Happy Wine and Books Wednesday! I'm back after a crazy week of getting the kids ready for the start of school and my husband having a minor surgery. All is well now, we're all getting back into the swing of things and I'm happy to have a moment to get this week's Romance, Reads & Wine post up. This lovely end of summer pairing is brought to you by Auhtor Shanna Swenson's Abundance, the first book in her contemporary cowboy romance series and indie wine maker David Akiyoshi's absolutely wonderful Viognier. I enjoyed both so much and I'm sure you will too. As the summer here in my neck of the woods comes to a close, nothing could be sweeter than a sultry Texas romance and a delicious glass of wine to sip as I read. Grab up a copy of Abundance, pour yourself some Viognier and join me. Buy links and my review of Abundance are down below. Happy reading, everyone!

Misfortune comes to us all in some form...

For Natalie Cameron, misfortune came in the most unspeakable way imaginable, now she must try and rebuild her life while fighting her own dark demons, the town speculation, her arrogant brother and her raging desire for the kindest man she’s ever met.

Natalie Cameron, along with her young daughter, Dallas, is on the run from a past that threatens to destroy her sanity. When her car breaks down on the side of a two lane Texas road, Jack Kinsen, her parent’s ranch foreman, unknowingly comes to her rescue. His kind eyes and sincere charm make him an easy target for Natalie’s trust issues and pent-up aggressions. But it doesn’t take her long to realize that her attitude towards him has a lot less to do with jealousy and a lot more to do with the fact that his closeness sets her on fire like no one else ever has. His sincerity begins to disarm the front she guards so vigilantly. If she isn’t careful, she could find herself lost to him….

At first glance, Jack Kinsen is fascinated by Natalie Butler Cameron and her child with her most curious gift. Natalie is the beloved only daughter of Jack’s employers and he’s not only baffled by her indifference to him but mystified by her unwarranted anger. She starts to awaken something primal within him, but will his compassionate nature be enough to break down the walls she hides behind or are her wounds simply too deep to heal?

Just as Natalie’s fate begins to turn around, unknowing danger lurks on the horizon. Natalie's disturbing past is about to make an unexpected return...and with vengeance.

Abundance is a charming novel that will sweep you away with romance, drama and suspense as it expresses the depth of raw human emotion and the strength it takes to overcome tragedy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HDRY4DR

From my review:

A sweet, steamy, dramatic Western Romance. This story was heartrending. I was a little concerned in the beginning by Natalie’s treatment of Jackson, but as the story developed and her past terrors were revealed, it became understandable. I really fell in love with Jackson’s enduring, loyal, cowboy hero persona and I was really happy to see things work out for the two of them. Great first story set in this small Texas town!

Happy Book Teaser Tuesday! Here's a quote from everyone's favorite sea demon, Krav. If you want more one-liners from him, be sure to grab up a copy of Moontide on Amazon or read it for free on Kindle Unlimited.

This scene is from the first in which we get to meet the  sea demon Krav (one of my favorite Tides characters. Don't tell him though, he'll be impossible if he knows.) He works as a double agent for Poseidon and Panacea. He's also quite the ladies' man.

Excerpt:
***

Krav absently twirled a strand of mist around his arm, leaving Panacea to wonder of he’d been listening at all. Then he spoke.
“Are you so sure about that?”
“Yes. He must find them.” By ‘them’ she meant the lost kings of Atlantis, which Krav well knew. “The kings’ curse may be our only salvation and they will be able to move between worlds in ways the gods can’t once they are found and re-throned. Poseidon’s angst over the loss of Atlantis is a weakness we can ill afford to suffer much longer…”
“I know. He’s been so Greek about it, right?” Krav cut in. Panacea glared at him, but she could tell he was being flippant on purpose. The situation with his friend bothered him very much though he tried not to let on.
“It will take some doing and I’ll have to step up my concealment measures, but I will try to aid the search and undo the curse.”
“Hmm,” Krav mused. “Why is it always ‘curse this’, ‘prophecy that’ and ‘sell me your soul’ with the gods? Have you ever noticed?”
All Krav’s rant earned him was another arch look from the goddess.
“I’m just saying...”

***

Happy Wine & Books Wednesday, everyone! I found a great pairing for you today, especially, if you like shifter romance with lots of magic and fantasy elements. Check out Author Lisa Rae Roman's Fae touched and pair the reading experience with a glass of Franciscan Savignon Blanc. Read on for buy links and my review!

When the Fae abandoned humanity, they left behind more than myths 

Abby isn't human...she's only pretending to be.

