Book Reviews - Try it. You'll like it!

Do you read books? 

Do you ever tell anyone about the books you read? 

Did you know that a written book review can really help an author? 

And did you know that a written review can just be a sentence or two long? HA! Stumped you on this one, didn't I?

That's right! A written book review is not a book report, so all you really need to do is state that you liked it. 

Seriously. That's it. 

Those few words actually do so much to help us out! If you're feeling especially motivated, you can add what you liked about it. 

In the meantime, here are some examples of perfectly acceptable written book reviews: 

• "I liked this book!"
• "This book made me happy." 
• "So glad I tried this new-to-me author!"
• "Dudes! This was AWESOME!" 

Or, some real examples I've received:

• "Get your tissues ready!"
• "I ended up crying during the last few chapters..."
• "A wonderfully written inaugural book."
• "Another winner. Great pacing. Characters to tear at your heartstrings."
• "What a great summer read."

See? You don't have to write much and while some of those wrote more, some were just a quick sentence or two. 

Write as little or as much as you'd like, but please know that any written review, even a "Great book!" helps us authors far more than just a star rating alone. Just avoid spoilers, and you'll be fine!

Reviews help put us on the radar of much coveted (yet much detested) retailer algorithms... yeah, yeah, yeah, algorithms. Those are what add our stories to book lists and recommendations the online book retailers suggest to customers. (Ever see one of these? "If you liked this book, then you might like these..." lines on the screen? That is where we hope our books to appear.) 

Finally, book reviews will always help us because they let us know you liked what we wrote (I.e., what we poured our hearts and souls into over the course of 3-4-5 years!)

Still have questions? Romance Rehab has some good suggestions on how to write a review. Don't worry - it's quick! Read their suggestions here.

Authors love hugs. Please think of us the next time you read a good book! 

Thanks so much!!

Take care, and happy reading! 

 - Heather 

A strong-willed bookstore owner - a smokin' hot firefighter - and three flirty septuagenarians. 

What more could you ever need? 

Don’t Call Me Sugar is a slow-burn, Grant’s Crossing Romance - where family and friends mean everything, and happily-ever-afters are guaranteed.

Don't Call Me Sugar is available wherever books are sold online. If it's not already there, you can request it at your local library in paperback and digital for Libby and Hoopla.

Get your copy today!

Add to your Goodreads TBR

Haven’t yet read Wayward Guilt, Heroes of Grant’s Crossing Book 1? 

No problem. Click here to find it in print and digital on Libby / Hoopla or wherever books are sold online.

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Bookbub - @GrantsCrossing

Join my Leaux Cay Readers on Facebook

SAFE NOW - 1-YEAR PUBLIVERSARY!

HOLY COW! SAFE NOW IS ONE YEAR OLD!

One year ago today, my second novel, Safe Now - Heroes of Grant’s Crossing Book 2, hit the shelves!

I can't believe it's been a whole year!

Safe Now is an emotional story about Steve, an overprotective older brother who stops at nothing to keep his younger brother, Nick, safe. I love the relationship/friendship between these two brothers.

‪Some secrets can't be kept.‬

‪Some people can't be protected.‬

‪Some brothers can't be stopped.‬

How far would you go to protect your family?

Add to your TBR

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Full blurb:

Growing up in a small town outside St. Louis, Missouri, Steve and Nick Cook struggle to balance their own aspirations with their strict parents’ desire to mold their sons into a picture-perfect and obedient family.

But when Nick is outed, their parents make life worse for both. Steve promises to get his little brother somewhere he can live without fear, even if that means delaying his own dream of becoming a Marine.

When fate intervenes, Steve takes Nick far from their childhood home to live with extended family. Believing he is safe, Steve finally enlists and serves multiple deployments in the Middle East.

With Steve fighting for his country, Nick risks the only safety he’s ever known to set out on his own. When Nick disappears, Steve vows to do what the local authorities can’t—setting out on a new mission that takes him across the Midwest, from Chicago to the seediest neighborhoods in Detroit and Columbus, to find him.

Now, living in a community of friends who don’t hesitate to share his burdens and with a family willing to share his pain, can Steve complete one more mission and save his brother before it’s too late?

No part of Safe Now was created by generative AI. This was 100% the creation of the author, H.M.S. Brown. CW: Domestic violence, religious homophobia, violence, interrupted sexual assault, brief drug use by a tertiary character.

Pick up your copy of Safe Now - available wherever books are sold online.

