Review: Sparked by Love by Peggy Bird

Description:
Artist Leo Wilson has been awarded a grant to install glass fireworks at the Fourth of July celebration at Fort Vancouver, Washington where thousands of people will see his work. It’s the chance of a lifetime for him. All he has to do is get a few permits from the city and he’ll be set. But the crabby bureaucrat who answers his phone calls is making it impossible for him to get what he needs.

Shannon Morgan is responsible for organizing the huge annual celebration of Independence Day on the grounds of the Historic Reserve, one of the most significant pieces of real estate in the region. The only part of the job she hates is dealing with some fussy artist who thinks it’s all about him. He’s just like a couple of other men she’s known—her mostly absent father, her disappearing ex-boyfriend—who cared more about themselves than they did about her.

When Leo decides to confront the cause of his trouble in person he discovers a beautiful young woman who is as surprised by him as he is by her. A walk through the parade grounds where the event will take place settles their differences and sparks a mutual interest between them. Dinner, a movie and a few torrid kisses take it from spark to flame.

But then the father she has always wanted in her life appears—with her ex-boyfriend. Shannon faces a dilemma—how far is she willing to go to have her father around? And why is he hanging out with her ex? Are they hiding something from her? A lot rides on Shannon finding the answers to those questions.

If she makes the right decisions, she and Leo will create fireworks that rival the pyrotechnics that light up the sky on July Fourth. Privately.


My Thoughts:
A warm, fuzzy romance read. Leo and Shannon are just so sweet together. There is plenty of steam, as well. Shannon's past threatens to rain on their parade, but overall I wasn't too worried. Very enjoyable read for romance lovers.


My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!!!
*Notes: Some language.

My Source: author


Where to get it:

Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Google Play


Where to find the author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

Review: Trusting Again by Peggy Bird

Trusting Again by Peggy Bird

Description:
Imagine Cynthia Blaine’s surprise when she walks into the bar at the Heathman Hotel in Portland Oregon and sees the man she’s been trying to forget for weeks after he commissioned an expensive piece of her jewelry for “a friend’s birthday.” There was no point fantasizing about him. He was taken.

But over a cup of coffee, he convinces her to give this relationship a try. Marius woos her on a sailing trip through the San Juan Islands and their romance seems on solid grounds. But during his six-week business trip to Central America, Cynthia gets a shock. And when she goes to Portland to pour out her heart to her best friend, she has another shock—Marius, in Portland, not where he said he would be and with another woman.

It’ll take more than a good cup of coffee this time to get Cynthia and Marius to their happily-ever-after.

My Thoughts:
I have loved all of the books in the Second Chances series, but I think this was my favorite. The connection between Marius and Cynthia just sizzles from chapter one. His certainty and her insecurity made a great combination. He is sweet and thoughtful, not to mention hot, and is the perfect man to convince her that not all men are like her ex. And Cynthia's friends, Liz and Amanda played a role as well. It was fun to see some characters from other books in the series, though each stands alone just fine. I devoured this one. For a quick romance fix, this was perfect.

My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !!!!

My Source: author

Where to get it:


Where to find the author:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
Goodreads

**WLB author interview
Review of Beginning Again (Liz and Collins)
Review of Loving Again (Amanda and Sam)
Review of Together Again (Margo and Tony, appear in Loving Again) 

Review: Together Again by Peggy Bird

Together Again by Peggy Bird

Description:

