Saturday, October 21, 2017

Secrets Hidden in the Glass by Cate Beauman (guest post, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY)



I am delighted to have a guest post from author Cate Beauman...

The Inspiration Behind Secrets Hidden In The Glass

by Cate Beauman

I always find the process of writing fascinating—imagining words and thoughts into subsistence that had once only existed in my head. Oftentimes, the undertaking is daunting. Months of research, careful plotting, planning, character development, and revising go into every page. There are many moments of doubt and worry. On occasion, there’s even a triumph or two. But finally, you type The End and you realize you’ve created a miracle of sorts—a story to share with your eager readers who are always waiting for what’s next. 


I had such fun telling Nate and Callie’s adventure. There was something extra enjoyable about bringing Sanderson, Massachusetts to life—the fictitious, tiny town on the equally made-up Carter Island. Imagine dreaming up a beachy setting that gets to be exactly what you want it to be. Add a group of intriguing (and on occasion quirky) characters. Throw plenty of steamy romance and several sprinkles of mystery and suspense into the mix and you’ve got yourself one heck of a good time.

I hope you’ll enjoy Secrets Hidden In The Glass as much as I enjoyed telling it.



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Bestselling author Cate Beauman is back with her 12th full length novel and her first stand-alone title: Secrets Hidden In the Glass.

Her multi award-winning Bodyguards of L.A. County series has over 500,000 copies sold and a 4.4 rating with 8000+ reviews.

Buy It Now!


Blurb: Stained glass artist Callie Davis is in desperate need of a vacation. Burnt out and on the edge of a nervous breakdown, she’s fleeing the pressures of her career and is taking refuge on Massachusetts’ tiny Carter Island. Callie yearns for long, lazy days and pretty walks on the beach—blessed solitude and an escape from the complications of her life. Then she bumps into gorgeous Nate Carter and everything changes.

Sheriff Nathan Carter couldn’t be happier now that the height of the summer season has finally come and gone. After four endless months, tourists have packed their bags and headed for the mainland. The quiet days of autumn are about to befall the town—the way Nate and his fellow Sandersonians like it best.

But nothing ends up quite the way Nate expects when he meets the beautiful blonde with the big blue eyes. Callie’s pretty smiles hide secrets—deep, dark mysteries that could cost them both their lives if they continue digging into the past and cross a killer’s path.





Read an excerpt from Secrets Hidden In The Glass:



She shuddered as she thought of the city and glanced over her shoulder, constantly on guard against the sense of unease she hadn’t been able to shake for months—the need to run. Three weeks away in Europe promoting her latest work was supposed to have helped. When that didn’t go as planned, she’d been certain the four-week gallery tour she’d been contracted to attend would have fixed everything, but nothing seemed to shake the restless, edgy energy that kept her up most nights.


Facing forward again, she stared down at her white-knuckled grip on the bold blue railing and commanded herself to relax, even as her heartbeat began thrumming a frantic rhythm. She clutched the cool metal tighter and closed her eyes, bracing for anxiety’s cruel surges of adrenaline that often left her a pathetic, trembling mess. “Everything’s all right,” she reassured herself, then let her head hang as she heard the lack of conviction in her own voice, certain she was teetering on the perilous edge of a nervous breakdown. For surely that’s what this had to be. She was officially cracking—caving to the never-ending demands of her career and her sudden inability to create.


“Folks, take a moment and look straight ahead,” the boat’s captain boomed through the speakers, startling Callie out of her thoughts. “You’ll see Point West Lighthouse coming into view.”


Callie opened her eyes and blinked, staring at the bright beam of light far in the gloomy distance.

“Point West Lighthouse has been a beacon of hope, welcoming sailors home to Carter Island for nearly four hundred years,” the captain continued in his strong Massachusetts accent.


Callie wiped her cheeks, finding comfort in the idea as she studied the black-and-white stripes of the mighty island tower. What must it have been like to battle raging storms and contend with months of endless seas, then finally see the light? To have weathered the worst of it all and found hope waiting on the other side? She longed to have an answer—and perhaps someday she would. According to Captain Bob, the boat was due to dock in fifteen minutes and her vacation would officially begin. She needed quiet—a few weeks to pull herself together. Then maybe she could start to figure out when it was that her life had started falling apart.


Did you enjoy the excerpt?  You can read the first chapter on my websiteor you can finish the whole book with the links below!




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Cate's Unofficial Secrets Hidden In The Glass Soundtrack

I love music! I can’t imagine a world without catchy tunes playing, especially when I’m writing. Music is inspiration. Melodies, beats, and the mood of each song help me portray emotions and feelings as I tell a story. It’s a rare day when I don’t have my headphones in place, bopping my head, while my fingers race across the keyboard. You can listen to the “soundtrack” for each book on my website.

The soundtrack, of sorts, for Secrets Hidden In The Glass:

·      And Then You by Greg Laswell
·      Still Falling For You by Ellie Goulding
·      Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney
·      Cold Water by Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber
·      Starving by Hailee Steinfeld ft. Zedd
·      Close by Nick Jonas ft. Tove Lo
·      Magic by Colbie Caillat
·      Until the Last Falling Star by Matthew Perryman Jones
·      I Can’t Breathe by Bea Miller
·      I won’t Let You Go by James Morrison




About the author:

International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, Aspen Gold Award, Heart of Excellence Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2017 FINDING LYLA was chosen as the Booksellers Best Award Winner, the Maggie Award For Excellence, and received the Holt Medallion Award. REAGAN'S REDEMPTION and ANSWERS FOR JULIE were selected as rare co-winners of the Aspen Gold Award in 2016. JUSTICE FOR ABBY received the 2015 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Gold Medal, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers' Favorite Awards.

Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack.



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GIVEAWAY



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My review:

4 out of 5 stars



4 stars

Secrets Hidden In The Glass by Cate Beauman centers around renowned stained-glass artist Callie Davis, whose long-needed vacation brings her to Carter Island, a halcyon community off of Massachusetts. Her retreat from the public eye brings her into frequent contact with Sheriff Nate Carter, whose ties to the island go back generations, and who feels responsible for all of those in his care, including temporary inhabitants like Callie. Their rapidly intensifying relationship is both exhilarating and frightening to the commitment-phobic Callie, and her mysterious dreams threaten to disrupt any peace she’s found. Nate needs to find a way to free Callie from everything that keeps her from accepting the joy she has found with him on the island, and if he has to solve a decades-old mystery to do so, so be it.

This romantic suspense story is the first book in the ‘Carter Island’ series and sets the stage with a delightful look at an island whose inhabitants are integral to its history. The nice build-up of tension as we are introduced to the woman seeking peace and get a look at the members of the close-knit community she finds herself in made this a pleasant read.

I thought things were a little drawn-out and some of the revelations were predictable, and I’d have liked a little more depth to some of the folks portrayed, but that didn’t deter me from enjoying the relationship that played out between the main characters. The heroine occasionally irked me with her vacillation and naivete even as I understood how scarred she was by her background. I like the genuine kindness and welcoming depicted that evoked that small-town atmosphere and was disappointed at the depth of betrayal displayed on several fronts, although perhaps that is more from my desire to believe in the innate goodness of folks than a story flaw. There are beautiful descriptions that allow one to armchair travel to a picturesque locale and deliciously romantic dialogue, such as…”In a lifetime of moments, we’ve known each other for a blink of time, but something changed the day we met.” Sigh.

I think this is a good start to a new series and I look forward to seeing more of the inhabitants of Carter Island.



A copy of this title was provided to me for review

1 comment:

  1. That sounds really good. I love it when the characters have a few secrets.

    ReplyDelete