BELLA LUNA Release Day Giveaway

Today is the release day for the last book in the Blue Moon Lake Romances, BELLA LUNA!

In honor of the release, I'll be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner. Check out the rafflecopter link below an get up to ten chances to win!

Her love life has gone to the dogs…

Rose Richardson is on the run from her dangerous ex-husband, a crime she didn’t commit—and the embarrassment of being an advice columnist with a disastrous personal life. Donning a fake identity, she escapes to a lovely lake house rental in rural Connecticut…only to discover her refuge is already occupied. Leo Drake is devastatingly handsome–and clearly wants to be alone. Rose stands her ground, even while she fears being found out for the fugitive she is. Plus, her sweet dog, Bella, seems to like the brooding widower, so how bad could he be?

A prize winning novelist, Leo lost everything after he lost his wife. But his mysterious housemate just might be the muse he needs to reignite his writing career. Despite his misgivings, Rose has secrets that only draw him closer, firing his imagination, even as his heart struggles with the attraction building between them. Plus, he kind of likes the quirky pooch. And as he tries to untangle his unusual predicament, Bella’s antics just might be the key to showing the loner that love is the only inspiration he needs…

Praise for Sharon Struth

“Struth has a gift for layering stories within stories while keeping them all connected.” --Library Journal

“Struth is an author to watch!” --Laura Drake, author of RITA-award winner The Sweet Spot

“Sharon Struth writes a good story about love and loss. She knows her characters and has a path she wants them to take.” --Eye on Romance

Excerpt

A loud creak sounded from above. Her heartbeat picked up speed. Another creak. Footsteps? A light upstairs flashed on and cut a beam to the staircase wall. Bella’s ears perked at the same moment the slow rise of panic crawled through Rose’s veins.
Move. Move! Only she stood still, frozen in fear as her mind raced with images from vagrants to serial killers.
The dog emitted a guttural growl.

Slow creaks of the floorboards above magnified in the silent house. Rose stretched her trembling hand, snatched the leash off the table, and leaned over, just shy of snapping it on Bella so they could race like hell out the door.
Footsteps pounded. Fast and hard, they hit the staircase. Before she could grab the dog’s collar, Bella bolted.

Owooooo-woo-woo-woo-woo! 

Bella’s howl echoed in the silent house. She stopped at the bottom step and stared fearlessly into the face of danger. Terror, however, had cemented Rose’s feet in place.

A dark-haired man reached the bottom, gripping a baseball bat in a ready-to-launch position over his shoulder. “Don’t move!” He stood at the last step, too close for her to make a quick dash out the door.

Rose’s heart pounded against her ribs and her mouth went dry. She raised her hands in the air. “Please. Don’t hurt me!”
The intruder blinked back at her through sleepy eyes. Thick tresses of messy hair jutted from his head. The rugged edges of an unshaven shadow highlighted his tight angled jaw. Her gaze traveled past his wrinkled, loosely buttoned plaid shirt, his baggy sweatpants, and stopped at his bare feet.

Bella bared her teeth, glaring at him bravely as he towered over the short basset hound. Her nose lifted and she inhaled a sharp breath. Owoooooooooooo! Owooooooooo!

The dog’s war cry got the stranger’s attention for a split second, but he quickly returned his narrowed gaze to Rose. “I don’t know who you are, but you’d better have a damn good reason for breaking into my house.”
 

BUY LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES&NOBLE | IBOOKS | KOBO | GOOGLE

RELEASE WEEK GIVEAWAY

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE: a Rafflecopter giveaway

CHECK OUT THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE SERIES....

Click here for more: SERIES BOOK ONE

Click here for more: SERIES BOOK TWO

Solsbury Hill Press: Release News...THE TO DO LIST ~ Romantic Comedy wi...

Check out this post from Solsbury Hill Press on my upcoming release, THE TO-DO-LIST...

Solsbury Hill Press: Release News...THE TO DO LIST ~ Romantic Comedy wi...: Releases October 18, 2016! THE TO-DO LIST Author: Sharon Struth Published by: Solsbury Hill Press Release Date: October 18,...

Get a FREE copy of TWELVE NIGHTS! #free #whattoread

For a limited time, TWELVE NIGHTS, a novella in the Blue Moon Lake Romance series, is free!

Want to know a little bit more....?

