Musical Monday: Drops of Jupiter (Train)

   

So, I'm posting this today because Touch of a Vanished Hand is free this week and this is a song I remember vividly from the time when I was writing this book. We were living in a house that was close enough to the local fairgrounds that you could hear the music as clearly as you could have if you were attending the concert live. Train (and this song in particular) was one of the bands we got to listen to in that way that summer. 

 

 

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/xofy3ssvv7

Touch Of A Vanished Hand

Oberon Book 5.0

Sinead Quinn has always been something of a drifter.   But now, with her ex-husband trying to blackmail her, and her ex-boyfriend's widow trying to put her in jail, she has no choice but to go to ground.  What better place to hide than with your family?   After all, what are sisters for?  Especially when you're a twin.

But the first rule of hiding out, is to keep a low profile.  And that does not mean kissing your sister's boyfriend (even if he can't tell the two of you apart); rescuing a troubled teen; or taking a highly visible job as hostess of Oberon's most celebrated new inn.

Adam Sasso has always dreamed big.  But big dreams beget big complications.  First, his goal to turn the vineyard he inherited from his grandfather into a world-class winery is threatened by a mysterious saboteur.  Next, his plan to run the finest bed & breakfast Oberon has ever seen, is broadsided by a hostess who wants to run him.  Finally, it seems his fondest wish, of finding love-everlasting with the soul mate of his dreams, is about to go up in smoke when he can't convince her that they're destined to be together.

This summer, it's going to take all the wizardry in Oberon to craft a happy ending for the drifter and the dreamer.

Wine Wednesday Mandola Cabernet Sauvignon

 

So, I believe this Mandola wine was made using Texas grapes, but the company is a little cagey about its sources. The restaurant (the original restaurant, I believe) got its start in partnership with a local winery (in Driftwood, TX). But--because Driftwood (and the nearby towns of Wimberley and Dripping Springs) is/are very small and somewhat insular--I've heard that the partnership went sour due to personal reasons. And now, you can't enjoy the winery's wine at the restaurant that exists basically on its grounds.   

People, am I right?

But to continue. This is the second Mandola wine I've tried. And I did get it at one of their restaurants, where I enjoyed it with a dish of cheese ravioli and tomato sauce. Because sometimes, what you really crave is something simple and basic (but still really, really good). I thought it was surprisingly soft bodied for a Cab.  The color was garnet fading to rust. On the nose were scents of violet, cedar and black cherry. The flavor held hints of vanilla, smoked oak and red currant.

I only got a single glass with my lunch (okay, it was a 9 oz pour, but still!) and now I wish I'd bought a bottle because I've been craving more of it ever since.

https://books2read.com/rl/Pour-Decisions

Musical Monday: Age of Aquarius (The Fifth Dimension)

   

If your algorithm is anything like mine, you've been seeing ALLLLL the astrology posts these last two weeks and have probably heard all you could ever want to hear about Barbault's Basket. And if not, look it up. It sounds awesome.

But what it reminds me of is this song from waaaay back in the day. I used to listen to this when I was writing In the Dark, because that's also (partially) set in the very late 1960s.  Desert Rose quotes lyrics from it to a very cranky Conrad. 

 

books2read.com/rl/Children-of-Night

In the Dark

Children of Night 1.0

When you live forever, a few mistakes are bound to happen. 

Vampire Conrad Quintano has been around for centuries -- long enough to know falling for a human is a terrible idea. Much less falling for adventure-seeking hippie Desert Rose and agreeing to raise her babies. 

Raised in virtual isolation, Marc and Julie Fischer have never known their unique status in the world. But once they're in San Francisco, the family reunion is nothing like they anticipated and they're thrust into a world they're completely unprepared for.

Christmas in July Freebie: Winter World of Love

https://books2read.com/Winter-World-of-Love

Winter World of Love

A Winter Hearts Steampunk Novella

December 24, 1871

Just one short year ago, Ophelia Leonides returned to New Texacali hoping to reconcile with her husband. And, for a while, it seemed that most, if not all, her dreams were coming true. But as the holiday season approaches, Ophelia can’t help but notice that Dario has begun to brood. He says it has nothing to do with her, but trust, once lost, is hard to regain.
 
Dario is frustrated by his inability to give Ophelia the life he knows she deserves. Now, as old ghosts from his past draw close, and the bright future he’s promised his wife grows increasingly dim, he’s on the brink of making a last, desperate gamble--one that might destroy everything they've been hoping to achieve.

https://books.bookfunnel.com/PGForte-Christmas-in-July

Musical Monday: To Make You Feel My Love (Adele)

   

Okay. Legs and Clay have already made their decision vis a vis a first dance song--and this isn't it. But I think it's going to feature in a fictional wedding somewhere in my future. But I think the only wedding I've currently got on my schedule is a vampire wedding--and this isn't for that one, either. 

But at some point, y'all; I promise this will get some page time. 

Nice Day for a Wine Wedding: A Pour Decisions Romance 

PG Forte

books2read.com/WineWedding

There are a lot of reasons people choose to elope. We’ve already figured out most of them.

 Clay

How hard could it be to plan a simple wedding? If recent experience has taught me anything, the answer is very. Once Legs’ Uncle Geno got involved things started spiraling out of control. We really should’ve eloped.

 Allegra

I’m not saying Clay’s wrong about Geno, but it was his family who turned our rehearsal dinner into a circus. But we’re not eloping. We’re going to work out the problems and have the wedding of our dreams. Assuming we both show up for it.

Christmas in July Freebie: Christmas Angel

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/r62kdd0dsy

Christmas Angel

An Angels in the Afterlife Christmas Story

Like Scrooge, only sexier.

Being fully transparent is good for a relationship, right? Well, maybe not when it’s literal.

Christmas Angel is a second-chance, holiday romance with a celestial twist. Probationary angel Jake Hennessy's been sent back to earth to mend fences with his ex. Or has he? Certainly Tony doesn’t seem to think that's the case. 

Tony DiCecco might have ninety-nine problems—and then some—between dealing with his meddlesome family AND running the family business (a Christmas tree farm in rural Texas) but he's pretty sure that playing catch-up with his ex-husband isn’t supposed to be one of them.

And what would even be the point? It’s hard to imagine what kind of future the two of them could have when one of them is alive and the other...isn't.

https://books.bookfunnel.com/PGForte-Christmas-in-July

Christmas in July Freebie: Christmasing With You

https://books2read.com/Christmasing-With-You

Christmasing With You 
An LA Love Lessons/Ugly Christmas Sweater Story

The sweater was just the beginning…

Mike's been a very good boy this year and Santa Claire has the perfect present picked out for him—one that's both naughty and nice!

One more disaster could be the end…

Mike and Claire were hoping their first Christmas together would be unforgettable. But when their sexy, adult-film-themed weekend abruptly veers into low-budget, chiller-diller territory, they’re left to worry that this Christmas will turn out to be memorable in all the worst ways.

An isolated cabin, a winter storm, a hungry cougar—what could possibly go wrong? In a word: everything.

This Ugly Christmas Sweater short story features the characters Mike and Claire from Let Me Count the Ways (LA Love Lessons, book 3).

https://books.bookfunnel.com/PGForte-Christmas-in-July