Spotlight: There's Something About You, Olivia Bennet by Valerie G. Miller

Historical

Date Published: 11-26-2024

Two women. Two generations. A lifetime of secrets…

Sydney, 1989. When a secret trunk belonging to her enigmatic mother is delivered, Olivia Bennet’s safe and predictable world is thrown into disarray.

Inside the trunk, long-buried secrets tell of a different life that is totally foreign to shy and unadventurous Olivia. Secrets she’s certain her mother intended to stay hidden.

For the first time, Olivia has hope of finding answers about her father, and along with it, her identity. But only if she has the courage to face who she truly is.

Sydney, 1964. Amidst the vibrant backdrop of multicultural inner Sydney, Rosemary Benito plans to leave behind her painful past and embrace the freedom her new home offers.

While her exotic beauty attracts unwanted attention, if she works hard enough in her new country, Rosemary can become whatever—and whoever—she wants. She just has to make sure her old life doesn’t catch up with her.

Neither woman can change their pasts. But if they’re brave enough, they both have the power to determine their futures…

A poignant family saga full of love and loss that spans two generations. There’s Something About You, Olivia Bennet, reveals the tender bond between mother and daughter, the undeniable ties that bind generations together, and the importance of belonging.

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About the Author

Valerie G. Miller is an Australian author celebrated for her dual timeline historical fiction, weaving heartfelt narratives that resonate across generations. Rooted in her Italian heritage, Valerie brings rich cultural nuances to her stories, crafting tales that celebrate family, resilience, and the deep human need for belonging. Her short stories explore the intricacies of human connection, capturing the tender moments that bind people together and create a sense of home in each other's hearts.

In addition to her writing, Valerie is training to become an accredited book coach, sharing her passion for storytelling and supporting aspiring writers on their creative journeys.

Originally from Sydney, Valerie now calls Brisbane home, where she lives with her husband, daughter, and a lively household that includes her dog and two cats. A lifelong lover of storytelling, she earned her Master of Letters in Creative Writing in 2021, further honing her craft.

Valerie is never far from her next story, always keeping a novel and a notebook tucked in her bag, ready to capture inspiration wherever it strikes.

Connect:

Website: https://www.valeriegmiller.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valeriegmillerwriter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221170911-there-s-something-about-you-olivia-bennet

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valerieg.writer/

Spotlight: Love's Home Run by Judith Keim

Romantic Women's Fiction

Date Published: February 3, 2025

Love isn’t a game… or is it?

Melissa Hendrickson is tired of being a good sport, one of the guys. She wants to find love and settle down in Lilac Lake with the man of her dreams. She thinks she’s found the man, but he doesn’t know she exists. After she runs into Ross Roberts, her next door neighbor and former professional baseball player, during a charity softball game, he requires her help. She’s more than eager to make amends for causing him to have knee surgery. Then, a fire destroys her family restaurant and her job as chef there. She’s forced to think about a lot of changes in her life, including finding the right man for her.

A spinoff book from the Lilac Lake Inn series, a sweet second-chance, small-town romance. Another of Judith Keim’s books with strong women facing challenges and finding love and happiness along the way.

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About the Author

Judith Keim, A USA Today Best-Selling Author, is a hybrid author who both has a publisher and self-publishes. Ms. Keim writes heart-warming novels about women who face unexpected challenges, meet them with strength, and find love and happiness along the way, stories with heart. Her best-selling books are based, in part, on many of the places she's lived or visited and on the interesting people she's met, creating believable characters and realistic settings her many loyal readers love.

She enjoyed her childhood and young-adult years in Elmira, New York, and now makes her home in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and their adorable dachshund, Wally, and other members of her family.

While growing up, she loved the idea of writing stories from a young age. Books were always present, being read, ready to go back to the library, or about to be discovered. All in her family shared information from the books in general conversation, giving them a wealth of knowledge and vivid imaginations.

Ms. Keim loves to hear from her readers and appreciates their enthusiasm for her stories.

Connect:

Author Website: https://judithkeim.com/

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Spotlight: Damn Good Things by Peter Andersen

This is a book about being alive. The stories are real and reflect moments when we feel fully alive—but perhaps are not aware of it, unable to take time to appreciate or recognize these unexpected gifts. I call them Damn Good Things, and they’re easy to see once you know how. When you do, you might just improve your day, learn something about yourself, and even change your life.

