San Antonio and the Rose Window by Stephanie Suesan Smith

 

Rose Window

San Antonio, Texas

For a large number of years, my parents, my sister, and I went to Padre Island, Texas for three days, then to San Antonio, Texas for four days.  We could only stand the beach for a few days before we got sunburned and sick.  When we went to San Antonio, it usually rained.  Sometimes buckets of rain.  

No matter, we always had to go on the Mission trail.  This is a collection of five Spanish missions built by the priests who accompanied Spanish soldiers to occupy the land and enslave the indigenous people.  The Spanish did their level best to exterminate the local population, or at least make them Catholic.  They forced them to build the missions and an aqueduct that still carries water today.

I personally didn't like going to the missions. I saw them once and wasn't impressed, but Mom liked to look at them. My sister and I have a series of photographs standing beside the rose window for several years running.

After the Mission trail, we would go to the Riverwalk and eat Mexican food.  That was the part of San Antonio I liked.  We would also walk through the open-air market.  Things were too expensive to buy, but looking didn't cost anything.  Of course, we ate Mexican food practically every meal while we were in San Antonio.

One year, my Dad got stung on the heel of his foot by a wasp.  He limped around for a day before Mom made him go to an urgent care place.  He was given antibiotics and a tetanus shot because, as the doctor said, you never knew where the wasp had been.

An Agent for Magdala

by Caroline Clemmons

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Magdala, on the other hand, got to stay in the best hotel in San Antonio and try to catch a jewel thief who didn't want to be caught.  She also went to the market. 

Here is the blurb:

She craves adventure, but this may be too much…His job means the world to him…Capturing jewel thieves will test them…

Magdala leaps at the opportunity to become a Pinkerton agent. Learning the position requires a paper marriage shocks but doesn’t deter her. Maggie plans to get an annulment before her unusual family learns of the situation. She’s determined to prove she has the grit to be an excellent investigator. But, why does she have to be partnered with the one man who has been rude to her?

Douglas “Cloud” Ryan loves being a Pinkerton agent. Otherwise, he’d never go along with his boss’ crazy plan to marry him to a female agent. He’s certain women have no business dealing with criminals. After barely surviving the stagecoach trip from Denver to San Antonio Maggie needs to stay in the background and let him solve the case. He has reasons to distrust women, especially women like Maggie.

Can Maggie and Cloud catch the jewel thieves plaguing an historic San Antonio hotel without becoming victims? Will they take a chance on the love growing between them?

Ghosted by Lori Matsourani

Ghosted 

by Lori Matsourani

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Blurb:

A haunted inn, a first crush, and a second chance for love with help (?) from the resident ghost… 

When her fiancé’s infidelity prompts Bethany Hendren to map out a new path forward, her plans are disrupted by an unexpected encounter with Nick Dorsey, who convinces her to help search for the remains of a troubled eighteenth-century ghost. Nick is the handsome summer boyfriend who ghosted her years ago, and now he wants to rekindle their relationship. 

Despite her reluctance to trust him, Bethany discovers he’s still the funny, caring person who captured her heart as a teen, but giving him a second chance is risky—it could lead to love and happiness or result in another devastating heartache. 

Although Bethany wants a happily-ever-after with Nick, does she have the courage to trust him with her future? 

Excerpt:

As Mrs. Snowden spoke, a tall, dark-haired man entered the foyer. He wore jeans and a soft blue crewneck sweater that accentuated his lanky, yet solid, build. As soon as he saw Bethany, his face lit up. “Bethany!” He walked toward her as though they were long-lost friends, and she half expected him to pull her into an embrace. Then she recognized the dark chocolate eyes behind the black-framed glasses and her stomach lurched. Nick Dorsey. He’s Mrs. Snowden’s nephew? “Aunt Margaret told me you were checking in today.” Stunned, Bethany stepped backward, bumping into the edge of the desk as her heart thudded. A white-hot flush scorched every inch of her skin as she stared at Nick. Of all the people she could run into, it had to be the first guy to break her heart? And why did he have to be so handsome, with that bit of hair curling over his forehead and late-day stubble? She inhaled deeply to rein in her composure, hating her can’t-catch-your-breath reaction to him, then dipped her chin in a neutral acknowledgment. “Hello, Nick.” His smile morphed into a full-on, lopsided grin. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen you. Ten years, I bet. Not since the summer Zach and I got our drivers’ licenses.” Mrs. Snowden laid her hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Bethany is staying in the Howard Room. Can you help her with her bag?” Then, turning to Bethany, she said, “Come back down when you’re ready and I’ll give you a tour of the house.” As Bethany followed Nick to the second floor, the pain, questions, and self-doubts she’d buried years ago reemerged, seeping into her belly like liquid concrete. The last thing she needed was Nick Dorsey invading her healing zone. It had taken her months to get over the summer romance they’d shared—and he’d abruptly ended—when they were teens. And even longer before she could bring herself to date again. And now he was in her safe space.

