“I don’t usually trust my heart, but I know it’s not lying to me about you.”
Sage Stannard is grumpy. Having just attended her cousin’s wedding in California, she’s at her limit for watching happy couples stare dreamily at one another. She’s never had anything but quick romps back home in Vermont that always turn out to be mistakes. Big ones. Maybe moving out of her mother’s house and taking a stab at online dating will add a little excitement to this caterer’s stale life. Maybe it’ll bring more disappointment. Who knows?
Chainsaw artist Orion Finley is on a mission to get his daughter, Myah, back from his ruthless ex-wife. Only trouble is his ex-wife is a crafty lawyer with connections—ones that give her the upper hand. She even managed to get custody of his dog, Ranger, just to drive the stake deeper into his heart. His father always told him women were poison, especially the pretty ones. Why hadn’t he listened? Well, he was listening now.
When Sage and Orion meet over a bloody couch, the gates are opened to a path neither of them is quite ready to travel on. Will they stumble? Will it be all uphill? Or will the end of the path be just the new beginning they need?
The Maple Leaf Series, contemporary romance
“Fears, pride, love, passion ~ beautifully woven together with substance and depth.”
Other Series by Christine DePetrillo
The One Kind Deed Series, contemporary romance
“The town, the people, the love story… a perfect romance.”
The Warrior Wolves Series, paranormal romance
“Full of memorable characters with a solid plot and plenty of passion.”
Christine DePetrillo can often be found hugging trees, conversing with dragonflies, and walking barefoot through sun-warmed soil. She finds joy in listening to the wind, bathing in moonlight, and breathing in the fragrances of things that bloom. If she had her way, the sky would be the only roof over her head.
Her love of nature seeps into every story she tells. As does her obsession with bearded mountain men who build, often smell like sawdust, and know how to cherish the women they love. Today she writes tales meant to make you laugh, maybe make you sweat, and definitely make you believe in the power of love.
She lives in Vermont with her husband and many woodland creatures who defend her fiercely from all evils.
Hi everyone – One of my first books has received a nice review from READERS FAVORITE which will be today’s Hook.
Today’s snippet is Flynn’s POV
Enjoy ♥♥
He walked over to the door and swung it open with such force his assistant, Joyce, almost jumped out of her chair.
“Sorry, Joyce. I didn’t mean to startle you, but could you please reschedule the appointment tomorrow afternoon with Harry? I have some private business I have to attend to.”
“No problem, Flynn. But you have your haircut with Richard tomorrow at—”
“Damn it,” he mumbled and then let out some more curses.
Joyce raised her perfectly arched brows, and he knew she ignored his small outburst, patiently waiting for an answer.
He raked his hand through his hair, and while heading back into the office he said, “No worries, I’ll go by tonight and see whether Richard can squeeze me in.” And slammed the door shut.
Innocent Tears by Iris Blobel is an intriguing romance within a romance. The reader’s attention is captured from the first page to the very last sentence, which is most unexpected. The journey that the author takes the reader on has so many twists and turns that at times the reader will wonder if it will come to a romantic conclusion as themes of human nature, both good, bad, indifferent, confused, and loving race through the book. Iris Blobel uses the characters’ natures to good advantage as she spins her tale of love, loss, and romance.
The author has used situations that are both good, bad, and downright scary, which her main characters get themselves into, to keep the reader on their toes with fear, hope, and joy that the story will have a happy ending. Readers will find themselves enthralled by the lives of Emma, Flynn McCormack, Theresa, William Gibbs, Mr. Morgan, Jack, Fran, Jacqui and not forgetting the star of the story, Nadine, better known as Naddie. These main characters appear and reappear throughout the plot.
This interesting book is very well worth reading. It is light but holds your attention to the end. The author brings her beautiful love story to an unexpected climactic conclusion. Thank you, Iris, for a relaxing yet nail-biting and exciting read. Innocent Tears will make the hours in a day fly, especially when waiting in doctors’ rooms and airports. Much appreciated.