Deputy DA Margo Keyes is looking forward to this trip with as much enthusiasm as she’d have for a root canal. There’s the Philly summer heat, the high school reunion she’d rather avoid, and the speech she’d be giving as a last-minute stand-in for her boss. Mostly there’s facing high school crush Tony Alessandro. When she’d last seen the Philly cop, he’d danced her out of his sister’s wedding reception to a dark room where he’d kissed her senseless. If his nephew hadn’t interrupted they’d have . . . well, who knows?
Tony had disappeared on some family errand. She went home to Portland, Oregon the next day. She hadn’t heard from him since.
However, her homecoming turns out better than expected. The reunion and the speech work out. Even better, when she and Tony pick up where they left off in that dark room, the only heat that’s unbearable is what they generate in bed.
Margo returns to Portland wondering if she and Tony have started something she might not be ready for, relieved she’s put a whole continent between them to give her breathing room to sort it. Then his work with a federal task force investigating industrial espionage brings him to Portland. And an accidental swap of messenger bags on her flight home puts her in the middle of the investigation.
Tony wants her out of the way of the bad guys and focused on him. She wants to use a secret from her past to wrap up the case. And maybe avoid having to think about what’s happening between them.
They can’t both win. Or can they?

My Thoughts:
Steam, romance and suspense. This was a great story about childhood friends who never really get together then end up on opposites sides of the country, although they still have a connection. They have to figure out how to make it work, while Margo inadvertently gets herself involved with some very bad people. Tony is one of those sweet, thoughtful guys that I adore. This is the third book in Peggy Bird's Second Chances series and I have loved them all. They stand alone, but the characters show up in other books. I recommend these for romance fans.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!!!
*Notes: Some strong language.

My Source: author

Where to get it:
Amazon

Where to find the author:
Website
Facebook
Pinterest

Beginning Again Review
Loving Again Review
Peggy Bird Interview

Author Interview: Peggy Bird

Today I have Peggy Bird, author of steamy contemporary romances Beginning Again and Loving Again, from her Second Chances Series, which I have reviewed here at WLB.



Peggy Bird and the glass she created using the descriptions of Amanda's work in Loving Again. It is currently on display at a gallery in Vancouver.

Describe your ideal writing space. How does it compare to reality?

Ideally, I'd be near a body of water, where I could hear the splash of a waterfall, the crash of waves or the rippling of a river over rocks. The weather would be year-round temperate so I could have doors and windows open all the time. I'd have a comfortable chair, the right height desk and a Macbook along with good music and an endless supply of coffee.

Well, enough fantasy. The only water I can hear is the washing machine in the laundry room down the hall and the rain against the window above my desk. A desk that is the right height along with a perfect chair, a Macbook with my hours of music thanks to iTunes and all the coffee I want is in the kitchen if I get up and make it. As I don't have plans to move, that'll have to do.


What is the first story you remember writing and what was it about?

The first thing I remember writing is a play for my cousins and brother to act out. It was my adaptation of one of Grimm's fairy tales and involved an elaborate set with upside down chairs and sheets covering them. I can still see the set and remember putting the play on for our parents but I cannot remember which fairy tale it was.


Name a memorable book from your childhood. Why is it memorable?

Nancy Drew--pick any one. I read them all. In order. She was independent, smart and drove a cool car. Just what I wanted out of life!


If you could ask any writer (living or dead) a question, who would it be and what would you ask?

The writer I always say I want to talk to is Shakespeare--the question is, "Did you write all those plays?"


If you could pick any of the worlds or characters you have created, which would you want to visit or spend a day with?

Without doubt I would want to spend the day with Amanda St. Claire, the heroine of my just-released ebook, "Loving Again." She is an accomplished glass artist and, as I also create glass art, I'd love to hang out with her so she could teach me to be a better glass artist.


What is one thing you like to do when you are not reading or writing?

I create kiln-formed glass--not as well as my character does but I try.


What are you currently working on?

This year I signed up for National Novel Writing Month and made my NaNoWriMo goal with over 50k words of the fifth novel in my Second Chances series. It's called, "Believing Again" and is the story of Danny Hartmann and Jake Abrams. Danny is a character from "Loving Again"--she's a Portland police detective and the hero's partner--and Jake is a doctor who she meets in the course of an investigation. The manuscript needs work, of course, but I'm pretty happy with what I got accomplished in 30 days.


Where to find her online:

Website
Facebook
Pinterest

More about Loving Again:

Glass artist Amanda St. Claire and Portland police detective Sam Richardson didn’t have an ordinary boy-meets-girl introduction—they meet when she’s accused of murdering her boyfriend. Sam puts his career on the line to find the evidence that frees her. But she leaves Portland before they can explore the attraction between them. Six months later she returns and a serious relationship begins.