Never remain in one city too long
Don't go out after sundown
Under no circumstances reveal your magic

These are the rules Abigail MacCarthy has followed since escaping the secret agency that controlled her life for years. But eluding recapture by the facility is not the only threat to Abby's continued freedom.

A rare halfblood in a world with wolf shifters, witches, and vampires who would demand allegiance if her bloodlines were discovered, staying off the magical community's radar is key.

But one broken rule--okay, three--meant her days of hiding are over.

Nothing has ever divided his loyalties...until Abby

Guard the region
Protect the queen
Nurture the Clan

These are the creeds Alpha shifter Samuel Walker lives by. Yet after his queen is saved from an assassination attempt by a form of magic that shouldn't exist, Samuel is torn between responsibility to the Fae Touched and protecting the beautiful halfblood he's tempted to claim as his own.

What will happen when doing his duty puts Abby in danger? Samuel is about to find out...

Contents include unapologetic alpha males, brave heroines, a bit of cursing, a little violence, and some steamy scenes--tastefully done, of course.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T3DK5D3

From my review:

Vampires, Shifters and Walkers Oh My! What a fun world of others! I really enjoyed delving into Roman’s intriguing world of Vampires, Shifters and those who traverse the Rip. Her storytelling had me completely swept away in Abby and Samuel’s romance. I can’t wait to read more!

Tides of Atlantis
Mankind and the gods alike have grown complacent and the restless forces of the underworld that have been simmering beneath the surface are coming out to play. They will not stop until their thirst for vengeance is satisfied and all worlds have returned to yawning pre-time chaos.
Ten lost kings ─ sons of Poseidon─ and rulers of a condemned land are our last hope…if only they can be found. Cursed by the gods after the fall of Atlantis, the kings have passed into anonymity with no memory of who they are. Forces of both good and evil are hunting them. Poseidon needs them to win the war for the universe. Evil is bent on their destruction.

Read FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
www.amazon.com/author/amandavshane

Some sage words from one of my favorite supporting characters. Anthony "LUV DR" Davis--international celebrity and reluctant oracle of the gods.

Here is a short excerpt from a little novelette I'm working on this summer featuring none other than the god of love, Eros. What happens when one of the gods gets his head turned by a human? Keep reading to find out.

***   
   Eros waited in the woods. He’d played amongst the humans in the Earth Realm all day. At least he’d tried to. Pan’s need to frolic between the fae world and the human one while the veil was thin had kept the satyr mostly out of Eros’s sight. Pan did make good on his promise to locate the blonde beauty from the starglass for him though.

     “There’s your lovely little human,” Pan had pointed her out earlier. She’d been standing in the parking lot outside the grassy field beyond the festival’s amphitheater.

    Seeing her in the flesh, Eros had been struck once more. He couldn’t begin to explain why he was so taken with her. He felt drawn to the tiny female in a powerful way the likes of which he’d never experienced before.
     “What are you waiting for?” Pan had given his arm a teasing shove. “Go work your magic on her ‘God of Love.’ Make all her human fantasies come true.”

     He’d laughed at his friend’s words. Pan’s faerie acquaintances had floated around the satyr in the periphery, flickering between realms, dancing along the thin line that existed between Faerie and Earth. Their merry laughter had crossed that line into Eros’s hearing. It made him wish to be rid of their presence. They were sexual beings, the fae, beautiful and mysterious, but also dark and cruel. Normally, he avoided them. 

     They weren’t supposed to be here, he and Pan. The gods should not make their presence known amongst humans. Solstice was a special time, however, and Pan’s use of the fae realm to bring them here skirted quite a few cosmic rules. As long as they didn’t tamper with any of the humans’ free will or disturb fate, their visit should remain harmless. They only sought one night’s entertainment after all.

     He frowned, fingering the bow and arrow pendant that hung from his neck absentmindedly. Ever since seeing the woman in the starglass, he’d been having a hard time thinking of her in the dismissive way the gods used when it came to inhabitants of the human realm and it bothered him. He wanted her in a way he could not remember wanting another in such a very long time. Pan had the wrong idea though. Eros didn’t want to “make” her fantasies come true. He didn’t want to make her do anything. For just one instance, his need to know what it felt like to be desired without any enhancement of the experience for the other party played paramount in his mind. No silver arrows, no help from Olympus and no tricks. He wanted to know what it felt like to be chosen in the simplest, most basic of ways, for just one night. For some reason, he felt that the golden haired beauty could give him that. 

     Yes. She could want him.

***

More coming soon!

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