True love waits forever…

For Erik Lindholm, it’s been a long climb to the top of his company. Now, as president he has the power to bring his vision to life and speed his company in bold new directions. If that means a complete staff overhaul, so be it. If that means firing the woman who left his heart in tatters fifteen years earlier, it’s a business decision, not personal…

Beryl Foster is highly competent and respected by everyone at the office. But rumors of a big shake-up are rampant and—surprisingly, scarily—Beryl’s job as CFO is on the line. Fifteen years ago she made a decision to put her career before everything else. It was also the last time she and Erik shared a life together. Every Christmas is a reminder. This one could be a second chance…

Excerpt:

Beryl perched on the tips of her sling-back pumps and tried to catch an early glimpse of whoever had followed Saul inside. Nothing stood out but familiar faces. She returned to her normal stance as a knot twisted tight in her stomach.

"In selecting my replacement, I asked myself one question. Who could take the top-notch crew I have here now and guide Global to great heights in the future? Although we possess huge talent within our fine organization, I wanted a fresh take on the business and decided to search outside of our four walls.”

Disappointment rushed through Beryl. Time to update her résumé, just in case.

“So, without further ado, I’d like you to welcome the new president of Global Business Solutions—believe it or not a former employee of our firm—Erik Lindholm.”

Beryl’s body numbed. Loud applause faded in the background as his name pounded inside her skull. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t possible.

Erik stepped up to the platform and shook Saul’s hand. Beryl blinked, thinking this might be a bad dream, a hallucination, or one too many trips to the bar.

Darcy touched Beryl’s arm, ruling out the first two. “A former employee?”

Beryl was too stunned to speak or even nod. Erik’s dirty-blond hair was still parted on the side and worn short, with thick wisps sweeping his high forehead. He smiled, making the dimpled cleft in his chin deepen and softening the rugged angles of his sculpted face. Old emotions bubbled to the surface. Love. Happiness. Anger.

Erik shook hands with employees seated near the podium, his smile still as confident as it had been years ago. Last she’d heard, Erik worked in Chicago and teetered at the top of the corporate ladder with the Holder Group, a competitor of Global’s who could never quite beat her firm’s status as number one in the industry. The same firm Erik had gone to after they split up nearly fourteen years ago.

“Did you ever hear of this guy before?” Darcy whispered in Beryl’s ear.

Beryl nodded, her gaze stuck on the man she’d almost married.

**** 

Reviewers are saying:

"....this sweet novella is sure to sweep the reader away with the author's pristine prose and well-defined conflicts...This story was close to being absolute perfection!"

                  --InD'tale Magazine, March 2016

 

"This is a story that I will bring up on my Kindle at Christmas for years to come, a completely enjoyable, engaging, fun romance."

                       --Keeper Bookshelf Reviews

 

Buy Links:

Amazon   /   Barnes & Noble  /   Kobo   /   Google  

 Apple / Amazon UK

ON SALE! Second book in series...

It may be April Fool's Day, but this is no joke....
 HARVEST MOON, latest release in the Blue Moon Lake Romances, is on sale for $.99! 

“Struth has a gift for layering stories within stories while keeping them all connected.”—Library Journal

“Struth is an author to watch!”—Laura Drake, author of RITA-award winner The Sweet Spot

“Sharon Struth writes a good story about love and loss. She knows her characters and has a path she wants them to take.”—Eye on Romance

 Getting past the librarian’s guard…

Trent Jamieson isn’t one for virtual romance, but there’s something about the intriguing woman he meets on the Internet he can’t resist. Then the small town bachelor discovers the mystery woman who shares her secrets with him online is the laced-up librarian in his self-defense class! Veronica Sussingham may just be his toughest student yet. Because how can he show the vulnerable beauty that some men are worth letting your guard down for?

Veronica returned to her hometown seeking shelter for her shattered spirit. The last thing she needs is a blue-eyed charmer who wants to show her how to live—and love—again. Then she discovers Trent is not just another admirer, but a man who knows her deepest secrets. Now Veronica must choose between running from her past—or finding future happiness with the kind of man she swore she’d never fall for….

Excerpt from HARVEST MOON:

Seated in her kayak, Veronica tipped her head toward the boat’s back. A rolled up towel was tucked beneath her neck and her sunglasses had been propped in the soft curls of her hair. White cords dangled from her ears, presumably attached to ear buds. Her leg hung out the boat’s side, bronzed and glistening. His kayak floated closer. She wore a one-piece bright red bathing suit under a pair of shorts.

Veronica’s voice skipped across the water, sweetly crooning about having a ticket to ride, a Beatles classic.

Trent sat through two verses, unable to wipe the smile from his face. His boat drifted close enough to breathe in the tropical scent of her lotion. He dangled his fingertips in the water, then lifted them and flicked the droplets through the air, toward her arm.

She stopped singing, opened her eyes wide, and lifted her head. “Oh! Trent.” She removed the ear buds and smiled. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to enjoy the show. Beatles fan?”

“Who isn’t? They’re great.” She used her elbows to shimmy upright. “I’ve never seen you out here.” She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not following me, are you?”

