Introvert by Cookie O’Gorman Excerpt & Giveaway

Introvert
Cookie O’Gorman
Publication date: May 15th 2025
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Introvert (in-troh-vurt): Someone who is quiet, shy, and/or thoughtful. For reference, see Aurora Kent.

Seventeen-year-old Aurora Kent likes being alone. For the most part. With her fear of crowds, anxiety issues, and inexperience, she’s never really left home.

Until now.

Aurora loves playing violin…and surprises everyone when she agrees to go on tour with a band for two months.

She surprises herself more by kissing a rockstar.

Felix Cordova. Mysterious, cocky, gorgeous—and strangely familiar. When Felix asks her to be his girlfriend for 10 seconds, she agrees. But Aurora never expected a video of their kiss to go viral.

Now she’s in a fake relationship with the one guy who makes her heart sing.

Stuck on a bus with five hot musicians, playing sold-out shows, Aurora should be living the dream. But as fake dating leads to sharing a bunk, late-night talks, and heartfelt confessions, Aurora finds herself falling hard.

Which is a problem because, real or fake, summer romances never last—right?

This book features two opposites with the most delicious slow burn, one heart-melting grand gesture, so many soul-stirring kisses and answers the question:

What happens when a shy girl falls for a rockstar?

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Taking a deep breath, I walked past him and gave a mental hooray. I was doing it, chasing my dreams. As he fell into step with me, smoothly, hardly making a sound, my brow furrowed.

“What were you doing under that tree anyway?”

“Hiding. Same as you.”

“I wasn’t—”

He shot me a look, and my mouth snapped shut.

We both knew I was hiding. There was no use denying it. The thought that he’d been there as I tried to work up my courage was a little embarrassing. But that wasn’t what struck me.

“What could you possibly have to hide from?” I asked.

We’d almost reached the bus when he paused—then cursed.

Removing the sunglasses, he turned to me with the strangest look on his face.

Soft.

Warm.

With a devastating half-smile that could melt hearts.

Nothing like the guy I’d just met.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey…?”

“I missed you.”

“What?”

In the next breath, he pulled me to him in a hug. His lips were right next to my ear as he whispered, “Listen, I need your help.”

“Okay, what kind of help?”

“I think a kiss will do.”

“What?!?”

I pulled back, and he let me go. But as we separated, he still had that look on his face.

“The reporters just want a good story,” he said barely moving his lips. “To escape, I told them I was coming to see my girlfriend.”

I spotted them hiding in the bushes then looked around.

“Well, where is she?” I asked.

He gave me a real smile then, seeming genuinely amused.

“Ah.” I nodded. “There’s no girl.”

“I just need you to pretend with me for 10 seconds.” He reached out, pushing a strand of my hair behind my ear, and I shivered in response. “Think you can do that, princess?”

“That’s not my name,” I mumbled. “But okay. Since you asked so nicely and you’re desperate.”

He laughed softly then pulled me closer.

Raising his voice, he said, “Missed you so much.”

In the next breath, his lips were on mine.

Author Bio:

Cookie O'Gorman writes YA & NA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her novels ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad, The Kissing Challenge (YA novella), WALLFLOWER, CUPCAKE, FAUXMANCE, BOOKWORM, SWEETHEART, and INTROVERT are out now. She is also the author of NA sports romances The Best Mistake, The Perfect Play, The Sweetest Game, The Total Knockout, and The Merriest Christmas.

 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Amazon

GIVEAWAY!
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COWBOY WATCH by Petie McCarty Excerpt & Giveaway

 

COWBOY WATCH

Petie McCarty

 

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GENRE:  Romantic Suspense

 

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BLURB:

 

he Watchers Series—Fallen angels cast out of heaven by the archangel Michael for coercing with Satan to gain control. Some of these conspirators—duped late in the game by Satan’s lies—doubled back to seek redemption for their unwitting betrayal. Offered parole in exchange for penance, these Watchers are given the toughest bodyguard missions with little leeway for success.

One last chance.

These are their stories . . .

 

Cowboy Watch:

 

Someone—or something—wants Kellen out of town . . .

 

Kellen Brand’s inheritance comes as a monumental shock—a rundown farm she doesn’t want and one paroled Watcher all her own. Kellen’s eccentric mother believed Watchers to be fallen angels seeking penance by guarding individuals who had lost their way. Seriously? A Watcher? Only her mother . . .

 

Since Kellen vows no sane woman would choose to live in Riverside, she’s on a mission to dump the old farm fast and to the first buyer who comes along. Unfortunately for her, the only buyer is a resort developer, spurned by a townful of objectors and one handsome cowboy—her neighbor, Luke Thornton. Luke must block Kellen’s farm sale or risk exposure of his own family’s secrets. He can ill afford his immediate and compelling attraction to his new neighbor.

