Thursday, May 30, 2024

Happy Harry: A Magical Golden by Barbara Lampert (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

 


Happy Harry: A Magical Golden

by

Barbara Lampert

 

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GENRE:  Dog memoir

 

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BLURB:

 

"Nobody who loves dogs will be able to resist your book! A magnificent love story!"

- Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, international bestselling author of Dogs Never Lie About Love and When Elephants Weep.

 

In her dog memoir Happy Harry: A Magical Golden, psychotherapist Barbara Lampert, a lifelong dog lover, tells the story of her beloved Golden Retriever, Harry. Like her first dog memoir, Harry's story comes from her mostly uncensored daily journal and takes place in Malibu, California.

 

Harry was a genuinely free spirit - wild, and very wolf-like. Did all this contribute to his being exceptionally happy? Perhaps.

 

Harry was not only the happiest being Barbara's ever known, happy to the very core of him, but also the bravest. More than once in his life, Harry had to face true adversity, and each time, Barbara would look at him in wonder, not fully understanding how a being could be so brave and at the same time continue to be so happy.

 

Harry literally pranced through life, with a joyous attitude that made being around him like magic. Barbara fell in love with Harry. And as you immerse yourself in Harry's story, it's likely you will too! Happy Harry is unforgettable!

 

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EXCERPT

 

I call Harry my calendar dog. Exquisite face. That’s what drew me to him when he was nine weeks old. Sounds superficial, but I thought his face was extraordinary. And this sounds superficial too, but I’d hoped his face would stay as gorgeous when he grew up. Well, it has. But you know, no matter what he turned out to look like, I knew I would love him tremendously. What’s inside Harry is amazing!

 

Harry is the happiest dog I’ve ever known. Genuinely happy, from the core of him. Mostly with a ball game. Harry can’t wait for the moment when he can go out to play.

 

The first few years with Harry were insane. He was a maniac, wouldn’t listen. Particularly when he was out of the house on a walk or at the big field at the nearby school. We tried every kind of leash and harness. We enlisted a dog trainer. Nothing worked. But little by little, he’s getting better. Still pays scant attention when we’re out of the house, but at least I don’t have the feeling he would run away. Though he’s never off leash when we’re out. Never!

 

Those first years were so chaotic with him that I was resigning myself to the possibility he might be a sociopath, because he seemed to not care about rules, listening, or consequences. I needed to accept him as he was. But now, at six, Harry has become incredibly devoted and loyal. Our wild wolf has settled into his pack.

 

I’m at work right now and can’t wait to get home and see Harry. Give him lots of kisses, get his over-the top joyful greeting with a soft toy in his mouth. Seeing Harry brimming with enthusiasm makes me so happy! I love him so much!

 

Harry’s adapting… But more than that, he’s still so joyful. His abundance of happy energy is so wonderful to be around. He’s still putting stuffed toy rabbits and balls in his mouth, particularly when he’s really happy. Still comes to me with even more enthusiasm and his head held even higher than usual when I say, “Hey Harry.” I love saying that to him, and Harry seems to love hearing it. I only use the “Hey” with Harry. It’s special, just for him. Something I started saying to him a few years ago. To me, it’s a way of emphasizing how cool Harry is. Yes, Harry is really cool, in the true sense of the word. Unafraid, carefree. Still.

 

Dogs are such special beings. I swear a big reason they were put on this earth is to teach us how to be.

 

Buy link:

Amazon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

My passion is dogs! I’ve had dogs most of my life and hope to have at least one by my side always. Dog energy is the best!

 

I’m the author of two dog memoirs: Happy Harry: A Magical Golden and before that Charlie: A Love Story. Each about one of my Golden Retrievers. (I told you dogs are my passion!)

 

I’m a psychotherapist, licensed for over thirty years, specializing in relationships. .

 

I was a flight attendant for nine years. And taught sociology at several universities. I have two master’s degrees and a doctorate.

 

Gardening is another love – not as much as dogs, but right up there! I see my garden as a work of art and garden as much as possible in my free time. I love being in nature.