Blurb:
Becoming a parent can be daunting at the best of times, but for Flynn McCormack, a business lawyer in Melbourne, it pulls the feet right out from underneath him. He’s become a father to six-year-old Nadine literally overnight. He didn’t know about her existence, and the news throws him into chaos, even more so when he is asked to take over custody.
With the help of Emma, an employee at the hotel where Nadine and her grandparents are staying, Flynn tries to do the right thing. Yet, the right thing in his eyes differs from his parents’ ideas, and Emma is voicing her opinion, too, leaving Nadine right in the middle of it all, still grieving the loss of her mother. There’s no doubt she’s afraid about where and with whom she will settle.
Will a letter Flynn receives help him decide what to do?
Giving a slow nod, he said, “Right. That makes sense.” He held her gaze, absolutely mesmerised by her. It appeared he’d had good taste already as a child. He definitely had to find out about that kiss.
“Right,” he said again. “Jack’s outside on the deck.”
She looked up at him in surprise. The good-humoured face had lost its smile. “Jack?” she asked.
Connor raised his brows. “My dad?”
She gave a slow nod. “Yes, he is,” she replied slowly. “Anyway, the deck’s perfect. He needs a bit of Vitamin D. It’ll do him good.”
Watching her behind, he followed her outside. The storm was closing in, and Emily shaded her eyes with her hand as she looked into the distance across the ocean.
“Emily,” Jack greeted her, and Connor could’ve sworn he caught a slight smile on his father’s face.
San Francisco attorney Cecily Chang is ready to tackle the New Year head on, so she creates a list of resolutions guaranteed to reboot her life—right after her dutiful visit home to Sunset Park, Brooklyn, for the Lunar New Year. Cecily prepares to face her critical, meddling mother, nosy relatives, and the chaos and drama family togetherness brings. At least the food will be delicious. This holiday, Cecily vows to remain calm—as long as she doesn’t see him.
Jeffrey Lee deeply regrets how he ended things with Cecily ten years ago, but he felt it was best for her at the time. When he runs into her again during the New Year, he sees it as a sign. Now a successful screenwriter, Jeffrey is determined to win back Cecily’s heart.
But Cecily doesn’t believe in signs or second chances and embraces her new resolutions. This time, Jeffrey won’t give up—and he’s convinced he can write them a new Hollywood happy ending.
Having escaped the madhouse, Cecily dutifully made her way down the street to the Lee residence. She knocked on the door and was greeted by Jeffrey’s younger sister Bethany. She was dressed in a soft blue sweater and jeans, with a bandana pulling her hair back.
“CeeCee!” Bethany exclaimed as she enveloped Cecily in a hug. Despite herself, Cecily couldn’t prevent a grin. She’d always had a soft spot for Bethany.
“You’re home for the weekend?” Cecily asked. Last she heard, Bethany was a senior at Columbia, majoring in biochemistry.
“Yep. Where else would I be?” Bethany readjusted her bandana. “Mom needs all hands on deck for the cleaning.”
Cecily made a face. “My mom’s planning a top-to-bottom deep cleaning today too. I’m on bathroom duty. She’s also grumbling because she needs to take me to Walmart later to buy new clothes. But you can’t fight tradition.” She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. It was a New Year tradition slash superstition to clean the house top to bottom, get a haircut, and buy a new outfit. It was all about out with the old, in with the new and generating good luck and a fresh start for the Year of the Pig.
Bethany had no response, just blew out a breath and looked at her expectantly.
“Oh, right. Is Jeffrey around? I need to speak to him.” Speaking of the devil, he appeared behind his sister in the doorway.
“If you’re here to pay me for the Uber, think again.” He crossed his arms, and a stubborn look came over his face.
All right. If he was going to be a hard-ass about this, then so could she. She had plenty of experience dealing with difficult clients.
“It’s out of my hands, Jeffrey. You know that I can’t go into the New Year unless I settle all debts. You wouldn’t want me to start the Year of the Pig with bad luck hanging over my head, do you? You really want that on your conscience?” She gave her most innocent look and blinked disarmingly.
