Book Review: The Deep of the Sound: A Bluewater Bay Novel by Amy Lane

The Deep of the Sound:
A Bluewater Bay Novel

by Amy Lane

Cal McCorkle has lived in Bluewater Bay his whole life. He works two jobs to support a brother with a laundry list of psychiatric diagnoses and a great-uncle with Alzheimer’s, and his personal life amounts to impersonal hookups with his boss. He’s got no time, no ambition, and no hope. All he has is family, and they’re killing him one responsibility at a time.

Avery Kennedy left Los Angeles, his family, and his sleazy boyfriend to attend a Wolf’s Landing convention, and he has no plans to return. But when he finds himself broke and car-less in Bluewater Bay, he’s worried he’ll have to slink home with his tail between his legs. Then Cal McCorkle rides to his rescue, and his urge to run away dies a quick death.

Avery may seem helpless at first, but he can charm Cal’s fractious brother, so Cal can pretty much forgive him anything. Even being adorkable. And giving him hope. But Cal can only promise Avery “until we can’t”—and the cost of changing that to “until forever” might be too high, however much they both want it.

Customer Reviews (excerpts)

     Fishing on the Puget Sound reviewed by PansyPetal

Avery and Cal developed a lovely romance. The author did a very nice job developing these characters, giving each of them very different, but equally traumatic, challenges to overcome before they could have their happy ever after. This couple spent a bit of time just talking and getting know one another, supporting each other in some of their daily life drama. It made for a nicely paced, enjoyable story.

     The Deep of the Sound, (A Bluewater Bay Novel) reviewed by Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Hurrah, more Bluewater. I love this series, each author puts their own style to the series, but the connection to the main story is always clear. Amy is an author new to me and I loved this book and will look out for more from her. Its a really enjoyable read, marrying romance with a story that’s full of sadness and drama, tenderness and emotion, problems and solutions and ending in a HEA – my favourite. It’s not necessary to have read other books, as with each in this series it’s a standalone read.

     Creative Deeds Reads Review  reviewed by creativedeeds 

4 1/2 to 5… tears… All the feels and so much to love…

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June is LGBT Pride Month

June is Audiobooks Month!

 

We’re Celebrating June AUDIOBOOKS MONTH all month long! All of the VHP titles, in Print, Ebook, and Audio, of course! in this handy catalog for the first week of June!

FREE DOWNLOAD

 

 

WEBSITE

www.VanillaHeartBooksAndAuthors.com

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June Is Audiobook Month facts from the Audio Publishers Association

Audiobook Industry Facts: June Is Audiobook Month In a recent consumer survey, the Audio Publishers Association learned that 25% of Americans had listened to an audiobook in the last year. Audiobook listeners are avid readers who use audiobooks as a way of enjoying an author’s work when they are not able to read. 94% of audiobook listeners had read a book in the past year vs. 70% of non-audiobook listeners. Many fellow authors love audiobooks. Scott Turow, Janet Evanovich, Judy Blume, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Tom Wolfe, Lisa Scottoline — all listen to audiobooks. Many of them are taking to their social media networks today as part of June Is Audiobook Month. They will discuss their experiences and love of audio, as well as projects they’ve worked on or some on the horizon. Most listeners use audiobooks in the car (whether they are commuting or on driving vacations) but an increasing number of people also report using audiobooks while they are exercising, cooking, gardening — and even at work. The average audiobook listener spends about 5 hours a week listening. Audiobooks are great for family listening on the road this summer–nothing ends the “are we there yet blues!” like a great audiobook. Audiobooks keep everyone in the car entertained while also increasing literacy skills…families can even knock out a few of the titles on a kid’s summer reading list on the way to vacation. Audiobooks are a great tool for building literacy. Teachers and librarians report that listening to audiobooks helps children build better vocabularies and also helps them to read with better expression.

The Benefits of Charitable Giving

How to Achieve a More Meaningful Retirement
Advisor Shares 4 Benefits of Charitable Giving

June is International Childhood Cancer Awareness Month – a designation for most people to, if nothing else, take stock in the good fortune they and their families have enjoyed, and consider contributing something for charitable purposes.

“It’s a news story that never gets old: the little kid suffering from cancer who runs in a touchdown and gets a standing ovation, or is recognized by an entire city as Batman for a day, or the little girls who dress up for prom night because, tragically, they may not make it to high school,’’ says independent retirement advisor Gary Marriage, Jr.

“Retirees, who’ve lived full, mostly blessed lives, often wish they could do something for these children or another cause that touches their heart.”

Marriage, CEO of Nature Coast Financial Advisors (www.naturecoastfinancial.com), which specializes in maximizing retirees’ finances, says charitable efforts can provide a powerful sense of purpose and meaning to life – whether they come in retirement or during the working years. Marriage, for instance, is founder of Operation: Veteran Aid, which helps veterans and their surviving spouses with long-term care expenses by qualifying them with the Department of Veteran Affairs’ Aid and Attendance benefit.

He reviews four reasons why retirees should explore charitable giving.

•  Voluntary vs. involuntary philanthropy: At the federal level, you can zero out your estate taxes by diverting what would have gone to the government in favor of your chosen cause. In a real sense, the government is a sort of charity; Through taxes, a citizen’s money goes into the social capital funnel. If you’re worried your tax money isn’t being spent wisely, consider a legitimate charity that you would like to support. There are legal leveraging techniques that can be used to make your taxed income skew more voluntary than involuntary.

•  Smart from the heart giving: Each year, Americans give about $300 billion to charity. Like any investment, carefully consider to whom you’re giving; ask plenty of questions. Also, think about giving to underfunded charities. Finally, make your money go further by donating your time and skills to the charity. You’ll likely experience even greater satisfaction when you combine a donation of money and effort.

•  The rewarding knowledge of your will: Only about 40 percent of Americans have this important legal document, which covers your estate’s executor, guardians for children and how to distribute your estate. A fourth component is gifts, which enables you to identify people or organizations to whom you wish to give gifts of money or specific possessions, such as jewelry or a car.

•  Perspective on your money: Many people say, “…but I’m not Bill Gates or Warren Buffett – let those guys give their money away.” In fact, there are many “middle-class millionaires” – those who live modestly in middle-income neighborhoods, who have a net worth of $1 million or more. “These folks have saved money their entire lives, and they don’t donate money easily,” Marriage says. “However, others in their same situation havedonated some of their estate and found it among the most rewarding acts they’ve ever done.” 

About Gary Marriage

Gary Marriage, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Nature Coast Financial Advisors, (www.naturecoastfinancial.com), which educates retirees on how to protect their assets, increase their income, and reduce their taxes. Marriage is a national speaker, delivering solutions for pre-retirees, business owners and seniors on the areas affecting their retirement and estates. He is an approved member of the National Ethics Bureau, and has been featured in “America’s Top Hometown Financial Advisors 2011 and most recently selected to Co-Author a book with Steve Forbes titled, “Power Principals.” Marriage is also the founder of Operation Veteran Aid, an advocate for war-time veterans and their families.