Author Bio:

  Lori Matsourani is a romance addict. Give her stories with a touch of heartbreak and a spark of joy, and she’s happy. Throw in characters with a huge helping of heart and soul, and she’s up reading all night in romance heaven! While currently a Texas resident, Lori grew up near Baltimore and often draws on the historical flavor of Annapolis and Maryland’s Eastern Shore to inspire her story settings. She authored her first fiction story at twelve and has been hooked on writing ever since. Early on, her writing career focused on articles for magazines and newspapers before shifting to her first writing love—fiction. For Lori, connecting words to tell a story is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle, and she loves the challenge of creating every piece.  

Website: https://lorimatsourani.com  

 

A Holiday for Homicide by Devon Delaney

 

A televised cooking competition puts Sherry, a successful cooking competitor, in the spotlight, 

especially when the final challenge calls for catching a killer.

A Holiday For Homicide

A Cook-Off Mystery #9

by Devon Delaney

Genre: Cozy Murder Mystery

 A televised cooking competition puts Sherry in the spotlight, especially when the final challenge calls for catching a killer . . .

Despite being a seasoned competitor, nothing could have prepared Sherry Oliveri for the thrill of being chosen for a three-day cooking challenge on national television. She’s dying to tell her friends, but she and everyone else involved in the contest has been sworn to secrecy until it airs. Still, that’s not stopping someone from penning cryptic notes about the show for the whole town to read, which has the production crew on edge—right up until one of them is found dead.

Determined to root out the killer, Sherry suspects the truth lies with whoever’s behind the mysterious notes—which have now turned dark with menacing comments on the murder and suggestions of buried secrets. Trying to unravel it all while focusing on her recipes, Sherry’s stopped dead in her tracks when the cook-off host drops a bombshell. With no time to spare, she’ll have to unearth the one missing ingredient that will ensure the killer’s cooked . . .

Includes recipes from Sherry’s kitchen!

Praise for the Cook-Off Mysteries:

“The Cook-Off Mystery series by Devon Delaney is a very tasty treat!” —Cozy Mystery Book Reviews

“This is a very fun and rollicking mystery that stays light-hearted even as the case gets more complicated . . . Cooking, holiday celebrations, and moving family drama all make for the perfect escape.” —Kings River Life

 

"This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!" – Netgalley Reviewer

 

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“This isn’t your typical cook-off. It’s important to remember that,” Jada said.

“I see what you mean,” Sherry said. “I haven’t figured out what we’re in for and I think that’s the point.”

Sherry spotted Ray in the distance on her way back to the contestant trailer. He was standing alongside Basil and Mick. She couldn’t recall the detective ever coming to more than one of her cook-offs. He had a love of cooking and, while off duty, picked Sherry’s brain to build his cooking skills. On duty was another story. He was single-minded and not tolerant of deviations from the task at hand. Still, as a friend, she wanted to fill him in on her exciting morning. He was on Sherry’s turf, and he’d have to adhere to her rules. Hah! If only.

Basil waved Sherry over. “Sherry, the detective would like a word with you. We’re taking Jada’s interview first, so you two can talk. Stacy, give them ten minutes, please, and then escort Sherry to her interview. Excuse me.” Basil scurried off to his next task.

“I’ll be back soon,” Stacy said. She guided Jada away.

“Ray, I haven’t heard from you since last week,” Sherry said. “Was Rachel’s killer caught?”

