a handsome face to make her give up on her dream. Unlocking her heart, though, may be a different story.

Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo

AUTHOR BIO:

I am a multi-published author of various genres. I write children's books under the pseudonym of Jaime McKoy and sensual romances under Tess Manning, although that name is being retired.

​The contemporary romances I write under Debra Curwen are sweet and wholesome, much like a Christmas movie you would see on television. My first one, Remember Me At Christmas is a novella, it will release in November 2020 from Vinspire Publishing.

I am also a photographer, a wife of forty-plus years, mother of two, and grandmother of four.

I am addicted to Dancing with the Stars, Days of Our Lives, my maltipoo, Jasper, and Halo ice cream (mint chocolate chip, please). 

Instagram, Twitter, Website

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🌟 BOOK BLITZ 🌟 The Cry of the Lake by Charlie Tyler {EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!}

The Cry of the Lake by Charlie Tyler

Release Date: July 21st 2020 by Darkstroke Books (Crooked Cat Books)

Pages: 263

Genres: Adult, Psychological Thriller

A gruesome discovery unravels a dark trail of murder and madness.

A six-year-old girl sneaks out of bed to capture a mermaid but instead discovers a dead body. Terrified and unable to make sense of what she sees, she locks the vision deep inside her mind.

Ten years later, Lily is introduced to the charismatic Flo and they become best friends. But Lily is guilt-ridden – she is hiding a terrible secret which has the power to destroy both their lives.

When Flo’s father is accused of killing a schoolgirl, the horrors of Lily’s past come bubbling to the surface. Lily knows that, whatever the consequences, she has to make things right. She must go back to the events of her childhood and face what happened at the boat house all those years ago.

Can Lily and Flo discover what is hiding in the murky waters of the lake before the killer strikes again?

Amazon

{EXCERPT}

Death smells of macaroons.

Amelie was slumped over the kitchen table, face in a plate of meringues. Spearmint-green flakes stuck to her left cheek. Her glazed irises remained fixed upon a vase of spiky dahlias, cut and arranged by Grace that very morning. Every tangerine petal was bug and blemish free; my sister was well known locally for her green fingers.

My body sagged and my A level folders fell onto the floor.

‘About time, considering this is all your fault,’ said Grace, appearing from the pantry in a veil of chlorinated steam. She threw a ball of latex at me.

This was really happening.

I peeled on the gloves, unable to stop gawping at Amelie’s violet lips.

‘Would you believe it?’ continued Grace. ‘I ran out of black sacks. Had to nip out and get some more.’ She took a step closer towards me and lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘Where have you been?’

I reached into my tunic pocket for my phone. Grace cocked her head on one side so that her marmalade curls parted, revealing a tiny sliver of snowy hair against her scalp. She narrowed her eyes for a second then flapped her hands about her temples. ‘Never mind. You’re here now.’ She leaned forward and pecked the top of my forehead. ‘We’ve got lots to be getting on with. You can start by bagging her up. The packing tape is in the top drawer of the dresser.’

Grace wafted out of the room, her strappy sandals clicking across the hallway.

For some reason Amelie wasn’t wearing any shoes.

After I finished, I stared down at my handiwork; a black shiny parcel criss-crossed with brown tape. Grace stood there, leaning on the mop, her toe tapping to some hidden melody within her mind.

‘We’ll put her in the utility room for the mo.’ It was as though she was talking about an old hat-stand that was going to the charity shop.

It was the morning and Cassie couldn’t find her mermaid doll. Despite it being there last night, Myrtle had vanished from her bed. From the sound she was making, you would have thought her world was coming to an end.

Gil’s blonde hair was ruffled and there was a soft glow at the tips of his hollow cheekbones. He was simultaneously begging the girl to eat toast and marmite soldiers whilst tying her soft hair into a French plait.

Gil closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose. ‘Em, would you be a sweetheart and have another scout around to see if you can find it? I’m never going to get her to school at this rate.’

I sipped my coffee. I had sacrificed my spoonful of cream and sugar to show Gil how cosmopolitan I was, but without them, the drink tasted of liquid charcoal and was making my empty stomach recoil. Gil opened his eyes wide, his soft mouth downturned at the sides. He was beautiful even when pushed to the edge of his patience. Cassie batted another piece of toast onto the floor. ‘Pretty please.’

I got to my feet and stretched, my spine giving a satisfactory click. ‘Cassie – you know what?’

The little girl immediately stopped her wailing and looked at me. Direct conversation with me was unusual; a novelty worth quietening down for.

‘Do you know what day it is today?’ I asked.

Cassie hiccupped and sniffed in rapid succession. Her big eyes were bright, her dark lashes glistening with tears. Cassie gave a small shake of her head. Behind her, I saw the tip of Gil’s tongue poking out whilst his brow furrowed as he ducked down to wrestle with the hair at the nape of her neck.

I folded my arms. ‘It’s a full moon tonight and, if you don’t shut up and do what Gil tells you to, the real Myrtle will hear about it.’ I tapped my foot against the polished oak floor. Cassie’s full lips were parted. ‘And,’ I continued, ‘if she does, she will be sure to stay on the bottom of the lake to avoid having to listen to your horrid caterwauling. Mermaids hate loud noises.’ 

AUTHOR BIO:

Charlie signed with Darkstroke Books in May 2020 and The Cry of the Lake is her debut novel.
Charlie lives in the UK and is very much a morning person. In fact, she likes nothing more than committing a fictional murder before her first coffee of the day. She studied Theology at Worcester College, Oxford and now lives in a Leicestershire village with her husband, three teenagers, golden retriever and tortoise.

She is currently working on her next novel 'The Curse of the Emerald Cross'. Two dead bodies are found down a priest hole within the grounds of Collyhurst Abbey; a sixth-form boarding school for girls run by nuns. One of the bodies belongs to a local drug dealer, the other is the charred remains of Mother Agnes who went missing ten years ago and is found with an emerald cross stuffed inside her jaw. But what are they doing there? DS Ruby Simmonds is sent in, undercover, to investigate. She must puzzle her way through well-dressed scarecrows, bonfires, emerald crosses and fallen oak trees before she breaks the wall of silence and discovers exactly why both the victims were killed and by whom.

Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads

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