Jeffrey just scowled. “You always were a spoiled brat when it came to getting your way,” he muttered.
Cecily took immediate umbrage. “How dare you!” Such an unfair accusation. Besides, how did he know? They hadn’t seen each other in ten years. Maybe she had her moments, but didn’t everyone?
Jeffrey just raised an eyebrow. “Who was the one who told our moms I scalped her Barbie doll when she really was the one who decided to give it a haircut?”
“Really with that? I was five years old for God’s sake!” Seriously.
An implacable stare from him. “Did you or did you not get a new doll for your birthday?”
“To be clear, the statute of limitations for that has come and gone,” Cecily sniffed. “Not fair for you to throw that in my face now. It’s been thirty years, and I doubt your ability to accurately recall the event in question. Besides, whether or not I got a replacement Barbie doll is irrelevant to the current discussion.”
“And I was the one who got spanked for something I didn’t do.”
She continued to glare, and so did he.
Bethany just looked at them back and forth like she was watching a tennis match. “You two are weird,” she decided with a shake of her head. She walked away and disappeared back into the house.
Jeffrey ignored her. “But if you insist, it was sixty dollars.”
As Cecily dug through her wallet and purse, he added nonchalantly, “Oh and just so you know, Guillermo gave us a four and a half star rating.”
Her head snapped up and she stopped searching for the money. “Why didn’t we get five?”
“You were always so competitive.” He chuckled. He leaned against the doorjamb and put his hands in his pockets.
“Well, why didn’t we get five? We did nothing wrong,” she insisted, with her hands on her hips.
“Go ask him,” Jeffrey suggested, his lips twitching.
Cecily frowned and went back to her purse. Finally, she scrounged up thirty dollars and thrust it at him.
“There you go.”
“Glad I could help you start the New Year with a clean slate,” he drawled. “Happy now?”
She raised a warning brow. “You’re lucky I didn’t ask for a receipt.”
“Your faith in me is touching.
Author Bio:
Lisa has been an avid romance reader and fan since she read her first Nora Roberts novel at the age of 13 after wandering the aisles of her local bookstore. Lisa loves that romance has the power to inspire, and believes that HEAs are for everyone.
Lisa writes light contemporary romantic comedies with a liberal dash of snark and banter. She enjoys delving into the complexity of Asian and immigrant family experiences, and celebrates female friendships in her trademark dry, witty style. As an Asian-American author writing own voices Asian American stories, Lisa hopes that her books will show the diversity of the Asian-American experience, and the importance of every reader being able to see themselves represented on the page.
Having grown up in Pennsylvania and helping out at her parents’ restaurant, Lisa has never bothered to learn to cook. She has two liberal arts undergraduate degrees and a J.D, and in her former life she was an intern, then Legislative Assistant for a PA State Representative. She also worked as a paralegal at a boutique law firm. Lisa is a politics junkie (don’t get her started on the wonder that is The West Wing!), indulges in naps whenever possible, and believes Netflixing in her pajamas and ordering take out qualifies as the perfect weekend.
Hi everyone – One of my first books has received a nice review from READERS FAVORITE which will be today’s Hook.
Today’s snippet is Flynn’s POV
Enjoy ♥♥
“You’ve got to be joking,” Flynn McCormack said into the phone. “What do you mean you need to see me?”
Pacing up and down his office, he finally settled by the window. He looked out, his gaze wandering along the Yarra River, watching people strolling along the Southbank Promenade. He liked the view—seeing the people walking at different paces as they took in the sights, or looking for restaurants, or as they were simply in a rush to get to their next destination. His eyes wandered further up and took in the sight of the Eureka Tower. A small shiver went up his spine as he remembered what he had given up for being here, for making his life in Melbourne and for getting this job — something he often pushed to the back of his mind, because being a lawyer in Melbourne was all he’d ever wanted. The conversation he was having wasn’t going well, and he let out a long breath. “Yes, I’ll be there. And this better be worth it.”