“On the contrary. We’ve hit an impasse. The investigation has stalled.” Ray studied his lace-up leather shoes, an unusual footwear choice for a warm late summer day. “We’re circling back to your friend Kat Coleman, assistant to the mayor.”

“Why is that?” Sherry asked.

“Kat must know more than she’s willing to say, which is not much so far. Mr. Nice Guy Ray Bease is getting stonewalled, and Mr. Hardcore Detective Ray Bease is about to show up at her door.”

“I’m not sure why she’s not speaking up,” Sherry said.

“I have a theory. The news leaks are coming from town hall. Beside Kat and the mayor, no one else is privy to the information they’ve provided except the production team. After questioning, everyone from Feral Creations checks out as following the strict nondisclosure protocol,” Ray said. “Kat doesn’t want to be exposed as the source of the leak. Now her friend’s been murdered, and she can’t offer any help, or she’ll be cornered. She’s stuck.”

“You think Kat thought she was doing the mayor’s office a good deed by spilling tiny amounts of the cook-off production tea to tantalize the viewers? Then the timing turned horrible?” Sherry asked.

“That’s where I’m at. Mayor Drew’s been forthcoming about his aggravation someone is putting news out there. He doesn’t realize he may be facing the source of his aggravation every day at work. His own assistant.”

“Oh, Kat. You are in a pickle,” Sherry said.

“And I haven’t been able to clear her name from the murder suspect list thanks to her uncooperative attitude. She won’t speak to me. I’ll have to go to the next level.”

**Don’t miss the rest of the Cook-Off Mysteries! **

Find them on Amazon!

Devon Delaney is life-long resident of the Northeast and currently resides in coastal Connecticut. She is a wife, mother of three, grandmother of two and accomplished cooking contester. She taught computer education and Lego Robotics for over ten years prior to pursuing writing. Along the way Devon has been handsomely rewarded for her recipe innovation over the last twenty-plus years. Combining Devon’s beloved hobby of cooking contesting with her enthusiasm for writing was inevitable.

When Devon is not preparing for her next cook-off, she may be found pursuing her other hobbies, including playing competitive USTA league tennis, gardening, needlepointing, painting, jarring her produce, and hooking rugs. Her standard poodle, Rocket, is her pride and joy and keeps her on the path of sanity.

 

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Landon rides to the rescue!

Landon

by Cheryl Pierson

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Howdy, friendly readers. Are you keeping up with the Guns For Hire Series? If you are, you know they are mighty fine reading.

Next up on July 15th is Cheryl Pierson and LANDON, Book 9 of the Guns For Hire Series. I reckon you're hankerin' to know what it's about, so here's the description:

Alissa Devine finds herself in an unthinkable situation when her father is murdered, and she’s left to raise her young brother, Zach. With $22 to her name and her no-account gambler father’s burial to pay for, Lissie has no choice but to carry on with her father’s plan to take part in the Oklahoma land run. But single women aren’t allowed on the wagon train.

Landon Wildcat’s mission for months has been to find the man who abducted his younger sister. His search ends when crooked gambler Happy Devine gets what he deserves at the end of Land’s gun. But that act of vengeance leaves Lissie and Zach alone with no man to accompany them on the wagon train.

Wagon Master Bill Castle hires Land as his scout; a devil’s bargain—for both of them. Land offers Lissie his protection, suspecting the unscrupulous Mr. Castle has indecent intentions toward her.

When one of the settlers is murdered, Land takes the outlaws on in a desperate battle to protect the only witness, and nearly pays the ultimate price. Land’s life hangs in the balance, but the wagon train moves on, callously deserting him and the teen boy he saved, along with Lissie and Zach.

Through the hardship, Lissie and Land both realize how much they love one another, and what they have come so close to losing. Though danger lurks around every curve in the road, Lissie believes with all her heart there is a place for their small band of settlers in this untamed Territory. Now that love has finally come, will Fate allow a miracle for their happiness with this new beginning?

If you could see me, you'd know I'm hanging my head in embarrassment over the corrupted file of my book Shad. I umpublished it when I realized what had happened, but still don't have all the gremlins worked out. As soon as I do, I'll republish it.