Excerpt

Gus

My dog Stanley is a two-year-old yellow lab who has just about everything a dog needs: food, shelter, love, tasty bones and squeaky toys, several comfortable beds and best of all, his daily play at the off-leash dog park. For a half hour every day, Stanley can chase after his ball, run with other dogs, sniff the trees and swim in the lake. It’s his moment of freedom. 

It was on one of these trips that Stanley and I met someone who taught us two new facts about Damn Good Things. 

Fact #1: Damn Good Things can be shared. That is, you can experience a Damn Good Thing simply by watching somebody else experience one. 

And Fact #2: That somebody else doesn’t have to be a person. On this particular day, it turned out to be a very lucky dog named Gus. 

It was a gray December afternoon and we pulled into the parking lot a little later than usual. Stanley was barking and drooling and pacing the back seat of the car, eager to get out. As soon as we were inside the enclosure and the gate was closed, I unclipped Stanley’s leash and he took off like a rocket across the big field. I swung the Chuck-it over my head and Stanley’s favorite bright orange rubber ball went soaring ahead of him, an ecstatic flash of yellow bounding along in pursuit. 

The ball bounced twice on the far side of the field before Stanley leaped up and nabbed it in mid-air. He brought it back and dropped it at my feet. We repeated this a half dozen times until Stanley’s initial Oh-My-God energy had settled into a regular happy dog energy. 

Then Gus entered the picture. 

The next time I threw the ball, a small brown blur streaked past me. It was another dog. He outran Stanley, snatched the ball up with hungry jaws and bolted off across the park, head high. I studied him – he was a young brindle mutt, happy to run, proud to have a ball. I looked at Stanley, who didn’t care. He’d already lost himself sniffing the butt of a nearby Newfoundland. 

“I’m so sorry!” came a voice. 

A middle-aged woman holding a leash walked toward me, shaking her head. 

“We’ve been here an hour,” she said. “He hasn’t stopped running the whole time.”

She introduced herself as Rosie and told me her dog’s name was Gus. The look on Rosie’s face told me that he was a dog who simply couldn’t be stopped. 

I introduced myself and pointed out that Stanley was perfectly happy doing what he was doing, and didn’t need his ball right now. But Gus did need the ball. He was so happy! Bounding around the park, so proud of the bright orange rubber ball. It was wonderful. 

“He’s a rescue,” she explained. 

“Ah, good for you,” I said. 

I’ve never had the guts to adopt a rescue dog. You don’t know what you’re getting. My dog and I have a solid understanding: I’m the emotionally needy one, and you’re here to help me get through life, not the other way around. I’ve always admired people who adopt a dog who might have issues of its own. Maybe someday. 

“He’s a year old,” she went on. “They told us that before we adopted him, he’d pretty much been locked in a kennel for three months.”

I stared at her. 

“Three months?”

I looked for Gus, but it took a minute to find him – there, nearly at the horizon, still galloping ahead with joy. 

Three months, I thought. And I had a hunch Gus was thinking it, too.

Watching him run made you smile. Watching him run after three months in a kennel – well, that took your breath away. 

You see, Stanley could never understand this kind of joy, because he’d never been without it. Gus had, and now to him the world was very sweet indeed. Because while all the other dogs ran and jumped and zigged and zagged and chased and tumbled, Gus soared in an endless circle around the outer edges of the park, running as fast and as far as was physically possible. Gus had paid his dues, and the kennel was behind him. All dogs at the off-leash park enjoy their freedom, but watching this guy run – head high, soaring, tireless – you wondered whether happy little Gus wasn’t Freedom itself. 

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author

Peter Andersen has been writing since he was a kid. In his professional life he’s worked as a journalist, writing teacher, newspaper editor, manager, freelancer, and technical writer. He spent 30 years producing technical documentation at Microsoft and other software companies. These days, in addition to writing about Damn Good Things, he conducts life story interviews with the residents of a local retirement community.

The idea for Damn Good Things came about when he found an old diary entry about a rollercoaster ride he once took with his father. The entry described how fully alive they both felt in that moment, and ended with the words, “What a damn good thing for me and my dad to do!”