“No!” he said quickly, only her laugh made him realize she’d been teasing him.

“Do you kayak much?”

“Been out a few times. How about you? I’d never have expected to see you out here.”

She looked at him funny, somewhat confused. “Why? I grew up on the lake. We were out on the water all the time.”

“I hadn’t thought about that, but it makes sense. Like the way we lived just outside Manhattan, so I’d go into the city a lot.”

Their boats bumped, and her lovely dark eyes met his, causing a commotion inside his chest.

“Last night was fun.” She searched his face, as if trying to read his thoughts.

“I’m glad you joined us. Sophie’s dog and Boomer were funny. I didn’t think dogs played.”

She laughed, her teeth as white as the pearls she usually wore, which were absent today. “Bella has known Boomer since I got him.”

“Even the dogs in Northbridge seem to know each other.”

She grinned. “Anonymity isn’t an option in this place.” She paused. “If you’ve got time, want to see some baby ducks?”

“Sounds fun. Lead the way.”

She dropped her sunglasses to her face, pulled the paddle out from underneath the corded deck rigging in the front of her boat, and paused. “I’m glad for some company.”

“Me, too.”

Following her from behind, he worked hard to keep up the pace. He admired her fluid movements, bred by a lifetime on the lake. When she reached the shoreline, near some rocks, she stopped paddling, turned around, and placed her index finger to her lips. “We’re going in here.” She pointed to an alcove opening, where tree branches hung low.

He ducked underneath the branches and went in behind her. They drifted, slow and quiet, until she stopped and motioned for him to bring his boat to her side. She held the edge of his cockpit, steadying him next to her.

“Look,” she whispered, pointing to the shore.

A mother duck waddled with several fuzzy babies, bustling on the lawn’s edge, close to the water. The mother glared their way, squawked loudly, and belted serious grunts of concern. Her long neck swiveled between a watchful eye on her babies and the intruders.

“How’d you find this place?” he whispered.

“We used to hide in here and smoke cigarettes when we were in high school.”

“You?”

She arched a brow. “Don’t let the pearls fool you.”

He remembered her passionate kiss, the one she’d given to him purely by accident.

“Want to see where we used to have keg parties?”

He laughed a little too loud and received a startled quack from the mother duck. Lowering his voice, he said, “Sure. Then where? The place where you guys performed satanic rituals?”

“Does Wiccan count?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

She grinned. “Follow me.”

* * * * 

Amazon   /   Barnes & Noble   /   Kobo  

 Kensington Publishing /  Google   /  Apple​   

 AmazonUK

Profiles in Cooking

Cooking is my passion, a hobby since I was a kid. My family believes this love was handed down from my grandmother, Sadie. Watching her prepare a meal and bake for others, it was clear her efforts were about more than making a meal.

She wanted you to be happy.

 Early on in our dating relationship, my husband learned that if Sadie offered you a piece of pie you had to answer carefully. “No thanks,” earned you a normal sized slice.  “Sure, I’ll have some pie,” earned you a slice as big as one-fourth the pie! We’d chuckle over it, but always understood it was a way to show her love.

When my mother (who doesn’t like to cook) said she had my nana’s old cookbook since her passing and did I want it, right away I said yes.

She delivered THE RUMFORD COMPLETE COOKBOOK by LILLY HAXWORTH WALLACE (a lecturer and writer on home economics).

A tattered volume was held together by scotch tape on the binding. The original copyright was 1908, but this edition had been printed by the Rumford Company of R.I. in the year 1934. The pages had yellowed from age. Some had torn edges. Others had food stains.

On several blank pages, she’d handwritten recipes. Just seeing her handwriting brought her back to me for a few minutes. I miss having her in our lives and it's hard to believe she'd been gone twenty years. 

As I read through the book, it was the simplicity of the recipes that grabbed me. My personal belief is that sometimes the best dishes are made with the fewest ingredients. Cooking in 1939 appeared to be uncomplicated and basic. Then it struck me how, like everywhere else in life, things have become more complex so why how we cook.

Nostalgia lead me into my own cabinets, where I found the first cookbook I ever owned…The BETTY CROCKER COOKY BOOK, given to me by my mother’s friend back in 1972 (at age thirteen) for Christmas. The gift was a treasure not only for the content. It mattered to me that someone noticed how much I loved cooking. Condition-wise, this, too, is well on its way to the same fate as my grandmother’s recipe book. The type of wear and tear that comes from giving something too much attention.

Life changes. The cookbooks in our house chronicle more than just food trends. They say something larger about the world around us and even our own lives. And when I think about my relationship with cooking, I see how—like my grandmother—cooking is one way I let the people I care about know it.

Got any cookbook treasures in your closet?