Men in Books Aren't Better by Amanda Nelson and Lisa-Marie Potter

Men in Books Aren't Better

by Amanda Nelson and Lisa-Marie Potter

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Blurb:

Pressured by her looming deadline and an unfinished romance manuscript, author Molly Covington applies her immersive research skills and goes all in. She hires a male companion for inspiration during three days of research in Las Vegas.

Enter sexy, confident Jared Washington—an extreme sports enthusiast and relationship skeptic who moonlights as a Plus One male companion. Molly’s contract puts him within arm’s reach of buying his own business and making his dreams come true.

The chemistry between her and Jared is surprisingly easy. Before their Vegas rendezvous comes to an end, one of them will need to lay all their cards on the table to discover if they’ll be lucky in love.

Excerpt:

Searching for an escort was not the same as searching for porn. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself as I hit enter on my keyboard. Holding my breath, I waited as the list of results—Elite Males, Premium Gigolos, Stags R Us—populated my laptop screen. I perched on the edge of my black leather desk chair in my home office overlooking the Seattle harbor. All the entries sounded like adult films. Each one screamed precisely what to expect, which made choosing any one in particular impossible. With one eye shut and a tentative finger, I clicked on the top entry, Elite Males. An obscene amount of oiled flesh filled most of my monitor—a close-up photo of a smooth-chested guy flexing his defined muscles while lying on his back. The shot highlighted his torso and prominent tattoos, capturing only his lips and chin; he was clean-shaven, and his jaw was also, for some reason, shiny. Ugh! Too much! The home page wasn’t quite as bad as I’d expected but still cringe-worthy: almost laughable. The guy in the image provided what was supposed to be an enticing, yet exaggerated, display, which I assumed—combined with his other “talents” listed in the reviews that read like porn—must have earned him his five-star rating. To each his own. The parts of the man I could see on my screen were considered conventionally hot. However, after reading the list of customers’ erotic comments, I swallowed back the bitter tang filling my mouth. I felt dirty just looking at his image—and desperate. But I guess, for all intents and purposes, I was. My deadline from my publisher loomed overhead, and I had no manuscript to submit. My stomach rolled. “It’s been a year, Molly,” Renee had said last week after huffing into the phone. “The editors expect something after that advance. Your reputation will only buy you so much time. Can you at least give me the first fifty pages so I can appease them? Try to barter an extension?” Picturing Renee’s scowl was easy—an otherwise non-existent crinkle above the bridge of her button nose, with her perpetual bold lips in full pout mode. A cold sweat broke out across my forehead. “I’ll get you something soon. I promise.”

Author Bio:

Amanda and Lisa-Marie are an award-winning, co-writing team of best friends who share imaginary worlds, including Men In Books Aren't Better (September 29, 2024), Just What the Doctor Hired (July 9, 2025), and a short story, Shivers, published in Moments Between (February 28, 2022). Lisa-Marie Potter (BIPOC) is a mom of four who grew up in Nottingham, England, and now resides in Alaska with her husband and golden retriever. Amanda Nelson grew up in Maryland and moved to Arizona, where she attended ASU and currently lives with her husband and four kids. Both women are hopeless romantics, but Lisa-Marie also enjoys suspense novels, while Amanda's second go-to genre is romancy. The duo review books on their socials, hike the Olympic National Park, and fight over the same fictional crushes. Men In Books Aren't Better has received the book of the month award from Long and Short Reviews, the Literary Titan Book Award, and won romance book of the year from the Mid-Atlantic Region Authors. 

 

Will There Be Wine & Love by Whitney Cubbison

 

 

If you love European settings, wine, romance, female friendships, laughter, heartbreak, redemption, and a bit of spice, these are the books for you!

Will There Be Wine?

by Whitney Cubbison

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Austen Keller was living her dream. She landed a career-defining job which moved her and her husband to Paris. Swoon! Shortly thereafter, she was divorced. Thud. This wasn’t the plan. Yet there she was—pushing 40 and starting over.

A decade after she’d last been single, Austen enters the dating scene playing by a new set of rules in a different language, culture, and lingerie standards. She experiences every type of miserable first date imaginable and lives to tell the tales of Pierre the Mansplainer, Simon the Snoozer, Emile the Over-Sharer, Guillaume of the Gym Shorts, and many more. On most dates, she struggles to get past one glass of Bordeaux without wanting to bolt. Even worse, no one chases after her when she runs. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that whoever said French men were romantic deserves a swift kick in the pants.

