New Release Feature: Directions of the Heart by Marie Lavender

I am pleased to announce a great book release by well, yours truly! My modern romantic drama collection, Directions of the Heart, officially released this week!

Yay! Awesome!

When a new book comes out, it’s always an exciting time for an author!

I am thrilled to show Directions of the Heart to readers today. ♥

This is the blurb for Directions of the Heart:

Embark on a remarkable journey of drama, romance, and passion…

In all of these amazing stories, there’s one burning question…is love worth the risk?

Without You

Reece and Jenna are two childhood friends separated by time and distance. Can they find a way to heal their bond, or perhaps forge a new one?

Strange Heat

Spurred by her friend’s close call, Victoria decides to take a risk and prove the lifestyle she led was her downfall. But as Tory sinks deeper into the tumultuous abyss of desire with the mysterious Rick, can she climb back out before it’s too late? Or does she even want to?

Memories

Struggling to run her family’s farm on her own, Sadie takes on a hired hand, Matt. As they grow closer, so does the danger. Someone wants her legacy. Can they combat this new threat, as well as the demons of the past, before Sadie loses everything, including her life?

A Touch of Dawn

Caitlyn thought she’d be in the dark forever. But with the light came Jack, the police consultant who found her. Can they take a journey of healing together, or will Caitlyn retreat into the darkness of her mind, where she lived for so long?

(CONTENT WARNING: With an abuse awareness theme in this collection, there may be triggers here for past trauma sufferers. However, HEAs are guaranteed.)

And here are some teasers to entice you with.

Here’s the book trailer:

What people are saying about this book:

“There were family and friends but also some depraved people in the stories, heartache, fear, sadness, tears, anger, hate, hope, a chance for happiness, healing and peace. There was a nice flow to each of the stories and the characters were multifaceted. What you saw wasn’t always what you got and you had to delve deeper under the surface. All the stories had nice closure and I felt the endings were realistic.” – JoAnne on Goodreads

“Your theme and storytelling are very eloquently tied. I know you put warning labels upfront, but I love your writing, knew you had a happy ending if I would just be brave enough to try to get there despite the scary feels, and I was well rewarded. Your best story ever, hands down!!!” – Belinda, beta reader

“Sensitive issues tactfully interwoven into beautiful stories…I really believe that honest writing puts us in touch with who we really are. As humans, one of our flaws is that we prefer to live in denial about our dark side. But everyone has one and I don’t have the words to express how much I loved reading this unrestrained book. ” – Vivienne, early reviewer

Purchase Links:

Universal Amazon link:  https://bookgoodies.com/a/B071WVZZPV

myBook.to/DoH

B&N:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/directions-of-the-heart-marie-lavender/1126548251

Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/729271

Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/directions-of-the-heart-a-romantic-drama-collection

CreateSpace:  https://www.createspace.com/7239124

 

I hope you all get a chance to read this romance! 🙂

Readers, don’t forget to pick up a copy of Directions of the Heart!

Author Bio

 

Bestselling multi-genre author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 21 other books. Mystery Blogger Award for 2017. A to Z Blog Challenge Survivor in 2016. March 2016 Empress of the Universe title – winner of the “Broken Heart” themed contest and the “I Love You” themed contest on Poetry Universe. SECOND CHANCE HEART and A LITTLE MAGICK placed in the TOP 10 on the 2015 P&E Readers’ Poll. Nominated in the TRR Readers’ Choice Awards for Winter 2015. Poetry winner of the 2015 PnPAuthors Contest. The Versatile Blogger Award for 2015. Honorable Mention in the 2014 BTS Red Carpet Book Awards. Finalist and Runner-up in the 2014 MARSocial’s Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader’s Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013 and 2014. Top 10 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for a little over twenty-five years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. Since 2010, Marie has published 22 books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery/thriller, dramatic fiction, literary fiction and poetry. She has also contributed to several multi-author anthologies. Her current series are The Heiresses in Love Series, The Magick Series, The Blood at First Sight Series and The Code of Endhivar Series.

Author Links

Website:  http://marielavender.com/

Blogs:  http://marielavender.blogspot.com/

http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/

https://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/marie.lavender.58

https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/marielavender1

Amazon Author Page:  Author.to/MarieLavender

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender

Youtube/Book Trailers:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJu8HjRVYCFOqcIoX6ZxdqQ/videos

 

Happy reading, everyone! 😉

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FREE Book: The Missing Piece by yours truly

I am pleased to announce a cool book offer by, that’s right…me! A new adult romance, The Missing Piece, is FREE via a short Q&A contest on The Romance Reviews only today! How exciting! 🙂

These free offers are awesome for both authors and readers because we get to meet lots of new people! The contest was scheduled from midnight last night to 11:59 PM EST today. You’ll find the contest by scrolling down the page for this book title. So, don’t miss your chance! Swing by and check it out if you can!

