Review: Riverside by Tess Thompson + GIVEAWAY @tesswrites

River Valley Series

RIVERSTAR

By: Tess Thompson

Riverstar (The River Valley Collection #3)

After ending an affair with a married movie producer, feisty Hollywood makeup artist Bella Webber finds herself back in the quaint Oregon town of River Valley, the location of a famous director’s latest film. Despite trying to distract herself with work, Bella is unnerved by the proximity of Benjamin Fleck – a man who once so expertly made love to her she’d temporarily forgotten everything painful about her life. But now Ben sees her as nothing more than a heartbreak waiting to happen.

When an actress is found murdered after she’s seen leaving the restaurant Riversong with Ben, he is accused of the crime and arrested. Convinced of his innocence, the River Valley ‘gang of misfits’ band together to find the real killer, and Bella must face her biggest fear to ensure the truth is revealed.

Riverstar - Amazon   Barnes and Noble     iTunes    Kobo

My Review:

Suspense in a story is quickly becoming another part of the romance genre i'm liking along with the fantastic author Ms. Tess Thompson.  Readers, she has truly done it again !!!

Another star is born with this book.  Riverstar is book 3 in The River Valley Collection and River Valley is another town I've absolutely fallen in love with!

Ms. Thompson has held fast to creating unforgettable and amazing characters that readers can't help but fall in love with.  It's so easy to feel what each character is going through and it really makes the book mean so much more!  

It's nice to have Bella & Benjamin finally get their chance, even after all this time and everything they had to go through.  I really believe it just makes a relationship so much stronger when two people can find a way to stand by each other and make it through the bad stuff without giving up.  

Will there be a book 4?  Boy do I sure hope so :)

Thanks to Author Tess Thompson for such a great series.

5 stars well deserved !!

Author Info

Tess Thompson is a novelist and playwright with a BFA in Drama from the University of Southern California. In 2011, she released her first novel, Riversong, which subsequently became a bestseller.

Like the characters in the River Valley collection, Tess is from a small town in Oregon. She currently lives in a suburb of Seattle, Washington with her two young daughters, Emerson and Ella. She is inspired daily by the view of the Cascade Mountains from her home office window.

Tess is working on her next novel and regularly blogs about her journey as a mother, author and friend at www.tesswrites.com.

Author Links:

www.tesswrites.com

@tesswrites

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessThompson?fref=ts

http://www.amazon.com/Tess-Thompson/e/B004W3WOTG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://pinterest.com/tesswrites/

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Review: Riverbend by Tess Thompson

River Valley Series

RIVERBEND

By: Tess Thompson

Riverbend (The River Valley Collection #2)

"Tag. I found you."

Just as Annie Bell's reputation as one of the best chefs in the Pacific Northwest grows to new heights, she receives a threatening phone call from her abusive ex-boyfriend. Marco is out on parole and hungry for revenge, blaming her for his ten-year imprisonment. Fearing for her life and that of her young son, Annie reluctantly accepts help from Drake Webber, a cold and wealthy recluse hiding a dark history of his own. Supported by the gang of misfits from their restaurant Riversong, Annie forges ahead despite her growing terror that Marco will appear at any moment and make good on his threats.

Author Tess Thompson (formerly known as Tess Hardwick) reunites the colorful cast of endearing small-town characters from her bestselling novel Riversong and takes you on a journey that will renew your faith in love, friendship and the power of community - even in the face of seemingly insurmountable grief and fear. You'll find yourself once again cheering for the residents of River Valley, especially the big-hearted and compassionate Annie Bell.

Buy Links:     Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Barnes and Noble

My Review:

What a great read!  This is the second book in The River Valley Collection and I'm really loving this author and the town.  I think Tess Thompson hooked me in with Annie's little boy she's trying to keep safe.  As a mom, there is nothing more important!

I really like how this author has created very passionate characters and a believable story line with true-to-life situations and fears.

I usually like to reference different scenes & such in my reviews but you know what?  Not this time!  Go buy the book, oh heck with that, go buy the series!  You won't be disappointed.

Tomorrow I'm reviewing book 3 :) and after reading these books, I sure hope things continue in River Valley!

Ms. Thompson, you rock!

Author Info:

Tess Thompson is a novelist and playwright with a BFA in Drama from the University of Southern California. In 2011, she released her first novel, Riversong, which subsequently became a bestseller.

Like the characters in the River Valley collection, Tess is from a small town in Oregon. She currently lives in a suburb of Seattle, Washington with her two young daughters, Emerson and Ella. She is inspired daily by the view of the Cascade Mountains from her home office window.

Tess is working on her next novel and regularly blogs about her journey as a mother, author and friend at www.tesswrites.com.

Author Links

www.tesswrites.com

@tesswrites

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessThompson?fref=ts

http://www.amazon.com/Tess-Thompson/e/B004W3WOTG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://pinterest.com/tesswrites/

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 ($10.00 Amazon or B&N Gift Card and

 Digital Copy of CARAMEL AND MAGNOLIAS)

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Review: Riversong by Tess Thompson

RIVERSONG

River Valley Series

By: Tess Thompson

Blurb

Riversong (The River Valley Collection #1)

When Lee Tucker's husband commits suicide, he leaves her pregnant and one million dollars in debt to a loan shark. Out of options, she escapes to her deceased mother's dilapidated house located in a small Oregon town that, like her, is financially ruined, heartbroken and in desperate need of a fresh start. Lee's resilience leads to a plan for a destination restaurant named Riversong, to new chances for passion and love, and to danger from her dead husband's debt as her business blooms.

A surprising mix of romance, humor, friendship, intrigue and gourmet food - Riversong entertains while reminding you of life's greatest gifts.

Buy links:  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo



My Review:

I really love to read books in a series so I jumped at the chance when this one came across my email.

I immediately felt such compassion for the heroine, Lee, and all the she had to endure from day one.  Losing her husband, finding out about his secret life and the debt that he'd left her with.  How does one even deal with that, thinking you knew someone only to lose them then find out such madness during your grieving.  Add to that finding out that she's pregnant and I wanted to jump into the story and help this poor woman out.  Thank goodness after fleeing from the debt collectors and such, she at least has a house to go to that's all hers. And how clever to go hide in the one place the loan sharks should have known to look in first but didn't, her home town. 

I find it delightful to read books that put the characters in everyday real-life situations and Ms. Thompson portrayed Lee beautifully!  I love her enthusiasm at taking over the Riversong to make it successful.  A little charm and some great food goes a long way!

With much pleasure, I look forward to reading the next book in this series and highly recommend book 1 of the River Valley series.  

Author Info

Tess Thompson is a novelist and playwright with a BFA in Drama from the University of Southern California. In 2011, she released her first novel, Riversong, which subsequently became a bestseller.

Like the characters in the River Valley collection, Tess is from a small town in Oregon. She currently lives in a suburb of Seattle, Washington with her two young daughters, Emerson and Ella. She is inspired daily by the view of the Cascade Mountains from her home office window.

Tess is working on her next novel and regularly blogs about her journey as a mother, author and friend at www.tesswrites.com.

Author Links

www.tesswrites.com

@tesswrites

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessThompson?fref=ts

http://www.amazon.com/Tess-Thompson/e/B004W3WOTG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://pinterest.com/tesswrites/

Rafflecopter Giveaway

($10.00 Amazon or B&N Gift Card and Digital Copy of 
CARAMEL AND MAGNOLIAS)

a Rafflecopter giveaway