A rewarding and high-powered career. Check!
Fabulous female friendships. Nailed it!
True love. Umm?

Austen continues to ask herself: Is “having it all” too much to ask?

A genuine and tragically hilarious novel about an ex-pat woman's journey of self-discovery through a string of disastrous dates, relationships forged in a deep cultural divide, world travels, and wine. A lot of wine.

  

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Will There Be Love?

by Whitney Cubbison

Genre: Romantic Drama

A propulsive exploration of romantic and platonic love, commitment, shared history, betrayal and personal reckoning.

To celebrate her fortieth birthday, Ophelia and her husband Gianluca gather an unlikely group of eight friends and lovers – some old, some new, some false, some true – for a long weekend in Ibiza. However, the idyllic villa setting may be the only thing holding together a complicated tangle of friendship, love, and betrayal.

Among the guests is Ophelia’s old university flame, Matt, and his new girlfriend, Austen. While Matt finds himself falling in love, Austen is holding back, carefully protecting her heart.

Ophelia knows she loves her husband, but “love” is a word she never learned to say, a silence rooted in a childhood tragedy. What she doesn’t know is that Gianluca has been whispering it to someone else. And when his mistress crashes the party along with her own boyfriend, she brings a revelation that could unravel everything.

Across Rome, Paris and Ibiza, the party guests navigate the tangled paths that bring people together and push them apart, exploring where love begins, where it falters, and the courage it takes to hold on—or to let go.

Will There Be Love? is the sequel to Whitney Cubbison’s debut novel, Will There Be Wine?, however it can be read as a stand-alone.

  

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Whitney Cubbison is a dual American & French citizen living in Paris since 2009. She grew up in Texas and California and graduated from UCLA with a degree in French. She started her career in Communications working for high-tech PR agencies in San Francisco and eventually joined Microsoft where she worked for sixteen years, thirteen of which from the Paris office. During that time, she held various international roles that encompassed public relations, employee communications, executive speechwriting, and social media.

She earned her French citizenship in early 2022 and left Microsoft that summer to focus on completing her first novel, Will There Be Wine?, which came out in January 2023. The story, while fiction, was deeply inspired by Whitney’s own experiences as an ex-pat divorcée living in Paris and trying to navigate the cultural minefield of dating in a foreign country. A sequel called Will There Be Love? will be out on April 29, 2025.

When she’s not writing, Whitney can be found sitting in Parisian cafés and restaurants with her friends, drinking wine.

 

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THE REASON WHY By Caroline Clemmons

One of my favorite artists is Norman Rockwell. He captured emotion with paint that conveyed a story. After President Franklin Delano Roosevelt introduced his concept of the Four Freedoms, Rockwell created these amazing illustrations of those rights for The Saturday Evening Post.

The ideas enunciated in the Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms were the foundational principles that grew into the Atlantic Charter declared by Winston Churchill and FDR in August 1941; the United Nations Declaration of January 1, 1942; President Roosevelt’s vision for an international organization that became the United Nations after his death; and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948 through the work of Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Four Freedoms are:

1. Freedom of Speech:

The right to express one's opinions and ideas without censorship or restriction.

2. Freedom of Worship:

The right to practice one's religion or belief without fear of persecution or discrimination.

3.  Freedom from Want:

The right to a basic standard of living, including access to food, housing, healthcare, and other necessities.

4. 44. Freedom from Fear:

The right to live without the threat of violence, aggression, or war.


These freedoms were not only a statement of American ideals but also a call to action, inspiring the war aims of the Allied forces during World War II.

The text of the "Four Freedoms" speech, delivered by FDR, is available here.

I look forward to a world founded upon the four essential human freedoms. The first and most important freedom is freedom of speech and expression. As a writer, this freedom is particularly important to me. I hope you will also use your freedom of speech and expression in a positive way to make the world a better place than you found it.

During this time of unrest and fear of what’s in store for our country, please keep our inalienable rights, as outlined in our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, in mind. As you celebrate July 4th, remember it’s America’s Independence Day.

Happy Fourth of July! Thanks for stopping by.

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