Inspired by that diary entry, he began to research and write about the moments when we feel completely alive. He soon realized that this is what he’d been writing about his whole life. This is truly the lens through which he sees the world. Whether it’s an aging, half-blind pug tearing across a wood floor to get to her dinner, the distant whistle of an approaching train in the night, or a memory-filled relic from a childhood home – he’ll show you how all of these are Damn Good Things.

Website: https://peterandersen-author.com/

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Cover Reveal: My Grape Crush by Rowan Rossler

Publication date: March 23rd 2025

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Every woman with a pulse knows who Rhys Trenton is. Influencer sensation. Global icon. A serious piece of man candy living the celebrity dream in his palazzo on Corfu. In no legitimate universe should the golden path of my social media crush ever cross with mine.

Except it does.

I’m Dani Rialto—jobless and vulnerable after a failed workplace romance shattered my confidence. When a prestigious winery offers me a dream marketing gig, there’s just one tiny problem. The new spokesperson for their rosé is none other than the free-spirited Rhys. And he lands in my sleepy wine town for five weeks to do whatever this buttoned-up career girl says.

Listen, I can play it cool. But after an embarrassing start to our working relationship, it turns out more than grapes can thrive in the heat. As a surprisingly complex Rhys melts my inhibitions, his fame sparks unexpected chaos, forcing us both to challenge our guarded hearts, that, like the finest vintages, can only breathe when we open them up.

About the Author

Rowan Rossler writes spicy romance tales and is an aficionado of all things Italian—coffee, cars, clothing, and men!

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A little about me: I am hopeless romantic on a mission to make the world a better place, one love story at a time. I have a soft spot for animals, love to laugh, and never met a glass of champagne I didn't like.

Spotlight: Against the Wind by Harper Jackson

Release Date: January 31

The last person I expect—or want—to take shelter with as a hurricane descends on Hatterwick Island is Daniel LaRue, the man who broke my heart barely three months ago.

I don't have time for... whatever this is. My medical clinic has been targeted by thieves—hardly a month after returning to my home town. Coming back to the Outer Banks was always the plan after med school, and for a while in residency, I thought I might bring the hot Coast Guardsman with me. Right up until he accepted a new promotion without talking to me.

Turned out he was more of a situationship than anything real.

Except now he’s appeared on my doorstep, declaring he's on the Outer Banks for me, and despite my considerable temper pointed in his direction, he insists on helping me weather the storm. Literally.

Stranded together, we have no choice but to deal with the chemistry still sizzling between us. I can’t deny that he still affects me. But as the hours tick by, I start to realize there’s more to his arrival on the island than he’s telling me—and I long ago learned that the secrets of Hatterwick Island are always dangerous.

Buy on Amazon

Meet Harper Jackson:

Harper Jackson has rescued her co-workers from a hostage situation, battled ninjas, and stopped international espionage—in her head anyway. Now that she’s no longer busy devising ways to make staff meetings more entertaining, she’s pouring that imagination into tales of breath-stealing, small-town romantic suspense. She believes that peach cobbler with ice cream is the best dessert ever and has a black belt in taekwondo to back it up. She lives in the Deep South with her husband and canine furbabies. You can explore her lighter contemporary romances at https://kaitnolan.com.

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To learn more about Harper Jackson & her books, visit here!

Connect with Harper Jackson: harper@harperjackson.com

Spotlight: Rules for a Fake Fiancé by Katherine Lyons

Genre: Regency Romance

A delightful Regency romance perfect for fans of Julia Quinn and Tessa Dare!

Melinda Smithson needs a husband - preferably one who appreciates her scientific mind. Trevor Anaedsley, future Duke of Timby, needs a temporary fiancé to secure his inheritance. Their fake engagement seems like the perfect solution...until real feelings start to complicate their clever scheme.

Between meddling families, dramatic duels, and a surprisingly combative turkey, Melinda and Trevor discover that matters of the heart can't be approached with scientific precision.

As London's high society watches their every move, can these two brilliant minds find the formula for true love?

Read in Kindle Unlimited!

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About the Author

Flirty, dirty and fun! That’s how Katherine Lyons likes her love stories. One would think that would lead her to contemporary romance, but she’s always loved the witty dialogue and hot, sexy humor of regency romance. She’s a big fan of The Bridgertons, Big Bang Theory (even though it’s over), and her favorite movie is The Avengers because she loves the MCU.

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