Safe now and all Grant's Crossing novels are available at libraries in paperback and digital in Hoopla and Libby. You can request a copy at your local library if not already in its circulation.

Take care, and happy reading! 

 - Heather 

A strong-willed bookstore owner - a smokin' hot firefighter - and three flirty septuagenarians. 

What more could you ever need? 

Don’t Call Me Sugar is a slow-burn, Grant’s Crossing Romance - where family and friends mean everything, and happily-ever-afters are guaranteed.

Don't Call Me Sugar is available wherever books are sold online. If it's not already there, you can request it at your local library in paperback and digital for Libby and Hoopla.

Get your copy today!

Add to your Goodreads TBR

Haven’t yet read Wayward Guilt, Heroes of Grant’s Crossing Book 1? 

No problem. Click here to find it in print and digital on Libby / Hoopla or wherever books are sold online.

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Bookbub - @GrantsCrossing

Join my Leaux Cay Readers on Facebook

Smashwords - Read An Ebook Week

I have great news! 

IT'S THE SMASHWORDS READ AN EBOOK SALE! 

All my books are discounted on Smashwords today through Saturday, March 8. Even better, all book downloads can be read on all readers!

GRANT'S CROSSING ROMANCE 

DON'T CALL ME SUGAR - Don’t Call Me Sugar is a slow-burn, Grant’s Crossing Romance - where family and friends mean everything, and happily-ever-afters are guaranteed.

HEROES OF GRANT'S CROSSING SERIES (Contemporary military fiction / drama)

Book 1: WAYWARD GUILT (This book will make you cry. Keep some tissues handy.) 

Three friends leave home to serve their country. Only two make it back. 

What do you do when your best friend is no longer there? 

Book 2: SAFE NOW (This book will make you angry!) 

Some secrets can't be kept. 

Some people can't be protected. 

Some brothers can't be stopped.

How far would you go to protect your family?

Book 3: END OF A NEW LIFE (Pre-order - Coming Summer 2025) 

A troubled veteran.

    An abandoned home.

        Some repairs take time.

So, which one will you pick up this week? Or should I ask, which series? 

Take care, and happy reading! 

 - Heather 

A strong-willed bookstore owner - a smokin' hot firefighter - and three flirty septuagenarians. 

What more could you ever need? 

Don’t Call Me Sugar is a slow-burn, Grant’s Crossing Romance - where family and friends mean everything, and happily-ever-afters are guaranteed.

Don't Call Me Sugar is available wherever books are sold online. If it's not already there, you can request it at your local library in paperback and digital for Libby and Hoopla.

Get your copy today!

Add to your Goodreads TBR

Haven’t yet read Wayward Guilt, Heroes of Grant’s Crossing Book 1? 

No problem. Click here to find it in print and digital on Libby / Hoopla or wherever books are sold online.

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Bookbub - @GrantsCrossing

Join my Leaux Cay Readers on Facebook

Writing is Hard

Sometimes, writing is hard. So hard. Right now, I'm trying to decide whether or not my main character is going to make it to the end of my book. He needs hope.  

Derek Mitchell - US Army Ranger combat medic-turned paramedic. Lost his best friend on their final mission in Wayward Guilt.

He's not doing very well. Great guy, but so troubled. He just can't escape the nightmares. He self-medicates with alcohol, empty hookups, and disassociation. With all that... I have to believe he can make it, right? End of a New Life

I put the above text and pictures out on social media earlier today and received a response, suggesting I keep him alive because PTSD is stereotyped and it's easier to kill someone off rather than get them the help they need.  

I won't share that person's full response, but part of my response included this: 

He hits rock bottom and it’s bad, poor guy. I’m putting him through a lot. His best friend is already gone but this guy also has a great support network. That’s what’ll pull him through, I think.

I don't even know why I'm questioning it, to be honest. I've already planned on getting him a service dog named Briggsy. He just has a lot of work to do to qualify for it. (More on that in a subsequent post.)

End of a New Life is the book that's resulting from part of my first-ever first draft. 

Trust me, the original draft was an absolute train wreck, but it had the start of some beautiful scenes - many of which I've cleaned up (because I've learned a lot more about writing) and fine-tuned. But my biggest challenge is making sure this story is about Derek's journey.

It started out as a book with Derek Mitchell and Callie Thomas. He's been through a lot, and she's been through a lot. Each one could make its own story. Oh yeah, and I brought in another major issue, which could be a third story. 