However, the past isn’t always easily buried.

When an anonymous killer sets Amanda up again as a murderer and then threatens Sam, she moves to protect him the only way she can—by walking away from the only man she’s ever really loved.

Available at Amazon

 

Review: Loving Again by Peggy Bird

Loving Again by Peggy Bird

Description:
One spring evening, at an art gallery opening, Portland police detective Sam Richardson meets Amanda St. Claire, a talented, young glass artist. He’s immediately attracted to her. Trouble is, they’re introduced by Amanda’s boyfriend, restaurant and club owner Tom Webster.

Then Webster is murdered and Amanda’s accused of killing him. Amanda and Sam grow closer as they try to clear her name. But as much as Sam wants her to stay she runs to Seattle to escape the notoriety of her trial.

Sam follows and convinces her to come back to Portland and to him. But when she does, strange things begin to happen. Another glass artist publicly accuses her of stealing his ideas. She’s stalked while out running errands. The sensor on the back door to her basement keeps going off, as if someone is trying to get into her house. Her studio is repeatedly broken into.

Then, two more people are killed and the evidence points, again, to Amanda as the killer. And this time, Sam’s life is threatened, too. On her own Amanda comes up with a plan to protect him. A plan that means she will have to shut him out of her life. But she can’t let anything happen to him, not after everything he did for her.

Even if it means losing the only man she’s ever loved.

My Thoughts:
I loved Amanda and Sam. They were attracted to one another from the beginning, but the timing was never right. Then they finally get together and she is set up for another murder and she doesn't want to feel like the damsel in distress, which causes problems. Amanda starts to put some distance between them to try to keep Sam safe. Smart? Of course not. But people do stupid things all the time. I wanted to give her a hug and tell her it would be ok. So, I liked this one. There is steam, suspense, and a hot cop. What more could you want?  If you haven't read it, check out the first book in the Second Chances series, Beginning Again. It is Liz and Collins' story.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!!!
*Notes: Some profanity.

My Source: author
Publication: November 12, 2012

Where to get it:
Amazon (pre-order)

Where to find the author:
Peggy Bird
Facebook
Pinterest

Review: Beginning Again by Peggy Bird

Beginning Again by Peggy Bird

Description:
When Liz Fairchild's husband leaves her for a younger man, she decides it's time to start over. So she sells her house, takes her generous community property settlement and opens an art gallery in the Pearl District in Portland, Oregon. A little sweat equity, some interesting art to exhibit and assistance from a surprising source and she'd ready to open.

Enter Collins, an up and coming sculptor who also happens to be younger, sexy and determined to bulldoze his way into Liz's gallery, her life and her bedroom. He succeeds on all levels. His art is a hit in her gallery; his "to do" list for the bedroom eye-opening and his attention to her like nothing she's ever seen.

But something isn't quite right. He disappears for hours at a time, returning from "business" looking unhappy and acting withdrawn. What's he keeping from Liz? Is it another woman? Another gallery? A family?

My Thoughts:
Liz is older than your typical romance heroine and has been both widowed and divorced. I was pulled into her story right away. Collins is a cocky, younger man and overcomes whatever objections she can come up with, but he has secrets. There is lots of steam and a little angst.  It is a lovely book about hope, love, and starting over.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!!!
My Source: author 

Where to get it:

Amazon

Author's bio: 

A writer and glass artist, I've been published in anthologies, magazines, newspapers and the brochures, newsletters and reports of my consulting clients and employers. Unless you count speeches for politicians, I'd never written fiction until a cast of characters began inhabiting my daydreams. A glass artist and a gallery owner were there. So were a sculptor and a jewelry designer. When some dead bodies showed up, a couple of cops and a deputy DA arrived. Soon they began to fall in love with each other and work for their happy ending. Bingo. I was a romance writer.

Where to find the author:
Peggy Bird
Facebook
Pinterest