 

Someone is watching Kellen, but not who she thinks. Someone deadly and intent on scaring her out of town. Or worse. Luke has a hellish choice to make—step in and rescue Kellen from her threats, or to protect his family, stand by and watch . . .

 

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Excerpt One:

 

 

“And you are on my front porch because?” he barked, while holding the skittish stallion in place. Windsor had had his head, and he wanted it again.

 

Kellen’s eyes went wide with guilt. “I was just—”

 

“Snooping?” Windsor sidestepped to the right, forcing Luke to twist around in his saddle to hold eye contact.

 

She stiffened and her brilliant green eyes flashed with temper. “I was not! You-You—” She stamped her foot.

 

“Owner?” he said, unwilling to let her off the hook for an instant. Not when he had her good and cornered. Thank God, Windsor kept him so busy he didn’t ogle her like a schoolboy.

 

“No, I was going to say—”

 

The horse reared and pawed the air, effectively cutting her off. Of course, Luke’s little heel nudge and rein tug instigated the ostentatious display. He swiftly turned the horse back around so he could face her.

 

“So, why are you here? On my front porch. Peeking in my windows.”

 

She gave him a glare fit for the devil. “I was not peeking. I was trying to see if anyone was home.”

 

He waited.

 

Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t want anything.” She hesitated. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

 

“Well, if you didn’t want anything and you weren’t doing anything . . .” He eased the powerful horse right up next to her though she stood her ground on the bottom step. “. . .then you must need a ride home.”

 

He snatched her off the step before she could answer and counted on the little spitfire having the presence of mind to swing her leg over the horse when Windsor took off. She didn’t disappoint him. The stallion streaked for the break in the tree line, and she clung to him like a tick on a coon dog.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—"The  Most Magical Place on Earth"—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job to write her stories full-time.

These days Petie spends her time writing new Cinderella series tales, her new The Watchers series, sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and more contemporary romance standalones to go along with her two previous releases—Any Fin For Love and Ambush in the Everglades.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who will make a cameo appearance in the upcoming Book 2 of The Watchers, Christmas Watch.

 

Visit Petie's web site online at http://www.petiemccarty.com or her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty.

 

BIO Social Media:

http://www.petiemccarty.com

https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty

https://x.com/authorpetie

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6094579.Petie_McCarty

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/petie-mccarty

http://www.amazon.com/author/petiemccarty

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

Petie McCarty will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

 

 

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Raising the Dead by Jayne Lisbeth Review

Raising the Dead is the journey of a naive young woman who grows to maturity through the love and mentoring of friends, both living and dead...

 

Title: Raising the Dead

Author: Jayne Lisbeth

Pages: 330

Genre: Coming of Age/Ghost Fiction/Mystery/Supernatural/Women's Friendship

Jayne Lisbeth's second novel, Raising the Dead,  is a coming of age book which delves into the importance of friendship between women and men, strangers and spirits. 

Raising the Dead, bookmarked in the year 1979, is the exploration of a young bride's struggle towards maturity and overcoming the depths of grief.  Ms. Lisbeth's beautiful, poetic prose weaves history, love, friendship, reading,  culinary arts, crafts and the beauty of nature into the development of Emeline, the protagonist of this remarkable work. 

Synopsis: 

 Emeline, a new bride, has been  transported from her beloved home in the California Delta by her husband with their move to his mother's home city, Charles Town, in Virginia.  Marooned in grief after the deaths of her beloved parents. a mysterious elderly woman, Felicity, befriends her. Through Felicity Emeline learns to love reading, cooking. She also becomes confident enough to reach out to others and form new friendships. Felicity teaches Emeline the craft of chair caning, which becomes a lucrative enterprise which further assists Emeline in her search for independence and maturity. When Emeline is most dependent on Felicity her friend mysteriously disappears. With the assistance of her new-found friends Emeline searches and discovers for her lost friend. Through the love of  friendship, her husband and her friends assist Emeline in her search for Felicity, Emeline’s mentor and "other mother,"  Emeline discovers a frightening spiritual reality which uplifts her in unimaginable ways. Through friendship she learns the value of love and the enduring spirit of those who have touched her life, even if they are no longer among the living.

Raising the Dead is a mystery to be unearthed by the reader in these poetic pages.  Loveable and quirky characters, both living and dead, entrance and entertain. Reviewers of Raising the Dead  “can’t put this book down” until they discover how and where Emeline finds her dear friend. Emeline’s  friendships, the development of her relationship with her husband and her search for Felicity help this young bride to move into her future. Emeline is a beloved heroine worthy of the most sophisticated and avid readers.