I’m giving you a look at my new adult romance story today…

This is the blurb for The Missing Piece:

When Alyssa wakes up on the lawn of a local fraternity, she can’t remember what happened the previous night. A new friend and frat guy, Justin, offers to help her out. As she makes discoveries that force her to accept a different reality, she finds herself drawn to Justin for a number of reasons.

Can the biggest mistake of Aly’s life turn into the promise of new love?

And here is an excerpt and promo to tease you with.

Nausea rose in her throat and she felt as if she’d lose her breakfast at any minute. She didn’t even dance. To think she had been all over some guy she didn’t even know, it was so unreal. “I, I’m sorry. I can’t—”

She turned away and left the house. On the lawn, she tried to breathe slowly to prevent the knot from rising any further.

“Hey, you all right?” Justin was at her side in what seemed like seconds.

She shook her head.

“Can you breathe?” At her gasp, he touched her shoulder then moved a hand to her back. “Just focus on breathing. Don’t think about anything else.” After her breathing slowed, he said, “You panicked, that’s all.”

“Really. You’re a genius.”

He frowned.

She shrugged. “What if I did do that with him? Everything he said… none of that is like me. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe you liked Brendan. You talked for a while.”

“I wouldn’t act like that.”

“How do you know how you would act in that situation? If you were really into someone?”

“I don’t. But I’m usually smarter. I wouldn’t just do that with anyone, someone I don’t know.”

“That makes sense, but maybe it wasn’t as bad as you think.”

“What are you saying?”

“I don’t see the problem.”

“You wouldn’t understand. You’re used to that kind of life, sleeping with utter strangers and all. Taking risks.”

He lifted a brow. “Alyssa, I only mean that I don’t understand why you’re upset. Brendan can be trusted. And he’s not the type you’re talking about. He hasn’t been with many women.”

“How can you know that?”

“He’s my friend.”

“And you’re ridiculously loyal!” When she turned away, he grabbed her arm so that she faced him. He was very close now, too close for comfort. She shivered, an odd response, but she knew it wasn’t due to fear.

“I’m not taking sides,” he said softly. “I just know him. That’s the only reason I can give to keep you from freaking out. I can assure you he’s a good guy. I can’t prove it. I just know.”

“It’s hard to know someone that well. People are surprising sometimes…”

“Maybe, but I’ve known him for a long time. He can be trusted.”

“If so, then why isn’t he here? How did I end up outside? Why can’t I remember it, or him?” She swallowed hard, fighting the power of uncertainty.

He gently cupped her face with his hands. “I don’t know. But I promise we’ll figure it out… together. Okay?”

Purchase Links:

Universal Amazon link:  myBook.to/MissingPiece

Publisher:  http://solsticepublishing.com/the-missing-piece/

CreateSpace:  https://www.createspace.com/6933779

 

Readers, don’t forget to enter the contest to get a FREE copy of this new adult romance today! Also, you have a chance to win other great romance books this month with the same event! Cool, right? 😉

 

Author Bio

Bestselling multi-genre author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 21 other books. Mystery Blogger Award for 2017. A to Z Blog Challenge Survivor in 2016. March 2016 Empress of the Universe title – winner of the “Broken Heart” themed contest and the “I Love You” themed contest on Poetry Universe. SECOND CHANCE HEART and A LITTLE MAGICK placed in the TOP 10 on the 2015 P&E Readers’ Poll. Nominated in the TRR Readers’ Choice Awards for Winter 2015. Poetry winner of the 2015 PnPAuthors Contest. The Versatile Blogger Award for 2015. Honorable Mention in the 2014 BTS Red Carpet Book Awards. Finalist and Runner-up in the 2014 MARSocial’s Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader’s Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013 and 2014. Top 10 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for a little over twenty-five years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. Since 2010, Marie has published 22 books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery/thriller, dramatic fiction, literary fiction and poetry. She has also contributed to several multi-author anthologies. Her current series are The Heiresses in Love Series, The Magick Series, The Blood at First Sight Series and The Code of Endhivar Series.

