WEDNESDAY REVIEW - Once Upon A Date

 Good morning, friends. 

I just finished ONCE UPON A DATE by Susan Hatler this morning. I had twenty minutes left last night when my kindle battery decided to take a long nap. LOL

AMAZON

Blurb:

Aspiring author Michelle Moss meets her Prince Charming at a Masquerade Ball only to discover the man behind the mask is Brooks Keller, the editor who just rejected her manuscript and the ex-boyfriend who broke her heart.

It wasn’t a glass slipper that Michelle Moss left behind at the Masquerade Ball, but a beat up laptop. Her driver remained human, her ride didn’t turn into a pumpkin, and thank goodness she didn’t see any mice waiting for her in her condo. But Michelle did spontaneously kiss her masked Prince Charming and was determined to find him.

Tracking down her missing laptop using a locator app, she fully expected birds to sing, rice to fall from the sky, and the credits to roll when she found her potential true love. Instead, she found the editor, Brooks Keller, who rejected her modern fairytale manuscript. He told her the book was unrealistic, unimaginable, and unpublishable. Oh, and he’s also the ex who dumped her in high school.

Michelle urgently needs the book advance to bail her not-so-wicked but irresponsible stepbrother out of a financial mess. But she doesn’t want to change her fairytale ending. So, Michelle and Brooks make a deal: they will retrace her character’s steps from the book and if Brooks falls head over heels for Michelle then Brooks will publish the book Michelle’s way. If not, then Michelle will make the requested changes.

 As Michelle tests out the life she always dreamed of, she discovers the chemistry with Brooks is still there after all these years. She knows Brooks is only playing the part of the hero, but everything feels so real. If she acts on her feelings, though, will he break her heart a second time?

 Okay, longest blurb I've ever read. That aside, when I first searched on Amazon for 'new' contemporary romance, I'm not sure why Once Upon A Date popped up. This book was published in 2020 and is book six in the Do-Over Date series. So, you know what that means for me, right? LOL I may be reading more books in 2024 than I originally planned.

AS character arcs go, Ms Hatler showed the evolution of Michelle and Brooks very well. There was that aha moment for Michelle when she (and the reader) realize she is done being a door mat. Ms Hatler also showed Brooks' insecurities and how he overcomes them That's not a spoiler alert, by the way. That is a fact in Happy Ever After books. 

The journey for Michelle and Brooks to get from where they used to be, where they are now and that Happy Ever After makes Once Upon A Date a great read. 

I'm giving ONCE UPON A DATE:

You'll find links to all of Susan's books by visiting her links below:

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   TWITTER-X   PINTEREST

YOUTUBE   TIK TOK   TUMBLR

AMAZON AUTHOR SITE   GOODREADS   AUDIO   

All my best!

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Susan Hatler

 Good morning!

I'm shining the spotlight on NYT and USA Today best selling author, Susan Hatler.

I found Susan on  Amazon while searching for this week's book. I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.

Here's a bit about Susan Hatler:

SUSAN HATLER is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, who writes humorous and emotional contemporary romance and young adult novels. Many of Susan’s books have been translated into German, Spanish, and Italian. A natural optimist, she believes life is amazing, people are fascinating, and imagination is endless. She loves spending time with her characters and hopes you do, too.

She also has an 'unofficial' bio on her website: http://susanhatler.com/susan-hatler

Because her most recent release is a Christmas book, I've stepped back to 2020 for this week's review of ONCE UPON A DATE. We'll check that out on our Wednesday Review.

In the mean time, you'll find Susan a little bit of everywhere on social media by clicking on any of the links below.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   TWITTER-X   PINTEREST

YOUTUBE   TIK TOK   TUMBLR

AMAZON AUTHOR SITE   GOODREADS   AUDIO   

All my best!

~Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW - Susan Hatler - Million Dollar Date

 Good morning, friends!

I have found a sweet read for today AND it's FREE on Kindle (as of this posting).

Let me introduce you to the author, Susan Hatler.

Here's a bit about Susan from her Author page:

SUSAN HATLER is a New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author, who writes humorous and emotional contemporary romance and young adult novels. Many of Susan's books have been translated into German, Spanish, French, and Italian. A natural optimist, she believes life is amazing, people are fascinating, and imagination is endless. She loves spending time with her characters and hopes you do, too.

With Bob home, I've not had a lot time to read so when we got home from shopping last night I went to Amazon to see what was current that I could download and would be a fast read. I downloaded five free books and chose this one from Susan Hatler.

AMAZON

MILLION DOLLAR DATE is Book 1 in the Do-Over Date series. 

Blurb:

Abigail Apple is running late to meet her blind date when she’s pulled over for speeding. Unfortunately, the follow-the-rules cop doesn’t care that she’s late, let alone that she’s heartbroken because her favorite dog rescue is in danger of being closed. Now she has to meet her date with mud drying on her heels, dog hair covering her dress, and the smell of a barn perfuming her hair. When she arrives, however, Abigail learns her handsome blind date is none other than the cop who pulled her over.

Abigail has no intention of staying until she learns Cooper Hill is heading a committee for the city that will award a six-figure donation to a charity of their choice. So, what’s a girl to do? Abigail decides a second date is the perfect way to convince Cooper to vote for the dog rescue. Soon, however, Abigail is less interested in Cooper’s vote than she is in his deep voice, kind heart, and tender touch.

Will this follow-the-rules cop and this follows-her-heart animal lover learn that despite poor first impressions, second chances can lead to love?

I found this book not only a quick read (they do list it as a Short Romance) but enjoyable. The story line is light, humorous and not overdone. Some authors try to pack too much into a short romance. Susan Hatler knew what she wanted to accomplish. She gave us a great opening, bringing the hero and heroine together instantly as well as a good picture of who our heroine, Abigail Apple, is. We got a bit more infor on the hero, Cooper Hill, in subsequent chapters, as was needed. This was definitely a heroine driven story. From the great opening, Susan takes us through the core of the plot, saving the dog rescue.

There are nine books total in this series. We are introduced to the heroine for Book 2 in this story. 

I'm giving Million Dollar Date:

Remember, Million Dollar Date is FREE on Kindle as of this posting!

You will find Susan as well as her books via the following links:

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   TWITTER   INSTAGRAM   TUMBLR   YOUTUBE   PINTEREST

APPLE BOOKS   GOOGLE PLAY

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE   

All my best

~ Angela