Raising the Dead is available at Amazon.

 

Book Excerpt

Em breathed in the scent of fresh towels. “Smells like the delta, doesn’t it? Remember how pretty our farm was?” The look that Randy dreaded returned to her eyes.

“It’s going to be alright, Em. I promise. This is a new life for us. This was a good move. We’ll be happy here, you’ll see.” He stepped over the cats and left the little bathroom to retrieve more boxes from the truck.

At the moment, the large obstacle in his mind was not just Em’s continuing sorrow and lack of enthusiasm, but her meeting with Margret. He knew his mother could be difficult and her overwhelming love of Randy could be territorial. Randy hoped his mom would see past Em’s timidity which could make her seem standoffish and cold. He hoped his mom wouldn’t take Em’s timidity the wrong way. On the other hand, he hoped Em wouldn’t blow up over some off-hand innocent remark his mom might make. He had a vague feeling of unease, knowing the two most important women in his life could change in a heartbeat from sweet to sour. He wanted everyone to see Em the way he did: his pretty little bride of two years, with blond curls, violet eyes, curvy body and sweet demeanor. He wished Em could see the good in herself, the essence of who she was, rather than the ignorant delta girl she believed herself to be.

This is a good move, definitely, he reminded himself with each box he unloaded. What could go wrong? They had everything they needed. They had each other. The future looked as bright as any dream he had hoped for in his life with Emeline.

– Excerpted from Raising the Dead by Jayne Lisbeth, Austin Macauley, London, UK, 2023. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

 

Jayne Lisbeth was born in NYC and continued her life’s journey from Long Island, to New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, California and Tampa, all places featured prominently in her writing.  Her first book, a memoir, Writing In Wet Cement has been published internationally by London based publisher, Austin Macauley. Jayne’s second book, Raising the Dead, a work of historical fiction, mystery, friendship and the supernatural, was published in 2023, also by Austin Macauley.  Ms. Lisbeth publishes monthly “Food for Thought” blogs on her website, Jaynelisbeth.com. Her “Food for Thought” blogs are based on her reflections of  life, friendship, love, and topical subjects of interest. Ms. Lisbeth’s non-fiction, poetry, and short stories have been published from Vermont to California to Tampa, Florida where she has received awards at the local level. She has been published locally in Pages of Our Life, volumes I and II which is currently part of the USF, Tampa, Geriartic Studies Programs. Ms. Lisbeth’s short stories have been published in the LEC Phoenix Anthologies, 2015-2023. Jayne’s interests include writing, reading, exploring, traveling, calligraphy, gravestone rubbing, entertaining and cooking.  Jayne’s author’s website is Jaynelisbeth.com. Ms. Lisbeth and her artist husband, Tim Gibbons, are the owners and founders of Funky As A Monkey Art Studio, providing art in public places and launching new and emerging artists in exhibiting their art.

Author Links  

Website | Amazon Website | Publisher’s Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Review:

This is a story about so many different things. Mostly, this book is about family. The family we have, the family we make for ourselves, and especially the one we had, but didn't know it. Em is a young wife who has lost her parents. She was not ready to lose them, and then she had to move as well. She moved to be closer to her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law, who has had her share of marital issues, is cold and never talks about her ex-husband. Em comes to realize that people respond to their surroundings and how people treat them. Then there is the history in this story, I am not sure how much is based on facts. However, I really enjoyed the cemetery searches, grave rubbings, and buildings from the past. It was interesting to read about the original home owner who built cottages for her workers and how she had the courage to treat her workers as employees and not slaves. The cottages had libraries, window seat and charm. I would love to see these buildings come to life in a movie. Then there is Felicity. The nice older lady who comes and goes into Em's life. Em soon starts a circle of friends that becomes her second family. The ending was great and I enjoyed how each character ended up. I would love to read a sequel and see how these characters are doing. I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy, all opinions are my own.

  

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PUCK AND PREJUDICE by Lia Riley Review

From the author of Mister Hockey comes a sizzling marriage of convenience romance between a pro hockey player who accidentally travels back in time to Regency Era England and the brazen contemporary of Jane Austen he just can’t help but fall for… 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a modern single man in possession of a hockey jersey may be exactly what a Regency woman needs to avoid the shackles of marriage...

Goalie for the Austin Regals, Tucker Taylor is benched due to health issues. So he decides to visit his sister in England. But an accidental plunge into an icy pond thrusts him back to 1812 where he comes face to face with a captivating blue-eyed woman who regards him as if he’s grown two heads.