 

I live in Malibu, California with my husband David and, you guessed it, our two wonderful Golden Retrievers, Oliver and Henry.

 

Links:

Website

 

Facebook

 

Facebook

 

Tiktok

 

Instagram

 

Pinterest

 

 

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 GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway


The tour dates can be found here



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My review:

4.25 stars

 

Happy Harry: A Magical Golden by Barbara Lambert is a pet memoir about a very special golden retriever. His story is told through a series of garden-journal entries that chronicle Harry’s arrival and his life in the household that he enlivens with his quirks and cheerful personality. The author conveys her heartfelt affection for this loveable breed through a series of dated entries that chronicles her journey with Harry and are sprinkled with philosophical musings and contemplations of how close he was to his wolf brethren. She supports some of her observations with quotes and citations of various individuals who have studied wolves in the wild, and illustrates her story with black-and-white pictures of the personable Harry.

 

The cycle of life is poignantly portrayed for both Barney, who is in residence when the whirlwind subsequently named Harry arrives, and for Harry himself. Be advised that tissues will be required, as the highs and lows of loving a fur-baby are depicted.

 

Harry’s story is conveyed in a kind of stream-of-consciousness manner, which was a little difficult for me to connect with at first, but I eventually became accustomed to the style, and I became invested in his story. I love that the author allowed us to see that he wasn’t perfect (I had to laugh at her initial fear that he was a sociopath, given his disregard for rules or the consequences of breaking said rules) but still manages to convey how important he was to their family and how he changed their lives. We should all be so blessed to meet a character such as Harry, and I daresay many of us who read this story will suddenly develop a need for puppy cuddles, especially with a Golden Retriever.

 

A copy of this story was provided for review


Tuesday, May 14, 2024

The Beauty of the Beasty by Gabbi Grey (spotlight and exclusive excerpt) ADULT title

 



The Beauty of the Beast

A Contemporary Fairytale MM Romance

by
Gabbi Grey

ADULT title




Synopsis 

Dean

All my life, I dreamed about making the long trip from Australia to Canada to study forestry amid the old-growth stands of the Pacific Northwest. Now here I am, living the dream. Of course, nothing's perfect. The only housing I can find is renting a room from a grumpy, reclusive guy who doesn’t seem to want me around. I should keep out of his way and focus on my studies, but there’s something about him that keeps drawing me in. I feel less homesick when I’m with him, and maybe I can make a difference for more than just the trees.

Adam

Life as I knew it ended with my horrific accident ten years ago. There's no point to my existence now, but I can't seem to stop living, so I hide my battered carcass in my mountain home. There, I can wander from room to room and no one stares, no one laughs, no one even remembers I exist. Until I make the mistake of offering a stranded Aussie a room to rent. It should've been a simple favor—two men with our own spaces, ignoring each other. Instead, he's always close by, and he won't let me wallow, and what's worse, I think I'm starting to like that. But there's no way someone like me can have a future with someone like him. Right?

The Beauty of the Beast is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, set in the wilds of British Columbia, where an Aussie forester a long way from home falls for the untouchable man he shouldn’t want. The novel has moderate angst, a feisty foreigner, and what happens when someone trusts again.

 

 

 Exclusive Excerpt 

Dean

“I’ll be doing a couple of lectures at the University of British Columbia as well as a few out here at the University of the Fraser Valley. I’m working with a land-management group as part of a municipal project. Mission City has a working forest, and I’ll be part of that project. I want to replicate some of the husbandry practices back home.”

I chanced a glance at Ravi.

His eyes had gone a little glassy.

Maddox, though, seemed more engaged. At least, if his body language was any indication. “I used to do back-country rescues,” he offered. He pointed to his husband. “Pediatric nurse.”

“Both important jobs.” I eyed him. “Used to?” Damn, was that too nosy? I’m always stepping in it…

“Rescue gone wrong. Bum knee.” He gave me a small smile. “These days I do diaper duty and cybersecurity freelance work.”

I would’ve pegged him in his mid-forties. If these were his first kids, he’d gotten a bit of a later start. Ravi, though, was under thirty for sure.