Author Links

Website:  http://marielavender.com/

Blogs:  http://marielavender.blogspot.com/

http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/

https://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/marie.lavender.58

https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/marielavender1

Amazon Author Page:  Author.to/MarieLavender

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender

Youtube/Book Trailers:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJu8HjRVYCFOqcIoX6ZxdqQ/videos

Publisher:  http://solsticepublishing.com/marie-lavender/

 

Books:

Double Reviews for THE MISSING PIECE!

As most of you know, I released this new adult romance short story in February. It originally appeared in the Valentine’s anthology, Cupid’s Arrow, for Solstice Publishing, but the publisher decided to release it on its own as well. Here are two great recent reviews:

Kiss of Love, June 4, 2017

By

Linda Diane Wattley

Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

This review is from: The Missing Piece (Kindle Edition)

“By the time I reached the last page, l was encouraged. I am still smiling. I really enjoyed this story. For sure we need to be reminded, love is a many splendid thing. Excellent writing style for readers seeking a heartwarming experience. Great job!”

 

 The Missing Piece by Marie Lavender #mf #review @marielavender1

---

“The Missing Piece is a uniquely done love story where unexpected things happen to a college aged girl. She wakes up on the front lawn of a fraternity not knowing what happened the night before. A boy from the party offers to help her piece together what happened and they end up bonding and sharing a kiss. She begins to feel things she never felt before, until the boy she spent the forgotten night with shows up at her door. Just when you think you know what is going to happen, the author takes a sharp turn and offers up suspense and intrigue. This sweet story is well written and a definitely attention grabber! While I wasn’t immediately wowed by the subject of the story (college kids partying too hard and blacking out), I couldn’t put this book down! Luckily it’s not long and I absorbed it in one night.I highly recommend this book to anyone!”

Woo hoo! Thank you, Linda and Kim, for your kind commentary! ♥

4 Stars for THE MISSING PIECE!

I just learned about this review yesterday. Thank you, Sandra, for your kind words regarding this new adult romance story! 🙂

 

Review: THE MISSING PIECE by Marie Lavender

Alyssa is a reserved college student, an English lit major that preferred the company of a paperback more than anything else. “She wasn’t prepared to venture into the dating scene like everyone else on campus. Of course, ‘dating’ was actually a pretty loose term these days. She preferred her own company to that of the male persuasion. They all seemed to be caught up in the weekend scene and were so full of themselves that it was probably better if she avoided them altogether.”

One morning, she wakes up on the lawn in front of an unknown fraternity house with a raging hangover and absolutely no recollection of the night before. It’s at this point that she learns that, under the influence of too much alcohol, she actually went upstairs with a guy she didn’t know. Oh, no! You don’t suppose that they…that she…? With rampant thoughts of pregnancy and STD’s, Aly becomes paranoid and seeks to find answers to what happened that night. Did she go all the way with some guy named Brendan? Fortunately, the guy’s roommate, Justin, was willing to help her out.

The “missing piece” is finding the truth for young Aly, and the reader becomes interested to find out, too, especially when Aly is such a sweet girl that you can’t bear for anything bad to happen to her. You feel for her as she goes through the stages of confusion and panic over the possible what-ifs of that night. I liked that Justin was there for her, making Aly realize that her crisis may have revealed a very small and very cute diamond in the rough.

Short and compelling, this story is a quick, satisfying read.

Purchase Links:

Amazon Universal:  http://myBook.to/MissingPiece

Print anthology:  https://www.createspace.com/6933779

 

Double Reviews for New Adult Romance!

Great news! Two new reviews popped up this week for my new adult romance story, The Missing Piece. Yay! 🙂

-from Amy Shannon’s Bookshelf Reviews’ blog

 

 

 

Likeable story

It’s a sweet novella about Alyssa, who with the help of Justin, tried to figure out what happened the night before.

The story was well written, and probably would have been better as a novel, than a novella, but the plot and details that are needed to make a great novella is here. It takes a lot of talent to write a thorough novella, and Lavender definitely has that writing talent. The story was sweet, and likable, and engaged the reader on the journey that Alyssa was forced to take.

-from Feathered Quill Book Reviews

Can one mistake cause someone to find love and change their entire life? Author Marie Lavender writes about that possibility in her new romance The Missing Piece.

The Missing Piece is a short story about good-girl Alyssa Masters. One morning Alyssa wakes up on her college fraternity’s lawn with a massive headache and a spotty memory, and instantly panics. Parties aren’t her scene, she’s a recluse and doesn’t drink. She’s a good student and doesn’t do anything that involves too much risk, until last night, apparently.

