Tag: #Contemporary

Posted in Cover Reveals

The Rewrite #CoverReveal

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

The Rewrite
Beth Rinyu
Publication date: January 29th 2026
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

How long would you hold a grudge?
If you’re Eloise Hendrickson, the answer is twenty-five years.

After being humiliated by her overseas pen pal in seventh grade, Eloise, now a successful writer, has never quite let go of that one mortifying moment. One bad breakup, a late night of drunken internet sleuthing, and a half-baked excuse to bust through writer’s block send her straight into the path of the boy she’s hated her whole life.

Her plan? Turn him into the villain of her next novel.
The plot twist? He’s not the jerk she remembers.

Instead, he’s a charming chocolatier, a devoted family man, and awkwardly, a huge fan of her books. But as Eloise reconnects with the past, it’s not him who captures her attention, it’s someone else entirely. Someone unexpected. He’s rude, infuriating, and gets under her skin like no one else. He’s the exact opposite of the heroes she creates and the men she dates.

With new friends, a fresh perspective, and possibly the beginnings of something romantic—Eloise must decide if she’s finally ready to let go of the perfection she’s always demanded from herself as well as everyone around her, and embrace the unpredictable, wonderfully flawed life waiting for her.

Maybe her next bestseller won’t be about righting the past after all.
Maybe it will be about rewriting the future instead.

Warning: This book may contain chocolate and possibly a happily ever after.


Author Bio:

I’ve always had a passion for Creative Writing. There’s something special about being able to travel to a different place or become a different person with just the stroke of a pen—or in today’s world, a tap of the keyboard. Maybe it all started with the soap opera-level drama I used to script for my Barbie dolls. Plot twists, emotional arcs, surprise twins… it was basically a writer’s room before I even knew what one was. Whatever the spark, storytelling quickly became my favorite creative outlet. I craft stories that keep me on my toes and constantly push me beyond my comfort zone. Deep characters you either root for or love to hate are the ones I’m most drawn to.

Exploring new places helps me uncover fresh and exciting settings for my books, but there’s nothing quite like a quiet walk in the woods or sitting by the ocean close to home. Turns out, plot twists and inspiration arrive just as easily with a sea breeze—or a few curious squirrels.

Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Amazon


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Posted in Cozy Mysteries

The Inn at Holiday Bay: Secret in the Storm

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.

After suffering a personal tragedy, Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn’t seem to convince to leave, and a new family she’d never be able to live without.

In book 26 in the series, the perfect storm develops when an unusual weather pattern involving higher than normal temperatures, hundred-year rain totals, and wind speeds that haven’t been seen in a decade, combine with the arrival at the inn of a group of senior citizens with a secret, a ghost, and a pile of cash, or at least potential cash, that might very well make the difference between life and death.

SeaEmJay
5.0 out of 5 stars Different
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2024
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This isn’t a "true" murder mystery, but it is a mystery. A couple mysteries, in fact. There's a search for hidden money that's desperately needed to save a life and the cold case of a man who drowned on a beach in Holiday Bay 40 years ago. All this plays out in the middle of a raging storm. Georgia also has some news that could have a big effect on the Inn, if she can get past her fears and "what ifs" that are keeping her from moving forward. If you’re looking for a "who dunnit" with danger and suspense, this probably isn't the book for you. But if you're looking for a couple of interesting puzzles, a little look back into the 80s (I can't believe they were 40 years ago...how did that happen?), then you might enjoy this book. I've read this whole series, and I find them a nice, gentle, leisurely read. There's no sex, violence, swearing, etc, so sit in your recliner, have a cup of coffee, relax, and enjoy.
Posted in #Classics

Threat Vector (Jack Ryan Book 12)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

For President Jack Ryan, his son Jack Ryan, Jr., and the covert organization known as The Campus, the fight against America’s enemies is never over. But the danger has just hit home in a way they never expected in this  New York Times bestselling Tom Clancy thriller….

The Campus has been discovered. And whoever knows they exist knows they can be destroyed. Meanwhile, President Jack Ryan has been swept back into the Oval Office—and his wisdom and courage are needed more desperately than ever.

Internal political and economic strife has pushed the leadership of China to the edge of disaster. And those who wish to consolidate their power are using the opportunity to strike at long-desired Taiwan, as well as the Americans who have protected the tiny nation.

Now, as two of the world’s superpowers move ever closer to a final confrontation, President Ryan must use the only wild card he has left—The Campus. But with their existence about to be revealed, they might not even have a chance to enter the battle before the world is consumed by war.


Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Threat Vector

“Highly readable.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“The man knows how to tell a story.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
“It’s a pleasure…to watch the Ryans at work against such fierce competition.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
More Praise for Tom Clancy

“He constantly taps the current world situation for its imminent dangers and spins them into an engrossing tale.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A brilliant describer of events.”—The Washington Post

“No one can equal his talent for making military electronics and engineering intelligible and exciting…He remains the best!”—Houston Chronicle

Posted in Cozy Mysteries

The Inn at Holiday Bay: Christmas in the Candlelight

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.

After suffering a personal tragedy, Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn’t seem to convince to leave, and a new family she’d never be able to live without.

In book 25 in the series, it’s Christmas in Holiday Bay and the whole town has pitched in to make it the best one yet. The inn is booked solid for the entire month between Thanksgiving and Christmas which means that Abby and her staff are working long hours to deliver the old fashion seaside Christmas they promised. As can be expected, there are a few glitches along the way but overall things seem to be right on schedule until a storm blows in, the lights go out, and one of the guests ends up dead.

C Lynn P
4.0 out of 5 stars. 
Good plot, some of my favorite characters.
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2024.

I buy almost every one of Kathi's books and I pre-order the books that are from a series I have already read so that I get them right away. This book was good but not great. I can't explain it but for a Christmas book it did not have very much cheer. I thought the mystery was entertaining, but the interaction between my favorite main characters was flat. And in past books there has been a lot of holiday details about fun times and traditions, but this one seemed to have those parts just added as an after thought. I also noticed that as the books get more expensive they seem to be shorter. I am looking forward to the next book in the series and I truly hope it is longer and has more Holiday detail in it.
Posted in Book Tours

Locked On (Jack Ryan Book 11)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Jack Ryan Jr.—along with the covert warriors of the Campus—continues to uphold his legendary father’s legacy of courage and honor in this thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Tom Clancy.

Privately training with special forces, he’s honing his combat skills to continue his work within the Campus, hunting down and eliminating terrorists wherever he can—even as Jack Ryan Sr. campaigns to become President of the United States again.
 
But what neither father nor son knows is that the political and personal have just become equally dangerous. A devout enemy of Jack Sr. launches a privately-funded vendetta to discredit him and connect him to a mysterious killing in his longtime ally John Clark’s past. All they have to do is catch him.
 
With Clark on the run, it’s up to Jack Jr. to stop a growing threat emerging in the Middle East, where a corrupt Pakistani general has entered into a deadly pact with a fanatical terrorist to procure four nuclear warheads they can use to blackmail any world power into submission—or face annihilation.