“And dog watching.” Ravi raised an eyebrow.

“Isn’t that dog sitting?” I was curious. Perhaps they called it something different in Canada.

Ravi barked out a laugh. “Oh, if Princess Sofia didn’t belong to us, then yes, it would be dog sitting. But we are responsible for the irascible mutt…so it’s dog watching.”

Maddox glowered.

My phone vibrated. I yanked it out of my back pocket to send the call to voicemail. Oh, wait, the number was Canadian. I glanced at Maddox across the table from me.

He nodded that I should take the call.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Hargrave?”

“Yes, this is he. Or that’s me.” I barely knew what time it was, let alone, apparently, my own name.

“Oh, I’m so glad I caught you. My name is Ethel Thistle.”

Ethel…oh, my new landlady. “Nice to speak to you, Mrs. Thistle. I was just grabbing some dinner before—”

“Oh, then I’m so glad I caught you.”

My stomach sank. “Yes?”

She sighed. “My daughter has been living with this asshole.”

I glanced at the table, somewhat comforted to see no one could, apparently, hear her speaking. “Okay.”

“Anyway, she finally left the horrible man. Just this morning. And I was so glad the basement suite was empty so I could give it to her—”

“Would this be the basement suite you promised me?”

“Well.” She clucked her tongue. “You’re a young man with prospects. I’m sure you’ll find something. My daughter has two young children. Wouldn’t be right for them to be on the streets, now would it?”

“Could they not live with you? We have a contract. I signed a lease and sent you a deposit.”

“I’ve sent the money back.” She cleared her throat. “I guess you could sue me for breach of contract…”

But I wouldn’t.

And she knew it.

I blinked several times. Need to remove these contact lenses.

Right…like that was the problem.

“Do you…” I swallowed. “Do you know anywhere else that might—”

“In this rental market? Not a chance.” She paused. “Oh dear, that sounded callous.”

That was callous, but my mother taught me that if I couldn’t say something nice, that I was to hold my tongue. “Well, thank you for letting me know.”

“Best of luck, young man.” Then she cut the line.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it.



Links:

Amazon US

Universal Book Link

Apple Books

B&N

KOBO

Smashwords



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Author Bio

 

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

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Thursday, May 9, 2024

Flowers for You: Mother's Day Drabbles Microfiction Collection (spotlight)

 




(Romance Café Collection Book 33) Kindle Edition





Synopsis

 

One hundred perfect words. A thousand heartfelt emotions.

For Mother’s Day and all year-round, we at the Romance Café are shouting about this collection of perfect, bite-sized celebrations of moms, mums, mas, mothers and other caring figures in your life.

These 100-word stories celebrate the many different ways that carers show their love, from the everyday acts of kindness to the sacrifices they make for their children.

Warning: may cause a sniffle or three.

Add it to Goodreads





Authors:

Gabbi Powell
Gabbi Black
Trinity Wood
Kaje Harper
Tami Winbush
L Mad Hildebrandt
Hannah McKee
Lisa Gwizdala-Cody
Alexa Santi
Cara north
Sonja Flowers
Michelle Mars
Tori Fields
Rhianon Ruby
Elaine Reed
Danika Bloom
A. Boss
Niki Brazen
DL Gallie
Mila Chase
Debra Deasey
Susan Horsnell USAT Bestselling Author
Jeanna Louise Skinner
Cecelia Conway
Suki McMinn
Annee Jones
Gabbi Grey
J.E. Feldman
Kathleen Ryder
Sarah Stein
Angela Kady
MacKade
Heather Osborne
Harper Michaels
Sofia Aves
Bonnie Poirier
Ryleigh Sloan
Niki Trento
Yolanda Olson
Sera Taíno
Kat Long
Katherine Moore
Melissa Kendall
LoLo Paige
Aurelia Foxx
Krithika
Vanesa L. Perillo
G.R. LeBlanc
Jade Glas
Brianna Malotke
Tori Fields

 

Links

 

Universal Link

Amazon US


 

 

 

Bio

Gabbi Grey

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.