Like I said - it was a train wreck of a draft. That said, End of a New Life needs to be about Derek and what he's going through now that he's returned to civilian life.

You see - my character, Derek, enlisted at age 19. He's never before lived on his own. He had a semester of college at Ohio State, but it wasn't for him. It wasn't sitting well. So he dropped out and worked construction for his dad. 

Then 9/11 happened, and he and two of his best friends enlisted in the Army and became Rangers. Thirteen years later, he attends his best friend's funeral. That's where my book, Wayward Guilt, begins. 

And Wayward Guilt was originally supposed to be a prequel released after End of a New Life.

The funny part is that Wayward Guilt - the entire book - stems from one line in End of a New Life's rough draft where Derek opened up to Callie and told her his best friend didn't make it back from Afghanistan. 

That was it. The entire inspiration for Wayward Guilt. That one line.

So yeah. Writing is hard. But PTSD is harder. I'm only writing fiction, but I can be supportive, too.

End of a New Life. Derek Mitchell. PTSD. What do you think? 

Drop a comment below to let me know your thoughts on Derek or others like him. 

Take care, and happy reading! 

 - Heather 

A sassy bookstore owner - a smokin' hot firefighter - and three flirty septuagenarians. 

What more could you ever need? 

Don’t Call Me Sugar is a slow-burn, Grant’s Crossing Romance - where family and friends mean everything, and happily-ever-afters are guaranteed.

Don't Call Me Sugar is available wherever books are sold online. If it's not already there, you can request it at your local library in paperback and digital for Libby and Hoopla.

Get your copy today!

Add to your Goodreads TBR

Haven’t yet read Wayward Guilt, Heroes of Grant’s Crossing Book 1? 

No problem. Click here to find it in print and digital on Libby / Hoopla or wherever books are sold online.

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Bookbub - @GrantsCrossing

Join my Leaux Cay Readers on Facebook

Inkspired Stories

Inkspired stories - want to read my books for free? Like I did with Kindle Vella (which has closed down), I'm posting my books one chapter at a time on the Inkspired website. It allows for serialized fiction, where authors can publish one chapter at a time as they write. 

My first few stories are taken from my existing books, but once they're all set up and ready to go, I'll be adding new content I've been working on. In the coming months, you'll see more Grant's Crossing Firefighter Romances and a groovy, retro romance. Heck, I'll even give a second chance at love for Abe Mitchell. 

In addition, I'm well on my way to writing stories for our friends Nick and Logan. They've been through enough hard times, and they both deserve happy endings, don't you think?

And for all of you asking for more of my three flirty septuagenarians, Lizzie, Berneta, and Abigail - who flirted her way into a slow dance with Steve Cook in Don't Call Me Sugar, I have some fun adventures planned for them.

You can find all my Inkspired stories here.

The first 30 people to follow each individual story can read it for free. Click the pictures below to start reading.

Heroes of Grant's Crossing (a.k.a. Wayward Guilt) 

New chapters are released every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Two Brothers (a.k.a. Safe Now)

New chapters are released every Monday and Thursday.

Between the Lines (a.k.a. Don't Call Me Sugar)  - Coming soon

In the works: 

My Everything - A Groovy Grant's Crossing Romance 

Abe and Katherine Mitchell's love story

Three Besties and a Getaway Driver - Grant's Crossing Shorts 

If you liked the Tres Widows, three flirty septuagenarians who have appeared in all of my books, then you'll want to join, Lizzie, Berneta, and Abigail on these fun adventures they go on with Lizzie's grandson, Carson. Hey! Someone has to drive!

Take care and happy reading! 

 - Heather 

A sassy bookstore owner - a smokin' hot firefighter - and three flirty septuagenarians. 

What more could you ever need? 

Don’t Call Me Sugar is a slow-burn, Grant’s Crossing Romance - where family and friends mean everything, and happily-ever-afters are guaranteed.

Don't Call Me Sugar is available wherever books are sold online. If it's not already there, you can request it at your local library in paperback and digital for Libby and Hoopla.

Get your copy today!

Add to your Goodreads TBR

Haven’t yet read Wayward Guilt, Heroes of Grant’s Crossing Book 1? 

No problem. Click here to find it in print and digital on Libby / Hoopla or wherever books are sold online.

Instagram - @GrantsCrossing

Goodreads - H.M.S. Brown

Bookbub - @GrantsCrossing

Join my Leaux Cay Readers on Facebook