As Alyssa struggles to take in her surroundings and figure out what day it is, a young man named Justin helps her to put some of the pieces together. She finds that she did, in fact, attend the frat party and clearly drank, but much of what happened afterward is still a mystery. All she knows is what Justin has told her – that she had spent time with a fraternity member named Brendan and eventually followed him upstairs after doing some jello shots. In an instant frenzy, she thinks of the worst possible outcomes, only to be assured by Justin that Brendan is a good guy. He vows to help her figure out the pieces of her missing memory, but they could very well find that they were each other’s missing piece all along.

The Missing Piece was a quick and fun read, and I enjoyed meeting Alyssa and the other characters. Given the constraints of the short story format – this is a 30-page story – it’s difficult for the author to “flesh out” the characters and really develop them. I would have loved to see the characters be more deeply developed, and I would have loved to be more involved in this story. I really did want to keep reading more, as the style of writing was easy to follow and intriguing. I am hoping for a sequel to this short story, as I would like to know how the romance between characters develops and if Alyssa comes to change her good-girl ways or finds someone who will accept her for everything she is and always was.

Quill says: The Missing Piece is a mysterious and romantic read that readers will find themselves wanting more of and definitely looking for other stories by this author.

Thank you, Amy and Diana, for your kind words! 😀

A Short But Sweet 5 Stars!

Awesome news! I just stumbled across a great review for one of my books on Amazon. On March 20th, Azia had some wonderful things to say about short contemporary romance, Second Chance Heart:

“A great short Romance story. I really enjoyed reading this one. Looking forward to reading many more by this author! :)”

Wow! Thanks, Azia! Hope to hear from you again! ♥♥♥

Readers, here are some teasers from SCH to give you a peek…

Purchase Links:

Amazon Universal link: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B01593TDO6

myBook.to/SecondChanceHeart

myBook.to/SCH

Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/576453

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-chance-heart-marie-lavender/1122651302

Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/second-chance-heart

And here is the trailer…

I hope you all get a chance to check out this book! Get it a great sale price of 99 cents! 😉

Thank you again, Azia, for your kind words! 🙂

New Release!

Here’s my latest release! ♥♥♥♥

Marie Lavender- Multigenre Author

The Missing Piece, my new adult romance, is finally out on its own! Yay! ♥

Purchase Links:

Universal Amazon link:  https://bookgoodies.com/a/B06W5RYBD8

myBook.to/MissingPiece

Publisher:  http://solsticepublishing.com/the-missing-piece/

CreateSpace:  https://www.createspace.com/6933779

Wow! ♥♥♥ Thanks, Solstice, for giving my work a wonderful home!😉

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Paranormal Romance Review: Magick and Moonlight (Marie Lavender)

If you liked Practical Magic with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, one-click Magick & Moonlight by Marie Lavender. Both Jessie and Ethan are hiding in small-town Oregon from something in the p…

Source: Paranormal Romance Review: Magick and Moonlight (Marie Lavender)

Second Chance Heart By Marie Lavender

Don Sloan

Dana Nelson still loves Vince Reynolds even after twelve long years. She just can’t reconcile that love with the equally strong feelings of bitterness and betrayal that well up in her every time she sees him nowadays.

Dana’s dilemma stems from a brief dalliance she caught him at when the two were in college. Of course circumstances for an ongoing relationship were less than ideal. She was in Chapel Hill attending Duke at the time, and he was at NYU, and, well, Vince got caught with a blonde in his bed during a surprise visit by Dana to the Big Apple.

But, twelve years have gone by and she finds to her dismay that the intervening time has not cooled her ardor for the dark-eyed hunk.

They meet by chance in a small town during the present day and, in a sudden and unexpected close encounter, his hungry lips cover…

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Second chance heart – Marie Lavender

A great review for SCH!

Lost In Sweet Words

After a wild storm forces her to take shelter in a small town inn, Dana Nelson thinks that all she has to worry about is a brief stay before she heads back to the city. She gets far more than she bargained for…

The last thing she expects is to run into an old flame, and even worse, the man who broke her heart twelve years ago. She’s sure that the only thing remaining between them is a strong attraction for another.

She can’t be more wrong…

The more time she spends with Vince Reynolds, the more she begins to believe she can trust him again. But, can she put her faith in the one man who captivates her, body and soul, or are some wounds too deep to heal?

** This book was kindly provided by the author Marie Lavender **

I really enjoyed reading this short story and…

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