Lizzy Wooddash dreams of a life surrounded by books, engaging conversation, the presence of literary icons like Jane Austen, and... nary a husband in sight. But in Regency England, only widows like her cousin Georgie enjoy freedom and solitary pursuits, unencumbered by expectations. The only way to quickly become a widow is by marrying a dying man or killing a perfectly healthy one, neither of which Lizzy desires.

A visitor from the future might just be the husband of her dreams. Once married, they can figure out how to return Tucker to his proper time, and his absence—aka death—will make Lizzy the widow she always dreamed of becoming. Yet as sparks ignite, they soon realize that matters of the heart rarely adhere to carefully laid plans. Can their love stand the test of time, or will Lizzy get exactly what she wanted...as well as a broken heart?

My Review:

Wow. What question would you ask Jane Austen? How cool would it be to meet her? I would love to meet authors from the past, especially those of groundbreaking books. Tucker was a fun character to like. He was involved in his family's lives. He wants to know about them, like how one of them loves Jane Austen. what is even better is that he is a good guy. I wanted to see him get a happily ever after. Lizzie is also a great character. She wants the freedoms that women do not have yet. If she can send Tucker back, she will get a husband who will not tie her down. This is not your average time travel. The characters figure out how to travel. Because they know how they can decide when to travel through time. I do not remember reading a story where the characters decide to do what they do. I can not wait to read more from this author. I am giving this book a 5/5. I was given a copy, all opinions are my own.

HEART SPRUNG by Rachel Dacus Giveaway, Excerpt & Review

 

HEART SPRUNG

Rachel Dacus

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 GENRE:  Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:

A journey across India. A quest for enlightenment. A romance tested by destiny. Songwriter Daniel and his beautiful, free-spirited muse Lara travel to India, following her urge to seek higher consciousness. Daniel’s goal is to make a life in music and to settle down in their new home on the Italian coast. But of course he’d follow her anywhere, and as they wander through sacred temples and bustling streets, he finds purpose in protecting her from the perils and to persuade her to return home. But Lara’s spiritual path beckons her on. When she finally finds the place she knows will change her life, their differences become impossible to ignore. Will their paths diverge, or will they find love is the highest truth?

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Excerpt One:

“Morning, honey,” I whisper into her lusciously soft neck, and then nuzzle it and move up to kiss her silky hair. I long to bring her back to bed and have all the time today to caress every inch of her in the way she likes.

Lara breathes a soft exhale of pleasure and then turns in my arms. I can’t wait to see what she’ll say.

“Know what, babe? We should go traveling!”

“Traveling? We just moved in here. Don’t you want to at least unpack all this stuff my family gave us for the kitchen? Tonio thinks we have to have a set of nested colanders or we’re not truly civilized.”

Lara laughs, but she pushes her idea in a strong voice. “We need adventure! We’re young. We should shake things up.”

Here I am settling for once, not traveling, not adventuring. Settled, not shaken, for once in my life.

“Where were you thinking?” I ask, hoping she means a short vacation in, say, Venice. Or Paris. Though can I afford that?

Lara’s grin is wide and so beautiful I almost don’t catch her answer. “I’m thinking India. For some enlightenment. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Enlightenment—what?

“But that’s so far—and expensive. I don’t have enough, I don’t think. Even if we traveled by train, it’s beyond my means. I can’t just—”

“My treat,” she says, cutting me off. “I can pay for us to go. I have money, remember?”

I remember something vague she said about a trust fund, but why does she need to be enlightened? She’s twenty-two. She’s full of light in my eyes. But If she wants an adventure and to travel, I’m not going to say No. Now I remember: the night we met she said she’d always wanted to go to India. I wish I’d asked her why. I suppose there will be time enough while we’re traveling to ask.

Staring out at the sea, my paradise seems wrecked. But only temporarily. An excursion is something to share, and then we come home and make more sweet music together. Home.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Rachel Dacus is the author of seven novels of women’s fiction, romance, and fantasy. She’s also the author of four poetry collections and has published in Boulevard, Gargoyle, Prairie Schooner, Eclectica and Image: Art, Faith, and Mystery. She enjoys the beauty and culture of the San Francisco Bay Area, where she walks her Silky Terrier and sometimes follows the trails on nearby Mt. Diablo. Read more of her work, her blog, and sign up for her newsletter at her website.

Website: http://www.racheldacus.net

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

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/racheldacusauthor.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/racheldacusauthor/

My Review:

This is a fun story about a couple that learn what they mean to each other while traveling in India. This is especially hard for characters that have not decided where they want their future to be. How can you plan a future for yourself and another person, when you can't even plan for yourself? I enjoyed the story and would love to read more about these characters. I enjoyed reading about India and Italy. I also enjoyed how the characters were into meditation. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy, all opinions are my own.

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GIVEAWAY 

Rachel Dacus will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

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