He walked over to the door and swung it open with such force his assistant, Joyce, almost jumped out of her chair.
“Sorry, Joyce. I didn’t mean to startle you, but could you please reschedule the appointment tomorrow afternoon with Harry? I have some private business I have to attend to.”
“No problem, Flynn. But you have your haircut with Richard tomorrow at—”
“Damn it,” he mumbled and then let out some more curses.
Innocent Tears by Iris Blobel is an intriguing romance within a romance. The reader’s attention is captured from the first page to the very last sentence, which is most unexpected. The journey that the author takes the reader on has so many twists and turns that at times the reader will wonder if it will come to a romantic conclusion as themes of human nature, both good, bad, indifferent, confused, and loving race through the book. Iris Blobel uses the characters’ natures to good advantage as she spins her tale of love, loss, and romance.
The author has used situations that are both good, bad, and downright scary, which her main characters get themselves into, to keep the reader on their toes with fear, hope, and joy that the story will have a happy ending. Readers will find themselves enthralled by the lives of Emma, Flynn McCormack, Theresa, William Gibbs, Mr. Morgan, Jack, Fran, Jacqui and not forgetting the star of the story, Nadine, better known as Naddie. These main characters appear and reappear throughout the plot.
This interesting book is very well worth reading. It is light but holds your attention to the end. The author brings her beautiful love story to an unexpected climactic conclusion. Thank you, Iris, for a relaxing yet nail-biting and exciting read. Innocent Tears will make the hours in a day fly, especially when waiting in doctors’ rooms and airports. Much appreciated.
Blurb:
Becoming a parent can be daunting at the best of times, but for Flynn McCormack, a business lawyer in Melbourne, it pulls the feet right out from underneath him. He’s become a father to six-year-old Nadine literally overnight. He didn’t know about her existence, and the news throws him into chaos, even more so when he is asked to take over custody.
With the help of Emma, an employee at the hotel where Nadine and her grandparents are staying, Flynn tries to do the right thing. Yet, the right thing in his eyes differs from his parents’ ideas, and Emma is voicing her opinion, too, leaving Nadine right in the middle of it all, still grieving the loss of her mother. There’s no doubt she’s afraid about where and with whom she will settle.
Will a letter Flynn receives help him decide what to do?
In Echoes of The Past: Fermosa Bay Book 1 by Iris Blobel, Connor Walsh, a business lawyer brought up in London, returns to Fermosa Bay, a small coastal town in Australia to visit his long-estranged father who is terminally ill. Connor has little recollection of his earlier life at Fermosa Bay but gets reacquainted with his childhood best friends Emily, Ethan, and Neil. Emily had always loved Connor and he falls for her the moment he sees her again. As the days go by, Connor’s love for Emily as well as his fondness for Fermosa Bay grows deeper and deeper. He reflects on how different his life could have been there. On the one hand, he has his affluent lifestyle in London, and on the other, he has this newfound life at Fermosa Bay where he feels a sense of belonging and is complete. Which one should he choose?
While reading Echoes of The Past, I felt as if I was on vacation. The whole setting of Fermosa Bay was so calming. Iris Blobel has brought out the alluring charm of the place beautifully. Every interaction between Connor and Jack, as well as those between him and his friends, was heartwarming. The book revived a yearning in me for the sort of community that was depicted in Fermosa Bay. The love, affection, and care that each of them had for the other were captivating. I loved seeing how Connor and Emily navigated their way through the love and devotion they were feeling for each other. The tenderness and warmth with which they handled their relationship were also endearing, which made for an engaging read.
Blurb:
When Connor Walsh, a business lawyer in London, receives news that his estranged father is terminally ill, he returns to Fermosa Bay, a little coastal town in Australia. With the memories of his childhood years tucked away in the back of his mind, he finds his father and kindergarten friends rallying around to remind him of the past. But he’s unprepared for the growing attraction he feels for Emily, and it doesn’t take long for Connor to feel regret that his life could have been so much different.
Emily Bradshaw has waited for over twenty years to see Connor again. And although he can’t remember her, let alone their first kiss, her childhood crush is still in full swing. Eager to pick up where they left off as children, she’s determined to enjoy the short time he is in Fermosa Bay, accepting her heart will break when he returns to his life in London.
Will the echoes of the past lure him into staying in Fermosa Bay?
She held her hand out. “Hi, Connor. You don’t look anything like you did twenty years ago.”
He blinked away his confusion, slowly taking her hand. “Thanks. And you are?”
“I’m offended,” she replied with a soft laugh. “I’m Emily Bradshaw.” With an exaggerated sigh, she added, “The man who gave me my first kiss can’t remember me.”
As she shook her head, her curly red hair bounced around her face. Her green eyes were gleaming with good humour.
“Sorry, Emily. I’m—” He had no idea what he was. Speechless. Frustrated. Memory gone. Probably all of the above. “I’m still jetlagged. Apologies. Come on in.”
Emily walked past him, down the hall, and towards the stairs.
“Look, Emily. In regard to the…ehrm, the jetlag, want to give me a hint what you’re doing here?”
She spun around, her mouth curving into a smile again. “I’m your dad’s nurse.”
Giving a slow nod, he said, “Right. That makes sense.” He held her gaze, absolutely mesmerised by her. It appeared he’d had good taste already as a child. He definitely had to find out about that kiss.
Emma swore under her breath as she turned to check-in the next few guests. Angry, she took some breaths to calm herself. Why did she always get into trouble with the manager? It annoyed her that despite her good work ethics she often found herself in a middle of a situation and getting the blame. Working on her confidence was high on her list, but obviously a lot of work still needed to be done.
It was barely after she had finished her shift later in the day that she was able to talk to Jack.
“Thanks for getting me into trouble again.”
Jack placed his arm around her and gave her a kiss on her forehead. “Sorry for that. But you seem to attract this guy.”
“Yes and his focus lands on me every time I screw up.”
“You’ll be all right. How about dinner at my place?”
Emma gave him a gentle slap on his chest. “Jerk!”
He grinned and held his arms up in defence. “What?”
Innocent Tears by Iris Blobel is an intriguing romance within a romance. The reader’s attention is captured from the first page to the very last sentence, which is most unexpected. The journey that the author takes the reader on has so many twists and turns that at times the reader will wonder if it will come to a romantic conclusion as themes of human nature, both good, bad, indifferent, confused, and loving race through the book. Iris Blobel uses the characters’ natures to good advantage as she spins her tale of love, loss, and romance.
The author has used situations that are both good, bad, and downright scary, which her main characters get themselves into, to keep the reader on their toes with fear, hope, and joy that the story will have a happy ending. Readers will find themselves enthralled by the lives of Emma, Flynn McCormack, Theresa, William Gibbs, Mr. Morgan, Jack, Fran, Jacqui and not forgetting the star of the story, Nadine, better known as Naddie. These main characters appear and reappear throughout the plot.
This interesting book is very well worth reading. It is light but holds your attention to the end. The author brings her beautiful love story to an unexpected climactic conclusion. Thank you, Iris, for a relaxing yet nail-biting and exciting read. Innocent Tears will make the hours in a day fly, especially when waiting in doctors’ rooms and airports. Much appreciated.
Blurb:
Becoming a parent can be daunting at the best of times, but for Flynn McCormack, a business lawyer in Melbourne, it pulls the feet right out from underneath him. He’s become a father to six-year-old Nadine literally overnight. He didn’t know about her existence, and the news throws him into chaos, even more so when he is asked to take over custody.
With the help of Emma, an employee at the hotel where Nadine and her grandparents are staying, Flynn tries to do the right thing. Yet, the right thing in his eyes differs from his parents’ ideas, and Emma is voicing her opinion, too, leaving Nadine right in the middle of it all, still grieving the loss of her mother. There’s no doubt she’s afraid about where and with whom she will settle.
Will a letter Flynn receives help him decide what to do?
